Organizing Paragraphs Practice

Read the paragraph from a draft of a narrative.  

(1) Kennedy sat down at the computer to start her homework. (2) She tried

pressing the power button, but again, nothing happened. (3) She began by

wiggling the mouse, but the screen stayed black. (4) Finally, she checked the

cord, which was unplugged!

Which change correctly organizes the paragraph?

• moving sentence 2 one before sentence 1

• moving sentence 3 before sentence 2

  
  

• moving sentence 4 before sentence 1

  
  

• moving sentence 4 before sentence 2

  
  

Read the paragraph from a report.

Which change correctly organizes the paragraph?

• moving sentence 1 after sentence 4

• moving sentence 2 after sentence 4

• moving sentence 3 after sentence 1

• moving sentence 4 after sentence 1

Read the paragraph from a draft of a narrative.

(1) Jack wanted to play a harmless trick on his sister for April Fool's Day. (2) He switched the bags inside the cereal boxes, replacing her favorite cereal with his. (3) The next morning, Jack loved seeing the shocked look on her face when the cereal she poured was not the kind she had expected! (4) After she went to bed, he went downstairs to the kitchen to set up the trick.

Which change correctly organizes the paragraph?

• moving sentence 4 before sentence 2

• moving sentence 3 before sentence 1

• moving sentence 3 before sentence 2

• moving sentence 2 before sentence 1

Read the paragraph from a draft of a narrative. (1) Millie and her grandmother decided to work on a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle together during winter break. (2) On the first day, they dumped all the tiny pieces and sorted them by color. (3) They worked carefully for the entire week, and they finally finished just before Millie had to return to school. (4) Then, Millie began fitting blue pieces together while her grandmother began with the brown pieces.

Which change correctly organizes the paragraph?

• moving sentence 4 before sentence 3

• moving sentence 3 before sentence 1

• moving sentence 3 before sentence 2

• moving sentence 2 before sentence 1

Read the paragraph from a report.

(1) Learning to ride a bicycle takes some practice. (2) After the training wheels are removed, children may fall off their bicycles a few times, but they will improve with practice. (3) Most children begin riding bicycles with training wheels, which help riders keep their balance. (4) When children are ready, the training wheels can be removed.

Which change correctly organizes the paragraph?

• moving sentence 1 after sentence 4

• moving sentence 2 after sentence 4

• moving sentence 3 after sentence 1

• moving sentence 4 after sentence 1

Read the paragraph from a draft of a narrative. 1) Now he is looking for a new job. 2) He looks in the newspaper, on the Internet, and in magazines. 3) Dawn’s father had to quit his job when the family moved. 4) Dawn hopes her father will find a job soon. Which change correctly organizes the paragraph?

• moving sentence 3 before sentence 1

• moving sentence 4 before sentence 3

• moving sentence 4 before sentence 2

• moving sentence 2 before sentence 1

Read the paragraph from a draft of a narrative. (1) Fatima decided to use her allowance to buy a piece of candy. (2) She put her coins into her pocket and walked to the candy store down the street. (3) Instead of her coins, her fingers felt a small hole at the bottom of her pocket. (4) When she arrived, she reached her hand inside her pocket. Which change correctly  organizes the paragraph?

• moving sentence 2 before sentence 1

• moving sentence 3 before sentence 2

• moving sentence 3 before sentence 1

• moving sentence 4 before sentence 3

Read the paragraph from the draft of a narrative. (1) Josie began by mixing the pancake batter in a large bowl. (2) Then, she flipped the pancakes so the other sides cooked on the hot griddle. (3) Once they were finished cooking, she put them on a warm plate to enjoy with syrup. (4) When the griddle was hot, she poured the batter into small disks. Which change correctly organizes the paragraph?

• moving sentence 1 after sentence 4

• moving sentence 2 after sentence 3

• moving sentence 4 after sentence 2

• moving sentence 4 after sentence 1

Read the paragraph from a draft of a narrative. (1) His father loaded the bags into the car and filled up the gas tank. (2) Last weekend, Malcolm’s family was getting ready to go on a road trip to visit Grandma. (3) Once the car was ready, the family climbed in and buckled up. (4) Finally, they were ready to drive to Grandma’s house! Which change correctly organizes the paragraph?

• moving sentence 2 before sentence 1

• moving sentence 3 before sentence 1

• moving sentence 4 before sentence 3

• moving sentence 4 before sentence 2

Read the paragraph from the draft of a narrative. (1) Doug began making scrambled eggs by heating up a skillet with some butter. (2) When the skillet was hot, he poured in the mixed eggs and stirred as they sizzled on the heat. (3) Once they were finished cooking, he served them on a plate with some buttered toast. (4) While he waited for the skillet to heat up, he cracked open the eggs into a large bowl and mixed them. Which change correctly organizes the paragraph?

• moving sentence 1 after sentence 4

• moving sentence 2 after sentence 3

• moving sentence 4 after sentence 1

• moving sentence 4 after sentence 2