Lesson Plan: Adding Sentence Variety to Research Papers
Subject
English
Grade Level
7th Grade
Duration
30 Minutes
Objectives
- Students will understand the importance of sentence variety in enhancing their writing.
- Students will identify different types of sentences (simple, compound, complex).
- Students will practice rewriting sentences to create variety in their writing.
Materials Needed
- Whiteboard and markers
- Handouts with examples of sentence structures
- Projector (if needed for visual examples)
- Paper and pencils or computers/tablets for writing
Introduction (5 minutes)
-
Engage Students:
- Begin with a question: "Why do you think some writing is more interesting than others?"
- Discuss student responses and highlight the role of sentence variety in making writing engaging.
-
Explain the Objectives:
- Share the lesson objectives and how they relate to their current research paper assignments.
Direct Instruction (10 minutes)
Types of Sentences
-
Simple Sentences: Contain one independent clause.
- Example: "The dog barked."
-
Compound Sentences: Contain two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
- Example: "The dog barked, and the cat meowed."
-
Complex Sentences: Contain one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
- Example: "Although the dog barked, the cat remained calm."
Importance of Sentence Variety
- Explain how using various sentence structures can help maintain the reader's interest and improve the overall flow of the paper.
Guided Practice (10 minutes)
-
Identifying Sentence Types:
- Distribute handouts with a mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences.
- In pairs, have students categorize each sentence by type.
- Review answers as a class.
-
Sentence Rewriting Exercise:
- Provide a simple paragraph written with almost exclusively simple sentences.
- As a class, brainstorm ways to add variety through compound and complex sentences.
- Write an improved version on the whiteboard.
Independent Practice (5 minutes)
- Ask students to select a paragraph from their own research papers.
- Instruct them to rewrite two or three sentences by incorporating a mix of sentence types.
- Encourage students to aim for varied lengths and structures.
Closing (5 minutes)
-
Share Improvements:
- Invite a few students to share their rewritten sentences with the class.
- Discuss how the changes enhance the writing.
-
Reflection:
- Ask students to reflect on how sentence variety can improve their writing moving forward.
- Remind students to keep these techniques in mind as they revise their research papers.
Assessment
- Informally assess participation during discussions and group work.
- Review rewritten sentences for understanding and application of varied sentence structures.
Extensions
- Encourage students to practice sentence variety in their next writing assignments across subjects.
- Challenge advanced learners to explore additional types of sentences (e.g., compound-complex sentences).
Resources
- Handouts with examples of sentence structures.
- Online articles and resources for further practice (e.g., educational websites focused on writing skills).
This lesson plan aims to engage 7th-grade students in learning the importance of sentence variety in their research papers, ensuring they develop essential writing skills.