Grade 3 | Traits Lesson: Sentence Fluency/Sentence Types

LESSON 2

THE SENTENCE FLUENCY TRAIT

Varying Sentence Types S trong writers vary the length and structure of their sentences to create a natural flow of ideas. In one piece, they’re likely to use all kinds of sentences—simple, compound, and complex. It’s not unusual for them to make statements, ask questions, give commands, and utter exclamations. Encourage students to strive to use a variety of sentences—from short and snappy to long and luxurious—to make their writing more fluent.

LESSON SUMMARY

After discussing the sentence fluency trait and its key qualities, students will study the mentor text for sentences of a variety of lengths and types. They will develop internal and external dialogue sentences. Then they will write their opinions about the book’s ending, using dialogue to showcase their sentence-writing skills.

TEACHING THE LESSON

Materials • Too Many Toys by David Shannon • Student-Friendly Scoring Guide: Sentence Fluency

1. Before studying Too Many Toys for the key quality, varying sentence types, read it aloud for students’ enjoyment, showing the illustrations as you go. If possible, display the book on a document camera so that the text and pictures are easy for students to see. 2. Discuss the sentence fluency trait and its key qualities. Let students know that they will be working with the second key quality: varying sentence types. Give students a copy of the Student-Friendly Scoring Guide: Sentence Fluency, and highlight the second item under “I’ve Got It!”: “I’ve varied the length and structure of my sentences.” 3. Reread Too Many Toys in its entirety or, if time is limited, sections that target the key quality. Ask students their initial impressions of the sentence lengths in the book: Were they different from or similar to one another? Ask them to consider how the sentences would sound if David Shannon made every one of them the same length. Guide them to understand that readers get bored with sentences of similar length because the writing becomes repetitious.

(website and page 16)

• Go-Along Page 2:

Diving Into Dialogue (website and page 13)

• Write-On Sheet 2: The Box Rocks (website)

4. Explain that Too Many Toys contains many different types of sentences. Read the book’s opening sentence: “Spencer had too many toys.” Then explain that this is a simple sentence, an independent clause that contains a single subject (a person, place, or thing) and a single verb (the action carried out by the subject). In this case, “Spencer” is the subject and “had” is the verb.

5. Point out that the second sentence, “They covered the floor of his bedroom and piled up in his closet,” is a long sentence that includes a coordinating conjunction: and . 6. Tell students that Shannon uses different types of sentences to present the story’s conflict. When he gets to the action, he uses dialogue. Turn to pages 18 and 19, which begin, “One day, Spencer’s mom had had it up to here . . . .” Read aloud both pages so students can hear how the dialogue sounds. 7. Point out that page 18 includes external dialogue (what Spencer’s mom says out loud: “SPENCER! . . . YOU HAVE TOO MANY TOYS!”) and internal dialogue (what Spencer says in his head: That’s impossible! ). This is another way to vary sentences. 8. Hand out Go-Along Page 2: Diving Into Dialogue, and ask students to think about a conversation between Spencer and his mother. Have them write what might have been said (external dialogue) in the left column and what might have been thought about what was said (internal dialogue) in the right column. For example:

Student-Friendly Scoring Guide

Sentence Fluency

I’VE GOT IT! ★★ My sentences are well built and have varied beginnings. ★★ I’ve varied the length and structure of my sentences. ★★ My sentences read smoothly. ★★ I’ve tried to write using interjections or fragments to create variety. ON MY WAY ★★ My sentences are working pretty well. ★★ I might put some sentences together or I could cut a few in two. ★★ When I read my piece aloud, there are a few places that need smoothing. ★★ I’ve tried a couple of ways to begin my sentences differently, but could do more.

JUST STARTING ★★ My sentences aren’t working well.

★★ I’ve used words like and or but too many times. ★★ I’m having trouble reading my piece aloud. ★★ My sentences sound the same.

website and page 16

SENTENCE FLUENCY: Varying Sentence Types

Go-Along Page 2 Diving Into Dialogue

Write what might have been said in a conversation between Spencer and his mom about the toy problem. Identify what each character is saying (external dialogue) in the left column and what each character is thinking (internal dialogue) in the right column.

External Dialogue Internal Dialogue Mom: “Spencer, I really mean it.” Spencer: Oh no, this could be bad!

External Dialogue: Mom: “Spencer, I really mean it.” Internal Dialogue: Spencer: Oh no, this could be bad!

9. Explain that the words being spoken should be set off with quotation marks, the words being thought should be underlined, and both should be separated by colons from the speaker. (Because this lesson focuses on varying sentence types and not conventions, don’t worry too much about correct formatting. You can cover the conventions of dialogue in greater depth later.) 10. Have students read back their internal and external dialogues in small groups and discuss how using dialogue is a powerful way to vary sentence types. 11. Distribute Write-On Sheet 2: The Box Rocks. Ask each student to write an opinion piece about Spencer’s decision to save the cardboard box rather than the toys. Have them write the piece as a dialogue between Spencer and his mother, providing strong reasons why he chose the box. 12. Have students read their opinion pieces with a partner, each taking the role of Spencer or his mother, and then revise their writing for clarity as necessary.

website and page 13

SENTENCE FLUENCY: Varying Sentence Types

Write-On Sheet 2 The Box Rocks

Write an opinion piece about Spencer’s decision to save the cardboard box rather than the toys. Write your piece as a dialogue between Spencer and his mom, providing strong reasons for choosing the box.

THINK ABOUT ● Did I include different kinds of sentences?

● Are some of my sentences complex? ● Are some of my sentences simple? ● Did I intermingle sentence types?

GOING FURTHER WITH THE KEY QUALITY

website

Tell students, “Parents everywhere are looking for an invention to help their kids keep their toys organized. You are going to invent a machine to help them out.” Give large sheets of paper to students to sketch out their inventions. When they’re finished, have them each write a paragraph or two stating why they each think their invention is the best and how it will be the most effective solution to “the toy problem.” Remind students to vary the lengths of their sentences. Invite parents to come into the classroom to vote on the invention they think would work best.

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