Pre-Write: Pancake Paragraph Graphic Organizer

The Pancake Paragraph Graphic Organizer helps students create the first draft of paragraphs from other pre-writing tools. The whipped topping represents a topic sentence and the pancake layers represent supporting sentences. I usually use this by stating that my favorite pancake meal includes chocolate chips all throughout the layers of pancake, as well as folded into the whipped cream topping. I then make a connection to how a strong paragraph can make just as wonderful an impression on its readers, where the enticing whipped topping is the topic sentence that has what the paragraph is about embedded within it. This is then followed by supporting sentences that take the place of the delicious layers of pancakes, with just as many yummy details of course. Students can use this graphic organizer to help them write single or multi-paragraph essays and other texts.