Your students have mastered basic sentence writing skills. That's great! Help your young writers take their composition skills to the next level with these tips for stretching and expanding sentences.

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Enhance Literacy with Embedded Grammar Lessons

Research on the Science of Reading (SOR) dating back to the 1970s shows that teaching grammar as isolated rules doesn't effectively transfer to writing and speaking. What works better is embedding grammar within the context of writing. This is why our writing program Lucky to Learn Writing (LTLW) includes grammar skills integrated into writing lessons. This approach ensures that the same skills and standards are met, but in a meaningful context that connects with the rest of the literacy curriculum.

We also recognize the value of targeted practice and intervention to reinforce these skills. That's why we've compiled a list of our favorite grammar activities that provide additional practice and intervention opportunities. These activities are designed to complement our integrated approach, ensuring students have a well-rounded understanding of grammar concepts. Let's dive into these engaging and effective activities!

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What is an expanded sentence?

An expanded sentence is when additional details or clauses are added to the main clause of a simple sentence.

Simple Sentence: He ran.

That sentence is fine, but it's a little boring, isn't it? Help students spice up their writing with expanded sentences!

Expanded Sentence Example: Joe ran to the ice cream truck after lunch because he was still hungry.

5 W's Sentence Stretching Strategy

One of the best ways to teach expanded sentence writing is to remind students of the 5 Ws: Who, What, When, Where, Why.

Let's break down our expanded sentence example:

Who: Joe

Doing What: ran

Where: the ice cream truck

When: after lunch

Why: because he was still hungry.

Once students have figured out how to add the 5 Ws in their expanded sentences, encourage them to include a HOW by using adverbs.

Example: Joe quickly ran to the ice cream truck after lunch because he was still hungry.

Videos to teach expanded sentences

Check out this great video to help students review how to write expanded sentences!

Writing Centers for Expanding Sentences

Sentence Writing – Build It

Students will pick 3 cards: a who, a where, and a how.

Students will arrange these cards in the stretch a sentence graphic organizer, and write the new sentence they have created. The sillier the better with these sentences!

Find this center and more sentence writing tools in the First Grade Writing Centers pack.

Stretching Sentences Center

Students will have fun stretching their sentences with this center! The yoga stretches are a great reminder for visual learners when writing expanded sentences.

First, students will pick a card with a simple sentence.

Then, students will roll a die and write the matching “W” description on the recording sheet.

Once they have filled the whole sheet, the students will write the complete expanded sentence.

Allow students complete this center on a yoga mat for extra fun!

Bonus: Lead your class through the yoga poses and stretches during a morning activity or as a brain break during the literacy block.

Find this activity and more fun sentence-building activities in the 2nd Grade Writing Centers Pack.

When your students are ready, try this fun idea for writing more descriptive paragraphs.

Ask Your Colleagues!

Our insightful and inspiring Facebook community of 2nd grade teachers has done it again! Check out our post with a round-up of the best tips for teaching sentence writing.

More creative ideas for 2nd grade grammar skills