st
21
Sentence Stems for
Learning
Century
Marcy Voss
Special Programs
Coordinator
Boerne ISD
How Do We Prepare Dual Language Students for
the 21st Century?
What is 21st Century Learning?
Learning and Innovation Skills – 4 C’s
 Critical Thinking
 Communication
 Collaboration
 Creativity
Language Proficiency for Dual Language Students
4 Language Domains:
 Listening
 Speaking
 Reading
 Writing
Strategic Implementation of 4 C’s
and 4 Language Domains
Sentence Stems . . .
 Scaffold
listening, speaking, reading, and
writing for all learners
 Model correct grammar and sentence
structure
 Provide language practice for students
 Can be written to encourage critical and
creative thinking
 Create structure for communication and
collaboration
 Are easy to use and not costly!
Step 1
Structure Sentence Stems to incorporate the
4 C’s and 4 Language Domains:
 Select/create sentence stems based on
language functions.
 Choose language functions which
emphasize the higher levels of
Blooms Taxonomy.
Higher Level Language Functions
 Cause and Effect – Analysis
 Comparison – Analysis/Evaluation
 Evidence – Analysis/Evaluation
 Prediction – Application/Analysis/Evaluation
 Interpretation – Application/Analysis/
Evaluation
 Summarization – Synthesis/Evaluation
 Evaluation - Evaluation
Step 2
Think about the needs of your learners and
create different stems for different levels of
language proficiency:
Example: Cause and Effect
 Level 1: One cause is _____.
 Level 2: ___ is one cause of _____.
 Level 3: ____ contributed to ____.
 Level 4: ____ contributed to ____ due to ____.
Step 3
Design activities promoting communication
and collaboration using the sentence stems.
Examples:
 Before and After
 Partner Reading
 Comparison Warm-Up
Example Activity
Before and After:
 The teacher creates a graphic with an event in the center
and lines on either side labeled “Before: Causes” and
“After: Effects.”
 In groups, students complete the graphic by determining/
discussing causes and effects of the event.
 The teacher selects cause and effect sentence stems for the
students to use in discussing information on the graphic.
 The teacher leads a class discussion where students use the
sentence stems to respond.
Before and After Practice Activity
Discuss with your neighbors the causes and effects of
the Texas Revolution.
Before: Causes
After: Effects
Texas
Revolution
Before and After Practice Activity
Class Discussion:
Question : What contributed to the Texas
Revolution?
Signal: Lift your pinky finger when you can
complete this sentence:
Stem: ____ contributed to the Texas Revolution.
(level 3)
Share: Share with the people sitting by you.
Assess: Teacher can call on students for an informal
oral assessment or have them write their response.
(Repeat with 2nd question and stem)
Other Ways to Structure Before and After Activity
 Multiple sentence stems can be offered, each at
different proficiency levels.
 Students can use the sentence stems as a writing
prompt for writing sentences.
 The teacher can record the sentences the students
provide (using ELMO or Smartboard) and students
can use this list to write an essay on the causes and
effects of Texas becoming a state.
Another Example: Summarization
Partner Reading:
 Students partner and alternate in reading
paragraphs/pages from a text or a reading selection.
 After each paragraph/page is read, the student
reading asks a question which requires the student
listening to summarize the information read.
 Students use question and sentence stems to
structure the conversation.
 Stems may be provided by the teacher or selected by
the student.
Partner Reading: Practice Activity
Select a Summarization question/statement stem
from the Academic Language Cards to complete the
Partner Reading Activity for the following article:
Amazing Bats of Bracken Cave
e.g. Level 1: What is the main idea of this paragraph?
The main idea is ______?
Another Example: Comparison
Comparison Warm-Up:
 For a warm-up, the teacher allows students to select
question/statement stems to use when comparing
and contrasting objects/concepts (e.g. for math:
numbers, shapes, equations, patterns, etc.)
 The stems are provided on the board or on a card.
 The student chooses a partner and uses the stems to
discuss comparisons.
Comparison Warm-Up: Practice Activity
Select a Comparison question/statement stem from
the Academic Language Cards to compare these
shapes:
Rectangle
Square
e.g. Level 2: How are a rectangle and a square alike?
A rectangle and a square are alike because
____.
Importance of Sentence Stems for
21st Century Learning
“Learning and innovation skills increasingly are being
recognized as the skills that separate students who are
prepared for increasingly complex life and work
environments in the 21st Century, and those who are not.
A focus on creativity, critical thinking, communication
and collaboration is essential to prepare students for the
future.” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills)
Help your students be prepared.
Use sentence stems with activities that incorporate
the 4 C’s and 4 language domains.