TeachingReadingasSenseMaking

Knowledge: identifying sentence structures; subjects and verbs;

articulating what makes sentences different from one another
1. Students will identify the correct kind of sentences in the examples provided.
2. Students will identify the subject and/or verb in a sentence.
3. Students will be able to explain the differences between sentence types.
4. Students will recognize variations in Englishes.
Do: Day 1
1. Before starting the activity, we will review the different kinds of
sentences we have been focusing on as a class (10 min).
2. Students will bring in lyrics from one of their favorite songs. The idea is
that they will be bringing in lyrics with different kinds of Englishes,
however if they are all Dominant American English, we will have
backups provided.
3. We will collect all the song lyrics and re-pass them out so students do
not have their own. We will then ask them to identify sentences and to
identify what kind of sentence it is (simple, complex, compound,
compound-complex). We will ask them to try to identify at least three (10
min).
4. Students will group up and share with a partner the sentences they
found and they will check with one another to see if they identified the
sentence correctly. If not, their partner can help them. We will be
walking around and seeing if the students need help identifying a
sentence or if the partners disagree on a sentence (10 min).
5. As a class, students will share out their sentences-one from each
partner group (5 min).
6. Have the students take out a piece of paper and write down one thing
they liked about the activity, once question/concern they still have, and
one thing they learned (10 min).
DO: Day 2
1. Review simple, compound, complex, and compound complex sentences (10
min).
2. Pass out white boards and explain to students that they will be in teams and
will have to race to identify what type of sentence appears on the projector
screen. They may also have to identify the subject and/or the verb in the
sentence (5 min).
3. Using the songs the students brought in, lyrics, along with a short clip of the
song, will be displayed on the projector screen and the students will have to
identify the type of sentence. The sentences will be displaying different types of
English from various cultures and regions of the United States.
3. Practice by going through two examples as a group (5 min).
4. Start the game. Leave time in between each sentence for students to
explain why they chose the answer they chose (20min).

5. Have the students write down one thing they learned from the activity, one
thing they liked about the activity, and one question they still have about
sentence structure/verbs/subjects or one thing they didnt like about the activity
(10 min).
Instructional Resources/Materials
White boards
White board markers
Paper
Pencils
Projector screen
Music video with sentences
Lesson Accommodations (special needs and gifted)
If need be, Nate or I can work with the different teams, giving them extra
help and talking through their answers with them.
CCSS
CCSS.ELALITERACY.L.8.6
Acquireanduseaccuratelygradeappropriategeneralacademicanddomain
specificwordsandphrases;gathervocabularyknowledgewhenconsideringaword
orphraseimportanttocomprehensionorexpression.
CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.8.3.C
Useavarietyoftransitionwords,phrases,andclausestoconveysequence,signal
shiftsfromonetimeframeorsettingtoanother,andshowtherelationshipsamong
experiencesandevents.
Essential Questions:
Students should consider these questions:

1. What differentiates a simple sentence from a compound, complex, or

compound complex sentence?
2. How do I identify the verb or the subject in a sentence?
3. How can knowing the difference between sentence structures help me in my
writing?
Assessment

Summative & Formative Assessments, Performance Task(s) & Other

Evidence i.e. Pre-assessments, Unit Tests, Quizzes, Essays, Exit Cards, etc.
1. Thegamewillprovidetheopportunitytoevaluateifthestudentsunderstandthedifferences
betweenthesentences.
2. Theslipswepassoutafterthegame,askingthemtoexplainwhattheylearned/iftheyhave
furtherquestions,willalsoprovideawayforustounderstandwhetherornottheyhavelearned
thematerial.

What will you do if students do not understand?

If students do not understand the activity, we will do the whole activity as a
class, going through each sentence and explaining why the sentence is the
kind of sentence that it is.
Extended Learning (Homework)
There will be no homework

- We never address culture or the different kinds of Englishes being

represented through the music selections. How do we go about
bringing this up or having the students notice this?