Mastering Parallelism

Curriculum Information

Subject: English Language Arts (ELA)
Grade Level: 8th Grade
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, including the use of parallel structure.

Lesson Objectives

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

• Understand the concept of parallelism in writing.
• Identify correct and incorrect uses of parallel structure.
• Apply parallelism in their own writing for clarity and impact.
• Collaborate in a creative and engaging group activity applying parallel structure.

Lesson Breakdown

Warm-Up (5 Minutes) – "Would You Rather?"

1. Write two "Would You Rather" questions on the board:
   • "Would you rather go swimming, hike a mountain, or to play video games?"
   • "Would you rather go swimming, hiking, or playing video games?"
2. Ask students:
   • "Which of these lists sounds smoother?"
   • "Why does one sound a little awkward?"
3. Discuss briefly and introduce the concept of parallelism: Keeping sentence elements in a consistent format for clarity and balance.

---

Direct Instruction (10 Minutes) – The Power of Parallelism

1. Definition: Explain Parallel Structure – Making grammatically similar elements in a sentence match in form.

2. Anchor Chart/Notes: Write on the board:

   Parallel Structure:

   • Incorrect: She likes to dance, singing, and to write poetry.
   • Correct: She likes to dance, to sing, and to write poetry.

3. Guided Practice (Call and Response)

   • "Let's fix this sentence together: 'He enjoys reading, to jog, and plays basketball.' "
   • Guide students through the correction: He enjoys reading, jogging, and playing basketball.

4. Why It Matters:

   • Discuss how parallelism makes writing more fluid and professional (important for essays, speeches, and even song lyrics).

---

Application Activity (15 Minutes) – "Parallelism Poetry"

1. Group Work: Divide students into 9 groups of 5 (adjust for class size).

2. Challenge: Each group must write a 4-line poem where every line follows parallel structure (e.g., starting each line with "I love…" or "She dreams of…").

3. Examples:

   • I love running.
   • I love jumping.
   • I love swimming.
   • I love dancing.

4. Sharing: Each group reads their poem aloud and the class checks for parallel structure!

---

Quick Assessment (10 Minutes) – "Fix the Sentence!"

1. Show three non-parallel sentences on the board.
2. Volunteers rewrite them correctly.
3. Example:
   • Incorrect: "In his free time, Jake likes drawing, to play video games, and watching movies."
   • Correct: "In his free time, Jake likes drawing, playing video games, and watching movies."
4. Exit Ticket: "Write a sentence about your hobbies using parallel structure."

---

Wrap-Up & Reflection (5 Minutes)

1. Quick class discussion:
   • "Where do you see parallelism in real life?" (Speeches, poetry, advertising slogans).
   • "How can parallelism make your writing stronger?"
2. Encourage students to look for parallelism in books or articles they read this week.

---

Differentiation Strategies

✅ Advanced Learners: Encourage them to write a short persuasive paragraph using parallelism.
✅ Struggling Learners: Provide fill-in-the-blank sentences to reinforce the concept.
✅ ELL Students: Emphasize spoken examples and group work for collaborative learning.

---

Teacher’s Notes & Materials

📌 Materials Needed:

• Whiteboard & markers
• Printed sentence examples (for struggling learners)
• Small prizes (optional, for extra participation)

🚀 Pro Tip: Make this interactive! Give students real-world examples (MLK’s "I Have a Dream" speech, song lyrics) to make parallelism stick!

---

💡 Extension: Want to challenge students further?

• Assign them to rewrite a paragraph from their last essay to improve parallel structure.
• Find examples of bad parallelism in online ads, speeches, or news articles.

This lesson WOWs students through an interactive poetic challenge, ensures practical application, and sticks with relatable real-life examples. 🎯