LANGUAGE CIRCLEPROJECT READFRAMING YOUR THOUGHTS

Haiku Course Session 3Review and Work Samples for Subject Describers

Andy Stetkevich and Judy FuhrmanStaff Development SpecialistsRiverside, California

Prior to viewing this PowerPoint,watch unit 3 of the FYT DVD

Subject Describers Subject Describer – Looks Like/Physical

Characteristics Subject Describer – Behavior/Personality Subject Describer – Number Subject Describer – Ownership Subject Describer – Set-Apart

Unit 3: Subject Unit 3: Subject DescribersDescribersLooks Like /

Physical Characteristics

Behavior/Personality

Number/Quantity

Ownership

Set-Apart

These are descriptivewords and

phraseswhich

modify the subject

piece of the sentence.

Which apple would you rather eat?

• a big, red apple• a crisp, juicy apple

Teach students to use descriptions beyond color, size, and shape.

Guide 6-3

3rd grade

Vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary!

• glad• pleased• cheerful• overjoyed• ecstatic• content• delighted• jolly

Sequence these words

along a continuum from least happy to

most happy.

We may not have 100% agreement on our order, but

the discussion will build a deeper understanding of

vocabulary.

1st Grade

2nd grade

2nd Grade: one sentence per

day

This teacher asks students to create

barebones sentences for their spelling words and then expand them.

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

3rd Grade

Note: Slithering, flapping, and diving would normally be classified as

verbs, but they are functioning as subject describers

(adjectives describing the subject) in this

student’s sentences.

Teach students to add –ing to verbs and move them in front of subjects to form subject

describers.

4th Grade

Some students find it easier to practice sentence fluency by writing captions rather than

paragraphs.

“Like a supermodel, the beautiful, glistening amphibian patiently poses for the wildlife

photographer.” 5th Grade

Generate a sentence about this

picture.Include two

subject describers

Change the Mood

An energetic youngster bursts out of the house and skips down the garden path. With the grace of a gazelle, he leaps over a newly planted daffodil border and lands sure-footedly on the sidewalk in front of his home. As the boy nears the ball park, he anticipates a carefree day of sport and amusement.

By substituting just a few words, one can create a completely different mood.

•An angry youngster bursts out of the house and stomps down the garden path…• A frightened youngster bursts out of the house and tears down the garden path…• A lethargic youngster…

Two 7th grade boys

A skillful use of humor and shock.

1. Add ’s to singular describersThe hiker’s tent is cozy.

2. Add ’ to plural describers ending in sThe twins’ room is cozy.

3. Add ’s to plural describers not ending in s

The men’s cabin is cozy.

4. Do not add ’ when it owns somethingIts doghouse is cozy.

Hold students accountable. Display a poster with the rules. Every time

students use apostrophes, they must cite the rule.

OWNERSHIPOWNERSHIPAPOSTROPHE APOSTROPHE

RULESRULES

“The school-girl’s bubble rapidly expands as she blows with all her might.

6th Grade

Generate a sentence about this picture. Include

ownership.

The puppy slept on my bed.

The puppy on the left slept on my bed.

• We find a where predicate expander in this sentence.

• This sentence appears to contain a second where expander.

• Remember, only –ly expanders can be found between the subject and predicate. “On the left” does not tell where the sleeping took place, so it is not a predicate expander.

• “On the left” modifies the subject, puppy, setting one puppy apart from the other. It is a subject describer telling which puppy did the sleeping.

SET-APARTSET-APARTSUBJECT SUBJECT

DESCRIBERSDESCRIBERS

set-apart

where

where

Identify the simple subject in the sentence below:

The beauty of San Francisco Bayexcited the young man from Japan.

4TH GRADE READING LIONS ITEM

Set-apart telling which beauty

CAHSEECAHSEEsample sample itemsitems

Set-apart telling which box

Students without a deep understanding of function will be tempted to think “cookies are

on the table” rather than “box is on the table.”

WHAT DOES THIS SENTENCE MEAN?Use your knowledge of interrupters to analyze.

The Persian Gulf War, a conflict between an alliance led by the

United States and the Iraqi army under Suddam Hussein,

erupted on August 2, 1990, after Iraq invaded Kuwait, Iraq’s

tiny neighbor to the south, and threatened to take control of oil

supplies in the region.

100 Years in Photographs, by George Sullivan

• If we see a comma after the subject, we know we have an interrupter.

• It can be lifted out for now. • Find the barebones and answer the questions you can. • Then, go back and see if the interrupter can be used to add

additional knowledge. In this case, the interrupter is an appositive; it defines the subject, Persian Gulf War.

when when

4th Grade CST Released Item

8th Grade CST Released Item

7th Grade CST Released ItemSome interrupters are set-off by dashes. This is common if the interrupter states an opinion

or is particularly abrupt.

A NOTE ABOUT COMMAS BETWEEN DESCRIBERS

When describers can be reversed, you place commas between them:

The redheaded freckle-faced child sang.The freckle-faced redheaded child sang.

When describers are typically found in a certain order, do not use commas.

The big brown mutt ran.That little dilapidated hunting cabin sold.

, ,

CONDITIONS FOR COMMAS IN PROSE

Series

Compound Sentence

Introductory Predicate Expanders

Reversible Sentence Describers

Interrupters

, , ,,

,

,

,

,,

ClosureClosure