This cool cat sentences activity has K-2nd Grade children sort telling, asking and exciting sentence cards by their end marks. Answer key included, so practicing punctuation feels like a game.
Build real sentences with this sentence structure activity for Kindergarten to 2nd Grade: 24 picture-coded word cards, a recording sheet and a practice page, with an answer key included.
This reading simple sentences activity board game helps K-1st grade readers read short sentences word by word and match them to pictures. Game board, cards and practice page, with an answer key included.
This frog and a log position words activity helps K-2nd Grade children match picture cards to on, under, above, next to, in front of and behind, with practice and an answer key included.
UsingPopcorn Sentence Mix-Up Activity, students unscramble sentences in order to build their understanding of sentence structure.
Words that hold hands make sentences
Kindergarten is when kids discover that a sentence is a complete thought. They learn that a sentence starts with a capital letter, has spaces between words and ends with a period. They read short sentences with sight words, like I see a cat., pointing to each word as they go. They also start building their own sentences out of word cards and noticing when one sounds silly because a word is missing or out of order. The click moment is when a child reads a whole sentence alone and grins.
Five-year-olds learn sentences by touching, moving and saying the words. These are the moves we rely on.
Give each child a little set of word cards and a period card. They arrange the words, then read the sentence back while tapping each card. When the order is wrong it sounds silly, and kids love fixing it themselves.
Why it works: the U.S. Department of Education's guide for teaching elementary math recommends moving from hands-on objects to drawings to numbers.
Try it withPopcorn Sentence Mix-Up ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Model a sentence on chart paper, saying each step: "Capital letter to start. Finger space. Another word. Period at the end." Write the next one together, then let kids try one on their own. Saying the steps out loud gives kids a checklist they can repeat.
Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Try it withSentence Structure ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Read a short sentence like "The frog is on the log," then have kids draw exactly what it says. If the frog is under the log, the drawing shows the reader went too fast. Pictures turn reading into making meaning, not just saying words.
Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withA Frog and a Log Position Words ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Silly sentences get the biggest giggles. These are hits with our little readers.
ActivitiesKids read and finish sentences about a very cool cat, then act them out for a partner.
Open Cool Cat Sentences Activity →
ActivitiesRoll, move and read the simple sentence on your space. Read it right and you stay ahead!
Open Reading Simple Sentences Activity Board Game →Teacher favorites right now: Cool Cat Sentences Activity, Sentence Structure Activity and Reading Simple Sentences Activity Board Game.
A sentence is a group of words that tells a complete thought. In kindergarten it starts with a capital letter, has spaces between the words and ends with a period, question mark or exclamation point.
Many kindergartners read short sentences with sight words and easy word families by the middle to end of the year. Every child moves at their own pace, so keep practice short and happy.
Have them say the sentence out loud first, then count the words on their fingers. Draw a line for each word, then fill in the words with a capital at the start and a period at the end.
Spacing takes practice. Use a finger space, a craft stick or a little "spaceman" to mark the gap. Gentle reminders and lots of short writing make it automatic.
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