Mastering Parallelism

Curriculum Area and Level

Subject: English Language Arts (ELA)
Grade Level: Year 8 (Equivalent to 8th Grade, US Curriculum)
Standards: Common Core State Standards (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.1.A)
"Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences, and maintain consistent parallel structure in writing."

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this 45-minute lesson, students will be able to:

• Define parallelism and explain its importance in writing.
• Identify examples of parallel and non-parallel structures in sentences.
• Apply parallelism to improve clarity and rhythm in their writing.
• Work collaboratively to generate parallel structures.

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Lesson Structure

1. Warm-Up Activity (5 minutes)

Objective: Activate prior knowledge and introduce parallel structure in an engaging way.
Method:

• Write four sentences on the board:
  1. I like swimming, hiking, and to run.
  2. I like swimming, hiking, and running.
  3. She enjoys reading books, watching movies, and to bake cookies.
  4. She enjoys reading books, watching movies, and baking cookies.
• Ask students: "Which sentences sound right? Why do some feel 'off'?"
• Introduce the word parallelism and explain how it creates balance in writing.

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2. Direct Instruction (10 minutes)

Objective: Teach students the definition, significance, and types of parallel structure.

Definition of Parallelism

• Parallelism is the repetition of a grammatical structure to maintain consistency and improve readability.

Why is Parallelism Important?

• It makes writing clearer and more engaging.
• It improves rhythm and flow.
• It is commonly used in speeches, literature, and persuasive writing.

Examples of Parallelism:

• In Lists:
  • ❌ Incorrect: "We went to the store, bought some apples, and were eating them on the way home."
  • ✅ Correct: "We went to the store, bought some apples, and ate them on the way home."
• In Comparisons
  • ❌ Incorrect: "She is smarter than him."
  • ✅ Correct: "She is smarter than he is."
• In Correlative Conjunctions (either…or, neither…nor, not only…but also)
  • ❌ Incorrect: "She is not only funny but loves to dance."
  • ✅ Correct: "She is not only funny but also loves to dance."

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3. Guided Practice (10 minutes)

Objective: Allow students to apply parallel structure in controlled exercises.
Activity: Fix the Errors

• Distribute a worksheet with 6-8 non-parallel sentences and have students rewrite them correctly in pairs.
• Example Sentences:
  1. We wanted to swim, play volleyball, and going hiking.
  2. My best friend is kind, hardworking, and she is always helping others.
  3. He likes running, to swim, and biking.
• Review the answers together as a class, encouraging peer discussion.

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4. Collaborative Writing Challenge (10 minutes)

Objective: Encourage students to create their own parallel structures.
Group Task:

• Divide students into small groups of 4-5.
• Each group is given a scenario (e.g., a persuasive speech, a job description, a song lyric).
• Their task: Write three sentences using proper parallel structure.
• Example prompt: "Create a motivational quote using parallelism."
  • Example Response: "Work hard, dream big, and achieve greatness!"
• Each group presents their best sentence.

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5. Independent Application (7 minutes)

Objective: Allow students to apply parallelism to their own writing.

• Students select a paragraph from an old writing assignment (or write a short new one).
• They revise their work to improve parallel structure.
• Volunteers share their revised sentences.

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Assessment & Exit Ticket (3 minutes)

Objective: Evaluate understanding in real time.

• Quick Check: Provide students with a sentence on the board and have them rewrite it correctly.
  • Sentence: "I love to read, painting pictures, and to play games."
  • Expected Answer: "I love reading, painting, and playing games."
• Exit Ticket Question: “Why do you think parallelism is important? Write one example of parallel structure.” (Collected before students leave.)

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Differentiation Strategies

• Struggling Students: Provide them with highlighted sentence structures to follow and examples for extra practice.
• Advanced Students: Challenge them to find examples of parallelism in famous speeches or books.
• ELL Students: Use visual sentence diagrams to clarify structure.

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Materials Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Handouts with parallel structure exercises
• Printed sentence strips for group work

Homework (Optional)

Find three examples of parallelism in songs, speeches, or advertisements. Write them down and explain why they work.

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Teacher Reflection & Notes

• Did students grasp the concept fully?
• Which activities engaged them the most?
• Were there any misunderstandings that need re-teaching?

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This lesson plan guarantees clarity, engagement, and structured learning while making parallelism easy and fun to master! 🚀