1 Fundamentals in the sentence writing strategy.

A detailed description of the strategy (Who, What, Why, When, Where) Fundamentals in the sentence writing strategy will assist students to be capable of writing complete simple sentences. Furthermore, it will assist students to learn how to become more descriptive in their writing and to know how to add variety. By employing this strategy, students will be in a position to learn how to write complete sentences by using four steps. These steps are; using formulas to create sentences, determining the best wording of a sentence, writing the sentence and checking the sentence. The strategy will assist students to understand when they are required to use capital letters in a sentence and how to use ending punctuations. Through writing subject and action verbs, a student will be able to learn how to write and recognize the main subject, complete subject, helping verb and linking verb. In addition, it will assist students to be able to identify the preposition phrase and the infinitive. Also, through fundamentals of sentence writing strategy, a student will learn how to write an adverb and an adjective in a sentence. This strategy focuses mostly on students who have difficulties in composing simple sentences and those who do not know how to use the fundamental writing skills. Also, the strategy plays a big role in assisting students who may lack an idea of how to structure their sentences. This strategy involves a structured practice of learning that enlightens students on how to write fluently and how to get pleasure in their writing. Students can use this strategy at any particular time of their school year or during their third grade level and beyond. This strategy can be provided either at individual level, in resource room or in a small group. How fundamentals in the sentence writing strategy would be taught The fundamental in the sentence writing strategy can be taught using the Scaffolded instruction. Using this instruction, students are taught in small steps. When students are taught in small steps, their success is ensured. To ensure they progress well, a continuous review is done on the students. The continuous review will ensure that the students are able to identify whatever they have learnt. By using the Scaffolded instructions, the complexity of what is taught builds on with each progressive small step made. The instructional sequence for each lesson will involve taking students through a review of what is already learnt through verbal practice. The students will then describe and model sentences. This can be done through guided or independent practice.

2 Also, students are taught fundamentals in the sentence writing by learning about complete sentences, the subject and the action verb. Writing complete sentences will involve starting a sentence with a capital letter, ending a sentence with end punctuation. The students are also taught that the sentence should have a subject and verb. If all these are observed, the sentence will make sense to the student. The student is taught that the subject is the place, person, thing, quality or idea that the sentence talks about. On the other hand, the action verb is the word that portrays the action of the subject. The students are also taken through the PENS strategy and the search and check step. This is a strategy that will teach students on how to write and check their sentences. Through this strategy, students pick a formula then they explore the words that can fit into the formula. They then take note of such words. This is then followed by the step of search and check. In search and check, a student will use this strategy to mark out imposters such as prepositional phrases and infinitives. The student will be able to identify the verbs, root the subject and key in the beginning, ending and meaning of a sentence. In addition, the students are taught about the linking verbs, verbs and prepositions. They are made to understand how linking verbs link the subject to another word describing the subject. They are also taught about a verb being an action word that shows action. The students are then taught about the four types of simple sentences. The four types include when one person does one thing, when two people are doing one thing, when one person does two things and when two people are doing two things. Fundamentals in the sentence writing strategy is also taught by teaching students about adjectives, main subjects, helping verbs and action verbs. They are able to learn that adjectives are words that describe a noun. The main subject being the word that tells what the sentence talks about. Students are also taught about helping verbs as words that assist the main verb to show the action in a particular sentence. Also, they are taught about adverbs. The adverbs are words that add more information about the action of the subject in the sentence. The adverbs will show where, when, how and to what extent the action has taken place. Example of the teacher modeling the strategy for the students An example of a strategy modeled by a teacherthe paraphrasing strategyis as follows. The teacher first goes over a text with about five paragraphs in the class. Then, the basic idea or concept from each paragraph is picked up by the teacher with the help of the students.

3 For this, the teacher thinks aloud as asks question like what must the author want to tell the readers in this sentence or has this character got a nice and pleasant personality? (Boyle and Scanlon, 2010, p. 208). The RAP techniquewhere R stands for reading the text, A, for, asking questions about the main ideas and details, and P, for putting the ideas into own words and attempting to change as many words as possibleis used (Boyle and Scanlon, 2010, 207). Since the text has been read and the questions about the main ideas have been asked and answered, the teacher rephrases the rephrased parts in his or her own words. Once the strategy has been modeled, the teacher tests it on a group of students and the students are made to go over these steps. The efficacy of the test is tested by using a post test process, where the students are asked to paraphrase the same paragraphs (Boyle and Scanlon, 2010, p. 208). The purpose is to understand the students need to learn the strategy (Boyle and Scanlon, 2010, p. 208). The students can also be taught synonyms this way and this will eventually increase their vocabulary. Furthermore, this process is also helpful in making the children understand the techniques for finding synonyms, using dictionaries, etc. The RAP technique must be used over a period of sessions, and the teacher selects the students that need the paraphrasing strategy. The steps of the strategy can be evidences on cue cards and used for reference. Like the post test helps in understanding the ability of the students to paraphrase after the RAP technique has been applied, a pre test can help in gauging the students who need the paraphrasing strategy. The sessions can be scaffolded with a teacher one teacher for say three students and each student must later paraphrase individually. The learning of each the session can be recounted at the end of the session. The RAP technique is useful for enhancing paraphrasing abilities as well as the comprehension facilities of the students (Hagaman, Casey, and Reid, 2012). It is also expected that paraphrasing will increase the focus and concentration levels of the students (Hagaman, Casey, and Reid, 2012). It must also be remembered that a teacher can serve as a model for not only educating the students in academics but also in helping them develop perspectives in life. For instance, when a student stands in front of his or her peers to make a statement, he or she might require courage to overcome fears of speaking in public or to tackle the hurdle of simply being reticent by nature. The teacher can model courage in such a situation my showing respect to students who ask questions, when students express themselves or address the class. How students might use fundamentals in the sentence writing strategy

4 Students might use the PENS strategy to learn on how to write and check their sentences. By using the PENS strategy, a student will be able to pick a formula. A student will use the formula to be able to learn about how to form sentences. A student will then explore the words that can effectively fit in the formula picked. The student then takes a note of the words that are used in the formula. This is then followed by a step of search and check. The step of search and check can be used by a student to identify or mark out key aspects in a sentence. A student will use this strategy to mark out imposters such as prepositional phrases and infinitives. Through the step of search and check, a student should ask himself or herself questions like, Is there are verb? The student can determine the verbs by locating words that show action. A student will also use the PENS strategy to identify the linking verbs. Also, through the searching and checking, a student will be able to identify the subject in the sentence. The student will be able to identify the subject by asking themselves Who or What as applied in the sentence. This will be able to lead the student to the thing, person, quality, idea or place that the sentence is focusing on which then becomes the subject matter (Boyle &Scalon, 2010). Searching and checking enables a student to key in on the beginning, ending and the meaning of a sentence.

An example of the application of the PENS strategy is as follows. The P in the mnemonic device, PENS stands for picking a formula, the E stands for exploring words that fit in the formula, N, for noting the word, and S for searching and checking. A formula can be something such as a simple sentence has a subject and a verb, that is, SV. Formulas such as SS VV (Sally and Molly ran and screamed for joy) and ID (I was unable to stand there because my legs were hurting) can also be used. In E, the various words that can fit in this formula are explored. Since a subject can be a person, place, or thing, the student explores the possibility to substitute in the formula from these types of words. Next, the student asks, what kinds of words can be a verb, and the answer is action words, and thus the exploration for words is limited by this definition given by the formula. Thus, if humans is the subject and live is the verb, the formula is replaced by real words here. The N in PENS is then used. The students check if there is a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence and a period at the end of it. A sentence is now constructed, for example, humans live in a state of chaos. The next step is to search and check if the five requirements have been fulfilled. PENS can be made more effective by employing visual aids and cue cards. When a teacher models this strategy, the students are given an

5 illustration of how to employ the strategy themselves for sentence construction. The effectiveness of this strategy must be checked using methods such as the quick fire drill method.

6 References Boyle, J. R., & Scanlon, D. (2010). Methods and strategies for teaching students with mild disabilities: A case-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Hagaman, J.L, Casey, K.J., and Reid, R. The Effects of the Paraphrasing Strategy on the Reading Comprehension of Young Students. Hammill Institute on Disabilities. Retrieved October 25, 2012 http://rse.sagepub.com/content/33/2/110.full.pdf?keytype=ref&siteid=sprse&ijkey=pVzh yWCIOsyYs. Evaluation Criteria: (22/25 pts) Includes information in all areas 5 pts Name Content Area Strategy / Technique Detailed description of the strategy/technique 10 pts What, Who, Why, When, Where Detailed description of strategy implementation 7 pts How the strategy/technique would be taught and/or How the strategy/technique might be used by a student Detailed enough that anyone could utilize.

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