Jessica

Williams

Field Experience Lesson Plan

Lesson Title: Simple Sentences to Complex Sentences
Teacher: Ms. D.
Students: Approximately 12 students
Date: 04/11/14
Grade Level: 9
Room Number: 215
Period: 7
Todays Lesson: Grammar

Central Focus: The central focus of this lesson is to address an error pattern in
students writing. One of the most common mistakes students make in their writing
is using simple sentences instead of developing compound or complex sentences.
The focus of this lesson is to show students how to improve their writing through
looking at sentence structure.

Essential Question(s):
What do simple sentences sound like?
How do we change our sentences for variety?

Essential Understanding: Effective writing has a variety of sentence types. By
employing simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences, it
creates variation and fluency in writing.

Content Standard:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1.B: Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival,
adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent;
noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest
to writing or presentations.

Student Learning Goal(s) and Objective(s)
1. Students will be able to define and identify simple, compound, and complex
sentences.
2. Students will be able to assemble compound or complex sentences from a series
of simple sentences.
3. Students will be able to write compound, complex, or compound complex
sentence using coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, and commas
where they are needed.

Prior Academic Knowledge and Conceptions

Students will be able to use their background knowledge of basic grammar such as
identifying subjects, verbs, adjectives, coordinating conjunctions, and subordinating
conjunctions. They will also build on their prior knowledge of sentence structure.

Common Errors, Developmental Approximations, Misconceptions, Partial
Understandings, Misunderstandings:
- A common error is that students use multiple simple sentences that make their
work choppy.

Rationale
Administrators Administrators should be concerned about their students
learning about variation of sentence structures. If students have a solid
understanding of grammar, they will be better readers and writers. If they
are better readers and writers, they will be able to access other institutions
of learning.
Parents Parents should be concerned about students learning variations of
sentence structures because students will have a better understanding of
grammar. When students have a solid comprehension of grammar, their
reading and writing skills improve and allow them to access higher education
and employment.
Students Students should be concerned about their ability to construct a
variety of sentence structures because having a better understanding of
grammar can help them improve their reading and writing skills. These
improvements can assist students in their class assignments as well as
assessments. When student have a solid understanding of grammar, they are
more confident in their reading and writing skills and desire to continue
their learning.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks
Launch The introduction to the lesson is the essential question, What do simple
sentences sound like? I will read a brief paragraph about Shakespeare using only
simple sentences. At this point, I will ask students how the paragraph sounds to
them. The purpose of this introduction is to have students tell me how simple
sentences make the text sound weak. Then I will show them what it would sound
like when there are a variety of sentence types.
Example: William Shakespeare was born in 1564. He was born in Stratford-upon-
Avon. He moved to England in his twenties. He worked as an actor. He was a
playwright too. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays. Shakespeare wrote 150 poems. He
became a famous playwright in London. His plays are still performed today.
Instruction I will instruct students on the features of simple, compound, and
complex sentences. I will ask the essential question, How do we change our
sentences for variety? This is where I will introduce coordinating conjunctions
(FANBOYS) and subordinating conjunctions.

Notes:
Compound sentence: a sentence made from two independent clauses (or complete
sentences) connected by a coordinating conjunction
Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS): for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
Used to combine two independent clauses (or complete sentences)
Complex Sentence: made up of an independent clause (cant stand alone) and one
or more dependent clauses.
Subordinating conjunctions: after, although, as because, before, even though, if,
since, when, and until.
Used to introduce a dependent clause.
Structured Practice and Application I will ask students to write down a simple
sentence on a piece of paper. Once they have written a sentence, they will pass it to
the person next to them. Then they will write a simple sentence on the next sheet of
paper. They will pass the paper again. They will write a simple sentence and then
pass it to the person next to them one last time. Now each student should have a
piece of paper with three simple sentences. Students will then have to combine the
three simple sentences using coordinating and/or subordinating conjunctions to
make compound or complex sentences.
Closure Students will be able to share examples of how they combined their
simple sentences. Students will be able to model for their classmates their method
for combining simple sentences.

For Homework, students will be required to write a detailed paragraph using
variations in sentences. They will have to answer the question:
Looking at lines 60 to 102, Why does Mercutio go on this rant about Queen Mab?
Use details from the text to support your response.

Materials
Paper, dry-erase board, overhead projector.