Analyzing Paragraphs Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: RI.8.5

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

When you are picking apart singular paragraphs to gain more understanding or to collectively gauge its level of significance you should start by looking at the structure and arrangement of paragraph in the general flow of things that surrounds it. Most paragraphs start with a topic sentence, several supporting sentences, and then ends with a transitional sentence to catapult it to the next paragraph. These worksheets will have your students breaking down the work of other writers as they pick apart paragraphs.

Analyzing Paragraphs Worksheets:

Paragraphs with Purpose – This sheet can be used with any extended reading selection you might have.

Analyzing Paragraphs for Persuasion – You can even use simple magazine article here and then transition to text.

Is Technology Distracting Our Kids? – Really? Do you think we shouldn't look at their heads buried in their devices all day.

Puppy Mill Pups – Not my favorite of topics. I love my puppies!

Is Cheerleading a Sport? – Of course it is. Have you ever seen a competition?

The Attitude of the Public Towards the Blind – Does this paragraph convince you that the author is credible?

The Study of Expression – How does Darwin structure the paragraph with regards to acknowledging and refuting the conflicting viewpoint?

Democracy and Size – How does Darwin structure the paragraph with regards to acknowledging and refuting the conflicting viewpoint?

How to Teach Botany – Choose one paragraph from the passage and analyze its structure, including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining the article's key concept.

Aladdin – Analyze the structure of the paragraph and discuss how each sentence it develops, supports or refines the central idea.

Beware of Astroturf – See if this title is fitting?

Oliver Sacks – What's the central theme going on here?

Oneiromancy – The Interpretation of Dreams in Order to Tell the Future.

Supporting and Refining Key Concepts – Break apart a paragraph from any work you have handy.

The Nervous Child – From the treasured classic.

How to Analyze a Paragraph?


Analyzing a paragraph means to read and understand between the lines, interpret, and to draw conclusions of that paragraph on your own. Students are often given assignments in which they have to analyze a paragraph. Most of the students usually find it difficult to analyze a paragraph. However, after applying the following techniques, one can analyze any paragraph with great ease:


Reading Carefully


To analyze a paragraph, a careful reading of that paragraph is the foremost requirement. Read the paragraph repeatedly to have a full understanding of what is being conveyed by the paragraph.


Understanding the Topic Sentence


A topic sentence is usually the first sentence of a paragraph containing its main idea. Analyzing and understanding the topic sentence of any paragraph is very important to its overall understanding and analysis. It is preferable to rewrite the topic sentence in your own words to have a better knowledge of the main idea.


Highlighting


Efficient readers, while analyzing a paragraph, always highlight important or informative sentences, words or any other idea. They use this highlighted portion to make inferences, draw conclusions, and interpret the purpose of the writer behind writing a paragraph.


Answering Wh- Questions


Asking yourself all the wh- questions including when, who, where, why, what and how about the paragraph, is a great step in the analysis of any text. Answering such questions in your own words will provide you with a detailed analysis of the paragraph or at least some clue towards a complete analysis.


Writing Analysis


After fully comprehending the paragraph, it is advantageous to write a short analysis in your own words. This rough analysis must not be more than two to three lines. Read the whole text again while keeping your written analysis in mind, this will help you in understanding the paragraph deeply and will add more to your final analysis. Also, in the future, if one needs some data relevant to the paragraph, one can only read the analysis instead of reading the whole paragraph and can save time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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