Let’s Spice It Up
Melinda Kennedy
Purpose:
The purpose of this mini lesson is to show students the
importance of sentence variety. This mini lesson is to show students how a
variety of sentences can make a piece of writing come alive and flow better. This
mini lesson should be taught after students have written several pieces of
writing.
Material:
Overhead projector
Pens
Sentence Variety transparency
Sentence Variety handouts for
students (it is the same as the transparent)
Highlighters
Time Required:
Approximately 15-20 minutes
Objectives:
NCTE
#5 Students employ a wide
range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements
appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purpose.
NCSCS
Competency Goal 6 - The
learner will apply conventions of application of grammar and language usage.
6.01 Model an understanding of conventional written and
spoken expression by: Using a variety
of sentences correctly, punctuating them properly, and avoiding fragments
and run-ons.
Script:
“Everyone in this room can be successful writers; it just
takes some practice. When you write papers, I want you to capture the
individual’s attention who is reading your paper. I want that individual to
have a desire to keep reading instead of falling asleep trying to read it. By
making the choice to use sentence variety, you can capture an individual’s
attention. Sentence variety is very important in writing. Using sentence
variety helps the paper to have a better flow, it helps the reader to stay
focused, and it creates a balance.
Let’s do a quick review of the types of sentences. (I
will write the following types of sentences on the overhead). A declarative
sentence makes a statement. This type of sentence usually tells something about
a person, a place, a thing, or an idea. An interrogative sentence asks
questions. An imperative sentence makes commands. Usually this type of sentence
will have an understood subject (you). An exclamatory sentence reveals strong
emotion or surprise.
Now let’s look at sentence structure. When
writing papers, use simple sentences to explain a complete independent thought.
A simple sentence has one independent clause. On the other hand, you should use
a compound sentence when you have two ideas that are related, or have equal
importance. A compound sentence has two independent clauses. Coordinating
conjunction or a semicolon joins this type of sentence. In addition, you should
use a complex sentence when you have an independent clause and one or more
dependent clauses. (Put the Sentence Variety transparency on the overhead
projector. We will read over the transparency as a group. Next, hand the
students their own sentence variety worksheet.) I want you to get out the last
paper you turned into me. I want you to complete this worksheet using the
papers I just handed back to you.”
Website for Sentence Variety
Worksheet:
http://www.pearsoned.ca/sightlines/gr_8/common/language_workshop/gr8_lwm8.pdf