Writing Skills Made Fun- Sentences and Paragraphs

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N E W Y O R K • T O R O N T O • L O N D O N • A U C K L A N D • S Y D N E Y

M E X I C O C I T Y • N E W D E L H I • H O N G K O N G • B U E N O S A I R E S

B Y K A R E N K E L L A H E R

Writing Skills Made Fun: Sentences & Paragraphs © Karen Kellaher, Published by Scholastic Teaching Resources



Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the activity pages in this book for classroom use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any

means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. Forinformation regarding permission, write to Scholastic Professional Books, 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Cover and interior art by Mike MoranFront cover and interior design by Kathy Massaro

ISBN: 0-439-22266-4Copyright © 2001 by Karen Kellaher.

Published by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.

Printed in the U.S.A.

To Sue Leahy,

a top-notch friend




Contents

Introduction ..........................................................................4

Teaching With the Poem: “The Run-On”

and “The Fragment” ..............................................6

Sentences ....................................................................8

SENTENCE W ORKSHOP ................................................8

A CTIVITIES ......................................................................10

The Great Sentence Game Show! ....................10

So Many Sentences! Flap Book ........................11

Subject-Predicate Puzzles ....................................12

Sentence or Fragment? ..........................................13

Repair a Run-On News Report ........................13

Compound-Sentence Sandwiches....................14

Sentence-Scramble Board Game ......................15

Kids’ Pages (Reproducibles) ........................16–27

Paragraphs..............................................................

P ARAGRAPH W ORKSHOP...........................................

A CTIVITIES ......................................................................

What’s the Big Idea? .............................................

Which Sentence Comes Next? .........................

Build a Paragraph Puppet ...................................

All Aboard the Topic Train! ...............................

Batty Paragraph Match-Up ...............................

Kids’ Pages (Reproducibles) ........................32–

Review ..........................................................................

Paragraph Starters...................................................

Paragraph Webs ........................................................

Your Turn! ..................................................................

Kids’ Pages (Reproducibles) ........................42–

Additional Resources .....................................................

Answers..................................................................................




Writing Skills Made Fun: About the Series

A

s a writer and editor in the field of educational publishing, I frequentl

talk with language-arts teachers about the kinds of tools they needmost. I also spend a lot of time browsing in bookstores and paging

through teacher catalogs, checking out what is currently available. One thing Inoticed over the past several years is that when it came to nitty-gritty writing skills, second- and third-grade teachers’ needs were simply not being met. Sure,there were plenty of grammar and writing resources available to teachers of grades 5, 6, and above. But I saw very little quality material that was just rightfor the early elementary grades. I wrote this series to fill that “grammar gap”—and to assist you in your all-important mission of teaching the rules of writing.

As you are well aware, your job is cut out for you. According to state andnational standards, by the time students enter second grade, they are expected t

know and understand the basic rules of English grammar—and to consistently apply those rules to their own writing. Just take a look at some of the standardsnationwide: Just take a look at some of the standards nationwide:

*C ALIFORNIA : Second-graders must be able to distinguish between completand incomplete sentences, use commas and quotation marks, and know

when to capitalize letters. Third-graders in the Golden State must be able touse all four types of sentences, identify subjects and verbs, understandagreement and verb tenses, and identify and use all parts of speech.

* ILLINOIS: By the third grade, students should be able to construct completesentences that demonstrate subject-verb agreement, use punctuation and

capitalization properly, know and use the parts of speech, and demonstratefocus and organization when writing paragraphs.

*TEXAS: State standards dictate that by grade 3, “Students will recognize anddemonstrate appropriate use of standard English: usage, mechanics, spellingand sentence structure.”

As you know, with tough standards come tough tests. Almost all majorstandardized tests for third-graders include sections on usage and mechanics.

And many tests include open-ended writing sections that require students todemonstrate a working knowledge of the basic rules of grammar.

This book series, Writing Skills Made Fun is one way to help you meet thesecurriculum demands and make grammar fun. The series includes three books:Capitalization, Punctuation & Spelling ; Parts of Speech ; and Sentences & Paragraph

4

I n t rod uc t io n I n t rod uc t io n




Sentences and Paragraphs

Full-length writing assignments can seem overwhelming to a beginning writer.

When asked to write a friendly letter, short story, or book report, aninexperienced writer can quickly come down with a case of the “I can’t do it”blues. Help your students see that they can do it. Teach them that all good

writing—no matter how long—is composed of sentences and paragraphs thatfollow the basic rules of grammar. Once students master the building blocks of good writing, they’ll be ready to face more elaborate projects with enthusiasm.

By now your students are probably familiar with nouns, verbs, and otherparts of speech. They have some experience spelling and capitalizing wordscorrectly. With the help of this book, they will learn how best to form sentencesthat effectively convey ideas. They’ll learn to combine sentences into paragraphsin order to present their ideas in a clear and organized fashion. The payoff, as

you know, is well worth the effort. The ability to write effective sentences andparagraphs can take students anywhere. With this skill, students can convey their opinions to the editor of your local newspaper, recommend a favorite book to a classmate, or explain a scientific phenomenon. Best of all, they can writestories and reports that people actually enjoy reading!

On the pages that follow, you’ll find engaging activities to help you teachstudents to recognize and write super sentences and paragraphs. All of the activitiesare interactive and kid-friendly. For example, with the So Many Sentences! FlapBook students use an easy-to-make manipulative to help learn about the differentkinds of sentences and how to punctuate them. In Subject-Predicate Puzzles, they’lluse their knowledge of subject-verb agreement to complete sentence jigsaw puzzles.

And in Build a Paragraph Puppet, students will make a Chinese New Year Dragonby cutting out sentences and pasting them together in order to make a puppet.

You can use the activities and mini-lessons in any order you like. Check thelabel at the top of each lesson to see which major concepts are being explored.Other teaching tips follow.

*Distribute copies of the grammar Workshop pages (found at the beginning of each chapter) for students to refer to as they complete the activities in thisbook. Students can bind these pages together and add a cover to make a handy mini grammar reference book.

*

Have students work on some of the activities in collaborative groups.Students will learn from and build on one another’s ideas.

*Use the poem lesson on page 6 as the centerpiece of an exciting bulletin board or learning corner.

*Provide opportunities for students to share their work with classmates,parents, and others. For example, after students have made the So Many Sentences manipulative and discussed the four types of sentences, they canbring the manipulative home to demonstrate what they’ve learned.

5

Introduc




Teaching With the Poem:“The Run-On” and “The Fragment”

In casual conversation, we don’t always speak in full sentences. For example, you might say,“Ready to go?” as your class prepares to go on field trip. Or, when recounting a vacationadventure to a colleague, you might use run-osentences. While fragments and run-ons areacceptable in oral discourse, they are obviouslynot conducive to effective writing. As an adultyou easily recognize the differences betweenspoken and written language. However, many young children tend to write in the same way

they speak and think. As you introducechildren to the special demands of writtenlanguage, point out the importance of using complete sentences.

This poem uses humor to teach the weaknesses of run-ons and fragments. The poem contains two limericks, “TheRun-On” and “The Fragment.” Display the poem in a central area of yourclassroom, and, together, recite each limerick several times. Afterward, explore tpoems with your class. Give an example of a run-on that Wink might have

written, and then invite students to write some run-ons of their own. Do thesame with fragments: Write one or two on the board, then ask students to com

up with their own. Have students exchange papers and turn their classmates’run-ons and fragments into proper sentences.To make the most of the limericks, give students individual copies (see page

7). If you’re using the two companion books in this series (Capitalization,Punctuation & Spelling and Parts of Speech ), distribute copies of the rhymes inthose books as well. Have students make a grammar rhyme book by binding thrhymes together and adding a cover.

6

Introduction

Poemcopyright©2001 byKarenKellaher

WritingSkillsMadeFun:Sentences& Paragraphs ScholasticProfessionalBooks

ILLUSTRATION BY MIKE MORAN

A funny young fellow named WinkTried writing a sentence in ink.It went on for ages,And filled several pages.It was a RUN-ON, I think.

The FragmentThe Fragment

The Run-OnThe Run-On

Another writer named SueHad the opposite problem, it’s true.Her sentence did not connect

A predicate to a subject.A FRAGMENT it was, through and through.






8

Se n te nce

Wo r ks ho pSe n te nce

Wo r ks ho p

Sentences

Subjects:

A simple subject is the noun that tells what the sentence is about:

My cousin hopped up and down.

A complete subject is the noun plus any descriptive words that go with it:

My young cousin hopped up and down.

A compound subject is two or more simple subjects joined together:

Aunt Harriet and cousin Mike are coming to visit.

Predicates:

A simple predicate is the verb of the sentence:

Jill wrote her essay.

A complete predicate is the verb plus any descriptive words that go with it:

Jill wrote her essay.

A compound predicate is two or more simple predicates joined together:

Jill read and wrote all night long.

A sentence is a group of words that expressesa complete thought. Every sentence has a subject(noun or pronoun) and predicate (verb).






The Great Sentence Game Show! (Use with Kids’ Pages 16–18.)

Forming sentences is fun when you use this creative manipulative. Designed in game show format, this teaching tool lets students play with words until they hthe “jackpot”—a complete sentence that makes sense!

The manipulative can be used at two levels. In Game 1, beginning writers pulthe paper strips to change the word order until they form one complete sentenceGame 2 offers an added challenge. Students pull the strips to mix and match a variety of subjects and predicates, forming as many sentences as they can.

You Will Need

* copies of pages 16-18(Use pages 16 and 17 for Game 1)

Use pages 16 and 18 for Game 2)

What to Do

1Distribute the reproducibles to students. They can color the game show page, as desired.

2 Have students cut out the game show pattern (page 16) along the outer dotted

lines. Then direct them to cut along the tensmall horizontal dotted lines to make slits inthe page. For easy cutting, show them how topoke the tip of the scissors through the pageand then snip along the rest of the line.

3 Tell students to cut along the dotted lines on the sentence reproducible(page 17 or 18), creating five vertical strips of paper. They should also cut

out the ten rectangular end tabs along the margins of the reproducible, and theset the tabs aside for a moment.

4 Students then match each lettered strip to a window on the game show pattern (A, B, C, D, or E). Next, they weave each strip into the game show

pattern by poking it through the slits in the paper, as shown.

5

To ensure that the strips don’t fall out, have students glue or tape the ten

rectangular tabs to the ends of each strip.

6 Instruct students to pull the strips up or down until a complete sentenceappears in the game show windows. If they’re playing Game 1, students

find the proper word order and leave it on their playing boards. If they’replaying Game 2, have students write down each complete sentence they make.(Challenge them to capitalize and punctuate the sentences correctly.) Comparelists at the end of the exercise.

10

Se n te nce

Ac t i v i t iesSe n te nce

Ac t i v i t ies

18

W r i t i n

g S k i l l s

M a d e

F u n : S e n t e n c e s & P a r a g r a p h s

S c h

o l a

s t

i c P r o

f e

s s i o

n a l

B o

o k

s

T he G rea t Se n te nce Ga m

e S ho w ! Ga me 2

THE

WH ICH

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HER

SOME

CAR

CH ILD

FLO WER S

COU S IN

CA T

GRO W

MO VED

CARR IED

BELONG S

L I VE S

VER Y

TO

NE X T

RED

NEAR

DOOR

SLO WL Y

YOU

HERE

BA L L O O N S

Tape ta b here. Tape ta b here.


Tape ta b here.

Tape ta b here.

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

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A B C D E

* crayons or markers

*scissors

* glue stick or tape

17 W r i t i n g S k i l l s M a d e F u n : S e n t e n c e s

& P a r a g r a p h s S c h o l a s t i c P r o f e s s i o n a l B o o k s

T he G rea t Se n te nce Ga m

e S ho w ! Ga me 1

M Y

FR IEND

HA S

T WO

CA T S

T WO

FR IEND

HA S

CA T S

M Y

CA T S

FR IEND

T WO

M Y

HA S

HA S

CA T S

M Y

T WO

FR IEND

FR IEND

HA S

CA T S

M Y

T WO

Tape tab here. Tape tab here.

Tape ta b here. Tape tab here.

Tape ta b here.

Tape ta b here.

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

Tape ta b here. Tape ta b here

. Tape ta b here. Tape tab here.

A B C D E

W ri t in g S k il ls M a d e F u n : S en t e n ce s & P ar a g r ap h s S c holast ic P rofe ssiona l Book s

P ull the str i ps unt il the w ord s i n t he w ind ow s mak e a se nte nce .

T h e G r ea t Sen ten ce G a me Sh o w !

1 6

T h e G r ea t Sen ten ce G a me Sh o w !

AB

C D E




11

So Many Sentences! Flap Book(Use with Kids’ Pages 19 and 20.)

If your students sometimes need help remembering the different kinds of sentences and how to punctuate them, this flap book will be a surefire hit. Thebook explains the function of each type of sentence and offers several examplesof each. Plus, students get a chance to add some examples of their own.

You Will Need

* two-sided copies of pages 19–20 (for best results, use a machine thatmakes two-sided copies)

* scissors

What to Do

1Distribute a two-sided copy of thereproducible to each student. Instruct

students to place page 19 faceup. Have themcut out the pattern along the outer dottedlines. Then have them fold the page in half along the center solid line, crease well, andplace the text side faceup, as shown.

2 Have students cut along the dottedlines, creating four flaps.

3 Tell students to read the rhyme on the front of each flap, and then openthe flap to reveal examples. When students have a working

knowledge of the types of sentences, invite them to add an exampleof their own to each category.

20

So M a n y Sen ten ces! F l a p Bo o k Sid e B

D e c l ar at i v e S e n t e n c e s

* T he phone is r i ngi ng.* I t r ai ne d al l d ay .* Mahmoud d i d hi s home w or k .

I n te r r o g at iv e S e n t e n c e s

* W hat’ s y our name ? * W ho l i v e s on t he c or ne r ? * W he r e is my br ac e l e t ?

I m p e r at i v e S e n t e n c e s

* W ash t he d ishe s.* O pe n y our book s, ple ase .* D on’t w ak e the baby .

E x c l am at o r y S e n t e n c e s

* Y uc k ! I hat e br oc c ol i!* T hat hur t s!* Y ou c an d o i t !

W r i t e y our ow n:

* _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

* _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _

W r it e y our ow n:

* _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

* _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _

W ri t e y our ow n:

* _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

* _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _

W r i t e y our ow n:

* _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

* __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ __ _

19

W r i t i

n g S k i

l l s M

a d e F u n : S e n t

e n c e s &

P a r a g r a

p h s S c

h o

l a s

t i c

P r o f e

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l B

o o

k s

D e c l ar at iv e se nt e nc e s st at e fT he y t e ll y ou some t hing ne w .O pe n t he pape r f l ap t o se e Just w hat t he se se nt e nc e s d o

In t e r r o g at i v e se nt e nc e s ask quLi k e w ho, w hat , w he n, and w heLook insid e ! W e hav e a f e w O f t he se se nt e nc e s to shar e .

I m p e r at i v e se nt e nc e s giv e or d e r sT he y t e l l y ou w hat t o d o.Und e r ne at h t hi s fl ap, t he r e ar e soI mpe r ati v e se nt e nc e s f or y ou!

E x c l am at o ry se nt e nc e s show f e e l inLi k e ange r , j oy , and f e ar .Y ou w i l l f ind e x ample s of S uc h se nte nc e s und e r he r e .

So M a n y Sen te

So M a n y Sen ten ces! F l a p B

T he r e are f our k ind s of se nt e nc e sR e ad the r hy me s t o f ind out

Sente




Subject-Predicate Puzzles (Use with Kids’ Page 21.)

Teaching and learning subject-verb agreement can be tough. but with this jigsaw

puzzle activity, your lesson will fall into place. The puzzles work well ascollaborative activities, but can also be used as individual projects.

You Will Need

* copies of page 21 (if using as a collaborative activity, make one copy foreach small group)

* scissors

* plastic sandwich bags or envelopes (one per group)

* construction paper

* glue sticks

What to Do

1 Ahead of time, stack together copies of the reproducible. Check that they are aligned and then cut out the puzzle pieces. Mix up each set of pieces

and place in a plastic sandwich bag or envelope.

2 Before beginning the activity, review the basics of subject-verb agreement.Provide examples of sentences in which the subject and verb agree (I own

goldfish; He owns a goldfish; Hillary reads a lot; Hillary and Fiona read a lot ). Alsgive a few examples in which the subject and verb do not agree and ask studentto fix the problem (I walks home; Chris eat ice cream ).

3 Give each group a bag or envelope containing the puzzle pieces. Point outthat students will be putting two pieces together to make a circle. Theinterlocking puzzle pieces will form a sentence in which the subject and verbagree.

4Have students work together to match the puzzle pieces so that the subjecand predicates agree. When they have finished, have them glue the

completed circles onto a sheet of construction paper.

12

21 W r i t i n g S k i l l s

M a d e F u n : S e n t e n c e s

& P a r a g r a p h s S c h o l a s t i c P r o f e s s i o n a l B o o k s

S u bjec t - P redica te

P uzzles

T he s c hoo l

T he o ld dog

c ho mps

o n t he bo ne. T he t h ree

o ld dogs

c ho mp o n

t he bo nes.

is b ra nd - ne w.

li ve i n

Te n nessee.

T he Do y lesa re b ra nd - ne w.

T he s c hoo l

a nd p la yg ro u nd

Do n na Do y le

li ves i n

Te n nessee.

Sentences






Compound-Sentence Sandwiches(Use with Kids’ Pages 24 and 25.)

Hands-on learners will love this method of exploring compound sentences. In thiactivity, students work together to join simple sentences using the conjunctionsand and but . The complete sentences will look like hamburgers sandwichedbetween buns. Use them to decorate a bulletin board about sentences.

You Will Need

* copies of pages 24 and 25

* scissors

* tape

What to Do

1Copy the reproducible. Cut out the “buns” (simple sentences) and“hamburgers” (conjunctions).

2 Divide the class into teams of two or three. Give each team a set of sentences (two halves from a bun). Also give each team a copy of the word

and and but (hamburgers). Only one of these will be used.

3 Instruct students to put their two sentences together to make a longersentence. They must decide which sentence comes first and which joining

word (conjunction) to use.

4Once students have joined their sentences, tell each team to tape together

its sandwich. Then challenge them to correct any errors in punctuation orcapitalization that they see.

5Invite each team to read its compound sentence to the class.

14

a nd

a nd

a nd

a nd

a nd

b u t

b u t

b u t

b u t

b u t

We a re o u t o f ce rea l.

We ha ve p le n t y o f oa t mea l.

I l i ve o n Ceda r A ve n ue.

M y co us i n li ves ne x t doo r.

25

I l ike t ha t so ng.

I hope he s i ngs i t aga i n.

I wa n t to p la y so c ce r.

I m us t f i n is h

m y c ho res f i rs t.

Co mpo u nd - Se n te nce Sa nd wic

hes

(co n t i n ued )

W r it i n g S ki l ls M a d e F u n : S e n t e n c es & P ar ag ra ph s

Sc ho la stic Prof essiona l Boo k s

24

W ri t in g S k il l s M a d e F u n : S e n t en ce s & P a ra gr a ph s

Sc ho la stic Prof essiona l Boo k

s

Co mpo u nd - Se n te nce

Sa nd wic hes

M y na me is E l le n.

I a m e ig h t yea rs o ld.

I l ike books.

I ha te v ideo ga mes.

Ea r t h has wa te r.

Sa t u r n does no t ha ve wa te r.

I n sp r i ng t he wea t he r

t u r ns wa r m.

P la n ts s ta r t to g ro w.

Da r re n c lea ned

h is roo m.

Isaa c le f t h is to ys

o n t he f loo r.

I a m go ing to F lo r ida.

I hope to v is i t D is ne y Wo r ld.

Sentences




15

Sentence-Scramble Board Game(Use with Kids’ Pages 26 and 27.)

Make learning about sentences enjoyable by playing thiseasy-to-assemble board game. The goal of the game is toland on enough words to make a complete sentence. Tosecure a win, a student must get both a subject and a verb as well as some modifying words. He or she mustalso know how to put the words together to make a sentence.

You Will Need (for each playing group)


*scissors

* penny

* playing pieces (different-colored buttons, colored paper circles,and so on)

* pencils

See page 26 for step-by-step directions. To prepare for the game, divide theclass into groups of two or three. Provide each group with a penny, playing pieces, and pencils.

Point out to students that a sentence must make sense and not merely be a subject and verb lumped together. Explain that some players will not collect

enough words (or the right words) to make a sentence and others may collectenough words to create several sentences.

26

W r i t i n g S k i l l s M a d e F u n : S e n t e n c e s &

P a r a g r a p h s S c h o l a s t i c P r o f e s s i o n a l B o o k s

Sen ten ce Scr a mb l e

R u l es a n d W or d Ca r d s

Sen ten ce Scr a mb l eW o

r d Ca r d C hoose a pl ay i ng pi e c e .

D e c i d e w ho w i ll go f ir st .P ut all pl ay i ng pi e c e s onS T AR T .

T he fi r st pl ay e r t osse st he pe nny . I f i t land she ad s up, t he play e r mov e s one spac e . I f i t l and s t ail s up, t he pl ay e r mov e s t w o spac e s.W he n i t ’s y our t ur n, l ook at t he w or d on t he spac e w he r e y ou l and .W r i te i t d ow n on y our W or d C ar d .

T he game e nd s w he n all play e r s r e ac h F I N IS H .E ac h pl ay e r t he n t r i e s t omak e a se nte nc e f r omt he w or d s on hi s or he r W or d C ar d . T he w i nne r is t he pl ay e r w hor e ac he s F I N I S H fi r st and mak e s a se nt e nc e .

C ut out t he se w or d c ar d s.G i v e one t o e ac h pl ay e r .

1

2

3

4

5

6

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

__ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Sen ten ce Scr a mb l eW or d Ca r d

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __

_ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _

__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _


_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _

__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _

__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _

__ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

_ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _

How to P lay

▲

27

W r i t i n g S k i

l l s M a d e

F u n : S e n t e n c

e s & P a r

a g r a p h s S

c h

o l a

s t i c

P r o

f e s s i o

n a

l B

o o k

s

S T AR T

F I N I S H !

S H E

AP P L E S

N E V E R L I K E S P E T E H O L D S

P UP P Y

T H E S O M E

C H I L D A

GAM E

D R UM

T H E

H AS

E AT S S M AL L

AN

S e n t e n c e S c r a m b l e

Sente




P u l l t h e s t r i p s u n

t i l t h e w o r d s i n t h e w i n d o w s m

a k e a s e n t e n c e .

T

h e

G r e

a t

S e n t e n c e

G a m

e S h o

w !

6

T h e G r e a t S

e n t e n c e G a m e S h o w !

A

B

C

D

E




17

The Great Sentence Game Show! Game

MY

FRIEND

HAS

TWO

CATS

TWO

FRIEND

HAS

CATS

MY

CATS

FRIEND

TWO

MY

HAS

HAS

CATS

MY

TWO

FRIEND

FRIEND

HAS

CATS

MY

TWO

Tape tab here. Tape tab here. Tape tab here. Tape tab here. Tape tab here.

Tape tab here.

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

Tape tab here. Tape tab here. Tape tab here. Tape tab here.

A B C D E




18

The Great Sentence Game Show! Game 2

THE

WHICH

A

HER

SOME

CAR

CHILD

FLOWERS

COUSIN

CAT

GROW

MOVED

CARRIED

BELONGS

LIVES

VERY

TO

NEXT

RED

NEAR

DOOR

SLOWLY

YOU

HERE

BALLOONS

Tape tab here. Tape tab here. Tape tab here. Tape tab here. Tape tab here.

Tape tab here.

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

t a b

Tape tab here. Tape tab here. Tape tab here. Tape tab here.

A B C D E




19

Declarative sentences state facts.

They tell you something new.

Open the paper flap to see

Just what these sentences do!

Interrogative sentences ask questi

Like who, what, when, and where.

Look inside! We have a few

Of these sentences to share.

Imperative sentences give orders.

They tell you what to do.

Underneath this flap, there are som

Imperative sentences for you!

Exclamatory sentences show feelin

Like anger, joy, and fear.

You will find examples of

Such sentences under here.

So Many Sentence

So Many Sentences! Flap Book

There are four kinds of sentences to explo

Read the rhymes to find out more!






21

Subject-PredicatPuzzles

The schoolThe old dog

chompson the bone.

The threeold dogs

chomp onthe bones.

is brand-new.

live inTennessee.

The Doylesare brand-new.

The school

and playground

Donna Doyle

lives inTennessee.




22

Name ______________________________________

Date ________________________________________

Read each group of words. If they form a sentence, circle S. If they form a fragment, circle F.

Sentence or Fragment?

Grace plays softball.

On the green field.

Mrs. Freeman’s nephew, Jacob.

I have a computer.

School ends at 3 o’clock.

Driving carefully through the rain.

Pizza instead of hamburgers.

The principal said, “hello.”

He said, “hello.”

Is coming to dinner.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

S F

S F

S F

S F

S F

S F

S F

S F

S F

S F




23

Name _____________________________________

Date _______________________________________

Three monkeys escaped from the city zoo

Tuesday morning around 10 o’clock themonkeys took a taxi to the grocery store,

where they bought 12 bunches of ripe

bananas, then they walked to the park

downtown and spent the rest of the day

swinging from tree branches and entertaining

people who passed by the three creatures

headed back to the zoo around dinnertime.

Repair a Run-On News Report

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

Help! Nellie the news reporter wrote this report. She forgot to break her report into sentences.Rewrite Nellie’s report on the lines below. Use a capital letter to start each sentence and punctuationto end each sentence.

Monkeying Around




24

Compound-SentencSandwiches

My name is Ellen.

I am eight years old.

I like books.

I hate video games.

Earth has water.

Saturn does not have water.

In spring the weatherturns warm.

Plants start to grow.

Darren cleanedhis room.

Isaac left his toyson the f loor.

I am going to Florida.

I hope to visit Disney World.




and

and

and

and

and

but

but

but

but

but

We are out of cereal.

We have plenty of oatmeal.

I live on Cedar Avenue.

My cousin lives next door.

25

I like that song.

I hope he sings it again.

I want to play soccer.

I must finishmy chores first.

Compound-Sentence Sandwiches(continued)










What’s the Big Idea? (Use with Kids’ Pages 32 and 33.)

The trademark of a well-written paragraph is an identifiable main idea. Withthis exercise, students will get practice locating the main idea of a paragraph.This practice will help them learn to write solid paragraphs of their own; it

will also help students boost their reading comprehension skills.Explain to students that they will become detectives in search of the main

idea of each paragraph. The main idea is usually found toward the top of a paragraph, although it can also be found at the end. Very rarely is a mainidea found in the middle of a paragraph. To find the main idea, studentsshould ask themselves the following questions:

* What is the paragraph mostly about? Which sentence says it best?

* If I were going to write a title for this paragraph, what would it be?

* If the writer had room for only one sentence, which sentence would he or shepick from this paragraph?

Although in practice a main idea can consist of two or more sentences, themain ideas in this exercise are all single sentences. Distribute the reproducibles.Have students write the number of the main-idea sentence in the box to theright of each paragraph. Then demonstrate how to use the code at the bottomof the page to solve the riddle. If a student does not get the correct answer,“BOO-berries,” he or she may have incorrectly identified one of the main ideas,

or may simply have had trouble using the code. Check student work to see which is the case. Afterward, invite students to explain how they were able tolocate each main idea.

29

Pa rag ra p h

Ac t i v i t ies Pa rag ra p h

Ac t i v i t ies

Paragr

33

W r i t i n g

S k i l l s M

a d e F u n : S e n t

e n c e s &

P a r a g r a p h

s S c

h o

l a s t

i c P r o

f e s

s i o

n a l

B o o

k s

C

W h a t’s th e Bi

N ow c r ac k t he c od e ! Look at t he numbe r s y ou w r ot e in the box e s.Use t he K e y at r i ght t o f i nd t he l e t t e r t hat goe s w i t h e ac h numbe r . T his w i l l he lp y ou f i nd t he answ e r t o t hi s ri d d l e :

( con t in u ed )

W hat ’ s a ghost ’ s f av or i t e fr ui t ?

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ b er r ies!

1. T he t i me of t he d i nosaur s i s d i v i d e d i nt o t hr e e pe ri od s. 2. T he T r i assi c P e r i od w as f r om 225 t o 195 mi l l i on y e ar s ago.3 . Many smal l d inosaur s li v e d the n. 4. T he Jurassic P e r i od last e d f r om 195 to 136 mi ll i on y e ar s ago. 5. G i ant d i nos suc h as t he T y rannosaur us and Me galosaur us roame d t he e ar t h. 6. T he l ast pe r i od , t he C r e t ac e ous P e r iod , w as f r om 136 t o 65 mi l li on y e arsago. 7 . By t he e nd of t hat pe r i od , t he d inosaur s had d i e d out .

1 = O 2 = A

3 = K 4 = B

Ke y

32

W r i t i n g S k i l l s M a d e F u n : S e n t e n c e s &

P a r a g r a p h s S c h o l a s t i c P r o f e s s i o n a l B o o k s

N a me _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _D a te _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

W hat ’ s t he mai n i d e a of e ac h par agr aph? I n t he box ne x t t o e ac h par agr aph,

w r i t e t he numbe r of t he se nt e nc e that giv e s t he mai n id e a.

1. Y ou pr obabl y k now t hat a gr oup of she e p is c al l e d a f l oc k . 2. But d i d y ou k now t hat a gr oup of gor i l las i s a band , or t hat agr oup of w hal e s is a pod ? 3 . A gr oup of be e s i s a sw arm, and a gr oup of l i ons i s a pr id e . 4. As t he se e x ampl e s show , many gr oups of animal s hav e spe c i al name s.

A

B

W h a t’ s th e Big Id ea ?

1. S igns gi v e i nf or mati on at a glanc e . 2. S ome si gns t e l l w he r e t hi ngs c an be f ound . 3 . F or e x ampl e , a si gn w i t h a l ar ge Hpoi nt s the w ay t o a hospit al . 4. O t he r si gns t e l l us w hat t o d o.5. A S T O P si gn t e l ls d r i v e r s t o st op.




Which Sentence Comes Next? (Use with Kids’ Page 34.)

In the previous activity, students practiced finding the main idea in a whole

paragraph. Now challenge them to do the reverse—to identify which detailsentence best supports a stated main idea. Distribute the reproducible and havestudents read each main idea. Remind students to say to themselves, “Thisparagraph will be about. . . . ” Then ask students which of the multiple-choicesentences makes the most sense with the main idea. Have them fill in thebubble next to their answer.

Build a Paragraph Puppet

(Use with Kids’ Pages 35 and 36.)

You Will Need


* scissors

* glue sticks

To make a paragraph clear and easy to understand, a writer should put his orher sentences in an order that makes sense. For beginning writers, it can bedifficult to master this skill in a first draft. Students are eager to get their ideason paper, and the order in which the ideas occur is the order in which they are

written! Encourage students to look at—and, when necessary, rearrange—sentence order when editing their work.

This hands-on activity will get students thinking about the importance of sentence order. Although the activity uses the metaphor of a Chinese New Yeardragon, you can use it at any time of year. Distribute the reproducible and havestudents cut out the dragon segments. Then instruct them to put the sentencesin the order that makes the most sense. When students feel that they havecompleted the task, have them tape or glue the dragon together, then tapepencils to the ends for easy carrying.

30

Paragraphs

34

W r i t i n

g S k i l l s

M a d e

F u n : S e n t e n c e s & P a r a g r a p h s

S c h o l a s t i c

P r o f e s s i o n a l B o o k s

M a in I d e a:

E ver y ten years the U. S. go ve

rnmen t coun ts t he num ber o f

peop le in the coun tr y.

T h e n e x t s en ten c e w ou l d p r

o b a b l y b e:

A. T h is coun ting is ca l led a c

ensus.

B. T he U.S. has 50 s ta tes.

C. A cen tur y is 100 years.

M a in I d e a: I f you e ver v is it E

g yp t, you can see t he Grea t

Sp h in x.

T h e n e x t sen t en c e w ou ld p

r o b a b ly b e:

A. Eg yp t is in A frica.

B. Ru lers o f anc ien t Eg yp t w

ere ca lled p harao hs.

C. T he Sp h in x is a car ved s t

one figure in t he deser t.

M a in I d e a: Peop le s hou ld c

hoose pe ts care fu lly.

T h e n e x t s en t en c e w ou l d p

r o b a b l y b e:

A. Peop le w i th a l lerg ies ma y

no t wan t to ge t a ca t.

B. Ca ts are popu lar in Franc

e.

C. I ha ve a go ld fis h named O

scar.

M a in Id e a: Ma k ing r ice is s imp le.

T h e n e x t s en ten c e w ou l d p r

o b a b l y b e:

A. Ser ve i t w i t h c h ic ken.

B. F irs t, you bo i l some wa ter

.

C. T hen you add t he rice.

W hic h Se n te nce Co mes Ne x t ?

Na me _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __

_ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _

Da te _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _

_ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _

Read eac h ma in idea. C hoo

se t he sen tence t ha t wou ld

come ne x t in t he paragrap h.

F i l l in t he bu b b le ne x t to you

r ans wer.

1.

2.

3.

4.

3 6

E v e r y o n e w a

t c h e s

t h e d a n c i n g d

r a g o n s

a n d l i o n s p a r

a d e

t h r o u g h t h e s

t r e e t s.

The celebrationbegins on the first day of the Chinesecalendar and lasts15 days.

To ce le b r a te,

C h i ne se f a m i l ie s

v i s i t o ne a no t he r a n

d

s h a re spe c ia l me a l s

.

B uild a Pa rag rap h

P uppe t

(con t in ued )

They eat stickyrice cakesand tangerines.

W ri t in gS ki l ls M a d e F u n :

S e n te n c e s & P a r ag r a phs

Schola stic Professiona l Boo k s

T he C hi n es e N ew Y ea r is on e of t he w or l d’ s mos t ex c i t i n g c el ebr a t ion s .

T h e s e f o o d s a r e s u p p o s e d t o b r i n g g o o d l u c k .

A colorful paradeis also part of theNew Year celebration.

3 5

Eac h par t of t hi s Chine se dr agon has one se nte nc e . Cut out t he part sand putt he m in ord e r to mak e a paragraph. C olor the par ts and tape the m t oge the r. If y ou’ d lik e , t ape a penc il to e ach e nd of the d ragon.Hol d one pe nci l and hav e a part ne r hold the othe r. Have your ow nC hine se Ne w Y e ar parad e !

Buil d a P a r a gr a p h P up p et




All Aboard the Topic Train!(Use with Kids’ Pages 37 and 38.)

You Will Need


* scissors

* glue sticks or tape

Sometimes even the most experienced writers let a stray thought wander into anotherwise cohesive paragraph. In this exercise, students will identify and edit outthose sentences that do not belong. They’ll also get practice putting sentences ina logical order to form paragraphs.

Students are often reluctant to edit sentences from their own writing becausethey like the way the sentence reads or they think it is particularly interesting.

You might point out to students that deleting a sentence from a paragraph doesnot necessarily mean you are getting rid of the idea altogether. If the idea is a solid one that supports the theme of the story or report, it probably belongs in a different paragraph.

You have two versions of this activity from which to choose: one in which themain idea comes at the beginning of the paragraph, and another in which themain idea appears at the end of the paragraph. Try to use both versions at somepoint, since it is important for students to realize that main ideas can appear ineither location. To start this activity, choose one of the two reproducibles,distribute copies, and review the directions. Provide glue sticks or tape forstudents to use. Then check to see whether students’ trains are “on track” or

“derailed” by a detail that does not belong!

Batty Paragraph Match-Up (Use with Kids’ Page 39.)

You Will Need

* copies of page 39

* scissors

* glue sticks

Here’s an activity that will not only make kids better writers but also improvetheir thinking skills. Distribute the reproducible. Students first read twoparagraphs about bats. Then they read a list of sentences and decide in whichparagraph each sentence belongs. Students will cut out each new sentence andpaste it beneath the appropriate paragraph.

Follow up the activity by inviting students to rewrite each paragraph with thenew sentences in place. Remind them to indent at the beginning of eachparagraph.

31

Paragr

39

N a me _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _D a t e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

R e ad e ac h par agr aph. T he n c ut out t he se nt e nc e s at the bott om of the page . P ast e e ac h se nt

be ne ath t he par agr aph in w hi c h i t be longs.

Ba tty P a r a gr a p h M a tch -U p

Ba t s ea t a l l k i n ds of t hi n g s . M a n y ba t s di n e on c r i c k et s a n d ot her i n s ec t s . A f ew ba t s ea t s ma ll a n i ma lss uc h a s mic e a n d f r og s . O t her ba t s f eed on f r ui t or f l ow er p ol l en .

V a mp ir e ba ts a r e t he on ly ba t s t ha t ea t a ni ma l bl ood.A ba t ha s p oi nt y toes t ha t c a n hol d on t ig ht t o a t r ee br a n c h.

S o m e t i m

e s h u n d r e d s

o f b a t s

h a n g

f r o m t h

e s a m e

r o o s t

.

W hile ha n g i n g f r om a r oos t,a ba t r es t s a n d g rooms i ts elf .A ba t c a n ea t mor e t ha n a p oun d of i ns ec t s i n on e n ig ht .

Paragraph 1

D id y ou k n ow t ha t ba t s s p en d a l ot of t i me up s ide dow n ? W hen t he y a r e n ot look in g f or f ood,t he y ha n g up s i de dow n f r om t hei r r oos t . A r oos t ma y be a t r ee,c a v e, br i dg e, or ot her s p ot .

P a r a g r a p h 2

S hew hea p r

S he n ev er ma k es f un of me or c a l l s me n a mes . T ha t ’ s w h y K a y l a

i s m y bes t f r ien d.

K a y l a a lw a y s s ha r es w i t h me.

K a y la ’ s l a s t n a mei s C oop er .

3 8

W ri tin g S k i lls M ad e F u n : S e n te nc e s & Pa ra g ra ph s S

N a me _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D a t e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Al l Ab o a r d th e T o p ic T r a iT r a in 2C ut out t he t r ain c ar s, the n past e the c ar s ont o t he t r ac k s i n an or d e r t hat mak e s se ns

H IN T : O ne tr ain c ar d oe s not be l ong. I t d oe s not go w it h t he t opi c . Be sur e t o le av e t h

S ome r obot s help doc t or s op er a t e on p a t i en t s .

R obot s c a n bebi g or s ma l l .

T oda y ’s r obot s do ma n y j obs .

O t her r obot s c l ea n w i n dow s on t a l l bui l din g s .

A f ew s p ec i a l r obot s ev en hel p ex p l or eout er s p a c e.

3 7

W r it i ng S k il l s M a de F u n : S en t en ce s & P ar a g r ap hs Sc hola stic P rof e ssiona l Book s

N a me _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D a t e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Al l Ab o a r d th e T o p ic T r a in ! T r a in 1C ut out t he t r ain c ar s, t he n past e t he c ar s ont o t he t r ac k s i n an or d e r t hat mak e s se nse .

H I N T : O ne t r ain c ar d oe s not be l ong. I t d oe s not go w i t h t he t opic . Be sur e to le av e t hat c ar of f t he t r ai n!




32

Name ______________________________________

Date ________________________________________

What’s the main idea of each paragraph? In the box next to each paragraph,

write the number of the sentence that gives the main idea.

1. You probably know that a group of sheep is called a flock.

2. But did you know that a group of gorillas is a band, or that a

group of whales is a pod? 3. A group of bees is a swarm, and

a group of lions is a pride. 4. As these examples show, many

groups of animals have special names.

A

B

What’s the Big Idea?

1. Signs give information at a glance. 2. Some signs tell where

things can be found. 3. For example, a sign with a large H

points the way to a hospital. 4. Other signs tell us what to do.

5. A STOP sign tells drivers to stop.




33

C

What’s the Big Idea?

N ow crack the code! Look at thenumbers you wrote in the boxes.

Use the Key at right to find the

letter that goes with each number. This will

help you find the answer to this riddle:

(continued)

What’s a ghost’s favorite fruit?

___ ___ ___ berries!

1. The time of the dinosaurs is divided into three periods.

2. The Triassic Period was from 225 to 195 million years ago.

3. Many small dinosaurs lived then. 4. The Jurassic Period lasted

from 195 to 136 million years ago. 5. Giant dinos such as the

Tyrannosaurus and Megalosaurus roamed the earth. 6. The last

period, the Cretaceous Period, was from 136 to 65 million years

ago. 7. By the end of that period, the dinosaurs had died out.

1 = O

2 = A

3 = K

4 = B

5 =

Ke y






T h e C h i n e s e N e w Y e a r

i s o n e o f t h e w o r l d ’ s m o s t

e x c i t i n g c e l e b r a t i o n s .

T h e

s e

f o o

d s

a r e

s u p p

o s

e d

t o

b r i n

g g o o

d

l u c

k .

A c

o l o r f u l p a r a d e

i s a l s o

p a r t o f t h e

N e

w Y

e a r c e l e b r a t i o n

.

35

E a c h p a r t o f t h i s C h i n

e s e d r a g o n h a s o n e s e n t e n c e .

C u t o u t t h e p a r t s

a n d p u t t h e m i n

o r d e

r t o m a k e a p a r a g r a p h .

C o l o r

t h e p a r t s a n d t a p e

t h e m t o

g e t h e r . I f y o u

’ d l i k e ,

t a p e a p e n c i l t o e a c h e

n d o f t h e d r a g o n .

H o l d o n e p e n c i l a n d

h a v e a p a r t n e r h o l d t h e o t h e r .

H a v e y o u r o w n

C h i n e s e N e w

Y e a r p a r a d e !

B u i l d a P a r a g r a p h P u p p e t




36

E v

e r y o n e w a t c h e s

t h

e d a n c i n g

d r a g o n s

a

n d

l i o n s p a r a d e

t h r o u g h t h e s t r e e t s .

T h

e c e

l e b

r a t

i o n

b e g

i n s

o n

t h e

f i r

s t

d a y

o f

t h e

C h i n

e s

e

c a

l e n

d a r a n d

l a s

t s

1 5

d a y s

.

T o

c e l e b r a t e ,

C h i n e s e

f a m i l i e s

v i s i t o n e a n o t h e r a n d

s h a r e

s p e c i a l m

e a l s .

B u

i l d a

P a r a

g r a p

h

P u p p e t

( c o n t i n u e d )

T

h e y

e a

t s

t i c k

y

r

i c e c a

k e s

a

n d

t a n g

e r

i n e s

.




S o m e r o b o t s

h e l p d o c t o r s

o p e r a t e

o n p a t i e n t s .

R o b o t s c a n b e

b i g o r s m a l l .

T o d a y ’ s r o b o t s

d o m a n y j o b s .

O t h e r r o b o t s

c l e a n w i n d o w s

o n t a l l b u i l d i n g s .

A f e w s p e c i a l

r o b o t s e v e n

h e l p e x p l o r e

o u t e r s p a c e .

37

W r i t i n g S k i l l s M a d e F u n : S e n t e n c e s & P a r a

g r a p h s S c h o l a s t i c P r o f e s s i o n a l B o o k s

N a m e____________________________

D a t e______________________________

A l l A

b o a r

d t h e

T o p

i c T r a

i n !

T r a i n

1

C u t o u t t h e t r a i n c a r s ,

t h e n p a s t e t h e c a r s o n t o t h e t r

a c k s i n a n o r d e r t h a t m a k e s s e

n s e .

H I N T : O n e t r a i n c a r d o

e s n o t b e l o n g .

I t d o e s n o t g o

w i t h t h e t o p i c .

B e s u r e t o l e a v e

t h a t c a r o f f t h e t r a i n !




S h e a l s o l i s t e n s

w h e n I h a v e

a p r o b l e m .

S h e n e v e r m a k e s

f u n o f m e o r c a l l s

m e n a m e s .

T h a t ’ s w h y K a y l a

i s m y b e s t f r i e n d .

K a y l a a l w a y s

s h a r e s w i t h m e .

K a y l a ’ s l a s t n a m e

i s C o o p e r .

38

W r i t i n g S k i l l s M a d e F u n : S e n t e n c e s & P a r a g r a p h s S c h o l a s t i c P r o f e s s i o n a l B o o k s

N a m e____________________

________

D a t e_____________

_________________

A l l A

b o a r

d t h e

T o p

i c T r a

i n !

T r a i n

2

C u t o u t t h e t r a i n c a r s ,

t h e n p a s t e t h e c a r s o n t o t h e t r a c k s i n a n o r d e r t h a t m a k e s s e n s e .

H I N T : O n e t r a i n c a r d o e s n o t b e l o n g .

I t d o e s n o t g o

w i t h t h e t o p i c .

B e s u r e t o l e a v e

t h a t c a r o f f t h e t r a i n !




39

Name _____________________________________

Date _______________________________________

Read each paragraph. Then cut out the sentences at the bottom of the page. Paste each sent

beneath the paragraph in which it belongs.

Batty Paragraph Match-Up

Bats eat all kinds of things. Manbats dine on crickets and otherinsects. A few bats eat small anima

such as mice and frogs. Other bafeed on fruit or f lower pollen.

Vampire bats are the onlybats that eat animal blood.

A bat has pointy toes that canhold on tight to a tree branch

S o m

e t i m

e s h u n d r e d

s o f b

a t s

h a n g

f r o m

t h e

s a m e

r o o s t .

While hanging from a roost,a bat rests and grooms itself.

A bat can eat more than apound of insects in one night.

Pa rag rap h 1

Did you know that bats spend alot of time upside down? Whenthey are not looking for food,

they hang upside down from theirroost. A roost may be a tree,cave, bridge, or other spot.

P a r a g r a p h 2




W

rap up your unit on sentences and paragraphs by engaging students

in the following writing activities.

Paragraph Starters(Use with Kids’ Page 42.)

Do your students complain that they don’t have anything to write about? Try some of the paragraph starters on page 42. These open-ended writing promptsmake the perfect beginnings to interesting paragraphs and can be extended intolonger writing assignments, if you wish.

Create a topic “lottery” by putting the paragraph starters in a hat and invitineach student to draw one randomly. Or, to motivate reluctant writers, allow each student to select a paragraph starter based on his or her interests andexperiences.

Paragraph Webs(Use with Kids’ Pages 43 and 44.)

Help reinforce the structure of a paragraph by having students writeoriginal paragraphs on these paragraph

webs. Web 1 sets up a paragraph in which the main idea is the first sentence. Web 2 sets up a paragraph in which themain idea comes at the end. Studentsshould be comfortable writing bothtypes of paragraphs.

Start with Web 1, and use this web forparagraph-writing assignments until all students areable to write an organized paragraph. You may have students write about any topic they wish or

use the paragraph starters on page 42. Thenintroduce Web 2, and encourage students to try their hands at this upside down paragraph format.Mastering this type of paragraph may take sometime.

40

Re v ie w Re v ie w

42

Pa rag rap h S ta r te rs

Na me _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __

_ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _

Da te _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _

_ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _

T he mos t em barrass ing th ing t

ha t e ver happened to me wa

s. . .

I f I cou ld mee t a famous person, it wou

ld be. . .

M y fa vori te season is. . .

I w is h I had more.. .

T he s tranges t dream I e ver h

ad was. . .

One c hore I ha te to do is. . .

I ’ l l a l wa ys remem ber t he t im

e I learned ho w to. . .

I w is h e ver yone in t he wor ld

wou ld. . .

To me, a good fr iend is some

one w ho. . .

I th in k t he fu ture w i l l be

. . .

I wou ld like to ho ld t he wor ld

record for.. .

M y fa vor i te sport is. ..

44

N a me _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D a t e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Use t his w e b t o w r i t e a par agr aph. W r i te one se nt e nc e i n e ac h box .

P a r a gr a p h W eb 2

Mai n i d e a

D e t ail se nt e nc e



43

Use t his w e b t o w r i t e a par agr aph. W r i te one se nt e nc e i n e ac h box .

P a r a gr a p h W eb 1

N a me _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _D a t e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

Main id e a



D e t ai l se nte nc e

W r iti ng S ki lls M ad e Fu n : S en te nc es & P ar ag ra ph s Sc hola st ic P r of essional Books




Your Turn! (Use with Kids’ Pages 45 and 46.)

Have students apply all that they have learned about sentences and paragraphs

by revising this poorly-written paragraph about popular toys. Remindstudents to consider all of the following:

* Is each sentence a complete sentence (not a fragment or run-on)?

* Do the subject and predicate of each sentence agree(go together)?

* Does each sentence begin with a capital letter and end with a period,exclamation point, or question mark?

* Does the paragraph have a main idea?

*

Do all of the sentences in the paragraph support the main idea?

* Are the sentences in the paragraph in an order that makes sense?

To help students remember these criteria, distribute the checklist on page 46. You may use the checklist again with other writing assignments as a way forstudents to assess and improve their paragraph-writing skills.

41

Re

M y P a r a gr a p h C h eck l i

46

I s e ac h se nt e nc e a c ompl e te se nte nc e (not a f ragme nt or r un-on)?

D o the sub j e c t and pr e d i c at e of e ac h se nt e nc e agr e e (go toge t he r )?

D oe s e ac h se nt e nc e be gi n w i t h a c api tal l e tt e r?

D oe s e ac h se nt e nc e e nd w i t h a pe r i od ,e x c l amat ion poi nt, or que st ion mark ?

D oe s t he par agr aph hav e a main id e a?

D o al l of t he se nt e nc e s in t he par agr aph suppor t the mai n id e a?

Ar e t he se nt e nc e s i n t he paragr aph in an or d e r t hat mak e s se nse ?

N a me _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

D a te _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

Y es

45

Y o ur T ur n !

N a me _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _D a t e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

__ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Use w hat y ou hav e le ar ne d about se nt e nc e s and par agr aphs t o r e w r i t e t hi s par agr aph.

T her e ha v e been ma n y p op ul a r t o y s ov er t he p a s t 10 0 y ea r s ? I n 19 0 2 c hi l dr en f el l i n l ov e. W i t h t edd y bea r s . I n t he 19 8 0 s ev er y g ir l w a n t e

d a

C a bba g e P a t c h dol l . t oda y c omp ut er g a mes a n d t r a di n g c a r ds is f l y in g of f

s t or e s hel v es bec a us e a l ot of p eop l e, es p ec ia ll y k i ds , a r e bu y in g t hem t o p l a y w i t h. I n t he 19 50 ’ s hul a hoop s bec a me a bi g hit .




42

Paragraph Starters

Name ______________________________________

Date ________________________________________

The most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me was. . .

If I could meet a famous person, it would be. . .

My favorite season is. . .

I wish I had more. . .

The strangest dream I ever had was. . .

One chore I hate to do is. . .

I’ll always remember the time I learned how to. . .

I wish everyone in the world would. . .

To me, a good friend is someone who. . .

I think the future will be. . .

I would like to hold the world record for. . .

My favorite sport is . . .




43

Use this web to write a paragraph. Write one sentence in each box.

Paragraph Web 1

Name ______________________________________

Date ________________________________________

Main idea

Detail sentence

Detail sentence

Detail sentence




44

Name ______________________________________

Date ________________________________________

Use this web to write a paragraph. Write one sentence in each box.

Paragraph Web 2

Main idea

Detail sentence

Detail sentence

Detail sentence




45

Your Turn!

Name _____________________________________

Date _______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

Use what you have learned about sentences

and paragraphs to rewrite this paragraph.

There have been many popular toys over the past 100 years? In 1902

children fell in love. With teddy bears. In the 1980s every girl wanted a

Cabbage Patch doll. today computer games and trading cards is f lying off

store shelves because a lot of people, especially kids, are buying them

to play with. In the 1950’s hula hoops became a big hit.




My Paragraph Checklist

46

Is each sentence a complete sentence

(not a fragment or run-on)?

Do the subject and predicate of each sentence

agree (go together)?

Does each sentence begin with a capital letter?

Does each sentence end with a period,

exclamation point, or question mark?

Does the paragraph have a main idea?

Do all of the sentences in the paragraph

support the main idea?

Are the sentences in the paragraph in an order

that makes sense?

Name ______________________________________

Date ________________________________________

Yes No




47

Additional Resources

Books

The Amazing Pop-Up Grammar Book by JennieMaizels, illustrator, and Kate Petty, contributor

(Dutton, 1996).Elementary, My Dear: Caught ‘Ya: Grammar With a

Giggle for Grades One, Two, and Three by Jane BellKiester (Maupin House, 2000).

Grammar Puzzles and Games Kids Can’t Resist by Karen Kellaher (Scholastic Professional Books,2000).

Great Grammar Mini-Books by Maria Fleming (Scholastic Professional Books, 1999).

25 Great Grammar Poems With Activities by BobbiKatz (Scholastic Professional Books, 1999).

Web Sites

* Have kids log on to www.mrsabc.com for help with spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

* Go to www.scholastic.com for online writing activities, tips from authors, and more. The site

features sections for teachers and students.

* Log on to www.funbrain.com/grammar/ forexciting grammar games.

* For more suggestions on teaching grammar andother language arts topics, check out the site of theNational Council of Teachers of English:

www.ncte.org/teach/.

Answers

* Sentences

THE GREAT SENTENCE G AME SHOW : For Game 1the proper word order is: “My friend has two catsFor Game 2, answers will vary.

SENTENCE OR FRAGMENT?1. S; 2. F; 3. F; 4. S; 5. S; 6. F; 7. F; 8. S; 9. S; 10

R EPAIR A R UN-ON NEWS R EPORT:

Monkeying AroundThree monkeys escaped from the city zoo Tuesd

morning around 10 o’clock . The monkeys took a to the grocery store, where they bought 12 bunchof ripe bananas. Then they walked to the park

downtown and spent the rest of the day swinging from tree branches and entertaining people whopassed by . The three creatures headed back to the around dinnertime.

COMPOUND-SENTENCE S ANDWICHES:

My name is Ellen and I am eight years old.

I like books but I hate video games.

Earth has water but Saturn does not have water.

In spring the weather turns warm and plants startgrow.

Darren cleaned his room but Isaac left his toys onfloor.

I am going to Florida and I hope to visit Disney World.

I like that song and I hope he sings it again.

I want to play soccer but I must finish my choresfirst.

We are out of cereal but we have plenty of oatmea

I live on Cedar Avenue and my cousin lives nextdoor.




*Paragraphs

W HAT’S THE BIG IDEA ?

A. As these examples show, many groups of animalshave special names.B. Signs give information at a glance.

C. The time of the dinosaurs is divided into threeperiods.

Answer to riddle: BOO berries!

W HICH SENTENCE COMES NEXT?1. A; 2. C; 3. A; 4. B.

BUILD A P ARAGRAPH PUPPET:One order that makes sense is:

The Chinese New Year is one of the world’s mostexciting celebrations. The celebration begins on thefirst day of the Chinese calendar and lasts 15 days. Tocelebrate, Chinese families visit one another and sharespecial meals. They eat sticky rice cakes andtangerines. These foods are supposed to bring goodluck. A colorful parade is also part of the New Yearcelebration. Everyone watches the dancing dragonsand lions parade through the streets.

A LL A BOARD THE TOPIC TRAIN!:

Train 1:

Train 2:

B ATTY P ARAGRAPH MATCH-UP:

* Review

Y OUR TURN! One way to rewrite the paragraph is:

There have been many popular toys over the past100 years. In 1902 children fell in love with teddy bears. In the 1950s hula hoops became a big hit. Inthe 1980s every girl wanted a Cabbage Patch doll.Today computer games and trading cards are flying off store shelves.

So me ro bo ts

he lp do c to rs

ope ra te

o n pa t ie n ts.

Other robotsclean windowson tall buildings.

A f ew s p ec i a l r obot s ev en hel p ex p l or eout er s p a c e.

S he al s o l i s t ens when I h

She never makesfun of me or calls

T ha t ’s w h y Ka y la

is my best frie nd.Ka y la a l wa ys

ith me

T oda y ’ s r obot s do ma n y j obs .

Bats eat all kinds of things. Mbats dine on crickets and other

insects. A few bats eat small anisuch as mice and frogs. Other bfeed on fruit or f lower pollen.

Pa rag rap h 1

Did you know that bats spend alot of time upside down? When they

are not looking for food, they hangupside down from their roost. Aroost may be a tree, cave, bridge,or other spot.

P a r a g r a p h 2

S o m e t i m e s h u n d

r e d s o f b a t s

h a n g f r o m t h e

s a m e r o o s t.

A b a t h a s p o i n t y t o e s t h a t c a n h o l d o n t i g h t t o a t r e e b r a n c h .

While hanging from a roost,a bat rests and grooms itself.

V a m p i r e b a t s

a r e t h e o n l y

b a t s t h a t e a t

a n i m a l b l o o d.

A b a t c a n e a t m o r e t h ap o u n d o f i n s e c t s i n o n e

Documents

Writing Skills Made Fun- Sentences and Paragraphs