Writing an Informative Paragraph
Lesson 7-9 Writing About Koalas
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Lesson 7-9 Writing About Koalas
Open the lesson by connecting the writing task to the class's earlier koala knowledge. Keep the focus on informative writing rather than narrative description.
Our Learning Goal
I can write a paragraph beginning with a topic sentence, followed by related, detailed sentences.
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Words you know about koalas
Use this to activate prior knowledge about koalas before students write. Accept simple words such as leaves, tree, grey, joey, Australia, claws.
What Is a Paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of sentences about one main idea.
When we write an informative paragraph, the sentences belong together and all tell the reader about the same topic.
Link this to prior learning: students may know that a paragraph is not just a chunk of writing, but a group of related ideas.
One Main Idea: Koalas
Our paragraph will give general information about koalas.
We can include facts such as:
where koalas live
what koalas eat
what koalas look like
facts about koala babies
Keep the distinction clear: this paragraph is about general information only. Do not include threats or dangers yet, because those belong to a different focus.
Start with a Topic Sentence
A topic sentence tells the main idea of the whole paragraph.
It comes first and lets the reader know what the paragraph will be about.
Example:
Koalas are native Australian animals with special features and habits.
Use the example as a model, but also accept simpler student-friendly versions. Emphasise that the topic sentence should preview the paragraph, not tell every fact.
Make the Topic Sentence Stronger
We can improve a topic sentence by adding modifying words.
Instead of:
Koalas are animals.
Try:
Koalas are native Australian animals.
Modifying words add clearer detail.
Model how a plain sentence becomes more informative with a small addition. You may also mention examples such as eastern, southern, grey, furry, or sleepy if they fit the shared class facts.
What does a topic sentence tell us?
the main idea
one tiny fact
the last sentence
a made-up story
Checks understanding from slides 2-5 that a paragraph has one main idea and the topic sentence comes first to show it.
Add Related Detail Sentences
After the topic sentence, add sentences that match the main idea.
Related detail sentences can tell:
where koalas live
what they eat
how they move
what their babies are like
Stress that every sentence must stay on the same theme: general information about koalas. This helps students avoid random facts.
Keep the Facts Grouped Together
A good paragraph sounds tidy because the ideas are grouped together.
For example, food facts stay with food facts, and body facts stay with body facts.
This helps the reader follow the information easily.
This is the organising idea behind the paragraph. You can gesture to the class resource and show how facts can be clustered before writing.
General Information Sentences
Here are some sentence ideas for a koala paragraph:
Koalas live in parts of eastern and southern Australia.
They eat eucalyptus leaves.
Koalas have thick grey fur and strong claws.
A baby koala is called a joey.
These are model content ideas, not a paragraph to copy as-is. Encourage students to turn class notes into their own related sentences.
Which fact group could you write about?
where they live
what they eat
what they look like
their babies
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Using Subject-Specific Words
Subject-specific words are words that fit the topic.
For koalas, we might use:
eucalyptus
joey
claws
native
branches
These words make informative writing more precise.
Point out that precise vocabulary helps writing sound knowledgeable. Students do not need many special words; a few well-chosen ones are enough.
Add Modifying Words
Modifying words add extra detail to a sentence.
They can describe how, what kind, or which one.
Examples:
strong claws
thick grey fur
rarely drink water
safely hold on
Keep the grammar light and functional for this age. The aim is not naming every word class in depth, but helping students add useful detail.
Make Sentences More Interesting
We can use a range of sentences in a paragraph.
Some sentences can be short and clear.
Some can give extra detail.
This makes the paragraph smoother and more interesting to read.
Frame this as sentence variety, not complexity for its own sake. Students only need to see that not every sentence has to sound the same.
A Complex Sentence
A complex sentence joins two ideas.
Example:
As they are sleeping, koalas use their claws to hold on to tree branches.
The word as links the ideas together.
Briefly draw attention to the joining word as a subordinating conjunction, but keep the explanation simple and tied to how it helps writing.
Joining Ideas About Koalas
We can join ideas with words such as:
as
because
when
while
Example:
Koalas rarely drink water because they get moisture from eucalyptus leaves.
Use this slide to support students who are ready to extend their topic sentence or detail sentences with conjunctions.
