Teach One 15-20 Minute Whole Class Session Per Week

Dear Teacher,

At least one child in your class is taking part in the Success With Sentences intervention. You will need to be involved in delivering this intervention. Don’t worry it is very straightforward and could even take away some of your weekly literacy planning and preparation.

What you need to do

·  Teach one 15-20 minute whole class session per week

·  Fits well at the start of a literacy session

·  All sessions involve playing online games on IWB – children join in on whiteboards

·  This session must happen between the two TA sessions

·  Week 6 (final week) is a bit different – see plans.

Whenever possible remind children taking part in the intervention to apply what they have learned in all writing that they do.

All games are found at: www.ks2phonics.org.uk/SwSGames.htm

Week 1 – Sentence Laboratory Game – 2 Word Option

Week 2 – Sentence Doctor Game – Vexing Verbs option

Week 3 – Sentence Laboratory Game – 3 Word Option

Week 4 – Sentence Doctor Game – Confounding Conjunctions Option

Week 5 – Dropping In Game

Week 6 – Independent writing for 15 minutes (optional for whole class – see plans)

Attached you will find:

·  Weekly plans for the intervention – so you can see what the TA is up to

·  Detailed instructions for playing Sentence Laboratory and Sentence Doctor – although hopefully the games are fairly self explanatory.

Thank you for your help

If you need any more information please go to

www.ks2phonics.org.uk/SwSInformation.htm

Success with Sentences – Main Objectives
AF5 to vary sentences for clarity, purpose and effect.
AF6 – To write with technical accuracy of syntax and punctuation in phrases, clauses and sentences.
Pre-intervention assessment – unaided writing and attitudinal survey.
Week 1 – To demarcate sentences accurately using full stops and capital letters.
Day 1 – TA– Small group
(5 mins) Discuss: What is a sentence? Read through and discuss Sheet 1A then look through Sheet 1B – 5 finger test for writing good sentences.
(3 mins) Choose a short correctly punctuated passage to work from (Sheets 1C-1 to 1C-4). There are an assortment of text types. The passages were written by Y6 children. Give each child a copy. Ask the children to colour capital letters in green & full stops in red.
(2 mins) Practise reading the passage out loud pausing at each full stop. Explain the fact that full stops work a bit like stop signs on the road. Without them readers find it very difficult to make sense of what they are reading.
(5 mins) Play Sentence Laboratory game – one word version. See Sentence Laboratory instruction sheet. Play on the computer of use Stimuli Cards Show the Talk it – Write it – Check it flashcards. / Day 2 – Teacher – Whole class - 15 minute starter.
Play Sentence Laboratory game – two word version. http://www.ks2phonics.org.uk/SentenceLab.html
See Sentence Laboratory instruction sheet. / Choose the same passage that was used on Day 1 but with all the capital letters and full stops removed (Sheets 1D-1 to 1D–4)
(5 mins) Ask the children to try reading the passage but tell them they can’t breathe until they come to a full stop.
Discuss: What happens when you try to read the whole thing without breathing? Why are full stops important.
(5 mins) Give children Sheet 1E (Pairs of sentences with no punctuation). Ask children to mark in where the capital letters and full stops should go.
(5 mins) Play Sentence Laboratory game – two word game. See Sentence Laboratory instruction sheet
Use Talk it – Write it – Check it flashcards to jog memories.
Week 2 – To use verb tense and verb forms consistently and with accuracy (make sentences make sense.)
Day 1 – TA – Small group
(8 mins) Spread out equivalent sentence cards (Sheet 2A -1, 2 &3) – face up. Model finding 3 sentences that go together. (e.g. He is miserable. She is miserable. They are miserable.
Discuss: What is the same about these sentences? What is different?
Children take it in turns to find sets of sentences.
(7 mins) Play Sentence Doctor game - Use computer game http://www.ks2phonics.org.uk/SentenceDoctor.html
or use cards from Sheets 2B -1 & 2B - 2
See Sentence Doctor instruction sheet. / Day 2 – Whole class
Play Sentence Doctor http://www.ks2phonics.org.uk/SentenceDoctor.html
Click on the Vexing Verbs option.
See Sentence Doctor instruction sheet / Day 3 – TA – Small group
Have PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE Flashcards ready. Make sure the children understand what these terms mean. Hold up one of these cards. Ask a child to mime a simple task or activity (e.g. brushing teeth, skipping, playing football. Ask the other children to say in a sentence what the child is doing using the correct tense (as shown on the flashcard). Children write in a sentence on a white board. Hold up a different flashcard. What would the sentence be now?
Repeat with a range of mimes.
Week 3 – Use some complex sentences within writing.
Day 1 – TA – Small group – Introduce 3 word game of Sentence Laboratory by following these instructions. Also see Sentence Laboratory game instructions
Take 2 Stimuli cards. Model writing 2 simple sentences as in Week 1 then take a conjunction card (Sheet 3A) and go on to model using that conjunction to join the two clauses.
Put the pile of stimulus cards face down on the table and also put the pile of conjunction cards face down on the table. Take 2 stimulus cards and one connective card and turn them over. Ask all the children to try writing a sentence combining the ideas on the stimulus card and using the connective on whiteboards.
Remind them to Talk it – Write it – Check it.
Ask each child to read their sentence out. Encourage the others to discuss whether each sentence makes sense or not. Explain the fact that connectives have to make sense. Use focussed questioning to help children spot when their sentences don’t make sense.
Repeat with new cards. / Day 2 – Whole class.
Play Sentence Laboratory http://www.ks2phonics.org.uk/SentenceLab.html
– Click on 3 word game.
See Sentence Laboratory game instructions / Day 3 – TA small group
Explain that a complex sentence is one where two or more ideas are linked by one of the connectives on the cards we used on Day 1. It may be helpful to show the connective cards (Sheet 3A) to the children again.
Give children Sheet 3B (A short paragraph containing simple sentences and complex sentences).
Give children different coloured highlighters or pencil crayons.
Highlight:
Capital letters = green
Full stops = red
Conjunctions = yellow
Count complex sentences
Count simple sentences
Give marks for each correctly coloured full stop, capital letter and each correctly counted sentence (See answer sheet – Sheet 3C) – Add up total scores.
If there is spare time, play Sentence Laboratory.
Week 4 – Use some complex sentences within writing.
Day 1 – TA – Small group
Play Sentence Doctor Use computer version http://www.ks2phonics.org.uk/SentenceDoctor.html
and choose Confounding Conjunctions option
or use cards on Sheet 4A -1 and 4A – 2
See Sentence Doctor game instructions / Day 2 – Whole class
Play Sentence Doctor http://www.ks2phonics.org.uk/SentenceDoctor.html
Choose Confounding Conjunctions option.
See Sentence Doctor game instructions / Day 3 – TA small group
Look at an interesting picture
http://www.ks2phonics.org.uk/InterestingPictures.doc
Talk about what you can see. Ask the children to write – at least 3 or 4 sentences about the picture.
Remind children to: Talk it – Write it – Check it. Ask them to tell you what features their sentences will need:
·  Capital letters
·  Full stops
·  Conjunctions
·  Make sense
Remind children that the sentences need to follow straight on after one another ie don’t start a new line for a new sentence.
Children highlight their writing in different colours as they did last week.
Capital letters = green
Full stops = red
Conjunctions = yellow
Encourage the children to correct any mistakes they made.
Week 5 – To embed clauses within sentences.
Day 1 – TA – Small group
Look at a selection of Character Cards (Sheet 5A-1, Sheet 5A-2, Sheet 5A-3). Children choose a card and discuss things that those characters may do.
Model saying a sentence (e.g. The witch cast a spell. The brown dog brought the stick back. The cat purred happily in front of the fire.) Then model dropping in an embedded clause about the character (orally) (e.g. The witch, with the clammy green skin, cast a spell. The brown dog, with the floppy ears, brought the stick back. The cat, who had green eyes, purred happily in front of the fire.)
Children say their sentences again with dropped in clauses.
Model writing a sentence down and explain that you make the embedded clause clear to the reader by putting commas around it. / Day 2 – Teacher whole class
Play Dropping in http://www.ks2phonics.org.uk/DroppingIn.html
with the whole class. Ask children to work in pairs.
Look at a character
Write a simple sentence
Think of other things to say about the character
Drop extra information into the sentence.
Share sentences with the rest of the class. / Day 3 TA – small group
Model writing a sentence with an embedded clause. E.g. The robot, with flashing green eyes, moved jerkily towards them.
Children choose character cards and write sentences with embedded clauses – remembering to mark the embedded clause with commas at either end.
Week 6 – Revision, applying what has been learned, assessment.
Day 1 – Teacher session – Whole class
Alternatively this session could be a TA session just with the group.
Remind children of everything that we have learned.
FS, CL, conjunctions, embedded clauses.
Set a context for independent writing (picture, sound effect, object, school trip).
Children write independently for 15 minutes – Use as final assessment for intervention. / Day 2 – Work with TA
Children do colour coding of their piece of writing. Improve any areas that need improving.
The class teacher could run a whole class session to give the rest of the class a chance to colour code and improve their writing. / Celebration
E.g. Work illustrated – link with secondary school.
Work printed up ‘professionally’
Publish in book
Display around school
Record as a voice over on an animation or film.
Put into powerpoint presentation
Publish on website/VLE.
Recap on everything they have learned. How are you going to use this in class from now on
Maybe create book of I can statements with examples.

Sentence laboratory

This game encourages children to write in full sentences and remember to use capital letters and full stops. It encourages them to go through these steps:

TALK IT - WRITE IT - CHECK IT

It can be played with a small group or a whole class. There is a computer version of the game but it can easily be played without a computer.

With a computer

Go to http://www.ks2phonics.org.uk/SwSGames.htm

Click on Sentence Laboratory.

Choose to play with:

1 word – practise basic sentence formation

2 words – use two contrasting words to challenge the children’s creativity

3 words – two nouns and a connective to practise the use of connectives

How to play

1. Click to get a word (or words)

1. In pairs or independently children compose a sentence including the word (or words) on the screen.

1. It is important that the children try to say the sentence before they try to write it down.

1. Click play to start the timer.

1. The children have write the sentence down before the test tube overflows.

1. Children swap whiteboards and give each other marks out of 4. One mark for each of these things:

·  Does it include the word(s)?

·  Does it make sense?

·  Has it got a capital letter?

·  Has is got a full stop?

Without a computer

The game is played in exactly the same way but the initial stimulus/stimuli could be word cards, picture cards, photos, sound effects, objects or even smells.

For smells try:

·  Basil leaves

·  Vanilla essence

·  Coffee

·  Lavender

Sentence Doctor

This game helps children become more effective at proof reading their work. It helps to explore some of the different ways in which sentences have to make sense.

It can be played with a small group or a whole class. There is a computer version of the game but it can easily be played without a computer.

With a computer

Go to http://www.ks2phonics.org.uk/SwSGames.htm

Click on Sentence Doctor

There are a range of different sentence problems that you can choose to concentrate on. For this intervention you will use

Vexing verbs – mixed up tenses and lack of subject verb agreement.

Confounding connectives – connectives that have been used incorrectly.

How to play

1. Click to get a ‘patient’ – a sentence that has something wrong with it.

1. In pairs or independently children discuss what is wrong with the sentence.

1. Children write down on a whiteboard what a correct version of this sentence would be.

1. Click ‘diagnosis’ to get a correct version of the sentence and an explanation of what was wrong with the first sentence.

N.B. There may be other correct versions of the sentence that are just as valid as the one that appears.

Without a computer

The game is played in exactly the same way but using cards with problem sentences.

If you know that your children struggle with a particular issue you could write your own cards to tackle their particular needs.