Mini Lesson:
Combining Two Independent Clauses With A Comma And Coordinating
Conjunction
LLED 400
November 16, 2009
By:
Katie Belis
Michelle Mardula
What They’re Learning: How to properly use commas to combine two
independent clauses using commas and coordinating conjunctions. Coordinating
conjunctions join words and groups of words of equal status.
Why They’re Learning This: We have noticed that the in their writing the children
have been combining two independent clauses without correctly using commas and
coordinating conjunctions. We would like the children to understand that two
independent clauses within the same sentence have the same importance when
using a coordinating conjunction. We want to stress the importance of correct
placement of the commas when using the coordinating conjunction.
Preparation: In past mini-lessons we have explained sentence structure and the
difference between dependent and independent clauses. They children are aware
that independent clauses can stand alone, but also they can be linked to other
independent clauses. We have introduced the idea of using coordinating
conjunctions to connect independent clauses. The children seem to enjoy writing
sentences with two complete ideas. However, they are struggling with how to do it
with proper grammar. When we introduced the coordinating conjunctions we
started with the helpful acronym “FANBOYS” to enable the children to remember
the seven coordinating conjunctions. We also created a poster of the seven
coordinating conjunctions for the children to have as a reference while writing.
Audience: As our third graders have started writing more independently we’ve
noticed they’re misusing the use of commas and coordinating conjunctions when
joining two independent clauses. This mini lesson will break up the class into small
groups. We aim to give this mini lesson to every student so that they can become
more effective writers. We will pair children who already have seemed to grasp this
concept with students that are still struggling with this the use of commas and
coordinating conjunctions. After introducing the lesson we will ask the children to
push their desks together to form small circles. We will be wandering around and
checking on the groups to assist when needed.
Prior Assessment: During free-writes we have noticed that our children are so
excited about what they are trying to write that they pay little attention to how they
join their independent clauses. After several weeks of noticing this habit happening
from most students we decided it was time to introduce a mini lesson that discusses
the use of commas and coordinating conjunctions to combine independent clauses.
We in no way wanted to discourage children from joining independent clauses, but
we would just like to give them the tools to do it correctly. We believe it’s an
important lesson that every student in the classroom would benefit from. It is an
important grammar rule that is sometimes overlooked.
Lesson Plan
Objectives:
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The children will successfully combine 2 independent clauses using
coordinating conjunctions and a comma.
The children will work together and offer assistance when questions arise
from other classmates.
The children will demonstrate their knowledge of the proper use of
coordinating conjunctions and commas to combine two independent clauses
by completing the activity assigned during the mini lesson.
Materials Needed:
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Bowl of uncooked macaroni
Seven flashcards of coordinating conjunctions (for each group)
Bag of various independent clauses written on strips of paper
On the board will be a model for them to refer to
Poster demonstrating correct use of commas(macaroni) with coordinating
conjunctions
Lesson Components
Read Aloud:
With prior permission we would ask some students to read excerpts from their freewriters that contain sentences with improper and proper uses of combining
independent clauses. With careful consideration students will understand by
allowing the class to hear their free-write they are helping everyone by giving
concrete examples of these sentences. By using the children’s examples we will be
demonstrating how common the use of commas and coordinating conjunctions are
in their writing. We want to the children to be aware that properly combining
independent clauses helps their potential audience understand their writing better.
Modeling:
From the read aloud ask the children to recall some sentences from the free-write.
We will write these sentences on the board. After collecting a few sentences we will
describe to the children how we link ideas together in order to form more complete
thoughts with the use of commas and coordinating conjunctions. The two
independent clauses that will be combined must be related in some way. The ideas
must be similar or they can be opposing ideas.
For example:
Katie went to the mall.
Katie bought a shirt.
These sentences can stand alone as two separate sentences. However, Katie bought
a shirt is an extension of her going to the mall. It makes sense to combine these
sentences with a comma and coordinating conjunction because together they help
the writing flow better and alleviates such choppy sentences. Doesn’t “Katie went to
the mall, and she bought a shirt” sound so much better? We think you guys can
really become more effective writers if you can combine separate thoughts into one
sentence when it fits.
Guided Practice: The students will break up into small groups. We will pass out
the materials they will need to do the activity. The activity consists of a hands on
experience in which the children will form two independent clauses into one
complete sentence and thought. They will do this by drawing two pieces of paper
each containing one independent clause from the pool of sentences we have
prepared. After drawing two independent clauses the students will brainstorm in
their small groups for ways to combine these clauses by using the comma and a
coordinating conjunction. There will be not one “right” answer. Rather, it will
encourage them to make as many different combinations with the comma and
coordinating conjunction to make one full sentence. By working together they will
be able to help each other see things differently and generate a variety of ways to
transform the text. We will be walking around from group to group to offer
assistance. If students seem to be stuck we can offer suggestions on a possible way
to connect the independent clauses.
Independent Practice: Encourage the students to try and use at least five
coordinating conjunctions in their daily free-write to combine two independent
clauses. Remind them that the comma is always placed before the coordinating
conjunction. Have them proofread a peer’s work and see if they can find instances
where a coordinating conjunction would be needed to combine two independent
clauses. Peer revision is an excellent way to reiterate the importance of using
commas and coordinating conjunctions.
Reflection
During the free-write did you notice a difference when you would combine two
independent clauses with a comma and coordinating conjunction? Did it sound
better? Did it make the story flow? Was it easy to choose which coordinating
conjunction would work the best with the two independent clauses? How did you
decide which independent clauses to combine?
Did you notice a lot of instances where your peers could have combined
independent clauses when revising their work? Did it make a difference in their
piece of writing when the revisions were made? Could you understand their story
better after they combined their independent clauses with commas and
coordinating conjunctions?
As an extension of this mini-lesson we would refer the children to our classroom
library in order to find examples of the combination of two independent clauses by a
comma and coordinating conjunction. This shows the children the real importance
of this lesson by seeing it in literature and books they read on a regular basis. It’s
not just the teacher dictating to them they must write in this way. They can see for
themselves how vital this writing technique is to all writers in the world.
Post-Lesson Reflection
The children seemed to really enjoy the hands on experience of combining the
sentences. The combination of sentences was so creative! They loved using the
macaroni. It was great to see how such a simple idea could really reach out to them
to help them better understand the lesson and how to combine two sentences by a
comma and coordinating conjunction.
Theory: This lesson was important to instill to our students that writers learn early
on that writers pay attention to mechanics as well as to style and form when they
write. According to Regie Routman in Conversations, mini-lessons are our
demonstrations and interactive lessons in procedures, craft, and conventions that
make the writing workshop run smoothly and help move students’ writing forward.
We believe by introducing this lesson we are moving their writing forward a small
step, but it’s something they can build upon to become even more productive and
detailed writers. If we notice in the writing samples that follow that this lesson was
ineffective we may reintroduce later in the school year to reiterate the importance
of combining two independent clauses with a comma and coordinating conjunction.
We think commas are essential to writing because without commas we would not
know when to pause. According to Rebbeca Elliott in Painless Grammar sentence
phrases, clauses and lists become confusing, disorienting, and jumbled when we
forget how commas should be used, when they should be used, and equally
importantly when they shouldn’t be used.
Questions after completing lesson: Did they understand? Does it show in their
writing since the mini-lesson was given? Should we have given the children who
already had a handle on this concept a different lesson on writing techniques?
Could we have taught this lesson in a more effective way? Did we explain our
expectations of them thoroughly?
Evidence: In their free-writes and other writing assignments we will be on the
outlook to see if they are applying this mini-lesson to their writing. It will be easy
enough to recognize if they modified their writing or if they are still stuck in their
old habits. Although we understand it was a short mini-lesso we hope it has
profound effects on the writing to come. We understand they might not combine
independent clauses with a comma and coordinating conjunction every single time,
but we hope they do it with ease and quite often.