Tiered Sentence Combining Strategies and exercises for combining

Tiered Sentence Combining Strategies and exercises for combining short sentences with and, but, or, so Marn Frank, ATLAS August, 2014

Target Audience Teachers working with students having at least: 1. Basic English speaking, listening, and conversational skills 2. Basic reading skills (approximately NRS levels Beginning ABE+ or Intermediate ESL+) 3. Basic sentence writing skills And the desire and willingness to improve sentence composition!

TSC Access The complete Tiered Sentence Combining is available online: Go to www. atlas. ABE. org Point to PROFESSIONAL Development (PD) Click on Writing Instruction Scroll down to the green box Click on Tiered Sentence Combining to open and print the pdf (80 pages)!

Participant Objectives 1. Describe the evidence for sentence combining 2. Identify TSC content and scaffolding 3. Practice TSC strategies and exercises for combining with and, but, or, so 4. Apply TSC strategies to student writing 5. Reflect upon TSC use in your classroom

“If there is one absolute truth in writing, it’s that writing can be absolutely difficult to teach and to learn. ” (Saddler, 2012, p. ix)

SENTENCE COMBINING EVIDENCE

Just Write! Guide (TEAL, 2011) [Sentence combining is] “an alternative to traditional grammar instruction [that] holds greater promise for students to produce quality writing. ” (p. 36) Download for FREE at teal. ed. gov

Just Write! Guide (TEAL, 2011) Use an explicit instruction sequence, where each sentence combining strategy is introduced with teacher modeling, followed by teacher/student guided practice, and when students are “ready to be released, ” independent application.

Developing Reading and Writing (NAP, 2012) “Reading and writing require some of the same knowledge and cognitive and linguistic processes – such as knowledge of vocabulary, spelling patterns, text structures, and syntax. . . In fact, research has shown that reading improves with frequent writing. ” (p. 16)

Developing Reading and Writing (NAP, 2012) “Combine real-world short sentences into more complex ones with practice exercises and application to real-world writing tasks. ” (p. 16) Download for FREE at lincs. ed. gov

GED Testing Service (2013) Reasoning Through Language Arts includes test items on sentence fragments, run-on sentences, fused sentences, subject-verb agreement, capitalization and punctuation. (GEDTS, n. d. )

College and Career Readiness Standards (2013) English Language Arts and Literacy, Language Standard, CCR Anchor 1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Benefits of Sentence Combining 1. Helps writers ‘decenter’ and think as 2. 3. 4. readers Helps writers gain confidence in sentence syntax and punctuation Fosters revision skills May improve reading fluency and comprehension Teacher’s Guide to Effective Sentence Writing (Saddler, 2012, p. 15 -18)

TSC CONTENT AND SCAFFOLDING

Content for Teachers • • • Evidence Base and Readiness Word Tiers Sentence Terms Sentence Types Simple Sentences Explicit READ-WRITE-READ Process Teacher Information Practical Ideas – with more to be added! References

Scaffolding for Students 1. 2. 3. 4. Order of connectors is and, but, or, so Odd-numbered exercises use Tier 1 words (16) Even-numbered exercises use Tier 2 words (32) Strategies 1 -5 combine words or phrases = simple sentence structures 5. Strategy 4 begins use of pronoun replacement 6. Strategy 6 combines independent clauses = compound sentence structures

Explicit READ-WRITE-READ Process 1. Teacher explains SC purpose and process. 2. Teacher reads the sentences and tells how to combine underlined cues (#1 -2). 3. Students read the sentences and tell how to combine underlined cues (#3 -4). 4. Students read and combine individually or in pairs (#5 -6 – no underlining). 5. Teacher and students check combinations with Answer Key (and discuss alternatives? ).

See handout TSC STRATEGY & EXERCISE PRACTICE

Strategy One Summary (page 2) • Uses the most common connector* and = addition • Related subjects* or objects* from the 2 nd sentence combined at the beginning, middle, or end of the 1 st sentence • Commas added to lists of 3+ • As needed, verbs* or nouns* changed from singular* to plural* *optional

Strategy One Answers (page 3) Student Exercise 1 2. People live in small towns and big cities. 3. Ann writes letters, emails, and texts. Student Exercise 2 A 2. Thunderstorms occur frequently in June, July, and August. 3. Young children learn the concepts of sharing toys and taking turns through play.

Strategy Two Summary (page 4) • Uses the most common connector* and = addition • Related verbs* or predicates* from the 2 nd (and sometimes 3 rd) sentence combined in the middle or at the end of 1 st sentence • Commas added to lists of 3+ • Verbs* and nouns* not changed from singular* to plural* *optional

Strategy Two Answers (page 5) Student Exercise 7 2. A doctor talks and listens to patients. 3. Math students add and subtract numbers. Student Exercise 8 A 2. Medical scientists research many types of cancer and study their different causes. 3. A banker uses a formula to calculate a 30 -year mortgage and figure the monthly payment.

Strategy Three Summary (page 6) • Uses the next common connector but = contrast • Contrasting words or phrases from the 2 nd sentence combined at the end of the 1 st sentence - including not - but excluding repeated linking/helping verbs • Commas not added • Verbs and nouns not changed from singular to plural

Strategy Three Answers (page 7) Student Exercise 13 2. I made a birthday cake but did not buy presents. 3. The girl loves the color pink but only likes yellow. Student Exercise 14 A 2. The wall structure was slightly harmed by the flood but replaced for safety reasons. 3. Parents of teenagers try to send consistent messages but are sometimes misunderstood.

Strategy Four Summary (page 8) • Offers a choice between and = addition, but = contrast • Introduces pronoun replacement • Related or contrasting words or phrases from the 2 nd sentence combined at the end of the 1 st sentence • Commas not added • Verbs and nouns not changed

Strategy Four Answers (page 9) Student Exercise 19 2. Tim got home late but did not miss dinner. 3. The earth is big and has many people. Student Exercise 20 A 2. The reading assessment took two long hours to finish but was easy for most students. 3. That author writes books about historical contexts but prefers to read science fiction.

Strategy Five Summary (page 10) • Uses the lesser common connector or = choice • Choice words or phrases from the 2 nd (and sometimes 3 rd) sentence combined at the beginning, middle, or end of the 1 st sentence • Commas added to lists of 3+ • Verbs and nouns not changed

Strategy Five Answers Student Exercise 25 2. Rick or Ron might go to the meeting on Monday. 3. Do you like spring or summer best? Student Exercise 26 A 2. The recovering patient did not require constant care or 24/7 nursing attention. 3. The traveling salesman may attend the convention in Minneapolis or Saint Paul.

Strategy Six Summary (page 12) • Uses the lesser common connector so = cause/effect • Combines full 1 st and 2 nd sentences • Comma added before so (after 1 st, before 2 nd) • Results in two independent clauses = compound sentence structure

Strategy Six Answers page 13) Student Exercise 29 2. Hank cannot stay until the end of his shift, so I will work two more hours. 3. The children were tired after a long day, so their parents put them to bed early. Student Exercise 30 A 2. The GED student wants to pass all five tests in six months, so his study approach has to be serious. 3. The new gardening tools turned out to be flimsy, so the customer returned them to the hardware store.

Practical Ideas for Use • The series can be covered during small or large group reading/writing lessons. • Selected exercises can be presented as “sentence combining of the day” activities or quick fill-ins. • Tier 2 exercises can be completed after vocabulary. lessons available at http: //atlasabe. org/resources/ebrivocabulary. • Selected exercises can be part of daily or weekly student journaling and teacher feedback. • Taught strategies can be applied to authentic student-written sentences or paragraphs

Application to Student Writing (page 14) 1. 2. 3. 4. Work as pairs or trios Read the student-written paragraph on page 16 Discuss how you can apply TSC strategies to the short sentences Rewrite the student paragraph using TSC strategies

Participant Reflection How might you use TSC in your reading or writing classroom? Please write your idea(s) on a note card.

Your feedback (and corrections) will be appreciated. THANK YOU!