Lesson Plan : Run-On Sentences
Teacher Name: | Heather Gulledge |
Grade: | Grade 7-8 |
Subject: | Language Arts |
Topic: | Run-on Sentences. Grammar |
Content: | Run-on sentences can be difficult for students to see when they are writing. This activity lets them practice looking critically at sentences to see how they can be broken down into smaller ones. |
Goals: | The student will be able to break a run-on sentence into smaller sentences. |
Objectives: | TWLD: Correct and write their own sentences. Sentences Structure will become natural to the student. |
Materials: | 2 sets of run on sentences - one set written on sentence strips and one set written on index cards |
Introduction: | Essential Question: What is a Run-On Sentence? Write the following sentence on the board: Ava is very responsible she always keeps her word. Ask students to identify what is wrong with this sentence. Encourage them to discuss the fact that the sentence is made of two independent clauses with nothing connecting them. Tell students that this is an example of a run-on sentence and is grammatically incorrect. Inform them that it is important to try and avoid these run-on sentences in their own writing, for it lowers the quality of their work. |
Development: | Three Methods of Correction Explain to students that there are three main ways to correct run-on sentences. Write the following methods on the board and explain them to students: 1.Break the run-on sentence into two sentences. 2.Add a conjunction (and possibly a comma or semicolon). 3.Add a semicolon. Explain the first method by reminding students that a run-on sentence is really just two clauses (or groups of words that can stand alone as sentences) stuck together with nothing connecting them. Tell students that one of the simplest ways to correct a run-on sentence is to break it into two separate sentences. For example, in the sample above, you could simply break the run-on sentences into the following: Ava is very responsible. She always keeps her word. Then tell students that the second and third methods are essentially ways to add �glue� to stick to the clauses together. In the second method, that glue is a conjunction. (Make sure you have gone through a lesson plan on conjunctions with students before this point.) So either of the following sentences would correct the sample above: �Ava is very responsible because she always keeps her word. �Ava always keeps her word, so she is very responsible. �Ava always keeps her word; therefore, she is very responsible. �Since Ava always keeps her word, she is very responsible. Explain that the third method uses a semicolon to �glue� the clauses together. For example, the sample above would be rewritten: Ava is very responsible; she always keeps her word. Remind students that there are rules that govern the use of the semicolon, and those rules must be followed correctly. Make sure students understand that you cannot fix a run-on sentence by simply adding a comma between the two clauses. This would create a comma splice, which is also grammatically incorrect. |
Practice: | Have students practice this concept by correcting the following sentences using various methods: �Ryan is cold he refuses to wear a coat. �Jessica loves birds she especially adores her pet parrot. �Never pull a dog�s tail it isn�t nice. �Take three apples you�ll be hungry if you take only two. �Yolanda pulled out of the parking lot the car had a flat tire. After students complete the sentences, teacher should go over re-stating important factors of run-on sentences. |
Accommodations: | MS. Garnder will make the accommodations where necessary. However, printed lesson instructions and run-on sentence guide will be provided for EC students. |
Checking For Understanding: | check for understanding informally. Verbal response to guided practice. Also, independent practice will taken the next day and graded for comprehension. |
Closure: | It is often easy for students to understand run-on sentences in isolation. They tend to have more trouble recognizing them when they are writing. Have students practice finding their own run on sentences by telling them how many they have in their story rather than pointing them out. Have them go back, look for them, and correct them. |
Evaluation: | Grammar test on the objective on friday. The objective will be the sole point of the test. |
Teacher Reflections: | The students, including EC students, all scored at least 80 percent. I expected the students to score higher. The lesson will need to be reviewed within another lesson. This adds on to what the students have already learned. |
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