Activities to Teach Students to Combine Sentences: Predicates
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As a teacher, one of the essential skills to teach students is combining sentences. Combining sentences can help students sound more mature in their writing, and it can help them write more fluidly. A crucial aspect of combining sentences is understanding predicates. This article will provide a guide on activities that can be used to teach students how to combine sentences using predicates.
1. Sentence Starters
Sentence starters are an excellent tool when teaching students to combine sentences. It can help them learn how two sentences can be linked using particular words. For instance, using predicates such as “because,” “although,” and “however” can link two sentences together. Below is an example:
Sentence 1: The sun was hot.
Sentence 2: I went for a swim.
Combined sentence: Although the sun was hot, I went for a swim.
In this example, the predicate “although” was used to link the two sentences.
2. Sentence puzzles
Sentence puzzles are a fun and engaging way of teaching students how to combine sentences using predicates. In this activity, the teacher can create a set of cards with one sentence each. The students can then work in pairs or small groups to combine the sentences using predicates. They can use a different predicate for each combination. For example:
Sentence 1: The cat slept.
Sentence 2: The dog barked.
Combined sentence: While the cat slept, the dog barked. OR After the cat slept, the dog barked.
In this example, the predicates “while” and “after” were used to link the two sentences.
3. Sentence Writing
Another activity to teach students to combine sentences using predicates is through sentence writing. The teacher can provide students with a topic and ask them to write a paragraph using a set number of sentences. After that, they can revise their paragraph to combine the sentences using predicates. For example, the teacher can provide the following topic:
Topic: Summer
Sentence 1: The sun is shining.
Sentence 2: The birds are singing.
Sentence 3: The flowers are blooming.
Combined sentence: With the sun shining and the birds singing, the flowers are blooming.
In this example, the predicate “with” was used to link the three sentences.
Conclusion
In conclusion, teaching students to combine sentences using predicates can help them become better writers. The activities mentioned above are just a few examples of methods that can be used to teach this essential skill. Through sentence starters, puzzles, and sentence writing, students can learn how to combine sentences using different predicates. Ultimately, mastering this skill will help them write more complex and engaging compositions.