I have a confession to make. I have never taught my students to write a paragraph using the hamburger method. You know, the one with the topic sentence, three sentences each with supporting details, and then a closing sentence.
Never. Not once.
Do I teach my students to write in paragraphs? I do… but not in the way you might think.
Content dictates form.
When I teach narrative writing, I teach students to begin a new paragraph when a new character speaks. When we revise our freewriting, we find natural breaks in topic. When I teach students to write persuasively, we find an effective place to stop, using our paragraphing to add emphasis to our arguments.
Consider the paragraphing choices I made in this blog. Intentional? You bet! Hamburger style? Far from it.
Yes! Love it and so happy to hear it from an expert like you. Thank you for sharing your confession and letting me have a peace of mind that it is ok that I don’t drill the hamburger method 😉