1. The Sentence: A Way of Thinking Lesson One: Fragments

2. Task: Write one sentence in your Writers Notebook. How do you know that was a sentence? Essential Question: What makes a sentence a sentence?

3. Mentor Texts: Are these sentences and how do you know? They race. (pg. 5 – Loser by Jerry Spinelli) Matt winces. (pg. 364 – House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer) Maria flinched. (pg. 366) Matt froze. (pg. 370) Matt nodded. (pg. 372) Tad watched. (pg. 6 – Cujo by Stephen King) Blood flew. (pg. 111) He sprung. (pg. 128)

4. Notes: A sentence must contain: At least one subject (Who or What did something?) At least one verb (What did they do?) Form a complete thought A fragment is missing one element of a sentence.

5. Formula for a sentence: Subject + Verb = Simple Sentence

6. Practice: Pick out the subject and verb in the following sentences. The lights cluster brilliantly up the street at Claudias house. (pg. 174 – Loser by Jerry Spinelli) He reaches back to touch the door.

7. Activity: Sentence Smackdown Groups of 3. Roles: Reader, Subject, Verb Directions Practice: Example #1: Then he lowers his hand. Example #2: His ears echo the thousand warnings of his mother: Dont cross the street.

8. Are you ready to grammar?