Summer Workshop Sentence Writing

I am currently in the middle of a fantastic Summer Writers' Workshop!  I am working with two groups: one grades 5-7, one grades 2-4.  They have come so far in such a short time, and I am thoroughly enjoying my time with them.

Both groups started off with a Strong Sentence Writing exercise.  This lesson is crucial to the foundation of the workshop.  We discuss grammatical concepts and parts of speech, and how they can make our writing more descriptive and interesting.

My "Juniors" group was given the "Base" sentence:
The sun shines.

We then brainstormed two adjectives, one adverb, a where phrase, and a when phrase.  I also taught the students how to start a sentence effectively with "Because."  Many teachers choose not to teach this, as starting with "Because" usually leads to sentence fragments.  We worked hard that day on doing it right, and the students came up with some great ideas!  (The trick is starting with Because as a reason for your verb.  Don't forget to put a comment after your phrase!)

Here are some outstanding sentences:

The bright sun shines warmly because it is hot.
- Chris, 2nd grade
Notice how Chris moved his "because" phrase to the end, because he liked it better there.

Because it is summer, the colorful yellow sun shines greatly in the bright sky while I go swimming.
- Arav, 2nd grade
I like how Arav started with "Because," and his descriptive words paint a great picture in our minds!

The blue huge sun shines so brightly in the summertime that it gives us light twelve hours a day.
- Luka, 4th grade
A blue sun?!  Sure, why not?!  I like how Luka used an adverb to modify another adverb: "so brightly."

Well done everyone!

Both groups participated in a Crazy Class Sentence Writing Game.  Every student wrote their own base sentence, consisting simply of a noun and a verb.  We then passed our papers to our neighbor.  As the papers went around the room, we added the elements I listed above.  By the time the paper came back to its original owner, it was nothing like the original writer had thought it would be!  Some students chose to stick with the ideas the class brought to their sentence, and others chose to go back to their original idea.  It was a great exercise in creativity, grammar, and sentence writing.  Here are a few for your enjoyment:

In the early morning, the big blue dog walks speedily in the cold forest because it's in a hurry to get to the dog show.
- Ricardo, 4th grade
I love how Ricardo started his sentence with a "when" phrase!

The crazy cat talked to the tuna can and asked for tuna hungrily.
- Riley, 5th grade
What a great adverb to end the sentence!

Because it's angry, the small brown mouse squeaks loudly in the high mountains when someone stomps on its tail.
- Emily, 4th grade
No wonder that mouse is angry!  This is a great example of how to start a sentence effectively with "Because."

Because it is wet, the dog barks at the guilty ducks in the large lake.
- Raya, 4th grade
Raya's art was too beautiful not to scan and post!  And, can you figure out why the ducks are "guilty?"  They splashed that dog!  I love this sentence!