SENTENCE STARTERS/ FRAMES

A Scaffolded set of GraphicOrganizers to Aid in Student

Writing

An attempt to provide a highly scaffolded approach to teachingwriting where students are not accustomed to writing more

than 1-2 sentences at any given time.

SENTENCESTARTERS/

FRAMESfrom the Chalkboard Unicornhttps://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Chalkboard-Unicorn

SENTENCESTARTERS/

FRAMES

SENTENCESTARTERS/

FRAMES

Opinion Writing

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How to begin your Argument/Opinion* *Choose only ONE sentence starter.

In my opinion… _____________ is the best _________________ My favorite is __________________ I believe that _________________ I think ____________________ is good/great for many reasons. _____________ is good/great because… I enjoy ________________ because… ________________ is my favorite because… I like ___________________ because…

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Transitions to begin your Argument* *Choose THREE sentence starters.

First, In the first place, One reason is… Another reason is… Also, In addition to… ___________________ also For example Additionally Most importantly Next, For instance, As evidence,

Furthermore, Secondly Thirdly, Finally, Lastly, Equally important Likewise Similarly, Besides, Moreover, In fact, In support of this, Moreover,

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How to begin your Conclusion* *Choose only ONE sentence starter.

For the reasons above, As you can see, As I have noted, In other words, In short, Without a doubt,

In brief, Undoubtedly, In conclusion, On the whole, Obviously, Unquestionably,

Sentence Starters/Frames

Name: ______________________________ Date: _____________________ SENTENCESTARTERS/

FRAMES

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n How to begin your Compare and Contrast Essay*

*Choose only ONE sentence starter.

______________ and _______________ are similar because… ______________ and _______________ share many characteristics. ______________ and _______________ are different because… ______________ and _______________ have many differences. Both ____________________ and ___________________ have... _____________________________, but _____________________... A similarity between _________________ and ________________ is... A difference between _________________ and ________________ is...

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Transitions for Comparisons(similarities)*

*Choose THREE sentence starters

Transitions for Contrasting(differences)*

*Choose THREE sentence starters

In addition Correspondingly Compared to Similarly Just as As well as Likewise Same as At the same time

However On the contrary On the other hand Even though In contrast Although Unlike Conversely Meanwhile

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Finally, … In conclusion… All in all, … To sum it up… As a result As you can see… Consequently


Compare & Contrast WritingSentence Starters/Frames

Name: ______________________________ Date: _____________________

Decide if your essay will be one half comparison and one half contrasting, or a point-by-point style essay throughout.

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How to begin your Persuasive Essay* *Choose only ONE sentence starter.

I firmly believe… It must be agreed… Surely you must realize _____________________ I strongly believe ________________ Many people would agree _________________ It is hard to dispute that ________________ Despite the fact that _____________, evidence shows __________ It is my strong opinion…

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Transitions for Persuasion* *Choose THREE sentence starters.

One reason is… Another reason is… Also, In addition to… For example, Additionally, Most importantly Pursuing this further,

In the first place, In the same way… Subsequently, Next, In the same way… Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly,

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Therefore As expressed Overall Thus Lastly For this reason In general

Persuasive Writing Sentence Starters/Frames

Name: ______________________________ Date: _____________________

Expository Writing Sentence Starters/Frames

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How to begin your Expository Essay* *Choose only ONE sentence starter.

Quote: The words of an authority or an expert on the subjectEx: Ms. Kathy Jones, executive producer, says, “This movie will be a hit!”

Fact: An unusual, amazing, little-known fact to surprise readersEx: It is hard to believe, but when a sea star loses an arm, they grow another in itsplace!

Anecdote: A SHORT explicit story used to illustrate a main idea.Ex: That reminds me of the time ______________

Description: Use the 5 sense to illustrate the main idea.Ex: Cars and buses rush past in a blur. Taxi horns blare. The air is filled with thesmells of exhaust. Pedestrians crowd the sidewalks. Skyscrapers tower overhead.The city is a bustling place!

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Transitions to begin your Details *Choose THREE sentence starters

One reason is… Another reason is… Also, In addition to… For example, Additionally, Most importantly Pursuing this further,

In the first place, In the same way… Subsequently, Next, In the same way… Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly,

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Therefore As expressed Overall Thus Lastly For this reason In general

Name: ______________________________ Date: _____________________

Statistic: Information presented as a number, ratio, or percentageEx: On average 100,000 people use this product daily

Narrative WritingSentence Starters/Frames

Name: _____________________________ _ Date:

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How to begin your Narrative Essay* *Choose only ONE sentence starter.

Make your readers wonder. Put a question in your readers’ minds. Ex: “Thoseold cows knew trouble was coming before we did”.

Begin at a crucial moment. Your reader will want to continue so he or she candiscover what-will happen next. Ex: It was dark where she was crouched, but the littlegirl did as she’d been told.”

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Create an interesting picture. Encourage people to paint a picture in theirminds. Ex: “Last night I dreamt I went to Mars again. ”

Introduce an interesting character. Boring characters make for a boringstory. Ex: “I was born twice.”

Start with an unusual situation. Ex: “They had flown from England to Minneapolisto look at a toilet.

Begin with a compelling narrative voice. Start your story with the voice of anarrator. Ex: . “I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other.”

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Transitions to help move your story along* *Choose THREE sentence starters.

In between the time In the meantime The following day Sometime later By (four o’clock) In (the late afternoon) As soon as

In just (twenty minutes) Almost as quickly When (we arrived) An hour later Meanwhile Immediately Afterward

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How to begin your Ending* *Choose only ONE sentence starter.

Imagery: The story ends with an important scene that the writer shows the readerthrough vivid details. Showing an image helps you from telling your feelings. Ex: Hestood there frozen, helpless as the flames danced and devoured his house like avoracious wild animal.

Use dialogue: Wrap up the story with the voice of one of the characters. By endingthe writer captivates the audience by making the characters more realistic andrevealing their thoughts with a quote, personalities. Ex: “Where are you going?” Sheasked desperately. I sighed and said, “I have absolutely no idea.”

Reflection: Convey feelings without telling the reader how you felt The authordetermines the importance of that experience, what was learned, etc. Ex: After all wassaid and done, I realized that it just wasn’t worth it.

A cliffhanger: Tease readers or excite them into reading more The story ends byleaving the reader wanting more. Ex: The poison was working its way through hispain-racked body and he was miles away from civilization.

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Name: ______________________________ Date: _____________________

Writing Project - Rough DraftDirections:: Write your essay here. Write in complete sentences. Write legibly. Remember

to use proper punctuation and grammar.

Name: ______________________________ Date: _____________________

Writing Project - Final DraftDirections: Rewrite your essay here. Write in complete sentences. Write legibly. Correct

any mistakes from your rough draft.

OPINION WRITING RUBRIC Name____________________________________ Score___________

Score Traits

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CLEAR, WELL ORGANIZED, WELL DEVELOPED IDEAS

SENTENCE VARIATION IN PARAGRAPHS

WORD CHOICE

EDITING FOR GRAMMAR, USAGE, MECHANICS

• No run-on sentences (Incorrect: I need to study hard, I have a test tomorrow.) • No sentence fragments (Incorrect: When I study hard and get plenty of sleep.) • Subject/verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage• Punctuation is correct. • Capitalization is correct. • Spelling is correct. • Paragraphs are indented correctly

• Main idea (thesis) tells your opinion. It is clearly stated in the introductory paragraph. • Topic sentences in the middle (body) paragraphs strongly support main idea. • Factual supporting details clearly relate to topic sentences. • Transition words/phrases connect paragraphs smoothly. (First, Finally, In addition, On the other hand, In conclusion...) • Introduction: Tell your argument and three reasons why you support it. Middle (body) paragraphs: Tell your reasons (one in each paragraph). Support your reasons with facts. Conclusion: State your opinion again and urge the audience to agree with you

• Vivid, lively verbs are used. (Weak: The council's decision was wrong. Strong: The council's decision angered the public.) • Imaginative, unusual adjectives are used. (big, immense, enormous, vast) • Vague, overused, repetitive language is avoided (a lot, very, really, then, big...)

• Introductory participial phrase (Listening to the legislators' arguments, he . . .) (Convinced by the powerful argument, she . . .) • Compound sentence (The North had the railroads, but the South had cotton.) • 2 independent clauses separated by a semicolon (The North was industrial; the South was agricultural.) • Appositive phrase (President Lincoln, the great communicator, gave his speech.) • Introductory prepositional phrase (With that point in mind, he made the decision.) Introductory adverb clause (Since he caused the problem, he was punished.) (Although, Until, After, Before, When...)

4-EXCELLENT 3-ACCEPTABLE 2-BELOW AVERAGE 1-UNACCEPTABLE

COMPARE AND CONTRAST WRITING RUBRIC Name____________________________________ Score___________

Score Traits

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WORD CHOICE


• No run-on sentences (Incorrect: Janie left school early, she had to go to the doctor.) • No sentence fragments (Incorrect: If Janie went to the doctor.) • Subject/verb agreement (Incorrect: One of the toys are missing. Correct: One of the toys is missing.) • Correct, consistent verb tense usage (Don't accidentally mix present and past tenses.)• Punctuation is correct. • Capitalization is correct. • Spelling is correct. • Paragraphs are indented correctly.

• Main idea (thesis) tells your opinion. It is clearly stated in the introductory paragraph. • There are (2-3) comparisons in regards to a property, idea, or characteristic with additional evidence to support the points.• There are (3) clear contrasting differences in regards to a property, idea, or characteristic with additional evidence to support each point. • Transition words or phrases connect paragraphs smoothly.

• Vivid, lively verbs are used. (Weak: Lea was bossy. Strong: Lea bossed her brother constantly.) • imaginative, unusual adjectives are used. (beautiful, angelic, magnificent, awe-inspiring) • Vague, overused, repetitive language is avoided (a lot, very, really, then, big, pretty, and, like...)


Introductory participial phrase (Towering over the ruins, the Pharaoh's statue...) (Buried by years of sandstorms, the ancient statue...)! Compound sentence (Jenny left the room angrily, but Andy did not move.) ! 2 independent clauses separated by a semicolon (Jen left the room; Andy stayed.) ! Appositive phrase (Jillian, my cousin from Paris, travels around the world.) ! Introductory prepositional phrase (In the back of the class, Sam yawned quietly.) ! Introductory adverb clause (Although Sam yawned, he was paying attention to the lesson.) (Until, Before, After, When...)

PERSUASIVE WRITING RUBRIC Name____________________________________ Score___________

Score Traits

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WORD CHOICE


• No run-on sentences (Incorrect: I need to study hard, I have a test tomorrow.) • No sentence fragments (Incorrect: When I study hard and get plenty of sleep.) • Subject/verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage• Punctuation is correct. • Capitalization is correct. • Spelling is correct. • Paragraphs are indented correctly

• Main idea (thesis) tells your opinion. It is clearly stated in the introductory paragraph. • Topic sentences in the middle (body) paragraphs strongly support main idea. • Factual supporting details clearly relate to topic sentences. • Transition words/phrases connect paragraphs smoothly. (First, Finally, In addition, On the other hand, In conclusion...) • Introduction: Tell your opinion and three reasons why you support it. Middle (body) paragraphs: Tell your reasons (one in each paragraph). Support your reasons with facts. Conclusion: State your opinion again and urge the audience to agree with you.

• Vivid, lively verbs are used. (Weak: The council's decision was wrong. Strong: The council's decision angered the public.) • Imaginative, unusual adjectives are used. (big, immense, enormous, vast) • Vague, overused, repetitive language is avoided (a lot, very, really, then, big...)

• Introductory participial phrase (Listening to the legislators' arguments, he . . .) (Convinced by the powerful argument, she . . .) • Compound sentence (The North had the railroads, but the South had cotton.) • 2 independent clauses separated by a semicolon (The North was industrial; the South was agricultural.) • Appositive phrase (President Lincoln, the great communicator, gave his speech.) • Introductory prepositional phrase (With that point in mind, he made the decision.) Introductory adverb clause (Since he caused the problem, he was punished.) (Although, Until, After, Before, When...)


EXPOSITORY WRITING RUBRIC Name____________________________________ Score___________

Score Traits

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• No run-on sentences. (Incorrect: Let's go to the park, it's a lovely day.) • No sentence fragments. (Incorrect: Although Aunt Patty cooked dinner.) • Subject/verb agreement (Incorrect: One of the toys are missing. Correct: One of the toys is missing.) • Correct, consistent verb tense usage (Don't accidentally mix present and past tenses.) • Punctuation is correct. • Capitalization is correct. • Spelling is correct.• Paragraphs are indented correctly.

• Main idea (thesis) is clearly written in the introductory paragraph. • Topic sentences in the middle (body) paragraphs give support to the central thesis (main idea) and are supported by detail sentences (facts, statistics, etc.).• Concluding paragraph summarizes points presented.• Transition words/phrases connect paragraphs smoothly. (First, Finally, In addition) • introduction, body, and conclusion provide logical sequencing of ideas, leading to an understandable explanation, instruction, comparison/contrast, problem/solution, etc.

• Introductory participial phrase (Towering over the ruins, the Pharaoh's statue...) (Buried by years of sandstorms, the ancient statue...)• Compound sentence (Jenny left the room angrily, but Andy did not move.) • 2 independent clauses separated by a semicolon (Jen left the room; Andy stayed.) • Appositive phrase (Jillian, my cousin from Paris, travels around the world.) • Introductory prepositional phrase (In the back of the class, Sam yawned quietly.) • Introductory adverb clause (Although Sam yawned, he was paying attention to the lesson.) (Until, Before, After, When...)

• Vivid, lively verbs are used. (Weak: Sally was angry. Strong: Sally breathed fire.) • Imaginative, unusual adjectives are used. (happy, contented, blissful, delighted) • Vague, overused, repetitive language is avoided (a lot, very, really, then, big, pretty, and . . .)


WORD CHOICE

NARRATIVE WRITING RUBRIC Name____________________________________ Score___________

Score Traits

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WORD CHOICE


• No run-on sentences (Incorrect: Janie left school early, she had to go to the doctor.) • No sentence fragments (Incorrect: If Janie went to the doctor.) • Subject/verb agreement (Incorrect: One of the toys are missing. Correct: One of the toys is missing.) • Correct, consistent verb tense usage (Don't accidentally mix present and past tenses.)• Punctuation is correct. • Capitalization is correct. • Spelling is correct. • Paragraphs are indented correctly.

• Narrative is logically sequenced, with clear beginning, middle, and end. (Events are described in time order, with conclusion telling what happened as a result of the events.)• Transition words or phrases connect paragraphs smoothly. (First, Later, Finally...)• Lead sentence grabs the reader's attention. (Start with one of the following: something unexpected, a quote, some dialogue, a question...)

• Introductory participial phrase (Listening carefully, she heard...) (Frightened by the noise, she jumped...) • Compound sentence (Ashley screamed loudly, but Serina ran away.) • 2 independent clauses separated by a semicolon (Lisa called for help; no one came.) • Appositive phrase (Jacob, the best speller in the class, won the contest.) • Introductory prepositional phrase (From the bottom of the well, a noise...) • Introductory adverb clause (When John finished his homework, he...) (Until, Since, After, Before...)

• Vivid, lively verbs are used. (Weak: Lea was bossy. Strong: Lea bossed her brother constantly.) • Imaginative, unusual adjectives are used. (beautiful, angelic, magnificent, awe-inspiring) • Vague, overused, repetitive language is avoided (a lot, very, really, then, big, pretty, and, like...)


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SENTENCE STARTERS/ FRAMES