The Sentence: A Way of Thinking

Lesson One: Fragments

Task: Write one sentence in your Writer’s Notebook. How do you know that was a sentence?

Essential Question: What makes a sentence a sentence?

Mentor Texts: Are these sentences and how do you know? They race. (pg. 5 – Loser by Jerry Spinelli)

Matt winces. (pg. 364 – House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer) Maria flinched. (pg. 366) Matt froze. (pg. 370) Matt nodded. (pg. 372)

Tad watched. (pg. 6 – Cujo by Stephen King) Blood flew. (pg. 111) He sprung. (pg. 128)

Notes:

A sentence must contain:At least one subject (Who or What did

something?)At least one verb (What did they do?)Form a complete thought

A fragment is missing one element of a sentence.

Formula for a sentence:

Subject + Verb = Simple Sentence

Practice: Pick out the subject and verb in the following sentences. The lights cluster brilliantly up the street at

Claudia’s house. (pg. 174 – Loser by Jerry Spinelli)

He reaches back to touch the door.

Activity: Sentence Smackdown

Groups of 3. Roles: Reader, Subject, Verb Directions Practice:

Example #1: Then he lowers his hand.Example #2: His ears echo the thousand

warnings of his mother: “Don’t cross the street.”

Are you ready to grammar?