ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS RESOURCES
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS RESOURCESFOUR WAYS TO VARY SENTENCES
Planning Points
Approximate Time Needed: 10-15 minutes at the beginning of five class periods.
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will learn three strategies for varying their sentences.
- Students will learn the difference between a simple, compound, or complex sentence.
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Students will revise their writing, showing four ways to vary sentences.
Materials Needed:
- an overhead for each mini-lesson
- blank transparencies
- transparency markers
- each student must have a draft of a writing assignment
Description
Mini-Lesson #1
After the students have started working on a writing assignment, the teacher gives a mini-lesson using a transparency with the following:
Writing Sample
I bought the wagon. It was on sale at Walmart.
It cost $9.99. The wagon broke. It bought it on a Tuesday.
It broke on Wednesday.
- What's wrong with the paragraph above?
- Each of this writer's sentences is called a simple sentence. How would you describe a simple sentence?
- Count the # of words in each sentence and write the # beside the sentence. What does this reveal about the writer's style?
- Re-write the paragraph above. Your goal is to eliminate as many unnecessary words as possible.
Before students share their paragraph revisions, ask some leading questions about how they revised. As they explain the process, mark it on the transparency. For example, a student might say, "you don't have to repeat the word it over and over." With the overheard marker, mark out each it except the first one.
Before students share their revisions, poll the class: "Who was able to change the paragraph into 3 sentences? 2? 1?"
Have the students who were able to revise using the least number of sentences share their revisions. Ask these students to count the # of words in each sentence. Is the number close each time or does it vary?
Mini-Lesson #2
1. Put the writing sample on the overhead. Review the key point from lesson
#1: eliminate unnecessary words in order to combine sentences together. Ask
students to look at their revision. Who used one of the following words to combine
some of the sentences?
Give four of these students blank transparencies. Ask them to write their revisions. The teacher should put each revision on the overhead and "Mark up" their sentences showing each simple sentence and the conjunction. Under each example, write:
Ask students why the following examples are not compound sentences:
- James went to the store and back home.
- Jack and Jill went up the hill.
2. The following sentence can help them remember the seven conjunctions. (Challenge your students to come up with their own sentence. The class could vote on the best one).
A boy found orange soda in New York.
Mini-Lesson #3
1. Put the writing sample from mini-lesson #1 on a new overhead. As a review of the previous lesson, explain to students that they have tried two strategies for varying sentence structure: eliminate unnecessary words and combine using a conjunction. Today's lesson will focus on the third strategy, varying sentence beginnings.
2. To review what a preposition is, use the illustration below. "A bunny comes to a hole in the road. What can the bunny do to get beyond buildings? Fill in the blank: the bunny can go ____ them." As the students give answers, write them on the illustration.
3. Referring to the original writing sample, tell students that this time when they revise the paragraph, they must use at least one prepositional phrase at the beginning of a sentence.
4. Have students count the # of words in each sentence. Ask, "Who would say that their sentences vary in length?" Have these students read their revisions and share the # of words in each sentence.
Mini-Lesson #4, Part I
1. Remind students that they have learned two new ways to vary sentences: 1- eliminate unnecessary words and combine; 2- use a prepositional phrase at the beginning of sentence. Now they will learn one more strategy: start the sentence with a clause that starts with a dependent word.
2. Share the list below with students. Have them write a sentence beginning with a dependent word.
Dependent Words
| after because if since until whether |
although before rather than though when while |
as even though since unless whereas while |
3. The teacher should ask three students to write their sentences on the board. Using guiding questions, help the students figure out why these are called dependent words. For example, as you put brackets around the dependent clause, ask, "What do the beginnings of all the sentences have in common?" "Could I take this part of the sentence and put a period after it?" Why not? As you put brackets around the second part of the sentence ask, "What does the last section of each sentence have in common? Could I take this part of the sentence and put a period after it?" Write the word Dependent over the first brackets and Independent over the second. Explain that the sentences the students wrote are called complex sentences. How do they differ from the simple sentences studied in the first lesson? Write the students explanations on the board.
4. Tell the students their homework is to make up a way to memorize at least ten dependent words. They will present them to the class and each student will pick one of the mnemonic devices.
Mini-Lesson #4, Part II
5. After students have memorized at least ten dependent words, have them revise the original paragraph given in lesson #1. They should use at least one clause at the beginning of the sentence that starts with a dependent word.
6. Have students count the # of words in each sentence. Ask, "Who would say that their sentences vary in length?" Have these students read their revisions and share the # of words in each sentence.
Mini-Lesson #5
After students have practiced the three strategies for varying sentences, have them revise their own writing, following the directions below:
How many words are in your paper? ______ How many sentences? ______
Avg sentence length ______
How long is your longest sentence? ______ The sentence before it _____ The sentence after it? ______
Find at least 2 examples of the following kinds of sentences and mark them in the margins:
Simple S Compound CD Complex (with dependent clause) CX
Pick 3 places in your writing where you will make the following revisions. Highlight the original section and then put your revision above it or in the margin. State which strategy # you used.
strategy #1: eliminate unnecessary words
strategy #2: combine sentences using a conjunction
strategy #3: prepositional phrase at sentence beginning
strategy #4: dependent clause at sentence beginning
Teacher's Notes
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