Lesson by Alyssa Marcangelo, 2012

Lesson 2: Sentence Structure

What does a wow sentence look like? Language Arts Standard: Writing Conventions Writing conventions include spelling, punctuation, grammar and other conventions associated with forms of written text. Ohio Benchmarks: Writing Conventions A. Print legibly using appropriate spacing. B. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly. C. Use conventions of punctuation and capitalization in written work. Ohio Indicator: 1. Print capital and lowercase letters, correctly spacing the letters. 2. Leave spaces between words when writing. 5. Place punctuation marks at the end of sentences. Lesson Objective: Students will write comprehensible sentences, focusing on printing their letters neatly, leaving appropriate spaces between words and letters, beginning their sentences with an uppercase letter, and ending each sentence with the appropriate punctuation mark. ________________________________________________________________________ Anticipatory Set Materials for Anticipatory Set: Wow Writing poster Chart paper Marker I will begin the lesson by briefly reviewing what an overall wow paper looks like through a student-led discussion on the carpet. Using the wow writing poster, students will discuss the differences between the three papers and which one they want their papers to look like. I will also review with the students that not all wow papers look the same; everyone is different, therefore every students writing is unique in content and appearance, and every student has different writing goals they are working towards. After reviewing the components of a wow paper, we will then focus in on sentence structure.

Lesson by Alyssa Marcangelo, 2012 Instructional Strategies Modeling o I will show the class three examples of sentences, corresponding to the three levels of wow writing: Level 1: Below Expectations wego like here look No punctuation No capitalization Does not makes sense Hard to read

Level 2: Meets Expectations I like to play outside. Punctuation and capitalization present Makes sense Neat writing and good spacing

Level 3: Exceeds Expectations I like to play outside when it is sunny. Everything included in level 2 but with added detail to make it more interesting to the reader.

As I show each sentence example, I will ask the class what they think and what they notice about the writing sample. I will have the students point out to me what needs to be improved upon in each example, what they like about the sentence, and what is correct. Guided Practice o After discussing the three different sentence examples, I will ask the students what they think their sentences need to stand out as wow level sentences. Using chart paper and a marker, we will make a list of all the components we need to check for when writing a sentence. I will ask students to raise their hands and give me an important part of writing a successful sentence, which I will then write on the chart paper. o When making this list, I will prompt students to give answers in order of what they do first when writing a sentence. I want this to be primarily student led so that each child feels a sense of ownership in his/her learning and writing goals. I anticipate that the list will look similar to the one below

Lesson by Alyssa Marcangelo, 2012 Think about what you are going to write. Say the sentence in your head. Does it make sense? Start with a capital letter. Write your lowercase letters neatly. Use two-finger spacing. End your sentence with a period (or exclamation point/question mark when appropriate) Re-read your sentence. Does it make sense?

One of the most important points is that it does not matter how long the sentence is, it only matters that it makes sense. I will emphasize this throughout the lesson. Before beginning independent writing, I will ask the class id they can come up with an example sentence using their sight words. I will use this sentence to practice going through the steps of effective sentence writing with all of the students before they return to their seats. Checking for Understanding o I will ask students to raise their hands to share what makes a wow sentence. o I will ask students to give me a thumbs-up if they understand and are ready to work on their writing.

Materials Lined writing paper Pencil Picture dictionary Sight word cards Activity Journal Writing

Students can consult these resources at the writing center during independent writing if needed.

Prompt: What do you want to do this weekend/what are you going to do this weekend? The list we made will be at the front of the classroom so students can refer back to what they need to do to write a successful sentence. Accommodations for special learners Some students need to be given a prompt to copy to start their writing. A starting prompt will be written on a white board that the students keep at their desk if needed. Students working below grade level will be working with an aide in small groups or one-on-one with a teacher.

Lesson by Alyssa Marcangelo, 2012 If students with special needs are still struggling to write or becoming too frustrated, I will have them work on worksheet as an extension after the lesson. They will have a sentence to read at the top, where they can highlight the capital letter at the beginning of the sentence, underline the spaces, and highlight the punctuation at the end of the sentence. This will only be used as an extension or to provide additional help after the lesson so that students are still participating.

Assessment Students will be assessed on participation and individual improvement in their writing. These writing samples will be collected and used to assess their overall progress in writing throughout future lessons.

Lesson by Alyssa Marcangelo, 2012

Learning Centers
Small group activities to use with teaching sentence structure

Editing Sentences
This center allows students to practice editing their work, preparing them for publishing a finished writing piece. Students examine given sentences and, using a marker, circle or underline the errors they find. Children rewrite the sentences below so that they are free of mistakes. Differentiating Instruction Below Level On Level Above Level Sentences have one error. Errors focus primarily on capitalization and ending punctuation. Sentences have two-three errors. Errors focus on capitalization, punctuation, and spacing. Sentences have more than three errors. Errors include capitalization, punctuation, spacing, and spelling.

Below Level
i like my dog. Do you see one she wants that.

On Level
i like my dog. Do you see one she wants that.

Above Level
i like my dog. Do you Boards Magnetsee one Mag she wants that.

Lesson by Alyssa Marcangelo, 2012 Magnet Board Sentences Students work individually or with partners to create sentences by arranging magnetic sight words and decodable words on a magnet board, as shown below. After creating a sentence that makes sense, students check it with their partner and write it down on a sheet of writing paper, making sure to capitalize the first letter in the sentence, use correct spacing, and place the appropriate punctuation mark at the end. The words used on the magnet board can be organized by the reading levels of the students in the classroom so that all children can successfully participate in the center. Differentiating Instruction Below Level On Level Above Level Use kindergarten sight words that have been introduced in the classroom. Use all kindergarten sight words with some decodable words. Use first grade sight words with some decodable words.

Magnet Board
he one where me I see and the y look want come this have do we my she here like you there two are good a the for out . to what who ? !

My Sentence

Lesson by Alyssa Marcangelo, 2012

Integrating the Arts

Aligning whole-group activities with Howard Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Music
Musical Sentences
This activity helps students Generate complete, comprehensible sentences. Practice spacing Practice ending punctuation Start each sentence with a capital letter. This activity appeals to students whose learning styles correspond to Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence Musical intelligence This activity may take some practice, but it helps students learn the various parts of a sentence by incorporating movement and sounds. Sitting in a circle, students raise their hand and take turns generating complete sentences. The teacher repeats the sentence, asking the students to give a thumbs-up if it makes sense. If it does, the students repeat the sentence with the teacher, this time using motions for the first word, spaces between the words, and the punctuation at the end. First word: students lift their arms up to the ceiling, wiggling their fingers, for the uppercase letter. Spaces: Students snap their fingers.

Period: Students clap their hands once.

Example Sentence: I like to go to school. I *snap* like *snap* to *snap* go *snap* to *snap* school. (wiggle fingers)

(clap!)

Art
Drawing and labeling sentences
This activity helps students Generate complete, comprehensible sentences. Practice labeling pictures. Visualize their ideas. This activity appeals to students whose learning styles correspond to Verbal/Linguistic intelligence Visual/Spatial intelligence Students are either given sentences at their reading level or can write their own. After writing their sentence using their best handwriting and paying careful attention to spacing, capitalization, and punctuation, students draw a picture

Lesson by Alyssa Marcangelo, 2012