K8 Sentence Fluency

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K-8Sentence Fluency

• By
• Eric Knight, Davee Connell,
• Kristy Meyer

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Sentence Fluency

• Sentence fluency is the readability of the paper.
• Smooth flow
• Different beginnings, lengths, and structures
• Complete sentences, no fragments

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What to look for in Sentence Fluency

• Rudimentary sentences- subject verb (e.g. She
  walked.)
• Experimenting with word strings to form a
  sentence.
• Use more complex sentences.

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What to look for in Sentence Fluency Cont.

• Multiple sentences with different beginnings,
  varied length.
• Rhythm cadences in oral or written language.
  (Model with Poetry)
• Long and Short Sentences.

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What Can the Teacher do

• Compare sentences, first read sentences with good
  fluency, then read sentences that are short and
  choppy.
• Give the students descriptive words to use in
  their writings.
• Show the students picture with a caption, and
  then have the students use descriptive words to
  make the caption better.

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What Can the Teacher do

• Let the students choose their own topic to write
  about, this lets them write about something that
  is interesting to them.
• Read books with good sentence fluency to model
  what a good fluent sentence should sound like.

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Books for Fluency

• Angelou, Maya. My Painted House, My Chicken and
  Me.
• Base, Graeme. The Sign of the Seahorse.
  (Wonderfully rhythmic, but also appropriate for
  word choice and voice.)
• Baylor, Byrd. The Table Where Rich People Sit.
• Burleigh, Robert. Hoops (Show how to play
  basketball from the inside out.)

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Books for Fluency

• Fox, Mem. Time for Bed (Illustrates how rhyme
  affects rhythm.)
• Gary, Libba More. My Had a Dancing Heart.
• Greenberg, David. Slugs.
• Paulson, Gary. Dogteam. Work Song.
• Viorst, Judith. If I Were in Chicago of the World
  and Other Worries.
• Viorst, Judith. My Mama Says There Arent Any
  Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons,
  Monsters, Friends, Goblins of Things. (Good to
  read aloud for fluency)

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Sentence Fluency K-2

• Sentence Building Pyramid
• I saw a clown.
• I saw a funny clown.
• I saw a funny clown juggling.
• I saw a funny clown juggling bowling pins.
• I saw a funny clown juggling bowling pins in a
  parade.
• I saw a funny clown juggling bowling pins in a
  Christmas parade.

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Third and Fourth Grade Activities

• Picture Books Students look at pictures from a
  book then write descriptive words to describe
  that picture. Then the students write a sentence
  about the picture using as many of their
  descriptive words they can.
• Comic Strip The students use the website below
  and make there own comic strip.
  http//www.ballparkfranks.com/kids_stuff/comic_boo
  k/index.html

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Third and Fourth Grade Activities Cont.

• Magazine Editor You tell the students that they
  have been chosen to edit the caption on magazine
  picture. They will be in charge of writing new
  captions to make the pictures more descriptive.
• Juicy Sentences The teacher gives the students a
  bland sentence and then one example of how to
  make that sentence a good one. The students then
  write there own JUICY Sentence.

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Sentence Fluency 5-8

• A writer should do the following
• Give the writing an easy flow and rhythm
• Invite expressive oral reading of the text
• Use complete sentences--any fragments must add to
  the meaning of the text
• Use different sentence lengths
• Use different sentence beginnings
• Use different sentence structures
• Use writing that sounds natural
• Give a check sheet with these different
  suggestions to students when they are writing
  stories.

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Sentence Fluency 5-8

• Sentence Beginnings- Students tend to use the
  same beginnings to all of their sentences.
• Choose a writing topic for the activity.
• Sentence 1 -- Begin with a singular common
  noun.                       (Do not begin with
  the.) 
• Sentence 2 -- Begin with an adjective.
• Sentence 3 -- Begin with a phrase that tells
  when.
• Sentence 4 -- Begin with a verb ending in -ing.
• Sentence 5 -- Begin with a phrase that tells
  where.
• Sentence 6 -- Begin with an interjection. 
• Sentence 7 -- Begin with an phrase that tells
  how.
• Sentence 8 -- Begin with an adverb ending in -ly.
• Sentence 9 -- Begin with prepositional phrase.
• Sentence 10 -- Begin with a verb ending in ed.