Grammar & Teaching Writing OWP Summer 2012

Sentence Task Menu

Two w ord or Simp le sent ences

Choose two(2) tasks from each list below to show what you know.

1. Scav enger Hunt: Go through your independent reading book or ipod list of songs and write down any that are complete sentences. (ex: Love Stinks) 2. Write an imitation or your own two word sentences 3. Revise a two word sentence from the ipod list or your own writing and make it longer. 4. Revise a longer sentence in your writing into two words only 5. Explain in your own words what is necessary to write a complete sentence 6. Explain the positive and negative effects of two word sentences.

Fr agment s
1. Scavenger Hunt: Go through your independent reading book or ipod and list of songs and write down 10 titles that are fragments 2. Write an imitation or your own sentence fragment. 3. Revise a fragment from the ipod list into a complete sentence 4. Revise a fragment from your own writing into a complete sentence, 5. Explain what a fragment is and why it should not be used. 6. Explain when and why a fragment might be effective.

Lisa Bakita Bellbrook Middle School 2012

Grammar & Teaching Writing OWP Summer 2012

Compound Task Menu

Choose two(2) tasks from each list below to show what you know. Compound Subj ect s
1. Scav enger Hunt: Go through your independent reading book & write down 3 sentences that have compound subjects. 2. Write an imitation or your own compound subject sentence. Highlight the subjects. 3. Revise a sentence from your own writing to include a compound subject. 4. Combine two sentences from your own writing to create a compound subject. 5. Explain in what a compound subject is and what effect it has on the reader. 6. Explain the rules required when writing compound subjects.

Compound ver bs
1. Scavenger Hunt: Go through your independent reading book & write down 3 sentences that have compound verbs. 2. Write an imitation or your own sentence compound verb sentence. 3. Revise a sentence from your own writing to create a compound verb. Write the original & revised sentences. 4. Combine two sentences from your own writing to create a compound verb, Write the original & revised sentences. 5. Explain what a compound verb is and what effect it has on the reader 6. Explain the rules required when writing compound verbs.
Lisa Bakita Bellbrook Middle School 2012 2

Grammar & Teaching Writing OWP Summer 2012

C ,. C.A . Task Menu

Choose two(2) tasks from each list below to show what you know. Capitalizati on
1. Scav enger Hunt: Go through your independent reading book & write down 3 sentences that use capitalization in 3 different ways & Label them. 2. Write an imitation or your own sentences using capitalization . 3. Revise a sentence from your own writing to include a capitalization other than names or the beginning of a sentence Write the original & revised sentences. 4. Explain in your own words three ways capitalization helps us communicate.

Commas
1. Scavenger Hunt: Go through your independent reading book & write down 3 sentences that use commas in a series. 2. Write an imitation or your own sentence with commas in a series. 3. Revise a sentence from your own writing to create a sentence using commas in a series. Write the original & revised sentences. 4. Explain in your own words why and where commas are used in a series.

Ap ostr oph es
1. Scavenger Hunt: Go through your independent reading book & write down 3 sentences that use apostrophes. 2. Write an imitation or your own sentences with apostrophes. 3. Revise a sentence from your own writing to create a sentence using apostrophes. Write the original & revised sentences. 4. Explain in your own words why and when apostrophes are needed.
Lisa Bakita Bellbrook Middle School 2012 3

Grammar & Teaching Writing OWP Summer 2012

Directions: Choose one task from each menu The Five Brush Strokes category to help revise your writing and make it BETTER

Action Verbs
This brush stroke uses vivid verbs instead of a tired, overused, to be verb. The road was on the left side of the barn. Becomes The road curled around the left side of the barn. Compound Verbs: A series of sentence parts that tells two or more actions

Pulses of energy rippled through him and excited his thoughts. Charlie Higson, Silverfin I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and covered my head. Sharon Creech, The Wanderer

Appositives
An appositive is a noun that adds a second image to the noun before it. The appositive expands details in the readers imagination .

The fish, a slimy mass of flesh, felt the alligators giant teeth sink into his scales and he tried to get away.

Participles
Similar to the absolute, but without the noun. phrase tagged onto the beginning of a setting Sliding on the loose gravel, the car went Can be an ing word or

Absolutes
This brush stroke consists of a noun and an ing word Examples from Jack London: hair bristling, mouth foaming, lips writhing and snarling,

jaws clipping together, ears laid back, eyes diabolically gleaming, chest panting futilely

Placing two consecutive adjectives are positioned after the noun .Rather than The old, dented, rusty car went into the parking lot the

Adjectives out of Order

author writes: The old car, dented and rusty, went into the parking lot.

Lisa Bakita Bellbrook Middle School 2012

Grammar & Teaching Writing OWP Summer 2012

Choose two(2) clauses below to imitate, or find your own to imitate and revise in your writing.

Compound

(Independent)

Bricks a re crumbling in places, a nd the front door is so swo llen you have to push hard to get in." Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street

Adverb

(Dependent)

Sev eral d ays later, coming home from school, I found a pla stic bag on our front step. Jerry Spinelli, Stargirl

Adjective

(Dependent)

His tongue, stained with berry juice, stuck to the roof of his mouth and he stared at the b ear. Gary Paulsen, Hatchet I laid Rya ns limp bod y , ridd led with sob s and still wet with blood, over one shoulder and feverishly dialed 911 . Mrs. Bakita, A Spoonful of Terror

Compound Complex

Indep./dep.

It made the endless sky into a ceiling just above his head, a nd the wo rds bounced back, la nding somewhere on the f loor of limping Jewish feet." Markus Zusak, The Book Thief,

Lisa Bakita Bellbrook Middle School 2012

Grammar & Teaching Writing OWP Summer 2012

Direc ti ons : Choose 2 sentence types to im itate, or to add To or revise your writing and make it BETTER

Prepositional
Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition and can be singleor multiple

Captain Eaton, in his good blue coat, was shouting orders from the quarterdeck. Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond Behind a billboard, on an empty lot, he opened the purse and saw a pile of silver and copper coins. Charles Chaplin, My Autobiography

Participial
Participial phrases are verbs ending in ing or ed acting as an adjective to describe. They can be single or multiple Feeling slightly more cheerful, Harry helped himself to sausages and fried tomatoes.

Hating himself, repulsed by what he was doing, Harry forced the goblet back toward Dumbledores mouth and tipped it for Dumbledore to drink the remainder of the horrible potion inside. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the HalfBlood Prince

Gerund
Gerund Phrases is a verb ending in ing. A gerund shows action, but they also name and act as nouns. They can be single or multiple. Saddling the pony the first time was a ticklish job. John Steinbeck, The Red Pony

Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction. Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

Absolutes are almost complete sentences. They describe the rest of the sentence but is missing the be verb. They can be single or multiple. His heart beating fast, Harry stood listening to the chilly silence. J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone Mr. Barnett, his face red and eyes bulging, immediately pounced on her. Mildred Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Lisa Bakita Bellbrook Middle School 2012 6

Absolute