Download 7116 Sentence Building Int.

Dear Teacher:
Welcome to Reading Rods™!
Your Sentence Building Reading Rod Set contains
156 interlocking plastic Rods printed with words
representing different parts of speech and
punctuation marks. Students link the Rods
together in a variety of ways to build sentences,
examine parts of speech and add appropriate
punctuation. Because Reading Rods are designed
to be touched, handled, and manipulated,
developing grammar skills and language
awareness becomes an inviting and
fun-filled hands-on adventure.
The Sentence Building Set contains:
35 green noun Rods
(including four noun ending Rods and
one blank Rod)
12 light-green pronoun Rods
36 yellow verb Rods
(including two verb ending Rods)
25 red adjective Rods
(including three adjective ending Rods)
8 pink article Rods
11 orange adverb Rods
10 blue preposition Rods
5 purple conjunction Rods
3 turquoise interjection Rods
(including one blank Rod)
11 white punctuation Rods
(including one blank Rod)
Reading Rods offer many
outstanding features!
• They are made from color-coded, lightweight,
durable plastic.
• Reading Rods are versatile. Games and activities
using Rods can easily be geared up or down
to suit students’ various needs, abilities, and
learning styles.
Reading Rods stay fixed in position until the
teacher or learner deliberately rearranges them.
• Reading Rods can only be linked together
from left to right, which supports the same
directionality found in reading and writing.
• Students of all ability levels can link Reading
Rods together to generate print and experience
reading success.
This book is filled with Reading Rod activity ideas
to help guide readers through a variety of
meaningful exercises and activities. As they
engage in these Reading Rod experiences,
students will begin to develop reading and
writing skills and concepts related to:
• parts of speech, including: nouns, verbs,
adjectives, pronouns, adverbs, conjunctions,
prepositions, and interjections
• sentence construction and patterns,
including: subjects and predicates
• simple, compound, and complex sentences
• punctuation
• subject/predicate agreement
The topics in this book are presented sequentially,
so each topic builds on prior knowledge while
laying a foundation for new learning to come.
Each topic is presented with objectives, a list of
supplies necessary to get started, a warm up
activity, activities for exploring, assessing and
extending the learning, plus a blackline master
perfect for reinforcing Reading Rod learning in
school or at home.
We know you’ll be pleased to allow this
innovative, hands-on teaching tool to
revolutionize the reading and writing
instruction in your classroom.
Read on to discover how to put
Reading Rods to work today!
• Unlike cards and tiles, which have traditionally
been used in reading and writing instruction,
1
Table of Contents
Lessons
Blackline Masters
Lesson 1: Alphabetical Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 3
Lesson 1: Easy as ABC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 33
Lesson 2: Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 4
Lesson 2: Noun Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 34
Lesson 3: Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 5
Lesson 3: Verb Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 35
Lesson 4: Pronouns and Verb Tenses . . . . . . . . . .Page 6
Lesson 4: Picking Out Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 36
Lesson 5: Adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 7
Lesson 5: Amazing Adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 37
Lesson 6: Basic Sentence Patterns
and Punctuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 8
Lesson 6: What’s My Pattern? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 38
Lesson 7: Adverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 9
Lesson 7: Adverb Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 39
Lesson 8: Conjunctions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 10
Lesson 8: What’s the Connection? . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 40
Lesson 9: Compound Sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 11
Lesson 9: Sentence Join-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 41
Lesson 10: Prepositions and
Prepositional Phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 12
Lesson 10: Positively Prepositions . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 42
Lesson 11: Plural and
Possessive Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 13
Lesson 11: Plural vs. Possessive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 43
Lesson 12: Helping and Linking Verbs . . . . . . . .Page 14
Lesson 12: Helping Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 44
Lesson 13: Interjections, Articles,
and More Punctuation . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 15
Lesson 13: Punctuation & More . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 45
Lesson 14: Complex Sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 16
Lesson 14: Sentence Sleuth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 46
Extra Blackline Masters:
Demonstration Cards
Putting Together Parts of Speech . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 47
Demonstration Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17-32
Punctuation Match-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 48
2
Lesson 1: Alphabetical Order
Objectives:
• To review alphabetical order
• To introduce noun Rods
You'll Need:
• Supply of green noun
Rods (except noun
ending Rods)
• Marker
• Container, such as a plastic
tub or shoe box
• Easy as ABC blackline
master
• Chart paper
• Activity tray
Warming Up
offer each child an additional three noun Rods and have them
Ask the students to arrange themselves by first names in
fit these into the correct slots in their train so that each
alphabetical order. If more than one student’s name begin
group of eight Rods is arranged in alphabetical order.
with the same letter, write their names on the board and show
Challenge children to combine their individual Rod trains into
students how you look at the second letter (or to the third
one long train. Explain that in order to put all the words in
letter, if necessary) to determine which word comes next in
alphabetical order, the individual Rod trains must be taken
alphabetical order. Ask children to tell why they think it might
apart and reorganized.
be important to understand alphabetical order. Ask them to
brainstorm a list of places where alphabetical order is used
Extending the Learning
(in the phone book, in dictionaries, in catalog indexes, etc.).
Write the following word list on a piece of chart paper. Have
Have on hand some samples of such materials arranged in
students rewrite the list in alphabetical order. If students are
alphabetical order.
having difficulty with putting the words in alphabetical order,
start with a shorter list. Gradually, add more words to the
Exploring the Concept
Place the noun Rods into the container. Have students
each select one noun Rod at random and place it into
list. Students can write their newly alphabetized list to the
right of the first list.
C
A
B
D
eggs
Mom
without telling students what you are doing, arrange
city
ball
the Rods in alphabetical order from left to right in
aunt
toy
the activity tray slots. Ask students to tell you as
bird
face
much as they can about these Rods (They may say,
door
way
for example, that the Rods are green, that they
man
duck
each spell a whole word, etc.). Guide children to
food
book
notice that the words begin with particular letters
apple
feet
and that the letters are arranged in alphabetical
Dad
fish
order from left to right.
baby
mug
the activity tray. Read the words together. Then,
Divide the remaining noun Rods among the
© Learning Resources, Inc.
students. Instruct each to child arrange his or her collection of
noun Rods in alphabetical order. Take time to have students
Using the Blackline Master
explain the reasoning for their Rod arrangements. Have
Make copies of the Easy as ABC blackline master on page 33.
students work together to join their Rods into one long train of
Have students rewrite the lists of words in alphabetical order.
Rods in alphabetical order from beginning to end. Ask them to
read the words printed on the Rods.
Assessing Learning
Have each child choose five green noun Rods. Ask students to
each put their collection of Rods in alphabetical order. Then,
3
Lesson 2: Nouns
Objectives:
• To introduce the concept of nouns
• To recognize and sort nouns into
three categories of words that name
people, places, and things
You'll Need:
• Supply of green noun
Rods (except noun
ending Rods)
• Container, such as a
plastic tub or shoe box
• Activity tray
• Chart paper
• Markers
• Green crayons
• Noun Hunt blackline
master
Warming Up
Extending the Learning
Place the green noun Rods into the container. Remove four
Cut pieces of construction paper in half horizontally. Fold each
Rods, including the one printed with the word milk, and display
of these in half again from left-to-right. Open each folded
these in the activity tray. Play a game in which you describe a
paper and print one noun word inside. Have students fold the
noun for them to find. (“I’m thinking of a word that begins
papers closed again and use the front of each folded paper to
with a letter m and is something you drink. That’s right! It is
write clues for the noun printed inside. For example, if the
the word milk.”) Continue making-up clues for several more
noun printed inside is book, the
nouns. Place all the noun Rods back into the container. Remove
clues on the front cover might
those Rods printed with words that name people: boy, Dad,
read, “You read me.
man, mom, baby, sister, uncle, brother, father, friend, cousin,
I am in the library.”
woman, women, children, neighbor, Grandma, grandma,
Grandpa, grandpa. Have children read the words and tell what
is alike about these words. (They each name a person.)
Exploring the Concept
Repeat the activity described above using those noun Rods
that name places (way, zoo, city, home, house, party, place,
road, room, side, store, town, tree, world, school, states, etc.)
and those noun Rods that name things (air, bat, car, day, end,
eye, fun, bag, mitt, pen, sun, hat, toy, mug, apple, ball, bird,
book, door, duck, eggs, face, feet, fish, food, game, etc.). Tell
children that words that name people, places, and things are
called nouns. Point out that it is possible for a noun to name
both a thing and a place depending on how it is used.
For example:
The car drove by. (thing)
He sat in the car. (place)
Using the Blackline Master
Assessing Learning
Make copies of the Noun Hunt blackline master on page 34.
Place all the noun Rods (except the noun ending Rods) in the
Have children use green crayons to underline all the nouns in
center of the table. Have children identify the noun Rods that
the story.
name things. Have them use chart paper to group the words
into these three separate categories.
4
© Learning Resources, Inc.
name people, noun Rods that name places, and noun Rods that
Lesson 3: Verbs
Objectives:
• To introduce the concept of verbs
• To define some verbs as
action words
You'll Need:
• Supply of yellow verb Rods
(except verb ending Rods)
• Container, such as a plastic
tub or shoe box
• Activity tray
• Markers
• Yellow Demonstration
Cards
• Verb Search blackline
master
• Chart paper
Warming Up
Extending the Learning
Place the yellow verb Rods into the container. Ask each child to
Help children choose the action verb cards from among the
take several yellow Rods and read them aloud. Place the Rod
collection of Reading Rod demonstration cards. Have children
printed with the word laugh into the tray. Have children take
arrange the verb cards in alphabetical order on a bulletin board
turns acting out this word by laughing in different ways (high,
or pocket chart display. Title the display, Action Verbs Word
low, loudly, softly, etc.) Tell children that the word laugh is an
Wall. Use index cards to record other action verbs to add to the
action verb because it tells about an action or something you
display. Encourage children to collect words from books and
can do. Have each child look through the verb Rods to find
from the world around them. For extra practice, have children
another action verb he or she can easily act out. Place these
illustrate each action verb.
into the tray and read them together. Take turns acting the
words out.
Exploring the Concept
Show students the Rod printed with the word care. Invite them
to try acting this verb out. If children have trouble acting this
word out, explain that some verbs describe mental actions that
are not easily seen, so they are not easy to act out. Challenge
children to locate other verb Rods that show mental actions
that are not easy to act out (like, knew, mean, become, etc.).
Have students link together a Rod train of action verbs that are
easy to act out and a Rod train of verbs that are not easy to act
out. If students are unable to complete the task, talk about
each word individually. Have students generate a list of verbs
that are not printed on Rods and decide to which train they
Using the Blackline Master
would add each verb.
Make copies of the Verb Search blackline master on page 35.
Have children use yellow crayons to underline all the verbs in
Assessing Learning
the story.
Meet individually with children and have them select several
verb Rods to use in sentences. Invite children to act out any
© Learning Resources, Inc.
action verbs for you to guess.
5
Lesson 4: Pronouns and Verb Tenses
Objectives:
• To introduce the concept of pronouns
• To demonstrate how pronouns can
take the place of nouns
• To introduce verb tenses
You'll Need:
• Supply of green
noun Rods, yellow
verb Rods, light-green
pronoun Rods, pink
article Rods, and white
punctuation Rods
• Activity tray
• Chart paper
• Markers
• Light-green crayons
• Picking Out Pronouns
blackline master
Warming Up
Then, have children work together to link-up all the pronoun
Use Rods to build this sentence then place it into the activity
Rods in alphabetical order.
tray: The kitten drank the milk. Read the sentence together.
Have children identify the nouns (kitten and milk) and the
Extending the Learning
verb (drank) in the sentence. Then, as children watch, replace
Write the following sentences on the board or on chart paper.
the Rods printed with the words The and kitten with the
Have students underline each noun and circle each pronoun.
pronoun Rod She. Read this new sentence together: She drank
Then have them tell which noun each pronoun goes with.
the milk. Ask the children to tell how this sentence is different
James ate the apple. He said it was juicy.
from the first one. (The words The kitten are replaced by the
Amy left her books on the floor. They were covered in dirt.
pronoun She.) Replace the noun Rods the and milk with the
Leo jumped on the rock. He slipped on it.
pronoun Rod it. Read this new sentence together: She drank it.
Discuss this new change. Explain that these new words printed
To demonstrate past, present and future verb tenses, build this
on the light-green Rods are called pronouns and can take the
sentence and display it in the tray: I call you. Have students
place of nouns in a sentence.
read the sentence aloud. Ask students how they might reword
the sentence to tell about the action if it already happened in
Exploring the Concept
the past. Then link the verb ending ed to the word call to
Invite children to use the noun (green), action verb (yellow),
change the sentence to I called you. Read this sentence
and article (pink) Rods to build one sentence each. Have
together. Ask students how they might reword the sentence to
children identify the nouns and verbs in their sentences. Provide
tell about the action if it was going to happen in the future.
them with the light-green pronoun Rods. Challenge children to
Then remove the ed ending Rod and add the Rod printed with
take turns substituting the pronoun Rods for each of the nouns
the word will before the word call so the sentence now reads: I
and reading the new sentences aloud. Use this as a chance to
will call you. Tell students that these three ways of writing the
explain that some pronouns take the place of a
verb (call, called, and will call) are called verb tenses, and these
single noun (e.g., the single pronoun she can
different tenses are used to talk about events as they happen
take the place of single noun girl), and
in the past, the present, and the future. As you share other
others take the place of plural (more than
reading experiences, draw students’ attention to the verb
one) nouns (e.g., the plural pronoun
tense(s) being used.
them can take the place of the plural
noun children).
Using the Blackline Master
Assessing Learning
master on page 36. Have children use light-green crayons
Make copies of the Picking Out Pronouns blackline
pronoun Rods and use them
in sentences. Challenge
children to use more than
one pronoun in a sentence.
6
to underline all the pronouns in the story.
© Learning Resources, Inc.
Have each child select two
Lesson 5: Adjectives
Objectives:
• To introduce the concept
of adjectives
• To demonstrate that adjectives are
words that describe or limit nouns
You'll Need:
• Supply of green noun
Rods, yellow verb Rods,
light-green pronoun Rods,
pink article Rods, red
adjective Rods, and white
punctuation Rods
• Red crayons
• Container, such as a
plastic tub or shoe box
• Amazing Adjectives
blackline master
• Activity tray
• Chart paper
• Markers
Warming Up
Place all the red adjective Rods into the container. Ask children
Assessing Learning
to tell you what they know about red adjective Rods. Then use
Invite students to use the red adjective Rods along with the
Rods to build this sentence and place it into the activity tray:
other Rods in the container to build sentences. Have children
Grandpa ate the pizza.
tell whether the adjectives they chose describe the noun or
limit the noun by telling about an amount or number related
Have children point out the nouns
to the noun.
and the verb in the sentence.
Then add the red adjective Rod
printed with the word warm to
the sentence so that it now
reads, Grandpa ate the warm
pizza. Ask children to tell you
what the word warm is
describing (the noun pizza).
Tell children that words that
describe or tell about nouns
are called adjectives.
Exploring the Concept
Have each child choose two green noun Rods. Then have them
each choose a red adjective Rod to describe each noun Rod.
Have children link these adjective/noun word pairs together,
place them into the tray, and read them aloud. For example,
Extending the Learning
Write the following sentence on the board: The girl ate the
sandwich. Have children suggest any number of adjectives
they could use to tell about the noun girl and the noun
sandwich. Jot these on the chart using editing marks to show
where they should be inserted into the sentence. Then rewrite
the sentence including all the adjectives for each noun.
The end result might look something like this: The smiling,
tall, blonde, silly girl ate the juicy, delicious, turkey
tomato sandwich.
Using the Blackline Master
Make copies of the Amazing Adjectives blackline master on
page 37. Have children use red crayons to underline all the
adjectives in the story.
children might link-up the following:
black rabbit
best food
short tree
warm kitten
cold milk
© Learning Resources, Inc.
six people
long spaghetti
Point out that while some of the adjectives tell how the
noun looks, smells, tastes, or sounds, other adjectives tell the
number or the amount of the noun (e.g., six people).
7
Lesson 6: Basic Sentence Patterns and Punctuation
Objectives:
• To introduce basic sentence patterns
• To introduce punctuation marks
• To practice punctuating basic sentences:
N-V, N-V-N, and N-V-ADJ
You'll Need:
• Supply of green noun
Rods, yellow verb Rods,
light-green pronoun Rods,
pink article Rods, red
adjective Rods, and white
punctuation Rods
• Activity tray
• Chart paper
• Markers
• What’s My Pattern?
blackline master
Warming Up
Use the Rods to build this sentence. Then
Have students read the same sentence, first with the period
display it in the activity tray: Mom cooks.
ending in place and then with the exclamation point ending
Have children read the sentence and tell
in place. Show children the Rod printed with the question
about the type of words that make up
mark. Ask children if the words in the sentence could be
the sentence pattern (N-V). Have
rearranged so they ask a question. (Tip: When students build
them notice the period at the end
of the sentence. Tell children
the question is Mom great?, remind them that a capital letter is
needed to make the sentence grammatically correct—Is Mom
that this sentence is a simple
Great?) Write the question on the board, beginning it with a
declarative sentence because it
capital letter and ask what punctuation mark is used at the end
makes a statement, and a
of a question (question mark). Help students notice that when
declarative sentence ends with a
they pose a question, their voices lift slightly toward the end of
period. Add the word spaghetti to
the sentence.
the sentence so it now reads: Mom
cooks spaghetti. Again, have
Assessing Learning
children read the sentence, tell
Ask students to work together to build a N-V sentence, a N-V-N
about the type of words that make
sentence, and a N-V-ADJ sentence. Have children punctuate the
up the sentence, and note the
sentences with the period Rod, and then with the exclamation
period Rod at the end of the
point Rod. Have children read each punctuated version aloud
sentence (N-V-N). Finally, build
to see how the different punctuation affects meaning.
this sentence: Mom is great.
(N-V-ADJ). Challenge the children to identify the
Extending the Learning
sentence’s pattern and ending punctuation. Explain that the
Have students look at a piece of their own writing to discover
word great tells about the noun Mom, so great is an adjective.
some sentence patterns they used, as well as the punctuation
they used. Ask, “Does each one of your sentences have an end
Exploring the Concept
mark of a period, an exclamation point, or a question mark?”
Write the following words on the board or on chart paper.
Have children tell you each one’s sentence pattern.
(N-V)
Make copies of the What’s My Pattern? blackline master on
Dad paints the wall.
(N-V-N)
page 38. Have students use the page to circle the sentence
Fred helps.
(N-V)
patterns that match each sentence and to add end mark
Fred helps Dad.
(N-V-N)
punctuation to each sentence.
The wall is blue.
(N-V-ADJ)
watch, remove the period Rod and replace it with the Rod
printed with an exclamation point. Ask children how this mark
changes the sentence. (It tells us to read it with feeling.)
© Learning Resources, Inc.
Dad paints.
Look again at the Rod sentence Mom is great. As children
8
Using the Blackline Master
Lesson 7: Adverbs
Objectives:
• To introduce the concept of adverbs
• To demonstrate that adverbs are words
that describe verbs
• To demonstrate that adverbs sometimes
end in ly
You'll Need:
• Supply of green noun
Rods, yellow verb Rods,
light-green pronoun Rods,
pink article Rods, red
adjective Rods, orange
adverb Rods, and white
punctuation Rods
• Chart paper
• Markers
• Orange crayons
• Adverb Action blackline
master
• Container, such as a plastic
tub or shoe box
Warming Up
Show children the green noun, the yellow verb, the red
adjective and the light-green pronoun Rods. Ask children to tell
Have the children identify the adverbs as telling when, where,
about each type of word. Place all the Rods except the yellow
or how the action verb happens. Write the following sentences
verb Rods back into the container. Spread the verb Rods out on
on the board or on chart paper:
the table along with the orange adverb Rods. As children
She skipped happily.
watch, link some adverb Rods and some action verb Rods
He ate hungrily.
The dog ran quickly.
together, for example:
sleep late
sing often
Help students identify and underline the adverbs. Ask, “What
skip later
left yesterday
do you notice about the way these adverbs are spelled?” (They
Ask the children to read these words. Tell children that the
words printed on the orange Rods are called adverbs and
all end in ly.)
that adverbs are sometimes used to describe or tell about
Assessing Learning
the verbs.
Meet with children individually. Offer each child an action verb
Rod. Challenge him or her to find an adverb Rod that can be
Exploring the Concept
used to describe or tell about his or her action verb. Have the
Expand your definition of adverbs by telling children that
child identify the adverbs as telling when, where, or how the
adverbs can modify verbs by telling when, where, or how an
action verb happens. Then, offer the student the adverb Rod
action happens. Look again at the adverb/action verb phrases
printed with the ly ending. Show how, by adding this Rod onto
you built:
other adverb or adjective Rods, he or she can build new
sleep late
sing often
adverbs (e.g., narrowly, partly, lately, wrongly, lastly, etc.).
skip later
left yesterday
Invite each child to use these new words in a sentence.
Extending the Learning
Read aloud to the class several passages collected from favorite
books. Notice together how authors use adverbs and verbs to
.
strengthen their work and to make it more interesting. Notice,
too, that good writers do not overuse these words. Then have
children read through their own writings to notice if they are
© Learning Resources, Inc.
using adverbs and verbs effectively.
Using the Blackline Master
Make copies of the Adverb Action blackline master on page 39.
Have children use orange crayons to underline all the adverbs
in the story.
9
Lesson 8: Conjunctions
Objectives:
• To introduce conjunctions
• To use conjunctions to join words
and sentences
You'll Need:
• Supply of green noun Rods,
yellow verb Rods, lightgreen pronoun Rods, pink
article Rods, red adjective
Rods, orange adverb Rods,
purple conjunction Rods,
and white punctuation Rods
• Activity tray
• Chart paper
• Markers
• What’s the Connection?
blackline master
Warming Up
Assessing Learning
Show children the purple conjunction Rods. As children watch,
Write the following sentences on the board or on chart paper:
use Rods to build these sentences and then place them into the
The fish and turtle were fed.
activity tray:
The child and his mom went home.
Mom and my brother sang.
The pig and the duck ran away.
Dad and Grandma are warm.
The cake and ice cream tasted good.
Ask children to identify the types of words used to build these
Help students identify and underline the conjunctions and
sentences. Then ask them to tell what job they think the purple
underline the two subject nouns in each sentence. Have
conjunction Rods do in each sentence. (They link the two nouns
children each think of a sentence that contains one of the
together.) Tell students that in these sentences, the nouns
other conjunctions: because, but, for, if, or, so, while, and yet.
Mom, brother, Dad, and Grandma are the subjects of the
sentence because the action happens to them. The verbs sang
Extending the Learning
and are warm are predicates because they tell something
Have children work together to write an add-on story that
about these subjects. (Tip: Define predicate for students as “the
features conjunctions. Begin by printing this opening story line
part of the sentence that tells what happened.” Tell students
on a piece of chart paper: One
the predicate always includes the verb.)
day, my friend and I were walking
through the neighborhood when
Exploring the Concept
we spotted something strange.
Continue exploring conjunctions by building the following
Then ask each child in turn to add
single subject sentences and placing them in the tray for the
on a sentence that contains one of
children to read.
the other conjunctions: because,
The pizza tasted cold.
but, for, if, or, so, while, and yet.
The girl ran home.
Record the story on chart paper.
A
STRANGE
DAY
Offer children two more noun subject Rods: spaghetti and
Use a purple-colored marker to
boy, plus two conjunction Rods printed with the word and.
underline the conjunction in each sentence. Be
Show children how to use these Rods to change the single
prepared to bring the story to a close by adding a final
subject in each sentence to a compound subject.
sentence or two of your own. In addition, have children read
The pizza and spaghetti tasted cold.
through other original creative writing pieces to discover
The girl and boy ran home.
examples of how they used conjunctions and compound
Have children identify the two subjects (pizza and spaghetti/girl
subjects in their own writing.
and boy) in each sentence. Have them point out the
Using the Blackline Master
the words printed on the other purple Rods to learn that other
Make copies of the What’s the Connection? blackline master
conjunctions include the words because, but, for, if, or, so,
on page 40. Have children use purple crayons to underline all
while, and yet.
the conjunctions in the story.
10
© Learning Resources, Inc.
conjunction (and) that joins each of these two subjects. Read
Lesson 9: Compound Sentences
Objectives:
• To build compound sentences
• To use commas in compound sentences
You'll Need:
• Supply of green noun Rods,
yellow verb Rods, lightgreen pronoun Rods, pink
article Rods, red adjective
Rods, orange adverb Rods,
purple conjunction Rods,
and white punctuation Rods
• Activity tray
• Chart paper
• Marker
• Sentence Join-Up blackline
master
Warming Up
Assessing Learning
Direct students to use the Rods to build the following sentences
Write the following compound sentences on the board or on
and place them into the tray:
chart paper:
He drank milk.
The boys went home, but we stayed there.
I ate pizza.
The baby fell asleep, so the mother stopped singing.
Ask children to identify the subject of each sentence (the
pronouns He and I). Offer children the conjunction Rod and.
The cat ate the food, and the dog took a nap.
My dad ate pizza, and my sister ate fish.
Have them use this Rod to join the two sentences together to
Ask children to use purple markers to underline the
make one compound sentence. Show children how, when
conjunctions that join together the two sentences in each
forming the new compound sentence, the period end mark
compound sentence. Have them use the markers to circle the
from the first sentence is replaced by a comma.
commas placed before each conjunction. Point out the two
He drank milk, and I ate pizza.
subjects and predicates in the first sentence. Ask children to
take turns pointing out the subject/predicate pairs in the
remaining compound sentences.
Extending the Learning
Print the following simple sentence pairs on the board or on
chart paper. Ask children to rewrite each sentence pair as a
compound sentence by joining each pair together with a
comma and one of the conjunctions they learned about (Hint:
Remind children that, unless it belongs to a proper noun, the
uppercase letter that begins the second simple sentence will
have to be changed to a lowercase letter when it appears in
Exploring the Concept
the middle of the compound sentence.)
Look again at the compound sentence you built:
The man ate. His dog slept.
He drank milk, and I ate pizza.
The girl drank juice. The boy drank milk.
Ask children to try replacing the conjunction and with the
The bird ate seed. The duck flew away.
conjunctions but and so to build other compound sentences.
The teacher read the book. The children listened.
Ask children to notice how the meaning of the sentence
The cat played ball. The dog ate dinner.
© Learning Resources, Inc.
changes with each conjunction change. (Hint: A comma is
placed before the conjunction when sentences are combined
Using the Blackline Master
with the following conjunctions: and, but, or, yet, and so. Other
Make copies of the Sentence Join-Up blackline master on page
conjunctions such as because and while do not require a
41. Have children use conjunctions and commas to join sets of
comma before the conjunction.)
two simple sentences into compound sentences.
11
Lesson 10: Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases
Objectives:
• To introduce prepositions and
prepositional phrases
• To build sentences that include
prepositional phrases
You'll Need:
• Supply of green noun Rods, • Container, such as a plastic
yellow verb Rods, lighttub or shoe box
green pronoun Rods, pink
• Chart paper
article Rods, red adjective
Rods, orange adverb Rods,
• Markers
purple conjunction Rods,
blue preposition Rods, and
• Drawing paper
white punctuation Rods
• Positively Prepositions
blackline master
Warming Up
Show children the blue preposition Rods. Explain that these
words are called prepositions, and they show how two words
or ideas are connected to each other. Explain that some
Have children circle each preposition and then underline each
prepositions tell about an object’s place or position. Clarify this
noun or pronoun that serves as the object of that preposition.
last point by offering children simple commands to carry out.
As you give children each direction, show children the
Extending the Learning
preposition Rod that matches the one in that command.
Look at the list of prepositional phrases. Have children each
Place your hand on your head.
choose a prepositional phrase to include in a complete
Place your hand under the table.
sentence. Have children write and illustrate their sentences
Place your hand upon your ear.
on drawing paper.
Place a Rod between your hands.
Exploring the Concept
Have children take turns selecting a preposition Rod to use in a
sentence. Write each sentence on the board or on chart paper.
Ask students to use blue markers to underline the prepositions
in each of their sentences. Have them notice that the
preposition is always the first word in a prepositional phrase,
and that a noun or pronoun is always the last word. Explain
that this noun or pronoun in the prepositional phrase is the
.
object of the preposition because the preposition links this
object to another noun or pronoun in the sentence.
Assessing Learning
Write the following prepositional phrases on the board
or on chart paper:
on the table
under the bed
Using the Blackline Master
Make copies of the Positively Prepositions blackline master on
page 42. Have children use blue crayons to underline all the
prepositions in the story.
in the lake
out the door
above the picture
around the block
down the slide
off the bridge
until we meet again
12
© Learning Resources, Inc.
next to the girl
Lesson 11: Plural and Possessive Nouns
Objectives:
• To introduce the concept of plural and
possessive nouns
• To build sentences containing plural
and possessive nouns
You'll Need:
• All Sentence Building Rods
• Markers
• Chart paper
• Plural vs. Possessive
blackline master
Warming Up
children show the possessive form by adding an ’s to the
Use Rods to build the following sentence and place it
underlined nouns:
The watch belongs to Dad. It is Dad __ watch.
into the activity tray: Mom has a bicycle. Read the sentence
Use Rods to change the sentence so it reads: Mom has bicycles.
The feathers are from the duck. They are the duck __
feathers.
Read the sentence together. Ask children to tell how many
That book belongs to the teacher. It is the teacher __ book.
together. Ask children to tell how many bicycles Mom has (one).
bicycles Mom has now (more than one). Ask children to tell
what you did to change the sentence so it has this new
meaning (took away the article a and added an s ending to the
word bicycle). Help children understand that by adding s to the
end of the word bicycle, it changed the word from a singular
noun, meaning one bicycle, to a plural noun, meaning more
than one bicycle.
Extending the Learning
Review subjects and predicates as presented in Lesson 8. Then use
the Rods to demonstrate how subject-predicate agreement
changes depending on whether the subject is singular or plural.
Build this sentence and have students read it together: The man
smells pizza. Identify the sentence’s subject (man) and predicate
(smells pizza). Help children identify the subject as a singular
Exploring the Concept
noun. Show them the Rod printed with the word men. Guide
Show children noun Rods that can be changed from singular to
students to agree that the word men is a plural noun. As children
plural by adding the ending s. Then have children add the s
watch, substitute this Rod for the Rod printed with man so the
Rod to each word. For example: animal-animals or store-stores.
sentence now reads: The men smells pizza. Read the sentence
Tell children that some nouns that end in ch, sh or x require an
how they might change the predicate so it sounds better. Help
together and ask children to tell if it sounds correct. Ask children
-es ending to make them plural. Write several examples on the
children remove the Rod printed with the s ending from the
board or on chart paper. Have children change each word from
word smells and then rebuild the sentence so it correctly reads:
the singular to the plural form by adding the -es ending.
The men smell pizza. Read the sentence again. Write other
sample sentences and have children choose a predicate that will
Tell children that by adding an apostrophe plus the letter s onto
best agree with the single or plural subject. (Hint: Remind
a word, the word can show possession or ownership. Revisit the
children that a compound subject is a plural subject.)
© Learning Resources, Inc.
sentence Mom has a bicycle. Ask children to tell who the bicycle
belongs to (Mom). As children look on, take the Rod sentence
Help children look through books and magazines for plural
apart and build the phrase Mom’s bicycle. Tell children that
nouns formed with final s and es endings and for examples
here, the apostrophe and the s are used to show that the bicycle
of print featuring plural subject-predicate agreement. Have
belongs to Mom.
children cut these out and glue them collage-style to
construction paper to make a mini-posters of these plural
Assessing Learning
Offer children the following words. Have children change each
noun forms.
word from the singular to the plural form by adding s or
Using the Blackline Master
es endings: book, rat, beach, arm, match, cousin, etc. Ask
Make copies of the Plural vs. Possessive blackline master on
children to explain their reasoning for using s or es. Then,
page 43. Have the students use green crayons to underline
write these sentences on the board or chart paper. Have
each plural noun and use pencils to add an apostrophe to
possessive nouns.
13
Lesson 12: Helping and Linking Verbs
Objectives:
• To introduce helping verbs and
linking verbs
• To recognize these verb forms
in sentences
You'll Need:
• Supply of green noun
Rods (including s and es
Rods), yellow verb Rods,
light-green pronoun Rods,
pink article Rods, and
white punctuation Rods
• Activity tray
• Chart paper
• Markers
• Yellow crayons
• Helping Out blackline
master
Warming Up
The boy ________ play with the ball.
Review the concept of an action verb as presented in Lesson 3.
The girl ________ jumping rope.
Offer children the supply of yellow verb Rods and have them
Ms. Brown __________ planned the lesson.
select the ones printed with action verbs. Then write the
The dogs __________ gone to the park.
following helping verbs on the board or on chart paper: am,
The children ___________ earn money for the trip.
is, are, was, were, be, been, do, did, have, has, had, will, can,
The baby __________ walk soon.
may, might, could, should, and would. Ask children to locate
She __________ bake a pie.
these words as printed on the yellow verb Rods. Help them
He ___________ go to the beach.
join each of these helping verb Rods to an action verb Rod to
build predicates, such as: am gone, did cook, will play, might
Extending the Learning
sleep, etc.
Have each child secretly pick a helping verb word and make up
a sentence including that verb. Ask the other children to
Exploring the Concept
identify both the main and helping verbs that make up the
Ask students to use Rods to build the following sentence and
predicate in each sentence.
place it into the activity tray: Dad has read the book. Ask
students to locate the subject (Dad) and the main verb (read).
Help children understand that sometimes helping verbs are
Ask students to locate the helping verb (has). Point out that the
known as linking verbs when they link a subject to a noun,
helping verb has helps tell when Dad read (in the past).
pronoun, or adjective in the predicate. Tell students that linking
Challenge children to locate other helping verb Rods
verbs do not show action. Offer children these sample
that would make sense in this sentence. Ask them to
sentences that include examples of linking verbs:
build these new versions. Record these on the
I feel sick. (The linking verb feel links I with the
board or on chart paper. For example,
adjective sick.)
students may build sentences such as:
He grew sad. (The linking verb grew links He with the
Dad might read the book.
adjective sad.)
Dad did read the book.
He looked messy. (The linking verb looked links He with
Dad will read the book.
the adjective messy.)
Dad may read the book.
Dad could read the book.
Using the Blackline Master
Dad should read the book.
Make copies of the Helping Out blackline master on page 44.
Dad can read the book.
Have students use the page to supply a helping verb for each
sentence and to use a yellow crayon to underline the linking
predicate helps the main verb express a different thought.
verb in other sentences.
Assessing Learning
Offer students the following sentences. Have them suggest a
helping verb to place in each blank spot. (Hint: Have a list of
helping verbs on hand for students to use as a reference.)
14
© Learning Resources, Inc.
Have students comment on how the helping verb in each
Lesson 13: Interjections, Articles, and More Punctuation
Objectives:
You'll Need:
• To introduce interjections
• All Sentence Building Rods
• Markers
• To introduce articles
• Activity tray
• To introduce usage of punctuation,
including quotation marks, parentheses,
colons, semicolons, and dashes
• Chart paper
• Punctuation & More
blackline master
Warming Up
Parentheses: These are placed around words that are in a
Display the turquoise interjection Rods in the activity tray and
sentence to add extra information or to make an idea clearer.
ask children to read them aloud. Tell children that interjections
are words that express feelings or emotions. Ask children to tell
some of the interjections they know and use. Children may
offer some of the following:
Yeah!
Jon thought that the idea (as good as it sounded)
would not work.
Colons: Among other uses, a colon is used to introduce a list.
For homework you must: do spelling, write a letter, and
finish math.
Yikes!
Semicolons: This mark is a cross between a period and a
Cool!
comma. It can be used in place of a period or in place of a
Alright!
comma as long as there is a complete sentence on either
Excellent!
side of it.
Hooray!
Ask volunteers to use an interjection in a sentence. Write these
I ran the race; I won the race.
I ate the sandwich quickly; but I was still hungry.
on the board or on chart paper, leaving off the punctuation.
Dashes: A dash shows a sudden break in a sentence. It is also
Have children take turns placing an exclamation point or
used to emphasize a word or phrase or to show someone’s
comma after each interjection. Read the completed
speech has been interrupted.
list together.
He walked—actually ran—to the store.
Hello—yes, I remember—oh, yes.
Exploring the Concept
Look again at the list of interjections you generated. Add
the interjections listed on the three interjection Rods. Show
Write the following sentences on the board or on chart paper.
children how adding an exclamation point after each
Have students underline the punctuation marks in each
interjection shows that the word(s) are being said with energy
sentence, tell what each one is called, and describe the reason
and strong emotion. Introduce the pink article Rods A, a, An,
why each is being used.
an, The and the. Ask children to read these familiar words. Tell
Hi! I hoped you would come over.
children that these words are called articles. Show children the
Please go to the store and buy: milk, eggs, butter,
and cream.
other punctuation marks not yet introduced, including the
quotation marks, the parentheses, the colons, the semicolons,
and the dashes. Take time to share the definitions below and
to note how each one is used in writing.
© Learning Resources, Inc.
Assessing Learning
Quotation Marks: These are often used to set off words spoken
by a speaker, quotations borrowed from a book or magazine,
titles of publications, and to show that words are being said in
a special way.
Joe said, “I want to go home.”
He wrote an article for the “True Blue Gazette.”
She got “sick” before the big school play.
I rode to the doctor; I rode home.
Extending the Learning
Have children begin to incorporate punctuation marks in their
own writing efforts. Make a chart of the punctuation marks
and definitions and post it in your writing corner. Also, draw
children’s attention to punctuation as it appears in their shared
reading experiences.
Using the Blackline Master
Make copies of the Punctuation & More blackline master on
page 45. Have students use the page to add punctuation
15
Lesson 14: Complex Sentences
Objectives:
You'll Need:
• To identify complex sentences
• All Sentence Building Rods
• Chart paper
• To build complex sentences
• Container, such as a
plastic tub or shoe box
• Markers
• Activity tray
• Sentence Sleuth blackline
master
Warming Up
Assessing Learning
Use Rods to build the following two clauses:
Offer children the complete set of Sentence Building Rods
If the baby throws the ball and my sister will laugh.
Have children use the Rods to build simple sentences. Then
Place the clauses into the activity tray so that one clause is
have children use one of four conjunctions: while, because, so,
displayed in the top slot, and the other is displayed in the
and if to build dependent clauses to link with each of the
second slot. Ask children to tell which is an independent clause
simple sentences to build complex sentences. Tell children that
because it is a complete sentence by itself (my sister will laugh).
a dependent clause can appear anywhere in the simple
Because the other phrase does not make sense by itself (it
sentence (before, in the middle of, or after). Have children
depends on the complete sentence to make sense) it is a
identify the nouns, verbs, dependent clauses, and independent
dependent clause. Tell children that when a sentence has two
clauses in each complex sentence.
parts, that each contain a subject and a verb, and one clause is
dependent on the other to make sense, it is a complex
Extending the Learning
sentence. Help children build the complex sentence by joining
Write the following complex sentences on the board or on
the independent and dependent clauses together and adding
chart paper. Have students read each sentence aloud and
correct punctuation.
identify the features of each one. Help them note the comma
placements and realize that commas are not used if the
Exploring the Concept
independent clause comes first.
Have children build this sentence and display it in the activity
The boy went to the store so he could buy candy.
tray: My cousins are jumping because they like it. Ask for
Because the gate was left open, the dog ran away.
volunteers willing to tell about the features that make this a
The plant grew tall while it was in the sun.
complex sentence (two subjects, two verbs, one independent
If I call you, I’ll want you to come over.
clause and one dependent clause). Separate the dependent
clause (because they like it) from the sentence. Draw the
Using the Blackline Master
children’s attention to the subordinating conjunction because.
Make copies of the Sentence Sleuth blackline master on
Help them understand that subordinating conjunctions in
page 46. Have students use the page to identify simple and
complex sentences help express time (I went for a walk while
complex sentences.
she read her book.), cause or reason (Tom must practice
because the concert is next week.), purpose or result (Spot
played in the mud so we gave him a bath.), and condition
16
so
t
yet
while
ye
or
so
because
© Learning Resources, Inc.
and
(We can go to the park if you clean your room.).
Dad
mom
girl game
milk night
© Learning Resources, Inc.
cat apple pizza
baseball money women
school family woman
kitten bicycle friend
© Learning Resources, Inc.
us
© Learning Resources, Inc.
grandma
He
We
his
I
Grandpa
Who
children
er
ness
s
My
its
our
you
It
Her
© Learning Resources, Inc.
You
him
am
it
she
ate
is
can
© Learning Resources, Inc.
me
They them
your whom
are Their
got
go
had
© Learning Resources, Inc.
love
© Learning Resources, Inc.
teach sing
will
play write said
say
call
want smile would
walk sung wrote
enjoy read sang
© Learning Resources, Inc.
amaze
threw
a
a
a
two
big
an
© Learning Resources, Inc.
throw
ing
ed
s
happy the
The
A
the
red
© Learning Resources, Inc.
fast
so
too
© Learning Resources, Inc.
new
little
best warm soon
old
favorite this
good
different
er
est
ly
than
very
© Learning Resources, Inc.
well
again
in
at
of
and
or
but
© Learning Resources, Inc.
with
to
into today
if
because even
for
yesterday
and
© Learning Resources, Inc.
here
Hey
“
“
.
(
)
-
© Learning Resources, Inc.
,
An
!
?
,
Wow
.
;
,
:
© Learning Resources, Inc.
Lesson 1
Alphabetical Order
Name
Easy as A B C
• Read each list of words below.
• Rewrite each list on the blank lines so they are
in alphabetical order.
• Check your answers with an alphabet strip.
© Learning Resources, Inc.
List 1
List 2
sun
____________
eye
___________
bat
____________
cat
___________
hen
____________
boy
___________
car
____________
zoo
___________
fun
____________
men ___________
hat
____________
bag
___________
mitt ____________
mom ___________
day
dad
____________
A
B C
___________
D
33
Lesson 2
Identifying Nouns
Name
Noun Hunt
• Read the story below.
• Use a green crayon to underline each noun in the story.
*Remember: A noun is a word than names a person,
place, or thing.
At the Petting Zoo
Answers: zoo, birthday, Mother, Grandma, friend, zoo, animals, sun, morning, zoo, Mother, money, zoo, people, ducks, birds,
fish, rabbits, kittens, food, animals, pizza, rain, car, house, home, cake, ice cream, birthday, zoo.
34
© Learning Resources, Inc.
For my birthday, my Mother and Grandma took my
friend and me to a petting zoo to see the animals. It
was a beautiful day. The sun was shining when we left
that morning. When we got to the zoo, Mother paid
money for us to get inside the zoo. Lots of people were
there. We saw ducks and birds. We also saw fish,
rabbits, and kittens. We bought food to feed the
animals. At lunchtime, we bought pizza to eat.
Later, rain began to fall, so we left. We
got into our car and drove back to our
house. By the time we got home, it
was dark outside. We went inside
and had cake and ice cream. I
had a great birthday at the zoo!
Lesson 3
Identifying Verbs
Name
Verb Search
• Read the story below.
• Use a yellow crayon to underline each action verb
in the story.
*Remember: Verbs are words that sometimes name
an action.
Fun at the Library
M ore :
Write a short paragraph about a special day you had with someone in
your family. Use a yellow crayon to underline the action verbs you use.
Answers: walk, talk, talk, tells, laugh, stop, buys, look, pick, like, likes, paints, borrow, walk,walk, tell
© Learning Resources, Inc.
Every Wednesday, my aunt and I
walk to the library. On the way
there, we talk and talk. My aunt
tells me stories from long ago, and
we laugh together. Sometimes we
stop at the store, and my aunt
buys us ice cream cones. At the
library, we look at all the books and pick out our
favorites. I like the animal books. My aunt likes the art
books. (She paints pictures in her spare time.) We borrow
the books, and then we walk home again. While we
walk, I tell her about my library books.
35
Lesson 4
Identifying
Pronouns
Name
Picking Out Pronouns
• Read the story below.
• Use a light-green crayon to underline each pronoun in
the story.
*Remember: Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns.
My Cat Tiger
We have a cat named Tiger. He is a male. His coat has
orange and white stripes on it, and he has a long tail.
He holds his tail high when he walks around. Tiger
meows a lot and likes to bat his toys around. Tiger also
likes to eat cat food from the can. Whenever my
mother opens the cat food, Tiger comes running. He
eats all his food right away. Then he takes a nap on his
favorite chair. I bet you wish you had a cat like Tiger.
Write a short paragraph about an animal you know. Use a light green
crayon to underline the pronouns you use.
Answers: We, He, His, it, he, He, his, he, his, my, He, his, he, his, I, you, you
36
© Learning Resources, Inc.
M ore :
Lesson 5
Identifying
Adjectives
Find the
Name
Amazing Adjectives
• Read the story below.
• Use a red crayon to underline each adjective in the story.
*Remember: Adjectives are words that describe or tell
about nouns.
Our Swing
M ore :
Write a short paragraph about your favorite plaything. Use adjectives
to describe the item.
Answers: huge, oak, old, wooden, beautiful, big, tree, gentle, brown, warm, wonderful
© Learning Resources, Inc.
In my backyard there is a
huge oak tree. We have an
old wooden swing hanging
from that beautiful tree. The swing
is attached with ropes that dangle
down from the big branches. My
friends and I love to take turns
on the tree swing. When I go
back and forth, I can feel the
gentle breeze toss my brown hair. I feel the warm
sun on my face, too. I don’t think I could ever get
tired of swinging on my wonderful swing.
37
Lesson 6
Basic Sentence
Patterns and
Punctuation
Name
What’s My Pattern?
Label Sentence
1. Read each sentence below.
2. Circle the pattern each sentence shows.
3. Add a period (.), an exclamation point (!), or a question
mark (?) to end each sentence.
1.
Mark swims
N-V
N-V-N
N-V-ADJ
2.
Patti writes books
N-V
N-V-N
N-V-ADJ
3.
Mary bakes cakes
N-V
N-V-N
N-V-ADJ
4.
Cake tastes great
N-V
N-V-N
N-V-ADJ
5.
Juan rides
N-V
N-V-N
N-V-ADJ
6.
Juan rides bikes
N-V
N-V-N
N-V-ADJ
7.
Bikes are fast
N-V
N-V-N
N-V-ADJ
8.
Dogs bark
N-V
N-V-N
N-V-ADJ
© Learning Resources, Inc.
38
Lesson 7
Adverbs
Find the
Name
Adverb Action
• Read the story below.
• Use an orange crayon to underline each adverb in the story.
*Remember: Adverbs are words that describe verbs by telling
when, where, or how an action happens.
Some adverbs end in ly.
My Friend
M ore :
Pretend you are at camp. Write a short letter to your parents describing
how you did the following activities: swam slept ran sang.
Use adverbs in your description.
Answers: very, quickly, high, fast, quite, well, first, carefully, fair
© Learning Resources, Inc.
My best friend is a great kid. His name is James. James
is very talented. He runs quickly. He jumps high and
bikes fast. James is also quite smart. In school, he reads
well, and he finishes his math first. He also listens
carefully, plays fair, and is funny. That’s why the secondbest thing about James is that he is a good
friend. The best thing about James
is that he is my brother.
39
Lesson 8
Identifying
Conjunctions
Find the
Name
What’s the Connection?
• Read the story below.
• Use a purple crayon to underline each conjunction in the story.
*Remember: Conjunctions are words that join other words,
phrases, or sentences together. Some conjunctions are: and,
because, but, for, if, or, so, while, and yet.
Spanish Club
All the second and third graders in Miller Avenue
School look forward to coming to Spanish Club each
week. Katie and Francesca are in third grade. They were
the first students to join Spanish Club, but certainly not
the last. James and Kevin love to eat Spanish food so
they joined the club, too. The children enjoy learning
how to speak Spanish and learning
about the culture. Mr. Green and
Ms. Kelly are the Spanish Club
teachers this year, but next year,
Mr. Read and Mrs. Smith will lead
Spanish Club.
Write this sentence with four different endings. Each time use a
different conjunction. I love to ride horses, and
Answers: and, and, but, and, so, and, and, but, and
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M ore :
Lesson 9
Writing Compound
Sentences
Name
Sentence Join-Up
Join Simple
• Read each set of simple sentences below.
• Use a comma and a conjunction to join the two sentences
into one compound sentence.
*Remember: Conjunctions are words that join other words,
phrases, or sentences together. Some conjunctions are: and,
because, but, for, if, or, so, while, and yet.
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1. The boy read a book. The girl did her homework.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
2. The dog played. The bird ate.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
3. The sun was hot. The wind was strong.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
4. The sandwich was fresh. The apple was dry.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
5. She was sick. He felt fine.
______________________________________
_____________________________________
n play
The childre
ndma walk
while Gra
s
the dog .
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Lesson 10
Identifying
Prepositions &
Prepositional
Phrases
Find the
1.
Name
Positively Prepositions
• Read the story below.
• Use a blue crayon to underline each preposition
in the story.
My Lost Socks
One morning, I was getting ready for school, and
I couldn’t find my socks. I looked
under my bed, behind my dresser,
and in my closet, but I could not find
my socks. I looked all around the
house. It was a mystery because my
mother had just given me the
socks. Finally, I asked my mother
about my lost socks. She told me to look down at
the floor. Sure enough! My socks were just where I
left them—on my feet!
Use the back of this page to illustrate these prepositional phrases.
1. in the box
2. on the chair
3. next to the slide
Write a sentence about each picture using the prepositional phrase.
Answers: for, under, behind, in, around, about, down, at, on
42
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M ore :
Lesson 11
Identifying Plural
and Possessive
Noun Forms
Name
Plural vs. Possessive
Find the Plural
• Read each sentence.
• Use a green crayon to underline each plural s ending.
• Use a pencil to add an apostrophe before the final s on each
of the nouns that show possession.
1. Dads car broke down.
2. Mom cooked two soups.
3. Dads book was due at the library.
4. The computers plug was bent.
5. The seeds grew strong.
Dads
Dad’s
6. My great aunts cat ran away.
7. The tests were very tricky.
8. The dogs collar was
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bright green.
M ore :
Use the back of this page to write one sentence with a plural noun
ending with s, and one sentence with a possessive noun ending
with ‘s.
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Lesson 12
Build
Helping Verbs,
Linking Verbs
Name
Helping Out
• Read each sentence.
• Write a helping verb in each blank space in sentences 1-10.
• Use a yellow crayon to underline the linking verbs in
sentences 11-15.
*Remember: A helping verb helps the main verb express a
different thought.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
The boy _______ play.
The girl ________ walking in the park.
Mr. Smith ____________ planned the meeting.
The girls __________ gone to the dance.
The boys ____________ talk to the teacher.
The baby __________ walk soon.
She __________ eat a sandwich.
He ___________ drive to the mall.
Dad ___________ read the newspaper.
The water _______________ boil on the stove.
is
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I feel happy.
He was unhappy.
The dog grew tired.
The room looked shabby.
The baby felt sleepy.
are
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11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Lesson 13
Add
1.
2.
Name
Punctuation & More
• Read each sentence below.
• Put punctuation marks in each sentence.
• Use a pink crayon to underline each article.
Hello May I take your coat
I rode my bicycle to the store but it took
an hour
3.
Please dust the living room and put away
your shirts socks and pants
4.
5.
6.
Yes I got an A+ on my test
7.
8.
9.
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Interjections,
Articles and More
Punctuation
10.
I rode to the doctor I rode home
I just wanted to tell you as if you didn’t
know that the lamp is broken
Wow You were right
He read the All About Ants article
I wrote the book he wrote
“ “
the poem
,
. ? ! ,
Here’s what you should do
weed the garden feed the
cat and water the plants
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Lesson 14
Identifying Simple
and Complex
Sentences
Label the
Name
Sentence Sleuth
• Read each sentence below.
• If the sentence is a simple sentence, place an S in the blank.
• If the sentence is a complex sentence, place a C in
the blank.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The man ate the sandwich. ____
Because they were hungry, the fish quickly ate the
fish food. ____
The car drove down the street. ____
Kelli bought a new bicycle because her old one
was rusty. ____
Terrell was hungry so he stopped at
the fast food restaurant. ____
simple
The baby ate the applesauce. ____
If you want to be on time, we
have to leave at ten. ____
The chair broke because the
children jumped on it. ____
Use the back of this paper to write four complex sentences. In each
sentence, use one of these conjunctions: because, if, so, and while.
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M ore :
46
complex
Extra Practice
Defining Parts
of Speech
Name
Putting Together Parts of Speech
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Match-up
• Read the parts of speech below.
• Read the definitions.
• Put the letter of the matching definition on the line.
Noun
___
a. These words join other words, phrases, or
sentences. Some of these words include: and,
because, but, for, if, or, so, while, and yet.
Verb
___
b. These words show strong feelings or emotions.
Pronouns
___
c. These words sometimes name actions.
Adjective
___
d. These words name people, places, or things.
Adverb
___
e. These words help the main verb express
a difference in time or mood.
Conjunction
___
f. These words describe or tell about nouns.
Preposition
___
g. These are words that show how two words or
ideas in a sentence are connected to each
other. Also, these can tell about objects’
places or positions.
Articles
___
h. These include words such as a, an, and the.
Interjection
___
i. These words take the place of nouns.
Helping Verbs ___
j. These words are sometimes used to describe
verbs by telling when, where, or how an
action happens.
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Extra Practice
Defining
Punctuation
Name
Punctuation Match-Up
• Read the names of punctuation below.
• Read the definitions.
• Put the letter of the matching definition on the line.
Period
Question
Mark
___
b. This mark is used at the end of a question.
___
Exclamation
Point
___
c. This mark is a cross between a period and a
comma. It can be used to separate two
complete sentences.
Comma
___
d. This mark is used at the end of a declarative
sentence.
Colon
___
e. These are used to set off words spoken by a
speaker or quotations borrowed from a book
or magazine.
Semi-colon ___
f. This mark is used to show strong feelings
after an interjection or after an exclamatory
sentence.
Quotation
Marks
g. This mark shows a sudden break in a
sentence.
___
h. This mark can be used to show possession.
Parentheses ___
i. These marks are placed around in a sentence
to add extra information or to make an
idea clearer.
___
j. This mark can be used to separate words in
compound and complex sentences.
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Apostrophe ___
Dashes
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a. This mark can be used to introduce a list.