Marybeth Kinnell
Sentence Variety
Objective
Students will be able to identify and create simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.
Common Core Standards
WHST.9-10.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience.
Instructional Objectives:
1. Students will define and identify an independent and dependent clause.
2. Students will understand and create simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.
3. Students will understand the benefit of sentence variety in writing.
4. Students will discuss their sentences with the class and their experience during the assignment.
Lesson
Segment &
Time Est.
5 min
5-10 min
Materials
Instructional Sequence
Text
messages,
Twitter posts
From kids
Introduction /Hook
Black board
Explain.
 Overview
o Explain lesson objective:
 I can identify and create simple, compound, complex and compound-complex
sentences.
 Review clause types
o Independent
o Dependent
 Define sentence types
o Simple
o Compound


Introduction – read examples of the kids daily writing: text message, twitter post…etc.
What do they think about the writing.

Read from young adult, classic literature, or informational text

Ask: how are they different? How are they the same? Do you notice similarities and
differences in the sentence structure?
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Lesson Plan Template
Marybeth Kinnell
Lesson
Segment &
Time Est.
Materials
Instructional Sequence

Guided
Practice
40 min
Sentences
Strips,
markers,
scissors,
lined paper,
paper clips.


o Complex
o Compound-Complex
Model creating and combing sentences to create the different types
o Review conjunctions and subordinate conjunctions
o Review punctuation

Pass out sentence strips
Students will write a simple sentence on their strip, cut it into word segments, and paper clip these
together
Students will partner with another student and create a team
The new team will create as many compound sentences as they can from both students’ original
sentences and record them on a separate piece of paper.
When finished, the new team of two will join another team and create a team of four
They will follow the same sequence and create as many complex sentences as possible and record
them on their paper.
When finished, the new team of four will join another team and create a team of eight.
They follow the same sequence and create as many compound-complex sentences as possible.
The teams should choose an example of each sentence type and have a team leader write the
sentences on the board.
The teams will share their sentences with the class.

Class discussion about their experience with the lesson


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Closing Set
Assessment
Plan:
Evaluate/Extend.
 Check for understanding during direct instruction and group lesson
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Lesson Plan Template
Marybeth Kinnell
Lesson
Segment &
Time Est.
Materials
Instructional Sequence


Differentiation
Closing set discussion to encourage meta cognition
Check for understanding during guided practice
Students will be evaluated for a good understanding of the key concepts. This is the beginning sequence
for a culminating lesson in usage and style.
Lesson uses multiple levels of thinking: Knowledge, Application, and Synthesis.
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Lesson Plan Template