Grammar · Sentence level
Sentence combining
Give students short, simple sentences and ask them to combine them into one longer sentence using connectives or clauses. It builds complex sentences from ideas students already have.
- Bands
- 2 to 5
- Stages
- Upper elementary, Middle school and High school
- Settings
- Mainstream class, Pull-out support and Small group
- Prep
- Low prep
How to do it
- Write two or three short sentences about the lesson’s content.
- Model combining them in different ways, using and, because, although and which.
- In pairs, students combine sets of sentences, trying more than one way.
- Discuss which version is clearest, and why.
- Ask students to combine sentences in their own draft writing.
In a lesson
History (middle school)
The board shows: The king raised taxes. The people were poor. They rebelled. Students produce “The people rebelled because the king raised taxes when they were already poor” and “Although the people were already poor, the king raised taxes, so they rebelled.”
What commonly goes wrong
- Long sentences are accepted even when they are less clear than the short ones.
- Connectives are taught without checking their meaning, such as although and because.
- Practice sentences have nothing to do with the subject content.
Adapting it
For a lower band
Combine two sentences with and or because only.
For a higher band
Use relative clauses and fronted adverbials.