SIMPLE SENTENCES

What makes a simple sentence?  How else do we help students with little English language exposure learn to make sentences besides getting them to read more English books?

2.  It's a real challenge for the second language learners in my school to construct sentences most of the time.  Using wh-questions is certainly effective.  For very basic sentence structure, getting students to give information on WHO or WHAT (SUBJECT) and WHAT ACTION is taken (VERB) is extremely helpful.   

2.  A simple sentence can have expansions or information that answer the questions WHERE and WHEN.

3.  A simple sentence can also have more than two expansions or information, answering the question HOW.

4.  A simple sentence can have more expansions / information that answer the questions of whom, whose, why, how, how far, how long, how much and so forth.

5.  Just remember expansions or information can answer any type of wh-questions.  It doesn't always have to follow the sequence of where, when, why and how.  The wh-questions in the expansions or information can be in any order.

Taken from Mdm Sukeshini Nair's slideshow.

6.  When students get used to using wh-questions to help them construct simple sentences, we can introduce the  SSVEEE (Setting - Subject - Verb - Expansion - Expansion - Expansion)  or SSVIII (Setting - Subject - Verb - Information - Information - Information)  technique. 

To be continued... Look out for SSVEEE technique...


Check out these websites:-
Tunstall's teaching tidbits
Crafting Power Sentences 
Shut the Door and Teach