Expanding Sentences Sentence-Level Writing Activities

This sentence-level writing resource and center was designed reinforce, reteach, and/or practice expanding simple sentences by adding details that answer questions, such as who, what, where, when, why, and how. Use this resource after students have learned about how to use expand a simple sentence, or use it while teaching students how to expand a sentence. Each card is a great opportunity for scaffolding and to practice examples as you and your students complete this sentence-level writing activity.

Each of the 24 cards contains one very simple sentence. There is also one or two question words printed underneath the simple sentence. Students will practice expanding the simple sentence by including detail words that answer the question(s) listed at the bottom of the card. You can focus on having students use one question word to expand a sentence, or mix up the cards to provide random practice for your sentence-level work.

This resource now includes a DIGITAL GOOGLE SLIDE for every writing card!

Display each question digitally for all your students to see. There is also space to type or write your answers right on each slide!

This resource contains two levels of difficulty so that you can continue to grow your students’ skills and reach all learners. 12 cards contain only one question word. The additional 12 cards contain two question words. After students practice and become successful with adding one detail to their sentence in order to expand it, they can move on to the task of adding two or more details to their sentence.

This sentence-level work is important to the foundational skills of your writers. If we want our students to be successful, competent writers for paragraphs and essays, we need to first explicitly teach them the foundation of writing pieces – the sentence!

Ideas for Using this Resource

• Use the resource as a teacher-facilitated oral language activity. Use the cards to orally expand a simple sentence. Oral writing, or verbally stating a complete sentence aloud, is an important foundational skill for beginning writers.
• Use the resource as a whole-group practice activity. Complete each card together as a class. You can choose to model how to expand a simple sentence and write the new sentence on chart paper or under a document camera with correct capitalization and punctuation. You may also choose to expand the sentences as a class together. Students (and the teacher) should always write the final sentence with correct capitalization and punctuation.
• Use the resource as an independent writing center after students have had time to practice expanding sentences and rewriting them with correct capitalization and punctuation. Labels for a title and directions have been included.
• Use the resource within a small-group center. Take turns completing and then passing the cards around the table, or complete each card together as a group.

Can my younger students complete these activities verbally?

Yes! In fact, it’s a great idea for ALL students to complete the sentence level activities verbally before writing or recording the sentences. Younger writers may wish to stop at the oral language level and simply practice verbally stating complete sentences.

Differentiated Recording Sheets and Options

You may have each student write the complete sentence on any paper you choose, such as a notebook or journal, on handwriting paper, or on a dry-erase board. If you are completing the activity as a teacher model, you may wish to record the sentence on an easel or chart paper or under a document camera.

You can also use one of the three differentiated recording sheets provided within the resource.

I hope you and your students love this sentence-level writing resource and writing center! Be sure to shop my store for additional sentence level writing resources, and my sentence-level writing bundle!

Miss DeCarbo, Inc.

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