Sporty Sentence Builders

Overview

Students create a sentence about children taking part in sport. The teacher models how a sentence can include who, does what, where, and an adverb describing how the action happens. Students then copy the shared sentence or compose their own sentence from the picture prompt.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify the who, do, and where in a sentence.
• WALT use an adverb to tell how an action happens.
• WALT say, write and reread a complete sentence.
• WALT use a capital letter, spaces and a full stop.

Success criteria

• I can tell who is in my sentence.
• I can say what the person is doing and where.
• I can add an adverb such as quickly, carefully or happily.
• I can write a sentence with a capital letter and full stop.

Curriculum links

• English — Writing: composing clear sentences using familiar vocabulary and basic punctuation.
• English — Writing: expanding a sentence with an adverbial word or phrase that tells how, when or where something happens.
• English — Oral language: listening, speaking, taking turns and explaining ideas.
• Te Mātaiaho learning competencies: thinking, using language to communicate, and managing self.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Sporting hook. Display the opening image in the sport picture introduction showing cartoon children participating in Commonwealth Games-style sports such as running, swimming or jumping. Ask, “What can you see? What might the children be doing?” Students turn and talk, then share one observation using a complete spoken sentence.

2. 5–12 min · Explore the picture. Use the picture discussion slides to show several sports actions and ask: “Who is it?”, “What are they doing?”, “Where are they?” and “How are they doing it?” Record children’s words on the board in four labelled columns: WHO, DO, WHERE, HOW. Explain that a word describing how an action happens is an adverb. Introduce examples such as quickly, carefully, happily and slowly. Students act out each adverb and say a matching sentence aloud.

3. 12–22 min · Teacher modelling. Open the sentence-building model and model a sentence from the picture: “The girl runs quickly on the track.” Think aloud as you identify each part: The girl is who, runs is what she does, quickly tells how, and on the track tells where. Draw lines or use four colours to show each part. Model saying the sentence slowly, counting the words, writing a capital letter at the beginning and adding a full stop. Invite students to help improve the sentence by suggesting another adverb or place phrase. Clarify that the sentence must still make sense.

4. 22–28 min · Shared oral rehearsal. Use the oral sentence practice slides and choose a new sports image. Build a sentence together using the prompts: “Who?”, “Does what?”, “How?” and “Where?” Students rehearse the sentence with a partner, touching one finger for each word. Invite two or three students to share; the class listens for the adverb and where phrase.

5. 28–40 min · Independent writing. Display the writing instructions slide and distribute the sports sentence writing sheet. Students choose either to copy the class sentence or create their own sentence about one of the sports pictures. They may use the word bank and sentence frame: The ______ ______ ______ ______. Encourage students to draw the action first if helpful, then write, reread and check their sentence. Confer with individuals, asking them to point to the who, do, adverb and where.

6. 40–45 min · Share and assess. Show the sharing and check slide. Invite three students to read their sentences, explaining which word tells how and which words tell where. Students complete a quick oral self-check: “I included a who, a do, a how word and a where.” Collect worksheets for assessment.

Resources

• Picture prompt of cartoon children taking part in sports
• Whiteboard and four coloured markers
• Exercise books and pencils
• Word cards or board list: runs, jumps, swims, throws, quickly, slowly, carefully, happily, on the track, in the pool, on the field

Assessment

• During discussion and oral rehearsal, listen for students identifying who, what the person does, how the action happens and where it happens.
• During writing, check whether students can compose or copy a complete sentence, use an adverb appropriately, and apply a capital letter, spaces and a full stop.
• Use the completed writing sheet as an exit assessment. Note whether each student includes the four target elements; provide a short individual prompt or conference in the next writing session where needed.

Differentiation

• Support students with the visual picture, colour-coded labels, oral rehearsal, the sentence frame and the option to copy the shared sentence.
• Scribe or jointly construct a sentence with students who have difficulty recording ideas. Accept oral responses first, then support them to write one or more key words.
• Provide a small choice of verbs, adverbs and place phrases rather than requiring students to generate all vocabulary independently.
• Extend confident writers by asking them to write two different sentences about the same picture, change the adverb, or add a second detail while keeping the sentence clear. Use gestures, picture cues and repeated modelling for English language learners.