3.2 Explicitly Teach Sentence Expansion

Now it's time to teach! 

Here's a research-based approach that we recommend, with examples of language you can use if this is new to you. This lesson teaches students to expand simple sentences with additional details or clauses. You can also print the full lesson plan (opens in new window) for teaching sentence expansion.

A Step-by-Step Lesson

1. Review relevant prerequisite skills with your students. 

Start by reviewing what makes a sentence. Remind students that a sentence has two basic parts: a naming part and an action part. (By third grade students should use the terms subject and predicate.)

Display the subject and predicate cards (opens in new window) on the board or in a pocket chart. Join together the basic sentence parts to form a complete sentence.

It is important to keep your card parts consistent colors. This is a good support for all students but benefits English Learners in particular by offering a visual cue to assist with the vocabulary. Another strategy for supporting English Learners is to use pictures with the subject and predicate cards.

Go over the parts of a simple sentence students should know:

• Naming part (subject)
• Action part (predicate)
• Capital letter
• End punctuation (stop sign)

Tell students,

We sometimes call this type of simple sentence a kernel sentence. Simple sentences are like popcorn kernels that need to expand. When heat is added to a popcorn kernel, it expands and pops open. The kernel is just the start!

It is helpful to support this analogy with a visual, and it is an important scaffold for English Learners. You could choose to show a video clip or images of popcorn kernels popping.

If necessary, show additional examples of simple sentences with the subject and predicate cards (opens in new window). Have students turn to a partner and say in their own words what is needed to make a simple sentence. Use a whole-class debrief to ensure all students are ready to move on.

2. Introduce the concept of sentence expansion and define it explicitly.

Say to students, 

We can expand a kernel sentence to make it longer and more elaborate. Expanding sentences helps our readers understand our ideas better and picture them in their minds more clearly.

This is a good place to work on vocabulary by defining elaborate. When something is elaborate it has detail. Using the simple sentence The cat sleeps, you could compare a black and white clip art picture of a cat sleeping to a colorful picture of a cat with more detail.

3. Tell your students what they'll be learning.

Tell students,

Today we are going to learn one way to expand our simple sentences. We will do this by answering one or more key questions: When? Where? Why? or How? This allows readers to create a clearer picture in their minds of the action in the sentence.

Explain to students,

When we have a simple sentence such as The cat sleeps, it does not tell us much about the sleeping cat. We need to expand our simple sentence to help the reader create a clear picture in their mind of what else we would like to communicate.

Display the Where? and When? question cards (opens in new window) in a pocket chart or adhere them to a display board. (Or you can write on the board in different colors if that’s easier.)

Start by reading aloud the simple sentence: The cat sleeps. Display it on the board or in a pocket chart, or write it on chart paper.

Tell students,

Our simple sentence tells us the who and the what. Who is the sentence about? The cat. What is the cat doing? Sleeping. But this simple sentence leaves the reader wanting to know more. We can make a clearer picture in the reader's mind by expanding this sentence.

Add the Where? and the When? question cards to the display board or pocket chart, or write them on chart paper.

Explain to students,

Answers to these questions add detail. Where does the cat sleep? When does the cat sleep? These details will make a clearer picture in a reader's mind.

Model answers to the Where? and When? questions by adding the responses below. Think aloud: Where does the cat sleep? On my bed. You can record your response on a sentence strip or on your chart paper. Repeat for the When? question.

Tell students,

Let’s read this expanded sentence aloud together.

Read the expanded sentence. Use color-coding to reinforce that the two basic parts of a sentence now have been expanded to add more detail. The color-coding and visual cues are essential scaffolds for English Learners who may need support with vocabulary, and they’re beneficial for all learners. 

Next you'll use a gradual release approach — or I Do, We Do, You Do — to teach the skill.

4. I DO: Model the new skill.

First, tell your students it’s your turn and their job now is to watch and listen. Then model how to expand a basic sentence using key questions in order to communicate a more elaborate idea. 

Create a sentence expansion chart like the one below on easel paper or in a pocket chart by using sentence strips.

Say to students,

Remember, a simple sentence is like a popcorn kernel. It has not expanded yet. To make our sentences pop so they are not just basic sentences, we need to expand our action part (predicate). We expand our simple sentence idea by answering some questions.

Use the When Where, Why, and How Cards for sentence expansion (opens in new window) to think aloud about how to expand this sentence: A frog jumps. Display subject and predicate cards (opens in new window) or color-code the sentence parts on chart paper. This allows you to reinforce that the kernel sentence already is complete with a naming part (subject) and an action part (predicate).

Build some responses just using oral language at first. You do not need to write them down on a sentence strip or on the chart paper initially. Place the Where? question card on the left side of your sentence expansion template and think aloud. Optional: solicit responses from students prior to adding your teacher think-aloud below.

Tell students,

One of the first things I am wondering more about as I read that sentence is where does the frog jump? To help my readers, I need to think of places where the frog could jump. I could picture him jumping on a lily pad, into a pond, or on the grass. I am going to choose into the pond. A frog jumps into the pond. I am starting to get a clearer picture in my mind by adding that detail.

Record the sentence.

Then say to students,

Now that we know where the frog jumps, as a reader, I am wondering how it jumped. I'm going to think of ways to describe how it could have jumped.

Place the How? question card in the sentence expansion chart underneath the Where? card.

Now say,

The frog could have jumped slowly or quickly, but I picture it jumping suddenly. I picture watching a frog, and I don't expect it to jump. The frog jumps suddenly.

Add suddenly to your pocket chart or chart paper display.

Words ending in '-ly' are usually adverbs of manner (slowly, quickly) and degree (slightly). As students gain more control over sentence structure and grammar usage, labeling parts of speech will be important. In the earliest grades it is more important that students have opportunities to expand sentences without needing to know grammar terms.

Say to students,

I want to know one more piece. Why did the frog jump? When I think about a frog jumping into the pond suddenly, I start to think about why would a frog do this? Maybe the frog sensed danger and needed to hide.

Add to hide to your pocket chart or chart paper display.

Think aloud putting all the pieces together as a newly expanded sentence. Then read the entire expanded sentence aloud.

Tell students,

We expanded our simple sentence to be more elaborate. This made a clearer picture in the reader's mind.

Ideas for Scaffolding:

• If you're working with kindergartners or other early writers, consider having them draw their ideas. You'll need to model this explicitly. Show them how to do a very simple drawing using basic shapes. Tell students that you are not trying to make a perfect drawing for others to see — this is just to help you think of details!
• With early writers, you will likely use just one or two questions during sentence expansion. If you are working with more skilled writers, you can add more question cards.

5. WE DO: Invite your students to try expanding simple sentences together with you.

Now you will guide students in supported practice.

Tell students it is their turn to expand a simple sentence with you. 

Distribute the Draw and Expand the Sentence (opens in new window) sheet to each student. Students can work in a whole group, small group, or in partners. Depending on the grade level or skill level, some students might not be ready to write, so they can talk about the sentence or draw it. 

After distributing the activity sheet, say,

Let's practice expanding a simple sentence. On our sheet we have a simple sentence: The owl flew. This sentence has all the pieces we need to make it a sentence. It starts with a capital letter and ends with a stop sign, a period. It also has both a naming part (subject) and an action part (predicate). What is the naming part of our sentence?

Solicit responses from the students. Reinforce that The owl is the naming part, or the subject of the sentence because it answers who or what the sentence is about. Ask about the action part and solicit responses. Reinforce that flew is the action part, or the predicate, because it tells what the subject is doing.

Say to students,

The owl flew is a simple kernel sentence that has not been expanded. We are going to answer two questions to make this sentence more elaborate. Our first question is where, and our second question is when.

Call attention to these questions on the recording sheet. You may choose to have a discussion about what the options could be for each of those questions with the whole class. For example, let students contribute ideas about where the owl flew and record these options on a class list (to his nest, in the air, around the tree). Repeat for when the owl flew (at night, in the morning, after breakfast). Another option is to let partners talk out the options while you circulate. A third option is to build a sentence as a whole group.

For younger students, you may want to give them some time to draw their ideas about where and when the owl flew before they write. This can help them prepare to write a clearer sentence. If you want your students to draw, model explicitly how to keep the drawing simple.

Next say,

Now it is time to write our expanded sentence. Our sentence starts with The owl flew, and now you will add Where? and When? to expand your sentence.

Students should each record their own sentence on their recording sheet.

6. YOU DO: Ask them to do the activity on their own, with your feedback.

Here's the chance for your students to practice writing expanded sentences independently.  

Tell students it is their turn now. Use the Expand the Sentence (opens in new window) activity to have students practice expanding basic kernel sentences. (Be sure to use the activity sheet that is most appropriate for your students' writing skills.) Students will practice adding detail by answering when, where, why, and how.