Sentence Combining: A Powerful Method for Teaching Grammar
Sentence combining is a highly effective instructional technique for teaching grammar.
In fact, according to extensive research, it ranks among one of the most effective ways of teaching grammar to students (Hochman & Wexler, 2017). This technique not only enables students to explore various options for constructing sentences, but also facilitates the production of more complex, sophisticated, and linguistically rich sentences in their own writing.
If you haven’t come across sentence combining before, here’s a brief overview:
Sentence combining is an instructional technique where students are given two or more short, declarative sentences and are tasked with combining them to create one single, grammatically correct sentence (Sedita, J. 2023; Hochman & Wexler, 2017).
For instance, consider the following two sentences:
The boy drank water.
The boy was thirsty.
These sentences could be combined in the following ways:
The thirsty boy drank water.
The boy was thirsty, so he drank water.
The boy, feeling thirsty, drank water.
Here are some tips for effectively implementing the sentence combining strategy with your students:
Teach Conjunctions: Prioritize teaching students how to use both coordinating and subordinating conjunctions before practicing sentence combining. This foundational knowledge will enable students to utilize conjunctions effectively when combining sentences.
Explicitly Teach Phrases: It can be advantageous to explicitly teach students how to use prepositional and appositive phrases. If you're unsure about these concepts, download my free grammar guide!
Modeling: Begin by modeling for students the various ways to combine two short, declarative sentences. This modeling process is crucial as it allows you, the teacher, to articulate your thought process and emphasize the correct use of grammatical techniques. It also demonstrates to students that there are often multiple ways to create grammatically sound sentences from the provided short sentences.
Demonstrate Editing Techniques: Explicitly demonstrate the process of moving words, adding or deleting words, and modifying words to craft grammatically correct sentences.
Provide Scaffolded Support: Scaffold the process by offering cues. For example, you can provide students with a conjunction to use or offer a sentence frame to complete.
Practice and Peer Discussion: Allow students to try out the sentence combining process themselves using two short sentences. Provide opportunities for students to compare and discuss their responses with their peers.
Gradually Increase Complexity: As students' skills develop, gradually introduce more short sentences for them to combine.
Integration with Content: Embed sentence combining into the content students are learning. Connect it to curriculum content across subject areas and even incorporate it into class read-alouds.
If you’re looking for a resource to support sentence combining in your classroom, download my FREE Sentence Combining Anchor Chart and Template by clicking here!
This resource includes a student-friendly anchor chart designed to assist students in their practice of combining sentences. I would recommend using this anchor chart with students around Grade 4 and above.
Additionally, this resource features a sentence combining template that can be used with any short sentences! Students (or the teacher) simply write short sentences on sticky notes and add to the template. Then, students record their responses on sticky notes. Laminated, this would be an ideal literacy center activity for all grades!
With practice and consistency, get ready to watch your students’ writing flourish with this powerful instructional technique!
Let’s empower our students to become confident and proficient writers!
If you’re looking for more resources to support your own learning surrounding effective grammar instruction, I highly recommend these two professional texts!
