Focus Question: How does using sentence variety in your piece improve the quality of your writing?
Language Skills Mini-Lesson
Read Owl Moon by Jane Yolen aloud.
Before moving into the main focus of the lesson, take ten minutes to use Owl Moon to illustrate correct usage of some frequently confused words. “Before we move on, let’s quickly look at a couple of examples in this story for correct usage of the frequently confused words ‘to’ and ‘too.’” Spell these examples and write them on the board so that students know to which forms you are referring.
“Listen for three examples of these words as I read from Owl Moon. On a scrap of paper, number to three and write how each usage is spelled.
“In the second half of the story, the child recalls, ‘Then we came to a clearing in the dark woods.’” Pause to allow students to write. “‘The moon was high above us. It seemed to fit exactly over the center of the clearing . . .’” Pause. “A couple of pages later, she says, ‘I took my mitten off the scarf off my mouth, and I almost smiled, too.’”
Have students share their answers with a partner. They should be: 1. to, 2. to, and 3. too.
“What is the difference between these two words?” Guide students to discover that “to” is a preposition (which often begins a prepositional phrase, e.g., “to a clearing”) and a particle (which often forms the infinitive of a verb, e.g., “to fit”). Note: “to” is also an anaphor, but since it is not used this way in either of the examples, do not attempt to cover this here.
Guide students to see that “too” is an adverb that means “also/in addition,” (e.g., “I almost smiled, too.”) or “in excess.” (e.g., “There were too many options.”)
There is another word that sounds like “to” and “too,” but is spelled differently. Write its spelling on your paper and use it correctly in a sentence. Share with your partner. (two; e.g., “There are two flags outside.”)
Conclude this mini-lesson by writing the three forms on the board and labeling them. (to: preposition; too: adverb; two: noun [number])
Part 1
This lesson uses Owl Moon (or another text of your choosing) to model sentence variety.
Write the following characteristics on a chart, leaving an empty space at the top for a label on either side and an overall title. (Later in the lesson you will fill these in for students.) You may need to review these terms with students: simple sentences, compound/complex sentences, declarative, imperative, interrogative, exclamatory.
- Sentence flow is varied; some are long and flowing (compound/complex), and they alternate with some that are short and choppy (simple sentences).
- Sentence beginnings are varied.
- Sentence endings/types are varied. (.!?)
- I can “feel” the varied rhythms in the sentences.
- Sentence flow is very similar; most are the same length: too many short (simple) sentences in a row, or too many long (compound/complex) ones.
- Several sentences begin in the same way.
- All sentences end with the same punctuation.
- I cannot “feel” the varied rhythms in the sentences.
Revisit the story to point out areas of the text that are particularly good models for sentence variety. Reread these places aloud to students, and connect them with the characteristics on the left side of the chart to model your thinking.
“As I read a short biography of Helen Keller aloud, I want you to think about the characteristics on the chart paper.” Read the strong and weak characteristics aloud to students.
Once you have handed out student copies of the text, read the Helen Keller Biography (LW-6-1-1_Helen Keller.doc) aloud. “Make sure that as you consider these characteristics, you underline places that illustrate them as you follow along.”
When you finish reading, discuss the characteristics that are listed on the chart paper as a whole group and where they appear in the biography. Allow students to reread the biography if needed. Students should discover that the writing piece lacks a variety of sentence structure.
“We can conclude that most sentences begin the same way, all end the same way, and they are often the same length. All of these characteristics make every sentence ‘feel’ the same; the piece sounds repetitive and tired. Therefore, this writing piece is lacking something writers call sentence variety.”
Now, write “Sentence Variety” at the top of the chart paper or on the board or overhead, and label the left side with a plus and the right side with a minus or some other obvious marking.
“We will be focusing on adding sentence variety to writing pieces, which will create writing that is pleasing to read and hear.”
Hand out the worksheet Spiced Up Sentences (LW-6-1-1_Spiced Up Sentences.doc). Go through each example from the handout, clarifying content vocabulary as needed. Place this worksheet on the overhead and, as a whole group, discuss the different ways in which students can construct sentences so that their writing will have variation. Write a sentence on the board, and model for students how to change its beginning, end/type (.?!), or construction (simple/compound/complex). Have students offer other ways to “spice it up.” You can also write several short, related sentences for students to combine, or write a long sentence that would benefit from being split into two or more sentences. This exercise can be done individually or in small groups.
Part 2
Assign partners. “You will use the worksheet on sentence variety (LW-6-1-1_Spiced Up Sentences.doc) to revise the writing piece on Helen Keller. Your goal will be to add sentence variety to this piece of writing. Let’s do the first few sentences together. Remember, not all of the sentences in the piece will need to be revised.”
As a group, review the first paragraph of the biography and ask students which sentences should be changed to improve sentence variety. Guide students in determining which sentences need to be revised. Have students give suggested changes to those sentences as you write them on the board. Ask if there is more than one way to change a particular sentence, and if yes, is one better than the other? Allow many options so that students can see that there isn’t usually just one right way, that many different revisions can improve sentence variety.
Then allow students to complete the rest of the biography with partners. Remind students again that they do not have to change every sentence in the writing piece.
Once they have drafted their revisions, have students write them on an overhead transparency or some other sharable format.
When students complete this task, choose a few to share their changes with the class. When students share, have them refer back to the strong sentence variety characteristics from Part 1 of this lesson to justify their changes. Collect the other papers to check for understanding.
Part 3
Have students find a paragraph in a story they have read and analyze the author’s use of sentence variety. Offer some specific options for students who have difficulty making these decisions. Give students the Sentence Variety Analysis graphic organizer (LW-6-1-1_Sentence Variety Analysis.doc) to complete. Have students meet in pairs and explain their findings to a partner. Collect the graphic organizer to review student progress.
Give students the independent task of applying sentence variety to their own writing piece. If you have access to something the student previously wrote, allow students to revisit their writing to revise it for sentence variety. This is a great way for students to observe and reflect on their growth as writers. If you do not have any previous writing of theirs, proceed with the following exercise.
“Think of a topic that you know a lot about. Write two or three informative/explanatory paragraphs on this topic. Once you finish writing, revise for good sentence variety using the characteristics from the chart.”
When students are finished with their pieces, have them peer edit their sentence variety paragraphs. Give students the Sentence Variety Checklist (LW-6-1-1_Sentence Variety Checklist.doc) to complete their evaluations. Then have students apply these edits and place their revised draft in their writing portfolios.
Extension:
- Students who might need additional practice with understanding or incorporating the trait of sentence variety in their writing can read poetry aloud to hear how sentence variety creates a rhythm and flow of language. A great resource to use is the poetry book Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman, whose poems were written to be read aloud by two readers at once, one person reading the left column, the other taking the right column. The poems are read from top to bottom, allowing the two parts to mesh in a musical duet. When both readers have lines at the same horizontal level, those lines are read simultaneously. Be sure to explain that poetry writing is different from narrative or informational writing in that it has less strict grammar and usage rules. Emphasize that this poem is a good illustration of “feeling” the rhythms, but that it is not a model for standard grammar and usage.