[LIT] Sentence Combining

[Caroline Mooney]

let's just say i loosely mimic a worshop model. at dalton middle school, language arts (writing) and literature (reading) is seperate, but i dont' see how the two can be seperated--though the administration manages to do so. however, in my class, we work on grammar and vocabulary everyday--only not directly. we look at word choice and sentence structure indirectly. i'll point out an interesting or unusual sentence, and students will comment on it, look for context clues, etc. 

nanci atwell's book, in the middle, lists tons of mini lesson ideas, and most of these are things you can talk about briefly over and over during the year. also, fountas and pinnell's book, teaching for comprehension and fluency gives even more specific ideas. if you don't have this book, get it. i paid $50 for it, but it's worth a million. no joke. 

caroline