Teaching sentence structure through sentence combining and sentence modeling activities can be highly beneficial for student writers in several ways:
One: Development of Sentence Variety
Sentence combining activities encourage students to experiment with different sentence structure and lengths. By combining shorter, choppy sentences into more complex and varied constructions, students enhance the overall flow and readability of their writing. This helps them break away from repetitive sentence patterns and develop a stronger command of syntax. I always encourage them to use the sentence they create in their writing or to make it a starting point of an original piece
Two: Improved Sentence Fluency
It helps students develop a sense of rhythm and fluency in their writing. By manipulating and rephrasing sentences, they learn how to create smooth transitions between ideas and establish a coherent flow within their paragraphs and essays. This leads to more polished and sophisticated writing and understanding of sentence structure.
Thanksgiving Sentence Combining
Two: Enhanced Writing Style
It also enables students to explore different writing styles and voices. They learn to manipulate sentence structures to convey specific tones, moods, or emphases. By combining and rephrasing sentences, students can add emphasis, create suspense, or emphasize relationships between ideas, resulting in more nuanced and engaging writing.
It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of climbing roses which were so thick that they were matted together.
from The Secret Garden by F.H. Burnett
The above activity can be found in this descriptive writing lesson plan.
Three: Improved Syntax and Grammar Skills
Teaching grammar in isolation does not help student internalize grammar rules. Teaching sentence structure through sentence combining exercises and sentence modeling, students gain a better understanding of grammatical rules and structures. They learn how to coordinate or subordinate clauses, use transitional phrases, and apply appropriate punctuation. This deepens their understanding of sentence construction and allows them to express complex ideas more effectively.
Four: Increased Sentence Awareness
Sentence combining and modeling activities promote sentence-level awareness and precision. Students become more attuned to the impact of word choice, punctuation, and sentence structure on their writing. This heightened awareness helps them avoid common grammatical errors, improve clarity, and refine their overall writing style.
Five: Enhanced Writing Efficiency
As students become proficient in combining sentences, they develop the ability to express ideas more concisely. This skill is valuable in academic writing, where the goal is to convey information succinctly and efficiently. By eliminating wordiness and redundancies through sentence combining, students learn to write with greater precision and clarity.
Six: Transferable Writing Skills
The skills acquired through sentence combining activities are transferable to various writing tasks and genres. Whether students are crafting essays, stories, or research papers, the ability to combine and manipulate sentences effectively enhances their overall writing competency. These skills can be applied across disciplines and in real-world writing situations.
Seven: Activates Creativity
Incorporating sentence combining and sentence modeling activities into writing instruction provides cultivates their creativity. They get to play with words, tone, and connotation, and just like toddlers learn through play so do emerging writers. It refines their writing skills, and equips them with the tools necessary to produce polished and coherent written work.
Creative Writing project for House on Mango Street
