Back to: Module: Helping Students Read
This activity allows you to practice creating sentence-combining exercises for students. Use the examples below as a model to create your own exercises of this type.
Instructions
- Read through the examples below. Think about which examples would work best for early readers and which would work best for more proficient readers.
- Choose four examples that could be used with the students you are currently working with and create your own versions of them.
- Review your sample exercises with a teacher on your team or in your school.
Example 1: Inserting adjectives and adverbs (describing words)
The man drank the water.
The man was thirsty.
The thirsty man drank the water.
The man drank the water.
He drank thirstily.
The man drank the water thirstily.
Example 2: Making compound (more than one) subjects and objects
Rachel wanted to play tag.
Stephanie wanted to play tag.
Rachel and Stephanie wanted to play tag.
Rachel wanted pie.
Rachel wanted ice cream.
Rachel wanted pie and ice cream.
Example 3: Making compound sentences with coordinating conjunctions (e.g., “and,” “but”)
Tom wanted to play soccer.
Julia wanted to play basketball. (but)
Tom wanted to play soccer, but Julia wanted to play basketball.
Example 4: Making possessive nouns
I like the car.
It is Mariel’s.
I like Mariel’s car.
Example 5: Making sentences with subordinating conjunctions (e.g., “because,” “after,” “until,” “when”)
We went to the store.
We wanted to buy shoes. (because)
We went to the store because we wanted to buy shoes.
Example 6: Making sentences with relative clauses (clauses that start with “who,” “that,” “which,” “whose,” “where,” and “when”)
The runner will win a gold medal.
The runner is the fastest. (who)
The runner who is the fastest will win a gold medal.
Example 7: Inserting appositives (when one noun is used to describe another noun)
Pinocchio came to life.
Pinocchio is a wooden puppet.
Pinocchio, a wooden puppet, came to life.