English
Sentence Strategies
Foundation Lesson
About this Lesson
When students first begin to express their thoughts in writing, composition can be a fairly
random process without much rhyme or reason to it. As student writers mature, they can begin to
think about consciously using a pattern or structure to organize their writing and to work toward
the accomplishment of a rhetorical purpose.
One thing students need to consider is the purpose for which they are writing and the different
functions of sentences within a paragraph. This activity is designed to help students become
more aware of sentence function and purpose and to encourage them to use a variety of sentence
types when developing a paragraph or essay.
This lesson is included in Module 3: Integrating Grammar, Exploring Syntax.
T E A C H E R
Objectives
Students will
 demonstrate understanding of different types of sentences.
 construct paragraphs that address a prompt and use a variety of sentence types.
Level
Grades Six through Ten
Connection to Common Core Standards for English Language Arts
LTF® Foundation Lessons are designed to be used across grade levels and therefore are aligned
to the CCSS Anchor Standards. Teachers should consult their own grade-level-specific
Standards. The activities in this lesson allow teachers to address the following Common Core
Standards:
Explicitly addressed in this lesson
Code
Standard
L.3
L.6
Apply knowledge of language to understand how
language functions in different contexts, to make
effective choices for meaning or style, and to
comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
Acquire and use accurately a range of general
academic and domain-specific words and phrases
sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and
listening at the college and career readiness level;
demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary
knowledge when considering a word or phrase
important to comprehension or expression.
Level of
Thinking
Understand
Depth of
Knowledge
II
Understand
II
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
i
Teacher Overview—Sentence Strategies
W.4
W.5
W.10
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience.
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a
new approach
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for
research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time
frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range
of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Implicitly addressed in this lesson
Code
Standard
L.1
L.2
W.1
W.3
III
Evaluate
III
Apply
III
Level of
Thinking
Understand
Depth of
Knowledge
I
Understand
I
Create
IV
Create
III
Create
IV
T E A C H E R
W.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of
substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and
relevant and sufficient evidence.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and
convey complex ideas and information clearly and
accurately through the effective selection,
organization, and analysis of content.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined
experiences or events using effective technique,
well-chosen details, and well-structured event
sequences.
Create
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
ii
Teacher Overview—Sentence Strategies
LTF Skill Focus
The foundation for LTF English lessons is the Skill Progression Chart that identifies key skills
for each domain, beginning with grade 6 and adding more complex skills at each subsequent
grade level while reinforcing skills introduced at previous grade levels. The Skill Focus for each
individual lesson identifies the skills actually addressed in that lesson.
Levels of Thinking
Remember
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
Create
Close Reading
Grammar
Composition
written, spoken, and visual texts
purposeful use of language for effect
written, spoken, and visual products
Reading Strategies
Generalization
Inference
Summary
Figures of Speech
(Figurative Language)
Metaphor
extended/controlling
Simile
Sentences
Purpose
Connections to AP*
All good writing follows logical patterns, and students must demonstrate a command of
organization in essays written for the AP English Literature and Language exams. Practicing
with different sentence types and their logical progressions will enable students to successfully
accomplish this task.
*Advanced Placement and AP are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board. The College
Board was not involved in the production of this material.
Materials and Resources
 copies of Student Activity
 sentence strategies chart
 writing prompts
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
iii
T E A C H E R
Types (modes)
Expository
analytical
Narrative
Persuasive (argumentation)
cause/effect
claim
comparison/contrast
definition
process
The Process of Composition
Prewriting
determination of purpose
Drafting
extended time
timed
Structural Elements
Body
Organization
Patterns (spatial, order of
importance, chronological,
etc.)
Teacher Overview—Sentence Strategies
Assessments
The following kinds of formative assessments are embedded in this lesson:
 short writing assignments
 identification exercises (see teaching suggestions)
Teaching Suggestions
Teachers should begin by explaining and modeling the different types of sentences outlined in
the chart. Then students should work individually or in small groups to write each type of
sentence, based on a reading activity or a teacher-selected topic. The most benefit can be
achieved with this lesson if it is tied to a writing prompt and students have the opportunity to put
their learning into practice in an essay shortly after finishing the lesson.
Teachers can also project short sample essays and have the class identify the types of sentences
and patterns used in the paragraph.
Teachers may give students a prompt and have them practice writing paragraphs using various
patterns. One option is to let students work in groups to create a paragraph following a selfselected pattern, and then have groups trade papers and try to identify the pattern that the other
group has chosen.
T E A C H E R
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
iv
English
Sentence Strategies
Foundation Lesson
Use the chart to choose different types of sentences when writing paragraphs. The first column of
the chart lists and defines the types of sentences. The middle column lists the function of the
sentence in a paragraph. The third column provides an example of what this type of sentence
might look like.
Type of sentence
Purposes
A. Generalization: a broad,
 Provides a thematic
sweeping statement that
statement
applies to many examples
 Makes a claim
(people, ideas, etc.)
B. Summary: a statement of
 Provides context
the big ideas of a text (or
(background)
portion of a text) in a
concise manner
C. Compare/Contrast: an
 Provides an example or
explanation or exploration
evidence
of how two or more things  Offers a rebuttal
are similar and different
D. Cause/Effect: an
 Provides motivation
explanation of what
 Explains plot
caused a particular result;
 Provides an example or
explains why something
evidence
happens.
 Provides commentary
E. Definition: an explanation
 Provides clarification of an
of what something means
idea, an event, or a
or a list of the essential
character
qualities
 Clarifies meaning
F. Procedure: directions
 Gives instructions
outlining the steps in a
process; a listing of the
order of how something
happens
G. Opinion: a statement that
 Makes a claim
reveals what the
writer/speaker thinks—
offers a debatable idea
(goes outside the text)
Example
Sometimes a little
information is more
destructive than no
information or the full truth.
In ―Snow,‖ Yolanda tells of
her experiences as an
immigrant in a Catholic
school in the early 1960s.
Yolanda didn’t speak English
like the other children in her
class, so she had to be taught
separately.
So it is not surprising that,
when Yolanda sees the snow
for the first time, she mistakes
it for fallout from a nuclear
bomb.
An immigrant is a person who
leaves the country of his or
her birth and comes to live in
another country.
During the bomb drills, the
children would file into the
hall, fall to the floor, and
cover their heads.
Teachers should not provide
information that will scare
children.
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
1
Student Activity—Sentence Strategies
Type of sentence
H. Problem/Solution: a
sentence that identifies a
problem and then offers a
solution
I. Simile: comparison of two
unlike things using ―like‖
or ―as‖ to create
understanding of the
unknown
J. Metaphor: comparison of
two unlike things to create
understanding of the
unknown
K. List or examples: a
sentence that gives specific
details
L. Inference: a conclusion or
the writer’s opinion based
on the evidence provided
in the text
Purposes
 Provides an explanation of
how a character solves a
problem
 Makes a call to action
 Demonstrates
understanding
 Creates voice
 Makes an assertion
 Demonstrates
understanding
 Creates voice
 Makes an assertion
 Supports generalizations
 Provides evidence
 Makes an assertion
 Provides an explanation/
commentary
Example
Yolanda didn’t speak English,
so Sister Zoe tutored her
individually.
Each snow flake was like a
person, irreplaceable and
beautiful.
Yolanda was a fish out of
water.
They learned words like
―nuclear bomb, radioactive
fallout, and bomb shelter.‖
Those who lived with this
threat must have felt
apprehension and fear, never
knowing when those missiles
might be launched.
Try using these sentence strategies to construct paragraphs containing various logical patterns.
Use the following patterns to practice, then try planning a paragraph with your own strategic mix
of sentences.
Analytical paper:
Example prompt:
Read the following passage. Think about how the author creates a mood in the passage.
Write an essay in which you analyze how Alvarez uses the situation of the passage to
create a particular mood.
Example Paragraph:
G–K–L–K–K–D–A
G.) Julia Alvarez, the author, portrays the 1960s as a time of apprehension and fear. K.)
The children in the school are taught about ―missiles being trained supposedly on New
York City.‖ L.) Those who lived with this threat must have felt apprehension and fear,
never knowing when those missiles might be launched. K.) The children had bomb drills
in which they would file into the hall, fall to the floor, and cover their heads. K.) They
learned words like ―nuclear bomb, radioactive fallout, and bomb shelter.‖ D.) So it is not
surprising that, when Yolanda sees the snow for the first time, she mistakes it for fallout
from a nuclear bomb. A.) Sometimes a little information is more destructive than no
information or the full truth.
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
2
Student Activity—Sentence Strategies
Personal narrative:
Sometimes we learn things that scare us. Write a personal narrative about a time when you found
out something that frightened you. Be sure to write in detail about what frightened you and what
happened as a result of what you learned.
Sample pattern:
A–K–I–L
Position paper:
Read the following quotation: ―Fear always springs from ignorance.‖ –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Think carefully about the following statement:
Sometimes learning about dangerous things can be frightening.
Write an essay explaining whether it is better to have knowledge and be afraid or to be
uninformed and feel safe.
Sample pattern:
G–K–C–L–H
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
3