4th Grade: Sentence Fluency Lesson

Key  Qualities  of  the  Sentence  Fluency  Trait  

• Crafting  Well-­‐Built  Sentences  

• Varying  Sentence  Types  

• Capturing  Smooth  and  Rhythmic  Flow  

• Breaking  the  “Rules”  to  Create  Fluency  

Standing Sentences

It’s important for students to develop the ability to hear a sentence and know if it sounds

right. At first, all sentences will probably sound the same to them. But over time and with

experience, the big and little problems will begin to stand out. Hearing high-quality

English read aloud will speed this process, especially for English language learners who

are used to the rhythms and cadences of their first language. In this lesson, students read a

long sentence repeatedly. Then, they deconstruct the sentence, one word at a time,

creating a new, shorter sentence with each subsequent reading—and developing an ear

for fluency, in the process.

Materials:

• photocopies of two-sided word cards for building sentences

• a projection of Key Qualities in the Sentence Fluency Trait

• projection  of  Think  About:  

• paper, pens, pencils

What to Do:

1. Hand out the 13 word cards for Sentence #1 to 13 randomly chosen students in

your class.

2. Ask the four students who have the cards “Is,” “Brown,” “Dog,” “My” to come to

the front of the class and arrange themselves in an order that makes a complete

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    2  

sentence. Since the cards show each word capitalized on the front and lowercase

on the back, be sure students use the correct side, depending on where their word

falls in the sentence: “My dog is brown.”

3. Ask the class if the word cards make a sentence. If the answer is yes, read the

sentence aloud together. Acknowledge that it is a sentence and ask a student to

tell you what type: simple, complex, compound, or compound-complex. If the

answer is no, ask the four cardholders to rearrange themselves until they make a

sentence.

4. Ask another student to join the sentence, read his or her word aloud, and take a

place among the cardholders to expand the sentence—for example, “My wet dog

is brown.” Allow the new cardholder to change the order of the words already in

play. Read the expanded sentence aloud. If the class deems the sentence correct,

ask a student to identify what kind of sentence it is.

5. Continue adding cards, reading the expanded sentences, and identifying their

types until all the cards have been used. If two cards must be added at the same

time for the sentence to work, that’s okay⎯but only if all other options are

exhausted first.

6. Read the final sentence aloud and ask a student not holding a card to tell you what

kind of sentence it is—most likely, compound, for example, “My dog is fuzzy,

mocha-colored, chocolate-brown and gives warm, wet, slobbery kisses.”

7. Reverse roles and deconstruct the sentence. Ask students not holding cards to

remove words while leaving the leaving the sentence intact. As their words are

called out, cardholders take their seats. If you reach a point where two cards must

come out at the same time for the remaining cards to be an intact sentence, that’s

fine. Read each new sentence aloud every time a word card is removed. Tell

students the goal is to whittle the sentence down to a four-word simple sentence

other than the one they started with. For example, they may wind up with “My

dog kisses.”

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    3  

8. At the end of the lesson, discuss how it was important to listen to the sound of the

sentences to determine whether they were complete or not. Remind students to

read their sentences aloud as they write to ensure they make sense and have

rhythm and flow.

Extension Activity:

The longer sentences get, the more they will need punctuation marks to make sense. So

make a set of cards with commas, periods, exclamation marks, dashes, ellipses, and other

punctuation marks you think might be needed in the sentence. Give them to students to

add to a sentence as it expands, and remove as it contracts. Discuss punctuation’s role in

making sentences read smoothly.

Directions for Creating Cards:

A. Place one word on each card, with the capitalized word on the front and the

lowercase word on the back.

B. Print the words on card stock large enough to read easily from the back of the

room

C. Print punctuation marks on cards in a different color for the lesson extension

(Use these cards once the sentence is fully assembled and students wish to edit it.)

D. Laminate the cards and clip them together for long-term use.

Words for Standing Sentence:

1. my

2. dog

3. is

4. fuzzy

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    4  

5. mocha-colored

6. chocolate

7. brown

8. and

9. gives

10. warm

11. wet

12. slobbery

13. kisses

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    5  

Projection  

 

Key  Qualities  of  the  Sentence  Fluency  Trait  

 

• Crafting  Well-­‐Built  Sentences  

• Varying  Sentence  Types  

• Capturing  Smooth  and  Rhythmic  Flow  

• Breaking  the  “Rules”  to  Create  Fluency  

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    6  

 Projection    

 

Think  About:    

• Is  it  easy  to  read  the  entire  piece  aloud?  

• Do  my  sentences  flow,  one  to  the  next?  

• Do  individual  passages  sound  smooth  when  I  read  them  aloud?  

• Did  I  thoughtfully  place  different  sentence  types  in  a  way  that  

enhances  the  main  idea?  

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    7  

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    8  

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    9  

 

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    10  

 

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    11  

 

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    12  

 

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    13  

The  Culham  Writing®  Company,  2012    14  

Key  Qualities  

Ideas  

• Finding  a  Topic  • Focusing  the  Topic  • Developing the Topic • Using  Details    

Organization  

• Creating  the  Lead  • Using  Sequence  Words  and  Transition  Words  • Structuring  the  Body  • Ending  with  a  Sense  of  Resolution    

Voice  

• Establishing  a  Tone  • Conveying  the  Purpose  • Creating  a  Connection  to  the  Audience  • Taking  Risks  to  Create  Voice    

Word  Choice  

• Applying  Strong  Verbs  • Selecting  Striking  Words  and  Phrases  • Using  Specific  and  Accurate  Words  • Choosing  Words  that  Deepen  Meaning    

Sentence  Fluency  

• Crafting  Well-­‐Built  Sentences  • Varying  Sentence  Types  • Capturing  Smooth  and  Rhythmic  Flow  • Breaking  the  "Rules"  to  Create  Fluency    

Conventions  

• Checking  Spelling  • Punctuating  Effectively  • Capitalizing  Correctly  • Applying  Grammar  and  Usage  

 Presentation  

• Applying  Handwriting  Skills  • Using  Word  Processing  Effectively  • Making  Good  Use  of  White  Space    • Refining  Text  Features