Developing Literacy
SENTENCE ACTIVITIES
book
Thi s bo
urs
ok is yo .
C
Christine Moorcroft
Ph
ot
oc
op
ia
bl
e
Series consultant
Ray Barker
Developing Literacy
SENTENCE ACTIVITIES
book
C
Christine Moorcroft
Series consultant:
Ray Barker
Published in 2001 by
Blake Education
Locked Bag 2022
Glebe NSW 2037
www.blake.com.au
This edition of Developing Literacy
is published by arrangement with
A&C Black (Publishers) Ltd., London
ISBN 978 1 86509 801 2
Printed by Green Giant Press
Copyright text © Christine Moorcroft, 1999
Copyright illustrations © Michael Evans, 1999
Copyright cover illustration © Alison Dexter, 1999
Reprinted 2007
The authors and publisher would like to thank Ray Barker
and the following teachers for their advice in producing this
series of books: Tracy Adam; Hardip Channa; Lydia Hunt;
Madeleine Madden; Helen Mason; Judith Metcalfe; Heather Morrealy;
Yvonne Newman; Hilary Walden; Fleur Whatley; Annette Wilson.
All rights reserved. This book may be photocopied, for use
in the school or educational establishment for which it was
purchased, but may not be reproduced in any other form
or by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical, including
recording, taping or information retrieval systems—without
the prior permission in writing of the publishers.
Contents
Introduction
4
Grammatical awareness
Sentence pencils
Names of things
Words for doing
Words for describing
‘Where’ words 1
‘Where’ words 2
‘When’ words
Word sacks
Word spinners
Spin a word
Sentence sense
Joining with ‘and’
Joining with ‘but’
Before and after
Meanwhile
Sentence links
Sentence stepping-stones
Sentence wall
Word choice 1
Word choice 2
Today and yesterday
Past words
Words for names
Name game 1
Name game 2
Belonging words 1
Belonging words 2
Find the mistakes
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
Sentence construction
and punctuation
Sentence boxes
Names and signs
Titles
Titles and headings
Stressed words: CAPITALS
Stressed words: italics
Bold print
Lists
Commas 1
Commas 2
Exclamation marks!
Arrows
Lines
Boxes
Beach key
Pets key
The ‘take-away’
What did they say?
Speech marks 1
Speech marks 2
The question-finder
Asking questions
Quentin Question
Annabel Answer
Question words
Question screens
Scrambled sentences
Punctuation check
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
3
Introduction
Developing Literacy: Sentence Activities supports the teaching of reading and writing by providing a series of activities to
develop children’s understanding of the way in which the structure of sentences conveys meaning. The activities help the
children to understand that a sentence can be grammatically correct even if its meaning is nonsense; for example, ‘The cat
sat on the mat’ and ‘The mat sat on the cat’ are both grammatically correct, but the latter does not make sense because mats
do not sit. The activities help to show the children the importance of the order of words in a sentence, and to examine the
effect of changing it.
The children also learn to examine the effect of their choice of words and to question whether it communicates what they
intend. They find out how their choices affect the listener or reader.
The activities are designed to be carried out in the time allocated to independent work and therefore should be relatively
‘teacher-free’; an adult will need to read some of the instructions with the children in the youngest age-groups, but many of
the activity sheets have similar formats and instructions with which the children will soon become familiar.
The activities presented in Developing Literacy: Sentence Activities support learning objectives.
Book C helps children to develop:
• an understanding of elements of grammar introduced in Book A and Book B and –
an awareness of grammar which they use to decipher new or unknown words;
skills in predicting words;
agreement between nouns and pronouns;
the correct and consistent use of verb tenses;
the correct forms of the past tense;
• sentence-construction and punctuation introduced in Book A and Book B and –
the recognition and use of commas;
the use of organisational devices such as arrows, lines, boxes and keys;
speech marks and speech bubbles;
capital letters and italics for emphasis;
bold print;
commas;
awareness of different types of question;
how to turn statements into questions;
words commonly used in questions.
These activities also provide practice in high-frequency words, including words for numbers, days and months.
The activities include different text types.
Book C promotes the development of children’s understanding of the ways in which sentences are constructed for meaning
and the roles of the words and punctuation marks in them (and the effects they have). The children learn, for example, the
effect of highlighting different words in a sentence using italics, bold type or capital letters. They are encouraged to
investigate the effects of changing the word-order of a sentence, for example, to form questions.
To help pupils to work independently, the activities are presented in ways which are consistent so that even the youngest
children will recognise what they have to do. They incorporate strategies which encourage independent learning – for
example, ways in which children can check their own work or that of a partner. Investigation is given greater emphasis as the
series progresses towards Book G.
Extension
Most of the activity sheets end with a challenge (Now try this!) which reinforces and extends the children’s learning and
provides the teacher with an opportunity for assessment. These more challenging activities might be appropriate for only a
few children; it is not expected that the whole class should complete them.
On some pages there is space for the children to complete the extension activities, but for others they will need a notebook
or separate sheet of paper.
4
Organisation
For many of the activities it will be useful to have available scissors, glue, wooden blocks (with which to make large dice),
word-banks and a variety of dictionaries and reference books. Several activities can be re-used to provide more practice in
sentence-construction, by masking words and replacing them with others.
To help teachers to select appropriate learning experiences for their pupils, the activities are grouped into sections within each
book. The pages are not intended to be presented in the order in which they appear in the books unless otherwise stated.
Teachers’ notes
Brief notes are provided at the bottom of most pages. They give ideas and suggestions for making the most of the activity
sheet. They sometimes make suggestions for the whole-class introduction, the plenary session or, possibly, for follow-up work
using an adapted version of the activity sheet. These notes could be masked before copying.
Structure of the literacy lesson
The following chart shows an example of the way in which an activity from this book can be used within a literacy lesson.
‘Where’ words 1 (page 13)
15 min
Whole class introduction
Read a shared text in which there are ‘where’ words, for example Once Upon a Picnic by John Prater, and ask the children
to look and listen for ‘where’ words: for example, ‘Is that a troll beside the stream?’, ‘The kite’s above the ground’ and
‘Mr Wolf is by the trees’. They could change the ‘where’ words and talk about the ways in which the pictures would have
to be changed if the story were altered in this way.
15 min
Whole class activity
Provide a model animal, such as a bear, and a bag into which it will fit. Place the bear in the bag and ask the children
to give a sentence which says where the bear is (‘The bear is in the bag.’). Ask them which word says where the bear
is (‘in’). Write this word on the board. Put the bear under the bag, and repeat the process, modelling different
positions for the bear.
Group work
20 min
Provide the children with cards on which are written
‘behind’, ‘by’, ‘in’, ‘on’ and ‘under’, and ask them to
show a card to a partner who has to position a model
animal in relation to a bag.
Independent work
20 min
The others work independently from the activity
‘Where’ words 1 (page 13, Developing Literacy:
Sentence Activities Book C)
Whole class plenary session
10 min
The children could take turns to read out their answers. The others listen and compare them with their own answers.
Using the activity sheets
Grammatical awareness
This section provides activities which develop the children’s grammatical awareness by drawing attention to the different
types of words and their roles in a sentence: words for doing and describing, names of things, words for ‘where’ and ‘when’.
It shows the children how to make pronouns agree with nouns and verbs with subjects (although those terms are not used)
and it develops their understanding of the use of the past tense and of the correct forms of verbs in the past tense.
In Sentence pencils (page 9) the children are asked to identify groups of words which are sentences and to add words to
other groups of words to form sentences.
Names of things (page 10) develops the children’s understanding of nouns (the word ‘noun’ is not yet used on the activity
sheets because the emphasis is on understanding the nature of words and their roles in sentences rather than on learning
new vocabulary, but it can be introduced into discussions with the children).
5
Words for doing (page 11) develops the children’s ability to recognise and use verbs (this term is not used on the activity
sheets but, like ‘noun’, it can be introduced into discussions with the children).
Words for describing (page 12) introduces adjectives. The children could draw pictures of things and then label them with
words which describe and name them, underlining the words which describe the things. They could play a game in which
they describe, but do not name, an object from a collection provided by the teacher – the others try to guess what it is after
each sentence: for example (a key), ‘It feels cold. It is a gold colour. It is smooth. It is shiny.’
‘Where’ words 1 (page 13) is about simple prepositions; it develops the children’s ability to recognise and use words for the
positions of things. ‘Where’ words 2 (page 14) is about simple prepositions which show both the place and direction in
which something moves.
In ‘When’ words (page 15) the children learn to recognise and use words which tell the reader when something happens or
happened. Most of the example words are simple prepositions (after, as, before, during, when and while) but ‘afterwards’ is
a time connective. (It can be seen that ‘afterwards’ is not interchangeable with the other words in the word-bank.)
Word sacks (page 16) asks the children to recognise the different kinds of words about which they have learned on pages
10–15. It draws their attention to the roles of these words in sentences.
In Word spinners and Spin a word (pages 17–18) the children can have fun while deciding what kind of word would make
sense in each gap in the sentences. They select the appropriate spinner for each gap, spin the word and, if it makes sense,
write it in the gap. (Not all the ‘when’ words are interchangeable.) They should read each sentence they make, perhaps
aloud to a partner, and check that it really is a sentence. This is an opportunity to discuss sentences which make sense
grammatically and those which make sense logically.
Sentence sense (page 19) helps the children to develop a strategy for approaching difficult words: they first decide, by
reading the rest of the sentence, what kind of words they are. It can also be used to assess the children’s learning about
different kinds of words: it asks them to recognise different kinds of words as they are used in sentences.
Joining with ‘and’ (page 20) introduces the use of conjunctions to join sentences, making them into one sentence. The
teacher should show the children that ‘and’ is used to link sentences which are about the same thing. They can compare this
with ‘but’, which is used to connect one sentence to another and signals unexpected information (see page 21).
Joining with ‘but’ (page 21) introduces the use of the conjunction ‘but’ to link contrasting sentences. Some children might
be able to appreciate the difference between joining with ‘and’, and joining with ‘but’.
In Before and after (page 22) the children learn to use the prepositions ‘before’ and ‘after’ correctly. Discuss the differences
in meaning which arise from using different words to join the sentences.
Meanwhile (page 23) introduces the use of a time connective (‘when’ word) which might be new to many of the children.
The teacher could reinforce the children’s understanding by using it when talking to them, for example, ‘This group will
…Meanwhile, that group will…’
In Sentence links (page 24) the children learn to use words which link a sentence to others in a text. They could compile a
word-bank of these words and use them in their writing.
In Sentence stepping-stones (page 25) the children look for sentences among the words on the stepping-stones. There is
more than one possible correct answer. This is an opportunity to revise full stops and capital letters.
Sentence wall (page 26) is an extension of Sentence stepping-stones: in addition to looking for sentences, the children
have choices of verbs which do or do not agree with their subjects and words which can or can not make sense when they
follow those they have already chosen.
Word choice 1 and 2 (pages 27–28) are about agreement between subject and verb (although those terms are not used).
The children decide which form of a verb matches the name which appears with it.
Today and yesterday (page 29) introduces the present and past tenses (although those terms are not used).
Past words (page 30) is about the past tense forms of verbs. The children could compile lists of those which are formed by
adding ‘ed’ and those in which a vowel is changed.
Words for names (page 31) introduces personal pronouns (although the term is not used). The children could revise the use of
a capital ‘I’ to replace their own names before learning the words used instead of other people’s names and the names of things.
Name game (pages 32-33) consolidates the learning of personal pronouns in a game which makes use of the names of
nursery rhyme characters. The children learn the different pronouns which are used for the subject and object of a verb.
6
Belonging words 1 and 2 (pages 34–35) introduce possessive pronouns. The children learn to match them to nouns. They
could look for the use of possessive pronouns in a shared text and use them in their own writing.
Find the mistakes (page 36) encourages careful reading and writing. The children check that the verbs agree with their
subjects, that their tenses are right and that the correct pronouns are used. This activity provides an opportunity to assess the
children’s learning. They should be encouraged to read their own writing, looking for and marking mistakes (perhaps in a
different colour for clarity) before correcting them.
Sentence construction and punctuation
Sentence boxes (page 37) This activity provides consolidation of the children’s understanding of the use of capital letters
and full stops to demarcate sentences. The children may need to be reminded that a sentence is not always the same length
as a line of text; for example, the first sentence extends beyond the first line of text.
Names and signs (page 38) revises the use of initial capital letters for the names of places, people and headings (see Books
A and B); it also revises personal titles (see Book B). Ask the children if they know who might use each of the titles. Do they
know why there are three commonly-used titles for women? It has become acceptable to omit full stops after titles which
are abbreviations (see Glossary on page 8), but some people prefer to use full stops.
Titles (page 39) consolidates the children’s understanding of how to write book titles. It shows the conventional way of
writing book titles: the first word and the main words have capital letters.
In Titles and headings (page 40) the children are reminded how headings are used in information books. It introduces the
word ‘chapter’ and the use of chapter and page headings. The children could also look for headings in other texts such as
leaflets and notices. The modern convention of beginning only the first word of the heading with a capital letter is used, as
it was in Book B, but the children could look at other ways in which headings can be written.
Stressed words: CAPITALS (page 41) consolidates the use of capital letters for emphasis by asking the children to identify
them in two examples. They then decide which of the words in the example sentences should be written in capital letters.
The activity develops skills in reading as well as writing by drawing attention to the expression with which print is read.
Stressed words: italics (page 42) introduces the use of italics for stress. Like the previous activity, it helps to develop the
children’s sensitivity to expression in reading.
Bold print (page 43) is about some of the use of bold print for emphasis.
Lists (page 44) introduces the comma; it shows the shape of it and its position on a line (on lined paper). This activity shows
how commas are used to separate items in a list (apart from the last item, which is separated from the one before with ‘and’
but no comma). The children can use commas in lists they write themselves.
Commas 1 (page 45) shows how commas are used to separate parts of a sentence. At this stage, the children should be
encouraged to notice commas in their reading and to take account of them in the expression with which they read.
Commas 2 (page 46) consolidates the children’s understanding of the use of commas to separate items in a list and to
separate parts of a sentence, this time including sentences with three or more parts. Show the children that, in a sentence
which has two or more commas, the parts between the commas can usually be taken out and leave a sentence.
Exclamation marks! (page 47) introduces a punctuation mark which the children will have often seen in their reading.
Encourage them to look for exclamation marks and to say why they are used in particular places. Point out that exclamation
marks are often used after just one or two words (not a complete sentence), for example: ‘Wow!’, ‘Eeek!’, ‘Help!’
Arrows (page 48) is about the use of arrows in instructions and information texts to show sequences. Lines (page 49)
develops the children’s skills in using and labelling diagrams in information texts. Boxes (page 50) asks the children to
use a convention with which they might be familiar from reading cartoon strips in comics – boxed drawings and their
accompanying text. They can use boxes to organise their own stories, perhaps drawing and writing parts of a story and
then cutting out the boxes and rearranging them to adjust the order in which they tell the story. This activity could be
linked with work on speech bubbles and speech marks.
Beach key (page 51) introduces the concept of keys with a simple pictorial key. After completing this activity the children
could think of other information which people might need about beaches, and make up extra symbols for the key.
Pets key (page 52) links work in mathematics with literacy skills, as the children consider ways in which information can be
recorded and interpreted: they interpret symbols on a graph and write the information from them in sentences.
The ‘take-away’ (page 53) asks the children to read and understand a paragraph and to use the information from it to
complete a chart which, in turn, could be interpreted by others who could record the information in sentences. The children
could make their own charts of this type to record information they find during their work in other subjects, for example:
(science) information about animals or materials; (society and environment) details about local supermarkets or the different
things which their great-grandparents used instead of present-day household equipment.
7
What did they say? (page 54) introduces the use of speech bubbles. It helps the children to distinguish between the words
spoken and the words which tell the reader that they were spoken (for example ‘he said’, ‘she asked’, ‘she cried’). The
children could re-write other familiar stories as picture stories with speech bubbles, or they could collaborate to make a
display-sized story in which each scene is painted and the characters’ words are written on large cut-out speech bubbles.
Speech marks 1 (page 55) shows the children how to write speech marks and helps them to incorporate the words in
speech bubbles into narrative text. Speech marks 2 (page 56) is about the other punctuation used with speech marks. The
children learn that full stops, commas, exclamation marks and full stops in speech are placed inside the speech marks. To
draw attention to this, an extra step (Copy) is introduced into the usual ‘Look – Say – Cover – Write – Check’ procedure.
The question-finder (page 57) is about recognising questions. The children have to read with understanding to decide which
sentences are questions and to match them to their answers.
Asking questions (page 58) is about turning sentences into questions by altering the word-order and replacing the full stop
with a question mark. The extension activity shows that this does not work for every question. The children could work with
other examples of this kind of question, and identify the words which have to be changed in the same way.
Quentin Question (page 59) consolidates and extends the children’s learning from page 57 and incorporates the use of a
key (they write their answers on a chart and they write other questions of the same kind and alternative answers for some of
them).
Annabel Answer (page 60) extends the children’s understanding of sentences and questions by asking them to write questions
for the answers which are provided, to make the one-word answers into sentences and to write alternative questions for some of
the answers. They also practise using the correct punctuation with which to end sentences and questions: full stops and question
marks.
Question words (page 61) is about the words which are often used in questions, especially those which can not be made by
changing the order of words in a sentence. As an extension activity, the children could use information from reference books
to make up a quiz; ask them to write the questions and answers on cards.
Question screens (page 62) is about different kinds of questions: asking for help, asking someone to do something and
asking for information. The children could compile ‘question-banks’ for each type of question, adding to them any questions
which they come across in their reading or which they hear.
Scrambled sentences (page 63) provides an opportunity to assess the children’s understanding of sentence-construction.
Punctuation check (page 64) provides an opportunity to assess the children’s understanding of punctuation.
Glossary of terms used
abbreviation A word which is shortened. Sometimes an apostrophe is used to denote letters which are omitted; for
example, can’t, doesn’t and don’t.
adjective A word which describes a noun; for example, big, sweet and soft.
agreement This describes the way in which linked words agree with one another in terms of gender, singular or plural, and
tense. Examples: (gender) his, her, she, he; (singular/plural) The boys put on their coats; (tense) come (present), came (past).
character A person or animal in, for example, a story, poem, play or television or radio programme.
comma (,) A punctuation mark which is used to separate parts of a sentence and items in a list.
connective A word (or phrase) which makes a connection between one phrase, clause, sentence or paragraph and another.
Time connectives include meanwhile, next, then and afterwards. Place connectives include here and there.
exclamation A word or sentence which expresses emotion such as surprise, shock, pain, pleasure, anger or humour.
exclamation mark (!) A punctuation mark used after an exclamation.
object The recipient of an action; for example, Mum read the newspaper.
preposition A word which describes the relationship between two nouns, pronouns, or a noun and a pronoun; for example,
beside, between, by, on, under.
pronoun A word used instead of a noun; for example: (personal pronouns) I, you, he, she, it, we, they; (dependent
possessive pronouns) my, your, her, his, its, our, their; (independent possessive pronouns) mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs.
sentence A unit of written language which makes sense on its own. It begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop,
question mark or exclamation mark. It always contains a verb.
subject The subject of a verb is the person or thing which does it; for example, Mum read the newspaper.
text type A specific type of writing or other medium of communication; for example, information report or recount.
title The name of a book, play, poem, etc, but also part of a person’s name; for example, Mr, Mrs, Miss and Ms. A person’s
title always begins with a capital letter. Mr and Mrs are abbreviations of Mister and Mistress (which has become corrupted to
Missus or Missis). Ms is a modern abbreviation of a woman’s title (Mrs and/or Miss), by analogy with Mr.
8
Sentence pencils
• Colour the pencils which have sentences.
• Read the sentences again.
I am drawing a picture.
Paul his name.
The pencil is.
Osman has ten coloured pencils.
I keep my pencils in a pencil-case.
Twelve crayons in the.
• Read the words from the pencils which do
NOT have sentences.
• Add words to make them sentences.
Teachers’ note The children could listen to strings of words which you read aloud, and identify
any which are sentences; for example, ‘A car’, ‘I have a car’, ‘Books’ and ‘Red books’. They could
add words to make the non-sentences into sentences.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
9
Names of things
Some words are the
Word-bank
water
feathers
beak
eggs
heron
legs
chicks
fish
nest
names of things.
• Read about the heron.
• In each space write the
name of a thing.
The
has long
has a long
. It
which
it uses to catch
The
.
builds its
near
.
The female lays
in the
. When the
hatch their bodies are bare. They
have no
stay in the
. They can not see and they
for a month.
• Read about another bird.
• Write six names of things
which are to do with this bird.
10
Teachers’ note Read a shared text about birds and ask the children to give the names of things
connected with birds. They could try putting ‘the’, ‘a’ or ‘some’ before a word to check that it is
a noun, for example ‘the wing’, but not ‘the see’.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Words for doing
Doing words are about things we do.
What can you do to a ball?
• Write the words.
• Read the sentences.
I can
a ball.
I can
a ball.
I can
Word-bank
juggle
kick
throw
hit
catch
a ball.
I can
three balls!
I can
a ball.
What can you do with paper?
• Write four sentences.
• Underline the words for doing.
Teachers’ note Ask the children to listen to a list of words and to decide if any of them are things
which people (or animals or other things) do. They could try putting ‘I’, ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’ or ‘they’
before a word to check that it is a verb; for example, ‘I see’ but not ‘I hat’.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
11
Words for describing
Some words describe things and people.
They say what they are like.
• Write the words.
Word-bank
small
long
big
tall
sore
heavy
• Read the sentences.
The tower is
.
The giraffe has a
neck.
Dad’s finger is
.
Mum lif ted the
bag.
The
elephant ran
away from the
mouse.
• Write sentences which have words to describe
a car
12
a flower
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity by holding up objects, one at a time, and asking the children
to give a word which is not the name of the thing but says what it is like; for example, shoe (black,
old, new, dirty, clean).
a ball
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
‘Where’ words 1
Some words tell us where
people or things are.
Where is the snail?
• Write a word in each space.
Word-bank
behind
on
beside
under
in
• Read the sentences.
The snail is
The snail is
The snail is
the bag.
the bag.
the bag.
The snail is
The snail is
the bag.
the bag.
• Write five other sentences using
behind
beside
in
on
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity using a small model animal and a bag into which it fits. Place
the model animal behind the bag and ask the children to give a sentence to say where it is. Ask
them which word tells them where the animal is. Repeat with the model in different positions.
under
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
13
‘Where’ words 2
Some words tell us where
Word-bank
people or things are going.
along
down
into
Where is the mouse going?
over
through
up
• Write a word in each space.
• Read the sentences.
The mouse creeps
The mouse climbs
The mouse goes
the stairs.
the hole.
the window.
The mouse goes
The mouse runs
the wall.
the stone.
The mouse goes
the stairs.
• Write six other sentences using
along
14
down
into
over
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity using a small model animal and a box. Move the animal
along the box and ask the children to give a sentence to say where it is going. Ask them which
word tells them where the animal is moving. Repeat with the model moving in different ways.
through
up
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
‘When’ words
Some words tell you
when things happen.
When did it happen?
• Write a word in each space.
• Read the sentences.
1. We heard a bang
2.
after
then
before
as
when
during
while
afterwards
the night.
school I went to a party.
3. They washed their hands
4. I drew a picture and
5. We sang
6.
Word-bank
dinner.
I coloured it.
we walked.
I was one I learned to walk.
7. The boy hit his friend but
he was sorry.
8.
I was playing I lost my ring.
• Write six other sentences.
Use six of the words in the word-bank.
Teachers’ note Read a shared text which contains words which say when things happen or
happened; for example, Mrs Wobble the Waitress (Allan and Janet Ahlberg). After enjoying the
story, the children could point out the words which say when things happened.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
15
Word sacks
• Read the sentences.
1. The hens cluck in the farmyard .
2. The cat creeps along the wall .
3. After lunch Grandpa sleeps .
4. I smile when I am happy .
5. Mum has a blue car .
What kinds of words are in the boxes?
• Write them in the sacks.
Words for doing
Words for
things
Words for describing
‘Where’ words
‘When’ words
• Think of two other words for each word sack.
• Write them in the sacks.
16
Teachers’ note The children should complete pages 10–15 before this activity. Ask them to name
some of the different kinds of words they know, then show them a sentence in which they can
identify, in turn, the different types of word.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Word spinners
dir
ty
elephant
ke
sna
tea
led
che
r
bef
nea
r
behind
ore
er
d
un
‘When’
after
bes
ide
in
words
white
lay
cat
things
words
as
Teachers’ note Use these spinners with page 18. Photocopy the page onto card and cut out the
spinners. Push a cocktail stick through the centre of each spinner. Discuss the types of words on
each spinner. New spinners can be made by masking the words and replacing them with others.
when
igg
chicken
Words for
st
‘Where’
red
e
the
n
wr
hid
hug
pt
e
r
c
gho
on
g
old
sat
describing
doing
slid
rea
t
Words for
Words for
ile
h
w
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
17
Spin a word
What kind of word makes sense in each gap?
• Choose the correct word spinner.
• Spin a word.
• Write the word in the gap.
1. The plate is
2. The
the
sang
table.
he lay in the sun.
3. The children
4.
the tree.
the wall there is a
5. I had lunch,
I played
6. They talked
the
7.
.
the tent.
bridge.
dinner, Mum
8. He
on the
he fell asleep.
the chair.
carpet,
• Read the sentences to a partner.
• Write the sentences again but with other
words in the gaps.
18
Teachers’ note Use the spinners on page 17 with this activity. It could be introduced using
sentences which have only one word missing. Ask the children which spinner they will use
to spin a word which will make grammatical sense. (Note that not all the ‘when’ words
are interchangeable.)
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Sentence sense
• Read the sentences.
The underlined word is not easy to read.
• In the box write the kind of word it is.
Doing
Describing
Thing
Where?
When?
The horse galloped
past the gate.
Weeds grew between
the roses.
A nightingale sang in
the tree.
It sang throughout
the night.
She held a delicate
flower.
• With a partner, find out what the words say.
• Read the sentences.
• Write them again.
• Use other words instead of those underlined.
Teachers’ note The children should complete pages 10–18 before this activity. Show them a sentence
which contains a difficult word. Can they read it? If not, can they say what kind of word it is?
Encourage them to find clues in the rest of the sentence (and to use this strategy in their reading).
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
19
Joining with ‘and’
• Read the pairs of sentences.
• Join them with
and .
• Write the new sentence.
My tail is long.
I eat carrots.
Dogs chase me.
I live on a farm.
My eyes are blue.
I drink water.
I chase mice.
I like it there.
• Look in books for a sentence which has
and in it.
• With a partner, see if you can make it into
two sentences.
• Write the sentences.
Teachers’ note In a shared text, ask the children to find the word ‘and’ and to decide whether it
joins two words or two sentences.
20
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Joining with ‘but’
• Read the pairs of sentences.
• Join them with but .
• Write the new sentence.
• Read the sentence.
He r d r
ess is new.
Jam
a re o l d .
s
e
He r s h o
es lik
es potatoes.
s.
a
e
n
o
p
s
t
e
l i ke
He d o
T h e re a re b u s h e s i n t h e g a rd e n .
ees.
r
t
T h e re a re n o
st cat.
o
l
e
h
t
r
o
f
d
e
it.
We l o o k
We c o u
d
n
i
f
ld not
We w
hill.
th e to p.
a l ke d u p t h e
o
t
o
t
n
g
e
t
d
i
We d
• Look in books for a sentence which has
but in it.
• Copy it without but .
Make it into two sentences.
Teachers’ note On strips of paper, write pairs of sentences which can be joined with ‘but’ or ‘and’
and talk about the difference made by using a different connective.You could introduce a comma
before the word ‘but’ to give children a feel for the use of commas.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
21
Before and after
• Look at the picture story about Geeta.
• Write before or after in the sentences.
• Read the sentences.
1. Geeta ate breakfast
her teeth.
2. She rode her bike
television.
brushing
watching
3. She watched television
breakfast.
4. She brushed her teeth
breakfast.
5. She ate breakfast
riding her bike.
• Write three sentences about things you
have done today.
• Use before or after in each sentence.
22
Teachers’ note Write sentences which have spaces instead of the words ‘before’ and ‘after’. Write
‘before’ and ‘after’ on strips of paper which will fit in the spaces. Ask the children to read each
sentence, say which word is missing, put it in the space, read the sentence and decide if it makes
sense.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Meanwhile
Meanwhile means at the same time .
• Read the sentences.
• Copy them, but begin the second one
with
Meanwhile .
Pam skips. Rani and Clare play
chess.
Alan was at school. There was
a storm.
Darren gets dressed. Mum
makes his breakfast.
The cat sleeps. The mice play.
• Write two sentences about what you and a
friend are doing.
• Use meanwhile .
Teachers’ note To introduce this activity, use a shared text which has pictures in which a lot is
happening; for example, Once Upon a Picnic by John Prater. Ask the children what people in the
picture are doing and introduce the word ‘meanwhile’; for example, ‘Mum and Dad are sitting
near the river. Meanwhile a troll is sleeping near the bridge.’
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
23
Sentence links
These words can link one sentence to another:
afterwards
before
later
meanwhile
then
next
soon
• Read the story.
• Underline the words which link the sentences.
Katy woke up and looked out o f the window.
The garden was white with snow. Soon
her brother was awake.
Meanwhile their father
was making breakfast.
Afterwards they put on
their coats and boots.
Next they put on gloves.
T h e n t h e y ra n o u t s i d e .
L a t e r i t b e g a n t o ra i n .
Be fore the snow melted,
Ka t y t o o k a p h o t o o f
t h e g a rd e n .
• Learn how to spell the words which link
sentences.
• Look
24
• Say
• Cover
• Write
• Check
Teachers’ note After asking the children to notice, but not to say, the missing words, read an
extract from a shared text, omitting the words which link sentences. Read the same extract
without omitting the words. What difference do the children think they make?
C
LS
W
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Ch
Sentence stepping-stones
• Play with a partner. Take turns to colour a steppingstone. It must be next to the last one you chose.
The winner is the first to cross the river with
a sentence.
over
run
I
river.
across
the
swim
go
You
up
down
crawl
stairs.
the
He
wall.
beside
walks
She
behind
skips
the
door.
• Copy four of the sentences you made.
• Read them again and check that they
make sense.
Teachers’ note As the children colour the stepping-stones, they should check that the words they
have chosen can make grammatical sense. The words could be masked before copying, and
replaced with others of your choice.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
25
26
Teachers’ note The children should do the activity on page 25 before this. As they
colour the bricks they should check that the words they have chosen can make
grammatical sense. You could encourage the children to make longer sentences by
giving points for each word.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
He
We
likes
ride
likes
like
and
creep
to
her
the
sing
go
ball
bikes
brother
wall
and
garden
play
and
horses
along
across
with
to
over
under
the
but
the
the
• Copy four of the sentences you made.
• Read them and check that they make sense.
Liam
I
skip
creeps
Jenny
They
It
I
his
you
deep
wet
dog
like
farm
lake
sisters
cricket
rocks
leaves
• Play in pairs. Take turns to colour a brick. It must be next to the last
brick you chose. The winner is the first to cross the wall with a sentence.
Sentence wall
Word choice 1
• Underline the correct word in each box.
• Copy the sentence.
• Read the sentence to make sure it sounds right.
The children go, goes, going to school.
We liking, like, likes reading.
Thomas live, living, lives in Perth.
You are, is, am a good reader.
Cows eating, eats, eat grass.
• Choose the correct words.
I
He
has, have, having
has, have, having
• Use them in a sentence.
Teachers’ note Begin by asking the children to listen to sentences in which one word (the verb) is
wrong. Can they spot the mistake and correct it?
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
27
Word choice 2
• Underline the correct word in each box.
• Copy the sentence.
• Read the sentence to make sure it sounds right.
Sita do, does, doing the washing-up.
We buy, buying, buys some fruit.
They tries, try, trying to open the door.
The baby crying, cries, cry .
I wishes, wishing, wish I could swim.
• Copy the sentences.
Mike catch a fish.
I watching television.
We rings the bell.
You plays chess.
• Correct the words which are wrong.
Teachers’ note Begin by asking the children to listen to sentences in which one word (the verb) is
wrong. Can they spot the mistake and correct it?
28
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Today and yesterday
• Read the words for doing.
• Look at the ways they change.
Yesterday
Today
I walk
I am walking
I walked
I jump
I am jumping
I jumped
I do
I am doing
I did
I say
I am saying
I said
I come
I am coming
I came
• Write the missing words.
Today I am walking to school. Yesterday I
to school.
Today they are coming to my house.
Yesterday they
to my house.
Today we are doing our work. Yesterday we
our work.
Today we are jumping high. Yesterday
we
high.
• Copy the sentence and change the doing
word which is wrong.
Yesterday Mum takes us swimming.
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity by giving the children examples of sentences which are
changed from the present to the past tense and ask them which word or words have been
changed: ‘The birds sit in the tree. The birds sat in the tree’; ‘Today I am running. Yesterday I ran.’
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
29
Past words
• Underline the correct word in each box.
• Copy the sentence.
• Read the sentence to make sure it sounds right.
The boys was, were reading.
I went, goed to the park.
You sended, sent a letter to me.
She eated, ate an apple.
We writed, written, wrote a letter.
• Write sentences using
sang
30
slid
Teachers’ note Talk about the ways in which verbs change when they are happening now and
when they have already happened. In a shared text, the children could look for examples of verbs
for things which have already happened.
sent
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Words for names
You can use these words instead of names.
he
she
her
them
Word-bank
him
I
they
us
it
we
me
you
• Which two words can you
call yourself?
• Which two words can you
call yourself and your friends?
• Which word can you call another
person or a group of people to
whom you are speaking?
• Write the words you can use when you talk about:
a boy
a girl
a cat
two boys, two girls
or two cats
• Write sentences using four of the words
from the word-bank.
Teachers’ note Ask the children which words they would use instead of their own names when
they are talking about themselves. They could write their names, and then ‘I’ or ‘me’ in simple
sentences. Give the children personal pronouns and words for people for them to match.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
31
Name game 1
Jack and Jill went up the hill.
A spider sat down beside Miss Muffet .
The cow jumped over the Moon.
Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard.
Little Boy Blue looked after the sheep .
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Mary’s lamb made the children laugh.
Simple Simon met a pieman.
Three blind mice ran after the farmer’s wife .
The king’s men tried to put Humpty together again.
Lucy Locket lost her pocket.
The pieman asked Simple Simon for a penny.
32
Teachers’ note Use this page with page 33. Photocopy both pages, glue them onto card and cut
out the sentence strips and words. Turn them face down. The children take turns to reveal a
sentence strip and a word card. If the word on the word card can be used instead of the boxed
words on the sentence strip, they keep both as a ‘pair’; if not, they turn them both face-down.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Name game 2
Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
The owl and the pussycat went to sea.
The clock struck one.
The mouse ran up the clock .
I saw three ships come sailing by.
The sheep came back to Little Bo Peep .
they
her
it
she
them
he
them
he
her
him
she
him
he
they
it
it
them
her
Teachers’ note (Continued from page 32.) The winner is the one with the most ‘pairs’ when all the
cards have been paired. The children should then read to one another the sentences they can
make by replacing the boxed word in the sentence with the one on the card with which they
paired it.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
33
Belonging words 1
• In the spaces, write words
Word-bank
my
his their
your
its
her
our
for belonging.
• Read the new sentences.
This is a book
which belongs
to me.
This is Jenny’s
t-shirt.
book.
This is
This is
t-shirt.
This is the ball
belonging to
my brother
and me.
These are
John’s new
shoes.
new
These are
shoes.
This is
Here is Jim and
Pat’s new
car.
Here is
new car.
These pencils
belong
to you.
These are
pencils.
ball.
There is water
in the
cat’s
bowl.
There is water
in
bowl.
• Write the words for belonging to
a boy
34
a bird
two men
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity orally with sentences and demonstration: for example;
(pointing to your feet) ‘This is my shoe’; (pointing to something belonging to a child and
addressing him or her) ‘This is your book’; and (pointing to something belonging to a child
and addressing the others) ‘This is his (or her) chair’.
a woman
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Belonging words 2
• In the spaces, write words
for belonging.
Word-bank
mine
hers
yours ours
his
theirs
• Read the new sentences.
This is his pencil.
It is my yoyo.
The yoyo is
.
The pencil is
The house
belongs to
you and your
family.
They are her
socks.
The house is
.
.
.
The socks are
These are
their
cases.
This is
your
present.
This is our cat.
The cat is
.
The present
is
.
The cases are
.
• Write the words for belonging to
you and your friend
a girl
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity orally with sentences and demonstration: for example, ‘This
shoe is mine; ‘This book is yours’; and ‘This chair is his (or hers)’.
two boys
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
35
Find the mistakes
• Help Lisa to correct her writing.
• Underline the mistakes.
Yesterday it were my brother’s birthday. She
had a party. We all playing games. Then we
have tea. We eaten pizza and drinked orange
juice. My brother opening her presents. After
that he blowed out the candles. His friends
sing “Happy birthday to you”.
• Write Lisa’s story correctly.
Teachers’ note The children should have completed pages 10–35 before they attempt this activity.
It can be used to assess the children’s learning.
36
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Sentence boxes
• Read the words in the boxes.
• Find the sentences and write them out.
• Put in the capital letters and full stops.
the
Sun
is
a
star
it
is
a
ball
of
burning
gases
the
Sun
keeps
the
Earth
warm
and
gives
it
light
the
Earth
moves
round
the
Sun
the
Earth
spins
when
our
part
of
the
Earth
faces
the
Sun
it
is
day
at
night
our
part
of
the
Earth
faces
away
from
the
Sun
• Find out more about the Sun.
• Write another sentence about it.
Teachers’ note Use an information book about the Earth, the Sun and space as a shared text and
ask the children to look for the beginnings and endings of sentences. The children could complete
the activity sheet with a partner – one reading aloud, while the other listens and says where there
should be a full stop.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
37
Names and signs
• Look for the names of people and places.
• Look for signs and headings.
• Circle the letters which should be capitals.
d
h
p
a
o
e
arrivals
r w i
b a r
r t h
n
t
platforms 1–6
s
g
w
y
e
h
departures
d n e y
e l o n
y a l
l
g
a
tickets
taxis
buses
• Copy the words correctly on to this picture.
• Write the names of six other people, using
their titles.
• Write the names of six other towns or cities.
38
Teachers’ note Use photographs and posters in which there are signs, and other texts which
include names and people’s titles. Help the children to read them, and ask them to pay particular
attention to the first letters of names and signs. They could copy and display signs they see when
they are out and about.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Titles
The Fluffbabies copied the titles
of the books.
They mixed up the words.
They forgot the capital letters.
• Help the Fluffbabies to write the titles properly.
• Write the titles on the books:
• Write the titles of six other books.
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity by reading with the children the front covers and title pages
of books whose titles are written with initial capitals for each main word. As an extension activity
the children could find other ways in which the titles of books are written. They could make
‘mixed-up titles’ for others to sort out.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
39
Titles and headings
1. This book is about
Make the
title short.
pond and creek animals.
• Write a title on the cover.
2. The book has chapters about insects, fish, birds,
frogs and toads, mammals and snails.
• Write the headings for the chapters.
Contents
Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 5
Chapter 2
Chapter 6
Chapter 3
3. Chapter 1 has pages about the damselfly, the
water strider, the diving beetle and the dragonfly.
• Write the headings for the pages.
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity with a shared text which has chapter and page headings. The
children could use what they have learned when they make books on topics from other subjects.
40
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Stressed words: CAPITALS
You can write a whole word in CAPITAL LETTERS
to stress it.
• Copy the words which are stressed.
It’s a
MONSTER!
He would tell
you if he KNEW.
That isn’t a mouse it’s a RAT.
• Read the sentences.
• Write the sentences.
• Use capital letters to
stress one word.
I CAN’T go to town - I’m
going to a PARTY.
Think which
word should be
STRESSED.
1. “No!” shouted Aysha.
2. I asked Jim for a lolly and he gave me ten!
3. Adam opened the box and saw a snake.
4. “You can’t have it - it’s mine!” said Emma.
• Read the sentences to a partner.
Can he or she tell which words are in
capital letters?
Teachers’ note Read a shared text in which capital letters are used for emphasis and ask the
children to listen to the way in which your voice changes at different points. Introduce the word
‘stress’. Read sentences which the children can not see and ask them which words they think are
printed in capital letters.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
41
Stressed words: italics
In books stressed words
Get
are printed in italics.
• Copy the stressed words.
I wanted a
not a melon.
,
• Read the sentences.
• Circle the stressed words.
1. “I can’t eat that,” said Zoë.
I can’t use that
pencil—it’s
Which words
do you think
should be in
italics?
2. It was a very cold day.
3. It was so cold that the pipes froze.
4. “Jill won’t walk,” said Jack. “She hates walking.”
5. “Please let me go to town, Mum,” said Laura.
6. He opened the can of beans, but in it were peas.
7. “You’re soaked!” cried Mum when she opened the door.
8. “Keep out of my garden,” shouted the angry man.
• Take turns with a partner to read the
sentences out loud.
• Guess which words your partner has stressed.
• Are they the same as the words you chose?
42
Teachers’ note Read a shared text in which italics are used for emphasis and ask the children to
listen to the way in which your voice changes at different points. Ask them how you know which
words to stress. Read sentences which the children cannot see and ask them which words they
think are printed in italics.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Bold print
normal print
bold print
• Read the sentences aloud.
• Write the sentences making a different word bold.
I’m a fairy
godmother.
There is a
monster in
there!
I can run
there in half
the time you
take.
I knew they
would be late.
You can’t go to
town dressed
like that.
There is no
milk in here.
• Read your sentences to a partner.
• Your partner has to guess which words
are bold.
Teachers’ note Ask the children to take turns to read aloud texts which have some words in bold
print, while the others listen for words which are stressed.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
43
Lists
We can use commas to separate things in a list.
,
• Read this sentence.
• Circle the commas.
A comma
At the supermarket I bought
two tins of beans
, six eggs ,
and a melon
a loaf
• Write the lists.
a snake
a crocodile
a lizard
In the outback I saw
We went to
Italy
France
a sandwich
For lunch I ate
Spain
a banana
an apple
• Write sentences which list:
– people in your family.
– some of your toys.
44
a cake
What separates
the last two things
in a list?
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity by making lists of everyday objects. The children can put
large commas (cut from black paper) between the objects. Point out that there is no comma
before the last thing in a list – instead, the word ‘and’ is used. Provide ‘and’ and ‘full stop’ cards.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
.
Commas 1
Commas can separate parts of a sentence.
s t o p pi n g t o
y
l
w
s me l l t h
o
l
s
d
e f low
e
k
l
a
ers.
w
e
She walked slowly, stopping to
Sh
smell the flowers.
,
• Write the sentences using commas.
r.
e
th
ho pi ng to b e
o
u i c kl y
q
r
n
a
b
r
h
o
m e b e fo re h i s
He
Sh e s h oute d as lou dl y as sh e co uld
but n o o n e
c o ul d h e a r h er .
o n to t he bea ch
The roc
k rolled
whe
re i t c a n
s ee n.
e
b
l
sti l
• Copy these two sentences and
put in the commas:
She skipped through the rain splashing as she went.
We went to town where we met Gran.
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity with sentences written on large strips of paper, cut into two
sections where there should be a comma, like those on the activity sheet. With the children,
reassemble the sentences, putting a comma between the two sections.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
45
Commas 2
• Write the sentences.
• Put in the commas.
shed
e
h
t
d
behin
a strange red box.
s
a
w
garden
In the
the tree
Near
ot up
She g
ome leaves
buried under s
an echidna.
was
washed
dressed
two dresses
r of shorts.
a skirt a
nd a p
ai
a t-shirt
e packed a swim
h
suit
S
and b
rushed her hair.
• Copy these sentences and put in the commas:
She ran down the path jumped over the gate and
climbed the hill.
In his bedroom under a chair Andrew found his pen.
46
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity with sentences written on large strips of paper, cut into three
or more sections where there should be a comma, like those on the activity sheet. With the
children, reassemble the sentences, putting a comma between each section.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Exclamation marks!
An exclamation mark can show:
- a suprise
- something loud
or fright
- being pleased
How
lovely!
!
An exclamation
mark
- something funny
How can you tell when an
elephant is in your bed?
Look for the ‘E’ on
his pyjamas!
• Write what the people are saying.
• Put in exclamation marks.
What can go
up a chimney
down, but not
down a
chimney up?
HOLIDAY
HOTEL
• Draw someone who has won a prize.
• Write what he or she is saying.
• Use exclamation marks.
Teachers’ note Read shared texts in which there are exclamation marks. Point out the exclamation
marks and ask the children to say why they think they are used.
!
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
47
Arrows
Arrows help to show the order of things.
Boil the water.
Put in the egg.
• Cut out the pictures of the
life-cycle of a tomato.
• Put them in the correct order.
• Draw arrows to join them.
• Write a sentence to say what
happens in each picture.
48
Boil for 3 minutes.
Word-bank
sprouts
grows
taller
bigger
roots
plant
shoot
flowers
sprouting seed
seeds
fruit
Teachers’ note Show the children examples of texts in information books which are linked in a
linear format by arrows (like the recipe for boiling eggs) and others which are arranged in a circle
(like the life-cycles of animals and plants).
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Lines
Lines are used on diagrams.
Use a
• Draw lines to join the
labels to the correct
ruler.
parts of the diagrams.
skull
flower
neck
shoulder
stem
ribs
elbow
hip
leaves
wrist
fingers
knee
bulb
ankle
roots
toes
• Draw a car.
• Label as many
Use a
dictionary.
parts as you can.
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity using posters which show animals, plants or machines with
their parts labelled, and ask the children how they can tell which word belongs to which part.
They could make their own labelled drawings of things they have observed during science lessons.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
49
Boxes
In a picture story you can put the writing and
the pictures in boxes.
• Draw the missing picture and write the
missing words.
Jack’s mother
sent him to the
market to sell
the cow.
Jack gave the
cow to a man.
The man gave
him some beans.
Jack’s mother was
angry. She threw
the beans out of
the window.
A green shoot
grew from one of
the beans.
• Re-tell another story using boxes.
50
Teachers’ note Read shared texts which make use of boxes, such as Father Christmas by Raymond
Briggs, cartoon strips and comics. The children could re-write other stories they have read, using
boxes.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Beach key
• Read the key.
Key
lifeguard
shark
safe for
swimming
toilets
not safe
for swimming
drinks
no dogs allowed
snacks
• Write sentences about the beaches.
Sunsea
Sea Bay
Gull Bay
Teachers’ note Show the children photographs of some of the symbols used in everyday situations,
for example ‘Ladies’ and ‘Gents’ symbols, the symbols used near escalators which indicate ‘no
prams or strollers’, and those used on road signs. Ask them why they think symbols are used
instead of words.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
51
Pets key
• Look at the graph.
Key
• Read the key.
Our class pets
dog
cat
rabbit
fish
horse
hamster
mouse
• Complete the sentences.
1. In our class eight children have
.
children have hamsters.
2.
.
3. Seven
4. The same number of children have
and
5. The favourite pet is a
.
.
• Write two other sentences about our class pets.
• Draw a graph to show your group’s pets.
• Make a key.
Teachers’ note This could be linked with work the children have done in mathematics; they could
look at graphs they have made and keys they have used in them.
52
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
The ‘take-away’
• Read the story.
Mum and Dad took the
children to the ‘take-away’.
Mum asked them to choose a
meal. “Ribs please,” said
Michael, “and rice.” Jane and
Ella both wanted fish - Jane’s
with chips and Ella’s with salad. Ben could not read the
menu but he could smell pizza - “Pizza and chips,” he said.
“PLEASE!” said Mum. Dad chose crispy duck with rice, and
so did Mum.
• Complete the chart. Tick the things they ate.
ribs
rice
fish
chips
salad
✓
pizza crispy
duck
Mum
Dad
Michael
Jane
Ella
Ben
• Make a chart to show which take-away meals
the children in your group like.
Teachers’ note Once they have completed the chart, the children could find out from it how many
people ate each kind of food. They could make charts like this to record information from other
books they read, including those from reading schemes.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
53
What did they say?
• Read the story.
“Let’s roller-blade up
the hill,” said Jill.
“It will be fun coming
down.”
“No, thank you,” said Jack. “I
cracked my skull last time.”
“That’s because you didn’t have your
safety hat on,” said Jill.
• In the speech bubbles, write what Jack and Jill said.
• Draw Jack and Jill and some speech bubbles.
• Write other things they might have said.
54
Teachers’ note Introduce the activity using a shared text which includes speech, and ask the
children what the characters say. Write this in speech bubbles. Remind them not to include the
words ‘said’, ‘asked’, ‘cried’ and so on.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Speech marks 1
“”
Speech marks show the
words people say.
My name is
Dan.
Speech marks
“My name is Dan,” said Dan.
• Between the speech marks, write what they said.
I wish I
could fly.
“
,”
cheeped the baby bird.
Ouch!
“
!” yelled Dad,
as he fell on his nose.
Happy
birthday to
you!
Mrs Jones sang, “
!”
• From a comic, cut out two pictures
which have speech bubbles.
• Use speech marks to write
what the people are saying.
Teachers’ note Let the children practise making speech marks. Say things to them and ask them
what you said and how they would write it. Do not be too concerned with punctuation yet – the
emphasis is on getting the right words between the speech marks.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
55
Speech marks 2
• Look
• Say
“No,” she said.
“Help!” he cried.
Joe said, “Yes.”
• Copy
• Cover
• Check
• Write
✓ or
✗
• Use speech marks to write what they said:
It’s Rani’s
birthday on
Tuesday.
Meera
56
Let’s buy her
some books.
Yes - she
likes reading.
Raj
Teachers’ note The children should have completed pages 54 and 55 before attempting this one.
Point out that the full stops, commas and exclamation marks which follow the words someone says
are placed before the final speech marks.
Meera
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
The question-finder
• Help the question-finder to
catch all the questions.
• Read the sentences.
• Write the questions in
the brief-case.
Would you like a
biscuit?
I have a new
coat.
Did you buy it
in the sale?
Yes please - I’d
like a chocolate
biscuit.
Who is going
to make the
tea?
I think it is
going to
snow.
Do you think it
will rain today?
What time is
it?
Polly will put the
kettle on.
It is eight
o’clock.
• Write four questions which you have heard
at school.
• Put a question mark at the end
of each question.
Teachers’ note Ask the children how they can tell when a sentence is a question. Can they tell
without seeing the question mark? How? Say some sentences and ask the children to indicate
when they hear a question.
?
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
57
Asking questions
• Read the sentence:
• Read the question:
That is a good book.
Is that a good book?
• Make the sentences
into questions.
• Write the questions
in the long balloons.
You have
a sister.
She is
the new
teacher.
It is six
o’clock.
?
It is cold
outside.
Ken can
run fast.
Mum’s
dress is
blue.
• Make this sentence into a question:
Remember
the question
mark.
She won a hundred dollars.
58
Teachers’ note Ask the children, in turn, to say a sentence about themselves and then to change
the order of their words to make it into a question. Discuss the way in which the order of words in
a sentence can be changed to make a question.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Quentin Question
Quentin Question asks questions all day long.
• Match Quentin’s questions to their answers.
• Complete the chart.
It is Mount
Everest. a
What time
is it?
Why did the
apple turn over?
Where do
plants sleep? 3
1
2
It saw the
jam roll! c
It is twelve
o’clock. b
They sleep in
f lower-beds! d
Which is the highest
mountain in the
world? 4
When is your
birthday? 5
Who sat on
a tuffet? 7
It is on the 11th
of November.
f
question
Little Miss Muffet
sat on it.
e
What do elephants
take on holiday? 6
They take
trunks! g
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
answer
• Copy questions 1 and 5.
• Write the answers you would give.
• Write two other questions for a partner
to answer.
Teachers’ note Ask the children questions which you have written on a large sheet of paper. Write
the answers they give, but mix them up. Can they match the questions to the answers?
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
59
Annabel Answer
• Annabel Answer has made a computer program.
It answers questions, but it loses the questions.
• Write a question for each answer.
Questions
Answers
1.
1. Six
2.
2. 25th
December
3.
3. Brown
4.
4. Annabel
5.
5. A lamb
6.
6. January
7. Tuesday
7.
• Write the answers as sentences.
• Write a different question for four of
the answers.
60
Teachers’ note Prepare some simple questions and one-word answers and read out the answers.
Ask the children to think of a question which could give that answer. Invite one of them to write it
for the others to see: did he or she include a question mark?
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Question words
• Read the question words.
• Write a question word in
each gap.
• Put in the question marks.
Remember the
capital letters.
Question words
when
what
why
where
who
how
which
1.
is the oldest of the three brothers
2.
will it be time for the party
3.
do you know that
4.
is the date
5.
do you live
6.
did the chicken cross the road
7.
of these would you like – a sandwich
or a cake
• Write questions which begin with each
of the question words.
Teachers’ note Ask the children to think of words which are often used to begin a question. Write
them and compare them with the list on this page.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
61
Question screens
• Read the questions.
• Write them in the
correct screen.
Can you
help me to
find the
bank?
There are
different
kinds of
question.
Asking for help
Will you
be quiet?
Asking for
information
Who lives
here?
What is the
time please?
Asking someone to
do something
May I borrow
your pen?
Will you
help me to
carry my
things?
What is the capital
of France?
• Write another question for each screen.
62
Teachers’ note Ask the children to give examples of questions. Write them in groups according to
the type of question they are (see the headings used on this page). If there are no examples of
certain types of question, supply some. Talk about the different types of question people ask.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Scrambled sentences
Pilar sends e-mail
messages to Tim.
She scrambles them
so that no one else
can read them.
• Unscramble the sentences for Tim.
holiday from have
just we back
come
Florida to went
we plane a in
did you
where go
saw sharks we
pelicans
alligators and
• Unscramble this sentence:
messages I read sending you cannot the
to are me.
• Write the sentence.
• Write two scrambled sentences for a partner.
Teachers’ note Write a scrambled sentence for the children to read (without capital letters and
full stops). Can they make sense of it? If not, add a capital letter, so that they can identify the
first word.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
63
Punctuation check
• Put punctuation marks in the letter.
.
, “” !
?
• Copy the sentence. Put in the punctuation
marks and capital letters.
auntie jane came by train there’s the train
cried sara is it the right one asked her mum
looking at the clock
64
Teachers’ note Remind the children about the different punctuation marks they have learned.
Punctuation of the address on the letter is optional – modern practice is to omit punctuation in
addresses, especially if they are word-processed.
Developing Literacy
Sentence Activities
© Blake Education 2001
Developing Literacy: Sentence Activities
A STRUCTURED SENTENCE SKILLS PROGRAM
book
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
book
book
book
Seven photocopiable sentence activity books for the seven years of primary school.
Each book
● develops children’s grammatical awareness
● includes activities which focus on sentence construction, the roles
of different kinds of words and punctuation
● promotes independent work
● has extension activities which reinforce and develop what the
children have learned
● includes notes for teachers.
Also available!
Developing Literacy: Word Activities
Coming soon!
Developing Literacy: Text Activities
book
ISBN 978-1-86509-801-2
book
9
781865 098012
book
Cover illustrations
by Alison Dexter