Sentence Types Day

Overview

Today students will learn what makes a complete sentence and how to produce different sentence types (declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory). They will practice expanding simple and compound sentences by adding details and rearranging sentence parts.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to identify the parts of a complete sentence (capital letter, ending punctuation, and a complete thought).
• Students will be able to write declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences.
• Students will be able to produce simple and compound sentences and add details to expand them.
• Students will be able to rearrange sentence parts while keeping the sentence complete and meaningful.

Success criteria

• I can write a sentence that starts with a capital letter and ends with correct punctuation.
• I can tell the difference between sentence types and write my own for each type.
• I can write a complete simple sentence and a compound sentence using a connector such as and, but, or or.
• I can expand a sentence by adding describing words or extra information without making a fragment or run-on.

Curriculum links

• Language (Grade 2): Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences.
• Language (Grade 3): Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences (as an optional stretch).
• Writing/Speaking readiness: Students use complete sentences to express ideas clearly during partner talk and sharing.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook. Teacher writes two samples on the board: “ran fast!” and “The dog ran fast.” Students turn-and-talk: which one is a complete sentence and why.
2. 5–15 min · Mini-lesson: What makes it complete. Teacher models a quick checklist: capital letter + complete thought + ending punctuation; then demonstrates turning a fragment into a complete sentence by adding the missing subject or changing punctuation. Students practice orally: complete two fragment starters with a full sentence.
3. 15–25 min · Direct teach: Sentence types. Teacher shows a chart with four sentence types and short examples:

• Declarative: statement (ends with.)
• Interrogative: question (ends with?)
• Imperative: command (ends with.)
• Exclamatory: strong feeling (ends with!) Teacher underlines the action or key words and points out punctuation. Students sort sentence cards into the four categories on their desk.

4. 25–35 min · Guided practice: Build simple sentences. Teacher provides a “sentence starter” template: “The ____ (noun) ____ (verb) ____ (detail).” Teacher models: “The student reads silently at home.” Students complete three templates, each time adding one new detail (where, when, how, or with what).
5. 35–45 min · Guided practice: Make compound sentences. Teacher explains: a compound sentence joins two complete ideas. Teacher models using connectors: and, but, or. Example: “I like recess, and I play soccer.” Students complete a two-part clause activity: choose two idea cards and combine them with the connector to make one compound sentence, then underline the two complete thoughts.
6. 45–52 min · Skill focus: Rearrange without breaking the sentence. Teacher gives one sentence with movable word cards (e.g., “After school, the team practiced.” “The team practiced after school.”) and shows how rearranging can still keep the sentence complete. Students work in pairs to rearrange two word-card sentences, then read both versions aloud to confirm they make sense.
7. 52–58 min · Share & teacher feedback. Teacher selects 2–3 student examples (from volunteering groups) and leads a quick class check: capital letter, complete thought, correct punctuation, and sentence type. Students give one kind suggestion using sentence stems: “Your sentence is complete because…”
8. 58–60 min · Exit ticket. Students write four sentences (one of each type) about the same topic (their pet, recess, or a favorite activity). Teacher collects for quick review.

Resources

• Sentence type chart (declarative/question/command/exclamation) on the board
• Sentence cards for sorting (cut-outs)
• Word-card sets for building and rearranging (subject/verb/detail and connector cards)
• Template strips for simple sentences (noun/verb/detail frames)
• Two idea-clause cards for compound sentence practice
• Student recording sheet (spaces for 3 simple, 2 compound, 2 rearranged, 4 exit sentences)
• Pencils and highlighters
• Timer for transitions

Assessment

• Teacher observation during sorting: Are students placing sentence types correctly and using punctuation cues?
• Checklist during writing: capital letter, ending punctuation, complete thought (no fragments).
• Exit ticket: Four correctly punctuated sentences matching each sentence type.

Differentiation

• Support:
• Provide sentence starters and a word bank (verbs and details) for students who need help generating ideas.
• Use a “complete sentence” visual checklist posted on the desk or chart paper.
• Offer sentence frame strips for compound sentences: “_____, and _____.”
• Extension:
• For students ready to stretch, ask them to combine three ideas into a more complex sentence by adding an extra detail clause (e.g., “because,” “when,” or “so”).
• Challenge: rewrite one sentence in a different order (beginning with a time word) and keep it complete.
• EAL/SEN considerations:
• Allow partner talk first, then have students copy or adapt from model sentences.
• Provide consistent connector list (and, but, or) and model punctuation for each type.
• Reduce card choices for students who benefit from a smaller set to choose from.