Elementary Level: Writing Simple Sentences
Mid Level: Punctuation (Periods, Commas, Question Marks)
High Level: Narrative Writing (Personal Stories)

Elementary Level (Kinder to Grade 2)

Subject: Writing Simple Sentences

Standards Alignment (Common Core State Standards – CCSS)

1. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.1 – Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
2. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.2 – Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
3. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3 – Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words, including sight words and CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words.

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, your child will be able to:
✅ Write simple sentences using sight words (e.g., the, is, a) and CVC words (e.g., cat, hat, dog).
✅ Demonstrate proper sentence structure with capital letters and punctuation.
✅ Build sentences using word cards and write them independently.

Materials Needed

📌 Word cards with sight words and CVC words
📌 Sentence strips or blank paper
📌 Markers, crayons, or pencils
📌 Printable worksheets for writing practice
📌 Magnetic letters (optional for hands-on practice)

Lesson Activities

1️⃣ Warm-Up (5–10 minutes) – Word Review

🎯 Activity: “I Spy a Word!”

• Display sight words and CVC words on cards.
• Say: “I spy a word that rhymes with ‘bat’!”
• The child finds and reads ‘cat’.
• Practice reading and sounding out words together.

2️⃣ Teaching & Guided Practice (20–25 minutes)

✏️ Activity 1: Building Simple Sentences

🧠 Sentence Building with Word Cards

• Provide the child with word cards (e.g., “The,” “cat,” “is,” “on,” “a,” “mat”).
• Show how to arrange words to make a sentence:
  • Example: “The cat is on a mat.”
• Highlight:
  • Start with a capital letter.
  • End with a period.
  • Leave spaces between words.

📝 Activity 2: Writing Practice

📄 Write Your Sentence!

• Give the child a printable worksheet with a sentence starter (e.g., “The dog…”).
• Ask them to complete the sentence (e.g., “The dog is big.”).
• Encourage them to draw a picture to match the sentence.

🎲 Activity 3: Silly Sentence Game

🎲 Mix and Match Words

• Mix word cards and let the child build funny sentences.
  • Example: “The dog is on a hat.”
• Celebrate creativity while checking for grammar and structure.

3️⃣ Assessment (10–15 minutes)

📄 Simple Sentence Writing Test

• Provide three sight words and three CVC words.
• Ask the child to write two simple sentences using the words.
• Check for:
  • Capital letters at the beginning.
  • Punctuation at the end.
  • Spacing between words.

🎯 Bonus Challenge:

• Ask the child to write a sentence about their favorite animal or toy.

4️⃣ Wrap-Up & Fun Game (5 minutes)

🎮 “Sentence Scramble”

• Scramble the words in a simple sentence (e.g., “cat the mat on is”).
• The child rearranges the words to make a correct sentence (“The cat is on the mat.”).

🎉 Celebrate Success with Stickers or a High-Five!

Next Steps

✅ If the child masters simple sentences → Introduce questions and exclamatory sentences.
✅ If they struggle → Use more visual aids and practice with sentence starters.

Mid Level (Grade 3 to 5)

Subject: Punctuation (Periods, Commas, Question Marks)

Standards Alignment (Common Core State Standards – CCSS)

1. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2 – Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
2. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.B – Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text.
3. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.C – Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, your child will be able to:
✅ Use periods, commas, and question marks correctly in sentences.
✅ Identify where to place punctuation in different types of sentences.
✅ Apply punctuation rules in writing and editing activities.

Materials Needed

📌 Printable punctuation worksheets
📌 Whiteboard and markers
📌 Sentence strips or cards
📌 Punctuation cards (period, comma, question mark)
📌 Highlighters or colored pencils

Lesson Activities

1️⃣ Warm-Up (5–10 minutes) – Punctuation Introduction

🎯 Activity: “Name That Punctuation!”

• Show the child sentences without punctuation, like:
  • “What time is it”
  • “I love dogs”
  • “I have apples oranges and grapes”
• Ask: “What do these sentences need?”
• Introduce:
  • Period (.) for statements: “I love dogs.”
  • Comma (,) for lists and pauses: “I have apples, oranges, and grapes.”
  • Question mark (?) for questions: “What time is it?”

2️⃣ Teaching & Guided Practice (20–25 minutes)

✏️ Activity 1: Punctuation Practice with Sentence Cards

🧠 Fill in the Punctuation!

• Prepare sentence cards with missing punctuation, such as:
  • “Do you like pizza”
  • “She went to the store and bought milk bread and eggs”
• Give the child punctuation cards (., ,, ?).
• They place the correct punctuation on each card.
• Discuss why each choice is correct.

📝 Activity 2: Editing Practice

📄 Find and Fix the Mistakes!

• Provide a short paragraph with punctuation errors, like:
  • “tom went to the park he played soccer Do you want to come too”
• The child uses a colored pen or highlighter to:
  • Add missing periods and question marks.
  • Insert commas in lists and compound sentences.
  • Capitalize the first word of sentences.

🎲 Activity 3: Punctuation Sorting Game

🎲 Sort the Sentences!

• Create three columns labeled Periods, Commas, Question Marks.
• Mix up sentence strips.
• The child sorts each sentence into the correct column based on its punctuation.

3️⃣ Assessment (10–15 minutes)

📄 Punctuation Quiz

• Give sentences with missing punctuation and ask the child to add the correct marks.
• Example:
  • “Can we go to the park” → “Can we go to the park?”
  • “I have a dog a cat and a fish” → “I have a dog, a cat, and a fish.”

🎯 Bonus Challenge:

• Ask the child to write three sentences using each type of punctuation.

4️⃣ Wrap-Up & Fun Game (5 minutes)

🎮 “Punctuation Detective”

• Read a short story aloud.
• The child holds up the correct punctuation card (., ,, ?) when they hear a sentence that needs it.

🎉 Celebrate Success with Stickers or a Fun Fact About Punctuation!

Next Steps

✅ If the child masters basic punctuation → Introduce exclamation marks and quotation marks.
✅ If they struggle → Use visual aids, songs, or interactive punctuation games.

High Level (Grade 6 to 8)

Subject: Narrative Writing (Personal Stories)

Standards Alignment (Common Core State Standards – CCSS)

1. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3 – Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
2. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3.A – Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view, introducing a narrator and/or characters, and organizing an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
3. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.5 – With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, and rewriting.

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, your child will be able to:
✅ Write a personal narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
✅ Use descriptive language to engage the reader.
✅ Organize events logically and maintain a consistent point of view.
✅ Review and revise their story with peer or adult feedback.

Materials Needed

📌 Writing notebooks or lined paper
📌 Story prompt cards
📌 Graphic organizers (e.g., story maps, plot diagrams)
📌 Highlighters or colored pens (for editing)
📌 Printable worksheets for brainstorming and revision

Lesson Activities

1️⃣ Warm-Up (5–10 minutes) – Story Brainstorming

🎯 Activity: “Story Sparks”

• Present story prompts to ignite creativity, such as:
  • “Write about a time you felt really proud.”
  • “Describe a funny memory with your family.”
  • “Tell about a day you’ll never forget.”
• The child chooses a prompt and brainstorms ideas using a graphic organizer.

2️⃣ Teaching & Guided Practice (25–30 minutes)

📖 Activity 1: Writing the Personal Narrative

✍️ Step-by-Step Writing

• Guide the child through writing a narrative with three main parts:
  1. Beginning: Introduce characters, setting, and context.
     • Example: “Last summer, I went to the beach with my family…”
  2. Middle: Describe the events in sequence, including feelings and details.
     • Example: “While building a sandcastle, a big wave came crashing in…”
  3. End: Provide a conclusion that wraps up the story or shares a lesson learned.
     • Example: “Even though our sandcastle was washed away, we had so much fun!”

📝 Activity 2: Adding Descriptive Details

🎲 “Show, Don’t Tell” Exercise

• Practice turning simple sentences into vivid descriptions, like:
  • Instead of: “I was scared.”
  • Write: “My hands trembled, and my heart raced as I stepped onto the stage.”

🧠 Activity 3: Peer Review and Editing

📄 Review and Revise!

• If possible, share the story with a peer or an adult.
• Provide a checklist for feedback, focusing on:
  • Clear sequence of events.
  • Descriptive language.
  • Grammar and punctuation.
• The child edits their story using the feedback received.

3️⃣ Assessment (10–15 minutes)

📄 Final Story Writing

• Have the child rewrite their story, incorporating revisions and edits.
• Evaluate using a simple rubric focusing on:
  • Story structure (beginning, middle, end).
  • Use of descriptive language.
  • Grammar and punctuation.

🎯 Bonus Challenge:

• Ask the child to illustrate a scene from their story to bring it to life.

4️⃣ Wrap-Up & Fun Game (5 minutes)

🎮 “Story Circle” Game

• Start a story with a sentence, like: “One sunny morning, I found a mysterious box…”
• The child adds the next sentence to continue the story.
• Create a silly or creative story together!

🎉 Celebrate Writing Success with a Mini Reading Session!

Next Steps

✅ If the child masters personal narratives → Introduce fictional and creative storytelling.
✅ If they struggle → Use story starters, pictures, or comic strips to spark ideas.