Sentence writing for early readers: a step-by-step plan for K to 2
In short
Teach early sentence writing by having students say the sentence aloud first, count its words, then write it with spaces, a capital letter and a period. Use frames at first, then teach students to expand sentences with details and combine short ones. Practice a little every day.
Why teach sentence writing explicitly?
A sentence is the basic building block of all writing. Students who can write clear, complete sentences can build paragraphs and stories. Students who can't struggle with every writing task, because every idea comes out tangled or incomplete.
The What Works Clearinghouse guide on elementary writing recommends teaching sentence construction directly, along with handwriting and spelling. Many young students won't pick up sentence structure on their own from reading, so it needs to be taught.
What comes before writing a sentence?
Saying it. Young writers should always say their sentence aloud before writing it. This helps them hold the whole sentence in mind and notice whether it makes sense. It also gives the teacher a chance to help shape the sentence before any writing happens.
Counting the words comes next. Students say the sentence and hold up a finger for each word, or draw a line for each word on their paper. This shows them where the spaces go and helps them notice small words like "a" and "the" that they might otherwise skip.
- Teacher
- Tell me a sentence about your cat.
- Student
- My cat is fat.
- Teacher
- Say it again and count the words on your fingers.
- Student
- My... cat... is... fat. Four words.
- Teacher
- Draw four lines. Now write one word on each line.
How do you teach capitals, spaces and periods?
Teach them as part of the sentence routine, not as separate rules. Every sentence starts with a capital letter, has spaces between words, and ends with a period, a question mark or an exclamation mark. A quick checklist after writing helps students check each one.
- Does my sentence start with a capital letter?
- Did I leave a space between each word?
- Did I end with a period, question mark or exclamation mark?
- Does my sentence make sense when I read it back?
Do sentence frames help?
Yes, especially at the start. A frame gives students part of the sentence, so they only need to add a word or two. "I see a ___." or "The dog can ___." lets beginning writers focus on spelling and handwriting without worrying about the whole structure.
Move away from frames as students gain confidence. Start with frames that need one word, then frames that need a few words, then open prompts like "Write a sentence about your weekend." The goal is independent sentences, and frames are only a bridge to that.
How do you help students expand sentences?
Once students can write simple sentences, teach them to add details. A good method is to ask questions: who, what, when, where, why and how. Each answer adds a detail to the sentence.
| Step | Question asked | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Start | The dog ran. | |
| Add where | Where did it run? | The dog ran to the park. |
| Add when | When did it run? | The dog ran to the park after lunch. |
| Add a describing word | What kind of dog? | The big dog ran to the park after lunch. |
Start with one question at a time. Asking all six at once overwhelms young writers. Once students can add one detail, show them how to add two.
What is sentence combining?
Sentence combining teaches students to join short sentences into longer ones. Students might start with two short sentences, "The cat is black" and "The cat is fast". They combine them into one: "The cat is black and fast." Studies of sentence combining have found it improves the quality of student writing, and it works well from about second grade.
Start with simple joining words like "and", "but" and "because". Later, students learn to combine sentences in more varied ways, like moving a describing word or adding a time phrase. Short, frequent practice, a few minutes a day, works best.
How should spelling be handled in early sentences?
Expect students to spell words they've been taught correctly, and let them try their best on others. A first grader who writes "I went to the zu" has used phonics to spell zoo, which is a good sign. Correct taught words and patterns, but don't mark every error in a beginner's sentence.
Dictated sentences are a great way to practice taught spelling patterns. In dictation, the teacher says a sentence with known words, and students write it. That gives students practice writing complete sentences while using the phonics they've learned.
How much sentence writing each day?
A few sentences every day is better than a long writing session once a week. In kindergarten, one or two sentences a day is plenty. By second grade, students can write several sentences and short paragraphs.
Build sentence writing into other subjects too. A sentence about what a student learned in science, or a sentence responding to a read-aloud, gives practice and meaning at the same time.