Instructor: Kimberly Marts
Literacy AA Mensendick
Grades 4-8
Main Sentence Trunk
 Simple sentence which includes a noun and verb.
 Equation: Noun + Verb. =MST
 Example:
The dog jumped.
The man slept.
Creating Lists of Nouns and Verbs
 Nouns are words that are people, places, and things Ex.
dog, cat, school, pencil
 On your graphic organizer, I am setting the timer-list
as many nouns as you can in 3 minutes
 Verbs are Words that represent and action you can do.
Ex. jump, sing, run, walk
 On your graphic organizer, I am setting the time-list as
many verbs as you can in 3 minutes.
Activity #1: Making Nouns and
Verbs More Specific
 Taking general nouns and verbs and increasing the Word Choice
by making them more unique or specific.
Nouns:
 Dog-poodle, Doberman, Labrador Retriever
 Man- businessman, baseball player, couch potato
Verbs:
 Jump- leap, lunge, bound
 slept-napped, snoozed, slumbered
Activity:
On your graphic organizer-you have 5 minutes to revise your nouns
and verbs to stronger more powerful words by using the
thesaurus (if needed) to build word choice and voice in your kids
writing.
Activity #1: Making Nouns and
Verbs More Specific
Nouns
Verbs
 Dog-Doberman
 Jump-leap
 Man-couch potato
 Slept-snoozed
Activity: Human Sentence-MST
 In pairs, the groups will use sentence strips to create
human sentences that include the specific noun and
strong verb. (Cooperative Learning)
 The group will go to the front of the room and act out
their sentence while the class reads along, using hand
signals. (Engagement)
Clap hands over head= capital
Punch in front= punctuation (period)
**This can and should be used for all sentence types in
class to increase motivation and engagement, by doing
you promote better memory than just seeing**
Checking Readability of Writing
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Go into Review Tab
Select Spelling and Grammar
Options (at bottom)
Check Box-show Readability and press ok
After you type in your sentence on a word document, select
Spelling and Grammar, OK
 Your grade level score will come up.
Ex. O=K and scores goes up from there by year
 As you add to your sentences or create chunks, you will add
to the word document to show how the score increases by
adding stronger nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, various
sentences, and expanders.
Adding Adjectives and Adverbs (Descriptive
Words to increase Word Choice and Voice)
Adjectives are words that describe a noun to make it
more visual and produce imagery
 The vicious Doberman
 The lazy couch potato
Adverbs are words that enhance the verb and very often
tell how the action happens.
-aggressively jumped
-sluggishly snoozed
Activity: Add Adverbs and
Adjectives to your Graphic
Organizer
Nouns (adjectives)
Verbs (adverbs)
 Vicious dog (Doberman)
 Aggressively jumped (lunged)
 The lazy man (couch potato)
 Sluggishly slept (snoozed)
Action Expander Sentences
 Add expander phrases that tell when, where, why, how,
and condition to you descriptive MST
 Pass out sentence tree to glue in notebook
 Equation:
MST (N + V) + 2-3 expanders.
Example:
During the show (when), the mysterious magician
slyly (how) pulled a rabbit out of his hat on stage
(where).
Foldable Expander Activity
 Fold you paper in half the long way 3 times
 Open it up and write your name in the top box
 In order, going down the page, label specific noun,
verb, how, when, where, why
 Create a model for the class up on the board with chart
paper.
 Paired Model Activity- Model and Guided practice are
done at the same time in sub steps
Several Action Expander (Chunking)
 Taking the sentence you created, make it the first
sentence of your paragraph.
 Continue the story to create a chunk no longer than 10
sentences using the topic from our sentence.
 Make sure it includes a variety of sentence lengths and
beginnings (focus on sentence fluency)
Several Action Expander
During the Night, the sneaky shark quickly swam to catch his next victim.
Swoosh! His fin flapped back and forth like a revolving door at Bloomindales.
His eyes turned jet black. As the ocean grew darker, the shark’s smell of his prey
grew stronger. CHOMP! His victim was caught in the dead of the night, now
with one less leg.
Fluency:
Number of Words in each Sentence:
#1 _______
#2 _______
#3 _______
#4 _______
#5 _______
#6 _______
#7 _______
Beginning words in each Sentence:
#1 _______
#2 _______
#3 _______
#4 _______
#5 _______
#6 _______
#7 _______
Surround the Noun
 A sentence that uses description in order to make a
noun more visual and to promote imagery.
 Equation:
Adjective + noun + with/that adjective phrase+ verb
phrase. (adv)
The fluffy bunny with a white, bushy tail hopped along
the meadow peacefully.
Activity: Magazine Picture Round Robin
 Using different magazine pictures, puppets, or objects
around the room, the students describe the object by
surrounding the noun with and adjective and
with/that descriptive phrase.
 Rotating around the stations or passing the object,
students will create surround the noun sentences on
their graphic organizers. (Increases Engagement)
Surround the Noun Chunk
 Taking the sentence you created, make it the first
sentence of your paragraph.
 Continue the story to create a chunk no longer than 10
sentences using the topic form our sentence.
 Make sure it includes a variety of sentence lengths and
beginnings (focus on sentence fluency)
Surround the Noun (Chunking)
The magnificent magician with a sparkly magic wand slyly put the rabbit into his top hat. Tapping his
wand on the brim, the crowd sat in awe. He tipped the hat over. Poof! The rabbit had disappeared
into thin air. The crowd went wild. Suddenly, he tapped the brim two more times. Tap! Tap! In an
instant, the rabbit popped its head out of the top of the hat, making the crowd go wild. His
illuminating magic show turned out to a complete success.
Fluency:
Number of Words in each Sentence:
#1 _______
#2 _______
#3 _______
#4 _______
#5 _______
#6 _______
#7 _______
#8 _______
#9 _______
#10 _______
Beginning words in each Sentence:
#1 _______
#2 _______
#3 _______
#4 _______
#5 _______
#6 _______
#7 _______
#8 _______
#9_______
#10 _______
Renamer/Appositive Sentence
 The noun is renamed with a synonym (noun that
relates or means the same thing)
 The renamer can be a role, job, name, definition,
function, personality description
 Equation:
Noun , renamer phrase, verb phrase. (adj/adv)
Example:
The fantastic professor, a knowledgeable resource,
assisted the teachers in planning their lessons
confidently.
Activity: Renamer Organizer
 Model roles, jobs, functions, and personality
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descriptions of yourself on your page one at a time.
After each type, have the students do their own for
each type.
Model your sentence for each type on the back.
Have the students create a sentence for each type on
the back of the page.
Lower grade teachers, you can focus on a type at a time
to avoid overwhelming you students and modify the
worksheet. (provided examples for both graphic
organizers for you)
Renamer (Appositive) Sentence Chunk
 Taking the sentence you created, make it the first
sentence of your paragraph.
 Continue the story to create a chunk no longer than 10
sentences using the topic form your sentence.
 Make sure it includes a variety of sentence lengths and
beginnings (focus on sentence fluency)
Renamer (Appositive) Chunk
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, fought endlessly to pass a law to free the
slaves. He believed that they should be emancipated from their owners. He
tried preserved the union. Ulysses S. Grant was assisting in his efforts to take
over the border slave states. Through many battles, Ulysses S. Grant succeeded
and Lincoln finally achieved what he wanted all along. In the end, the 13th
amendment was passed, freeing the slaves. He gave the Gettysburg Address.
He was assassinated in 1865.
Fluency:
Number of Words in each Sentence:
#1 _______
#2 _______
#3 _______
#4 _______
#5 _______
#6 _______
#7 _______
Beginning words in each Sentence:
#1 _______
#2 _______
#3 _______
#4 _______
#5 _______
#6 _______
#7 _______
3 Action Sentence
 Shows 3 sequenced verbs (actions) that the noun is doing
 All verbs are related
 All verbs are the same tense
 Variety of phrase length
 Equation:
Noun + verb phrase, verb phrase, and verb phrase. (adv)
Example:
The majestic clown blew up balloons, shaped them into
animals, and dazzled the crowd amazingly.
Activity: Flip Book
 Take 4 pieces of paper and scaffold them to show about an inch of the
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paper below it and fold over the top to form 8 flaps.
Place two staples at the top on the left and right side.
Label the flaps from top to bottom :
3 Action Sentence
noun (specific)
verb #1
phrase #1,
verb #2
phrase #2,
and verb #3
phrase #3.
On the back, write the completed sentence and draw a comic strip of
the 3 actions the noun is doing.
3 Action Sentence Chunk
 Taking the sentence you created, make it the first
sentence of your paragraph.
 Continue the story to create a chunk no longer than 10
sentences about the topic form your sentence.
 Make sure it includes a variety of sentence lengths and
beginnings (focus on sentence fluency)
3 Action Sentence Chunk
Corky Kyle created havoc wherever he went, messed up everything, and never cleaned up
after himself. This annoyed everyone. Until one day, his mom decided to teach him a
lesson. She took all the mess from the house and dumped it in his room. She even put
the dirty dishes, laundry and garbage in his room. When he went to bed, he had
nowhere to sleep. He had to clean up everything until he could get to his bed. He learned
his lesson. He never made a mess again.
Fluency:
Number of Words in each Sentence:
#1 _______
#2 _______
#3 _______
#4 _______
#5 _______
#6 _______
#7 _______
#8 _______
#9 _______
Beginning words in each Sentence:
#1 _______
#2 _______
#3 _______
#4 _______
#5 _______
#6 _______
#7 _______
#8 _______
#9 _______
Expository Paragraphs
 Paragraphs that describe a topic with supporting
details which include point (essential/relevant details)
as well as additional information (elaborations).
 It includes a topic sentence and concluding sentence
which has the main topic (MT) and narrow/paragraph
topic (NT/PT).
PIE Acronym-Anchor
MT=Main Topic
NT/PT=Narrow topic or Paragraph Topic
P = Point
*relevant information that relates directly to the narrow
topic
I/E=additional information
*information that elaborates on the Point (relevant info)
to add more information about the Point.
Analyzing Text
While paired-modeling on the document camera, model each step
as you go to show your metacognition of your sub-objectives.
 Read the passage all the way through-focus on key word
throughout
 Reread the passage and identify the MT and label it in blue
(highlight key words)
 Reread the topic sentence and identify the NT/PT
(highlight/label in blue).
 What about the MT am I learning about?
 Reread the passage, identify the points that directly relate to the
NT and highlight in red
 Reread the passage, identify the additional information that
adds or elaborates to each point and highlight in green.
Sample Coded Paragraph-Anchor
There are many different types (NT/PT) of bears (MT)
in the world. Thee common types of bears are the
polar bear, brown bear, and panda bear. Polar bears are
found in the cold weather climates like Antarctica.
Their fur is clear and takes on the color of their
surroundings. Brown bears can be found in the
mountainous regions of the Northeast. They are
carnivores that feed on the meat of animals around
them. Lastly, the Panda bears can be found in China.
Their fur changes between the colors of gray, black and
white, and brown. They feed on both bamboo and
vegetation.
Reformatting on PIE Chart
 Color Code PIE chart (MT/PT=Blue, P=Red, IE=Green)
 Label MT and PT/NT at the top and bottom of the PIE
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chart.
Fill in 3 points that relate to the PT/NT
Copying directly from the text, write the additional
information in 2 or more word phrases that elaborate on
each Point.
Revise the phrases by paraphrasing the phrases, suing your
own words.
Add transitions words and expanders to increase fluency
and variety of beginnings in your sentences.
Reformatting Using PIE-Anchor
MT
Bears
PT/NT
Types
P
Polar
I
(frigid) cold weather
E
clear (see through) fur/takes on color of surrounding (environment)
P
Brown
I
lives (roams) in mountains of the Northeast
E
carnivore/feeds (devours) on meat
P
Panda
I
lives (resides) in China
E
feeds (munches) on bamboo/vegetation (herbivore)
MT
Bears
NT/PT
Types
Summarizing
 Create a topic sentence which include the MT and
NT/PT.
 Focusing on each section of the chart (PIE), write a
variety of complex sentences rather than short, choppy
simple sentences that include your Points (relevant)
and Additional Information (IE).
 Create a concluding sentence which include the MT
and NT/PT.
 Color code the paragraph to check that all information
was included. (check for understanding)
Summary/Body Paragraph
Bears (MT) come in many different types (PT/NT). In
Antarctica, a cold weather bear, also known as the
polar, has clear fur which matches the color of its
environment. Along the mountains of the northeast,
the carnivorous brown bear devours the meat of its
prey. Lastly, the veggie-eating panda bear lives in
China and loves to munch on bamboo and other
vegetation. All in all, a variety (PT/NT) of bears (MT)
exist all around us.