P4 English Composition: Opening and Closing Paragraphs

As the year is drawing to a close and P5 is looming in the near future, I have begun to prepare my P4 students for the new components that they will be introduced to. Every year, I advise parents to start early because the leap from P4 to P5 can be daunting. We start preparing P4 students early for the new P5 components in our Primary 4 English classes. One of the components that I work on diligently is writing. Students need to move away from the 3 Picture scenarios, outlined for them clearly and begin to construct their own stories with exciting and logical plots. This can be a leap, considering that they now only construct the ending.

One way to start forming good writing habits, is to start writing good opening and closing paragraphs. Most P4 students go straight into the first picture “One day, John was walking to school and it was raining heavily.”

A good opening paragraph can describe a setting or set a scene. Using weather as an opening can be a good start before exploring other ways to begin a composition. 

“Black ominous clouds covered the sky as rain pelted down on John..” 

A good closing paragraph wraps up a story well. 

“John had learnt a valuable lesson. He promised himself that….”

Below are some examples on how to begin using weather:

Good Weather

• A golden glow spread across the sky as the sun chased the dark clouds away
• The fresh air filled my lungs and I felt refreshed and exhilarated
• The sun rose in a pool of crimson and golden

Bad Weather

• The sky above was full of tumultuous dark clouds
• It was a cold, grey morning with a dull sky threatening rain
• The dark clouds grew ominously