Curated OER
Writing and Presenting a Fable Using Research
Elementary and middle schoolers research animal facts and use them in a fable. First, they pair-share to find animal traits to use in writing a fable. They then complete a prewriting worksheet. After going through the writing process,...
Curated OER
Avoiding Run-On Sentences (II)
Polish the writing skills of your emerging writers by eliminating run-on sentences in their work. Discuss the ways to correct run-ons before releasing your class to work on this 20-sentence worksheet independently. An answer sheet is...
Curated OER
Sentence Fragments
Tired of reading fragments in your pupils' writing? Assign the activity here to clarify the difference between a sentence and a fragment. Enrich the exercise with information about subject and verb and some more examples of fragments and...
Curated OER
Basic English Sentence Patterns
A simple set of practice sheets deals with sentence structure and patterns. The 117-page packet includes 10 units of skills, varying from identifying parts of speech in a sentence to writing the correct part to make a sentence complete....
Student Handouts
Four-Square Writing Method
Pupils produce paragraphs with planning and precision with the four-square writing method, which allows learners to organize the topic, supporting, and summary sentences of their paragraphs.
Curated OER
Testing... Testing...
Learners demonstrate critical- and creative-thinking skills to develop test questions. They write clear test questions or statements using correct grammar, spelling, and sentence structure.
K12 Reader
Expand it! Writing Complex Sentences
Instruct your pupils to make those simple sentences complex! For this exercise, learners are given eight pairs of complete sentences and subordinating conjunctions. It's their job to transform each sentence by using the subordinating...
Curated OER
Fused Sentences (Also called Run-on Sentences)
After reading a detailed explanation of fused sentences and studying the provided examples, learners reconstruct nine sentences to eliminate comma splices and fused, or run-on, sentences. This could be used as homework or a group exercise.
Curated OER
Writing the Essay
Relate the structure of the essay to the structure of a building. The class compares an essay to a building, with the writer being the architect, the introduction being the foundation, and so on. They use the visual representation of a...
Digital Education Resource Archive
Narrative Writing Unit
Each one of the learners in your class has a story to tell, so help them learn the most efficient and organized way to tell their tale. A thorough unit on narrative writing addresses the writing process, grammar, story structure,...
Curated OER
The Heart of Your Paper: 11 Methods for Writing a Topic Sentence (or a Thesis Statement)
Help your young writers produce high-quality topic and thesis statements that go beyond basic wording and really illustrate complex ideas and critical thinking skills. From however and compound sentence statements to using rhetorical...
Curated OER
Simple, Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex Sentences in Your Writing
Encourage your young writers to make their writing more interesting by varying their sentence structures. Each color-coded slide offers definitions and models of sentence forms. The final slide in the presentation presents viewers with...
Curated OER
Worksheet 2: Sentence Fragments
Young grammarians revise a series of sentences to correct fragment errors. No definitions or examples are provided; however, the worksheet could be used to assess pupil understanding of the principle.
Curated OER
Diagramming sentences
In an orderly fashion, go through diagramming sentences with your class. Beginning with a simple sentence and the placement of subject and verb, subsequent slides slowly add on more branches and lines with explanations of sentence types...
Curated OER
Organizing by Writing
Middle schoolers analyze how to use writing for generating and organizing their thoughts before communicating them. They use the questions on the first handout to organize a three-minute introduction of themselves to their small group....
Curated OER
Make Your Writing More Interesting
Teach your class how to improve their writing. This resource walks learners through the keys to good writing. It addresses the need for complex sentences, the use of different ways to open a sentence, and the importance of varying the...
Curated OER
Convey Ideas in Writing
Use the platforms of the 2004 presidential candidates to bring persuasive writing to your class. Young voters identify the three issues most important to them in the election and research the issues and candidates' positions. They write...
Tech Coach Corner
How to Write a Paragarph Or How to Build a Big Mac
Employing the metaphor of a Big Mac hamburger, this presentation explains how to put together a cohesive paragraph. The PowerPoint uses humor, animation, sound effects, and examples to get the points across. The main focus is on the...
Curated OER
Grammar Practice: Parallel Structure
Help your young writers improve the clarity of their sentences by showing them how to create parallel structures as they construct sentences. Two exercises give kids practice identifying the correct parallel structure and crafting...
Curated OER
Run On Sentences
Explore run-on sentences with your language arts class. There is a SMART Board presentation included, but even if you don't have access to this technology, there are several useful pieces here. Provide your learners with the "student...
Curated OER
Taste Test - Combining Sentences
Pupils combine sentences to create compound sentences. They write about creating their own soda, then make their own soda, comparing and contrasting it with a national brand. They write a paragraph containing compound sentences.
Curated OER
Writing Conventions: Combining Sentences with Appositives
Young grammarians as well as language learners can benefit from a short presentation about using appositives to combine short, related sentences. After a brief definition of terms, pairs share their ideas and combine model sentences.
Curated OER
Subject-Verb Agreement
For English speakers and English Language Learners alike, subject-verb agreement can be a tricky task in sentence structure. This PowerPoint provides helpful explanations for different instances in writing sentences, as well as ten...
Curated OER
Sentence (Structure) Recognition Practice
In this sentence clauses worksheet, sixth and seventh graders read ten sentences and write down whether the sentence is: simple, compound, complex or compound-complex.