'Sentence construction' tutor notes
The aim of the 'Sentence construction' topic area is to understand some of the basic rules of sentences, particularly what is required to make a complete sentence.
How does this tie in with the curriculum?
-
England
Ws/E3.1 - write in complete sentences:
1. understand that simple and compound sentences can be amplified by expanding the information around the noun and the verb to give additional information about agents and actions
2. understand that longer or more complicated sentences are built up according to patterns or rules, relating to word order
-
Wales
As England
-
Northern Ireland
As England
-
Scotland
See www.aloscotland.com for details of the Scottish curriculum.
Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of other websites.
In this Skillswise module you'll find...
Sentences - factsheets
There are 2 factsheets in this section. They cover what is required to make a complete sentence; the use of a subject and verb. They go on to explain how to develop longer sentences, warning against simply using a comma to join two sentences. Conjunctions are introduced, as well as adjectives and adverbs. Finally the importance of putting words in the clearest order is stressed.
Sentences - game
The game for this module is called 'Logging sentences'. Players must guide Bryan the beaver across the river by jumping on the right logs to complete the sentences correctly. There is a choice to play the easy or the hard version of the game.
Please do tell us what you think of these games.
Sentences - quiz
The learner can choose their level. Level A is the easiest and level C the hardest. The student can print out a certificate if they score 50% or more in the quiz. This will appear as a link on the results page - click on the link and the certificate will appear in a new window. Learners can write their name in once the certificate is printed.
Sentences - worksheets
There are four printable worksheets with answersheets in this section. The first simply asks learners to identify the complete sentences from a list and then to add words to turn the others into complete sentences. The second asks learners to put words in the best order to make a clear sentence. The third gives practice at completing sentences from a given opening. The fourth simply gives the learner one word to include in a sentence they can compose.
Worksheets are fairly easy to add, so if you have a good idea for a worksheet that practises ordering in other ways,
tell us about it!
Technical help:
To get the most out of this topic area you need the following 'plug-ins':
-
Flash 7
The game in this topic section uses Flash 7. This is free to download and should only take a few minutes. You can follow the BBC WebWise instructions to download it to your machine.
Find out more.
If you don't have Flash 7 the same learning points are covered in the quiz, worksheets and factsheets.
Please note: the flash game in this section is quite graphical. Please allow about 1 minute for the game to download. Download times will vary according to your connection speed and how busy the network is.
-
Adobe PDF documents
Note that you will need the free Adobe Acrobat software on your machine to view PDF documents.
-
FlashPapers
We have provided the worksheets and factsheets as both PDF files and FlashPaper files. For screenreader users you should choose the FlashPaper version as these are designed to be screenreader accessible. If you don't need a screenreader it doesn't matter which type you use.
If you want to print the factsheets we recommend you use the PDF version provided. However, if you do want to print a FlashPaper, you must use the print button within the FlashPaper window (top right). Your internet browser can't tell what size to print these kind of documents, so if you use the print option in the 'file' menu it may print out completely the wrong size.
If you are new to the web, why not take a look at WebWise. You can try the WebWise online course or be shown the basics by our Computer Tutor. It's free and it will take you through everything you need to know to use the web successfully in your teaching. Get WebWise.
If you would like to get more help using Skillswise, check out the Help pages.
Taking it further:
With Skillswise:
Don't forget to check out the Skillswise Lesson plans and Teaching inspirations areas for more ideas about teaching sentences.
For Level 1 exercises visit making sentences
and putting sentences together.
On the web:
More practice materials:
On the BBC Schools KS2 Bitesize Revision site you'll find English resources on spelling and grammar, including an activity and quiz on compound and complex sentences.
Here are a few suggestions of other places on the web that you might find useful resources that you can adapt for teaching sentences.
Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of other websites.
Do you know of any great online resources for practising sentences? Tell us about them!
