How Many Swings Does It Take?

How many sentences does it take to form a paragraph?

I have a philosophical issue with the question, "How many sentences does my paragraph have to be?"

I have taught mainly 5th grade and 6th grade throughout my career so far, and I understand these are prime years for learning proper paragraphing. I used to answer the question this way: "You're in 5th grade, so your paragraph should be about 5 sentences." Or, "You're in 6th grade, so roughly 6 sentences."

My answer to the question these days is, "It depends."

As we should know, a paragraph begins with a topic sentence which shares the main idea (hopefully in an interesting way!). Then come the supporting details with any variation of subcategories. Finally, the end of the paragraph should close down the main idea and transition into the next paragraph. This is the structure I teach.

So when the question pops up, "How many sentences?" I have to respond with a nebulous answer. It depends on your main idea and how much support you need to put into the paragraph to make it whole.

It depends when you're ready to close down the paragraph.

I had an idea the other day. A 6th grade boy walked up to my desk and asked me this forbidden question. I looked at him as he smiled at me. I smiled back at him, and then I banged my forehead on my desk. (I've tried to answer this so clearly.) Why does this question keep coming up? I think it's because students are afraid to take risks, or they're afraid to get something wrong. Or they have not been taught to think for themselves and make their own decisions. Maybe they just don't know after all the years of paragraph instruction how to do it.

So this boy who asked the question is on my son's baseball team--they love their baseball. I answered the boy this way:

"When you step up to the on deck circle, how many swings do you take to get ready for your at bat?"

He answered me, "I don't know. I swing until I feel ready to bat."

That was, of course, the answer I wanted to hear. I love using analogies with the students. Connecting a concept to an existing experience is my bread and butter, and I think it's the best way to help students learn.

If we can connect the dots here, we swing until we're ready, and then we step into the batter's box. In determining proper paragraphing, we write as many sentences as it takes to feel like we've completed the main idea. Of course, the student's idea of complete is oftentimes quite different from my idea of complete, but that's a topic for a different time.

What was cool about talking to the boy at my desk was that I got to see the light bulb ding above his head. The explanation was tailored to his strength, and that made all the difference.

Hopefully now when students attempt to determine how many sentences it takes to form a paragraph, they can understand that it could be different every time. They've got to write until it's complete. They've got to swing until they're ready.