Play Sentence Scramble!
Topics: Third Grade, Writing
Third graders have learned to construct simple sentences, but they are still exploring ways to make their writing more interesting and effective. By turning simple sentences into compound sentences, students are strengthening their writing and communication skills.
This hands-on family activity gives your child practice creating compound sentences, while teaching him analytical skills that will help him become a better writer!
What You Need:
- Strips of yellow and red construction paper (other colors can be substituted but two different colors are needed)
- Pencil or pen
- Two large bowls or containers
What You Do:
Step 1. Pick a topic idea. This could be a family pet, local school, sports, or any other topic that interests your family.
Step 2. Have each family member write 10 simple sentences on strips of yellow construction paper. Place the sentence strips in a bowl.
Step 3. Next, each participant writes 10 connecting words, or conjunctions, on strips of red paper. Use words like “and, or, but, so, yet.” Words can be repeated more than once. Place the connecting word strips in the other bowl.
Step 4. Ask each family member to choose two sentence strips and one connecting word to make a compound sentence. Then have each person read his sentence aloud. Discuss the compound sentences you created. Which sentence is the funniest? Which sentences made the most sense? This game should have the whole family laughing, while learning about when, and how, compound sentences work!
Sally is an experienced educator, with over 14 years of teaching experience. Over the last ten years she has created educational materials, including ancillary, textbook, and test items, for Grades K-8 for major educational publishers.
Comments from readers
Thanks for the great idea!