Twenty Ideas for Sentence Level Starters
1. Word Chain topical story around the class using certain types of connectives. Each section of the story must begin with a connective.
2. Use sequencing connectives to recap the plot of a story.
3. Tall stories about why students were late for school/didn’t hand in their homework, each ‘excuse’ must begin with a concession connective (although, despite, without, even though…) attempting to sweet talk their way out!
4. Hotseat a character from a novel/play by beginning all sentences ‘Being…’ to explain how they feel about their circumstances e.g. Link, from ‘Stone Cold’ ‘Being homeless made me realise the reality of life on the streets.’ Move on to include other –ing verbs.
5. Where is it? What is it? Guessing game. One student goes out of the classroom whilst the class decide on an object the student should guess. Each student takes turns to give a clue using riddle like language by beginning with a preposition e.g. ‘within this room, is where it is’ or ‘outside the window, you see it not’.
6. Topic check of last lesson by using prepositions of time:
‘Before last lesson, I knew…
During last lesson, I learnt…
Since last lesson, I found out…
By the end of this lesson I want to know…’
7. Think of a cliffhanger sentence starting with a Premiership -ing verb for the last chapter of a book you are reading. Explain your cliffhanger to your partner. 8. Celebrity profile/ Picture of a character from a novel – bring in a picture of a current celebrity and display. Ask student to write a fact about the celebrity on their whiteboard. Physical appearance/Dis/Likes/Bad Habits. Choose one fact to make into a sentence: David Beckham is married to Posh Spice. Add in new facts using ‘who’ to explore main and subordinate clauses. David Beckham, who is a talented footballer, is married to Posh Spice.
9. Capital City Travel Excerpt – bring in pictures of famous places. Do the same as Celebrity profile but with ‘which’. E.g. Rome, which is the capital of Italy, has some amazing architecture
10. Subordinate Swap Shop – look through last piece of written work for a subordinate clause starting with an -ing verb. Pass your clause to someone finish it off in the style of a particular genre – fairytale, romance etc. Read out and rest of class guess genre.
11. Alphabet verb+ing sentence snake around the class.
12. Alphabet verb+ed sentence snake around the class.
13. Give students three complex sentences using different permutations of main clause + subordinate clause, subordinate clause + main clause and main clause with embedded subordinate clause. Ask them to explain which clause is which. Get students to explain their answers.
14. Hangman complex sentence showing commas. Ask students to identify sentence type purely on structure. Play game then students come up with their own sentences using connective types appropriate to lesson/needs of group.
15. Pairs/Pelmanism types of connectives.
16. Categorising terms – sort connectives into related groups and give sentence examples.
17. Sell me that! Emphasis alphabet game – choose an adverb that emphasises the necessity for another student to buy a particular product e.g. Actually, you’ll find these new kitten heeled trainers are just what you need! Basically, these new candy floss socks are both practical and tasty! Collectively, this litter of puppies will practically walk themselves! 18. Silly sentences: Cause and Effect Game: Divide class into two halves. One half finish off sentence on whiteboards: ‘I forgot my….’ Other half finish off sentence on whiteboards: ‘I went and… All students mingle together to find a partner to put their sentences into one connecting them with a cause and effect connective – consequently, thus, so, hence, as a result, because, therefore, accordingly, since, until.
19. Quick fire sentence combination – join pairs/threes of simple sentences using and, but or so. Do the same again without using and, but or so.
20.Take and example of a complex sentence from your work – is it possible to shift the clauses around for a different effect/meaning?
21. Highlight extracts of text to show main and subordinate clauses in different colours and explain the effect.
22.All about me. Autobiographical alphabet adverbial starters. ‘Actually, I was born in….’, ‘Basically, my favourite hobby is…’, ‘Confusingly, I am an identical twin…’
23.Sentence Modification: ‘Dr. Foster went to Gloucester’ How did he go? When? Who can add the most words/phrases?