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Sentences That Matter, Mentor and Motivate
Two teachers show how their middle and high school students work with sentence structure using New York Times models. They also pose a sentence-writing challenge for your students.
By Blake Bockholt and
Jodi Ramos and Blake Bockholt met virtually this summer as participants in our inaugural class of The New York Times Teaching Project. Once the two educators realized they were both serious sentence-structure nerds, they immediately decided to work together on a curriculum project.
The practical step-by-step guide below details each teacher’s process — Blake’s in his high school English classroom at NUAMES in Layton, Utah, and Jodi’s in her sixth-grade classroom at Coke R. Stevenson Middle School in San Antonio, where she is also an E.L.A. coordinator.
Then the two share mentor sentences from The Times before posing a challenge to your students at the conclusion of this post: Can they find some of these sentence structures in The Times, then use them as mentors for their own writing and post the results to the comments section?
Finally, if you, too, teach using The Times, we invite you to tell us about it here. You can also browse our full collection of Reader Ideas.
— Katherine Schulten, Editor
Introduction
Educators love to connect with other educators. A conversation might go like this:
“I just read Jeff Anderson’s ‘Patterns of Power’ and adapted his ideas for my students’ sentence imitation lessons. I can’t wait until his secondary book for mentor sentences is published!”
“Me too. I connect my mentor sentences with Kelly Gallagher’s Article of the Week ideas — have you seen his website for educators?”
And an hour flies by as we talk shop.
That’s how the collaboration between the two of us began, and from there we almost simultaneously had the idea to create this resource. But before we get to our list of Times mentor sentences, here’s a look at what goes into each of our daily practices.
Jodi’s Classroom
Jodi: I am an Abydos writing trainer who teaches a workshop called “Fifteen Minutes a Day Keeps the Red Pen at Bay” for my district and others in Texas. I use the work of Jeff Anderson (“Patterns of Power”), Gretchen Bernabei (“Grammar Keepers”) and Joyce Carroll (“The Acts of Teaching Writing”), all of which is grounded in research that shows that having students correct error-filled sentences is ineffective — but noticing how sentences with powerful grammatical structures work can improve student writing.
I currently teach three sixth-grade 90-minute blocks. Each week I teach a different concept through the sentence-imitation process that Mr. Anderson outlines in his books “Mechanically Inclined,” “Everyday Editing” and “Patterns of Power.”
On Mondays, my students “notice” a sentence. Before the coronavirus pandemic, students noticed sentences in their notebooks. Now they mark up the slides I create, annotating whatever the class notices.
This week, for example, I used a complex sentence — that is, a sentence composed of at least one main clause and one subordinate clause — from an essay in The Times titled “The Iguana in the Bathtub.”
When the temperature dipped below 40, iguanas started falling from the trees.
On Tuesdays, I show my own sentence modeled after the author’s sentence, and the students check to see if I completed the task.
This time I started with an independent clause. I tried to include other items in my sentences that I noticed my students using incorrectly. For example, here I added some proper nouns.
When it dips below 80 degrees in Texas, Mrs. Ramos remembers the autumns of her youth spent in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
On Wednesdays, I conduct a longer mini-lesson. This week they reviewed the acronym A WHITE BUS to help them remember the subordinating conjunctions.
I often use my puppet Petunia, the pig pictured below, as well as Khan Academy videos on independent and dependent clauses to help explain.
Thursdays are for additional mini-lessons and students experimenting with their own sentences. Before the pandemic students posted their sentences to Twitter. Now they use Padlet or slides to showcase their sentence attempts.
On Fridays, I create a quiz that reviews the sentence type from the week before and tests the current skill. Together with the students, I create a checklist that includes the grammar taught to help guide their process papers.
Here are a few complex sentences from their recent process pieces. They were allowed to publish in any genre of their choice.
Liam D. wrote an informational article about scientific paradoxes. Here is one of his complex sentences:
If time machines existed right now, we would be able to go back and fix our mistakes!
Jasmine A. wrote about a time her sister got lost.
About thirty minutes later, I saw my dad’s face red with anger and my sister’s eyes red and puffy.
Elijah B. wrote an article about assumptions for his first process piece:
While the human brain can do fascinating things, it does not always lead us in the right direction.
Nate B. wrote about a real-life adventure:
We were in the ditch for about an hour and a half exploring the deep, scary parts with creepy noises and a slowly descending slope before we got lost.
Rory G. used a complex sentence in her reflection about completing her first published piece in sixth grade:
I liked how I got to choose the topic because I felt like I could REALLY go into detail about it and share my dream.
Blake’s Classroom
Blake: To teach my students new grammatical structures, I always follow the same three-step formula — first, analyzing model sentences; next, isolated practice; and finally, integrating the structure into writing.
1. Analyzing Model Sentences
When introducing my students to a new grammatical skill, I project and read aloud three model sentences for them to analyze.
Instead of telling my students the rules for a particular grammatical structure, I ask them to use the turn and talk strategy to answer an essential question: What do you notice? (a simple-but-powerful question used by Jeff Anderson). This invitation to notice, Mr. Anderson emphasizes, allows students to pay attention to the mechanics, the style and the craft of the sentences. In these small discussions, students typically discover the conventions themselves!
Recently, to teach my students how to use dashes in their writing, I asked my students what they noticed about the following sentences published in The Times.
Anjali Vaidya’s description of her sari wedding dress:
Acres of magenta chiffon and piles of gold sequins and faux-emerald jewelry — the regalia for my engagement ceremony — lay on the bed.
Sam Anderson’s question about McDonald’s chicken nuggets:
Was it possible to turn chickens — those skittish, bony, feathery, beaky creatures — into soft globs the size of your thumb?
Daniel Duane’s description of mountaineering:
Central to the mountaineer’s life — its curse and gift — is an itch for struggle, and a willingness to scratch it.
After my students discuss what they notice about the model sentences I give them, I usually lead a quick whole-class discussion to check for understanding and, if needed, probe with follow-up questions.
When we discussed what they noticed about the model sentences above, one student commented, “The stuff between the dashes aren’t needed in the sentence, but they make it more interesting.”
Another followed up with, “Yeah! I like how the best part of the sentence is in the dashes!”
Probing for deeper understanding, I asked, “If the words between the dashes aren’t essential, but they’re the best part of the sentence, why do you think the author punctuated them with dashes?”
“Because they add emphasis,” another student concluded.
2. Isolated Practice
After we analyze model sentences from The Times, I invite my students to imitate the sentence structures.
Because all of them have access to computers, we do this digitally. I create a discussion board in Canvas (Google Classroom or paper and pencil work, too) where students post their sentences. I project and read aloud my students’ sentences; call attention to and compliment their mechanics and style; sometimes correct their grammar; and — most often — enjoy their creative wit!
Here are some of the sentences my students recently wrote:
Caffeine — a substance needed for survival in modern ages — is the reason that many individuals nowadays are able to look alive during the day. — Saskia Egger
As the year moves on and the leaves change color, he wonders whether she — the only girl that makes him feel anything — will reach her breaking point and finally leave. — Kemuel Cullimore
She stood — weak, and slouching — at the front door of her house. — Daniela Monterroso
3. Integrating the Skill Into Writing
Students are really good at demonstrating grammar skills in isolated practice. When I teach my students a new grammatical skill and immediately ask them to write a sentence using that skill, they get it right.
However, isolated grammar practice does not automatically transfer into student writing. Students will rarely use dashes, semicolons, colons or appositives without a little more encouragement.
To help my students transfer their new grammar skills into their writing I ask them to implement the skills into other writing assignments. For example, in their Article of the Week reflections (which I adapt from the Learning Network’s Lesson of the Day), students are required to use a recently taught grammar skill and highlight that sentence. I don’t usually grade students on their grammar, but I tell them their highlighted sentence better be correct.
Furthermore, when students write essays, I require them to purposefully use multiple grammatical structures and highlight them in different colors. For a recent essay assignment, I included the following instructions in the prompt:
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Write a sentence — with a dash — and highlight the sentence in yellow.
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Write a sentence with a semicolon and highlight the sentence in green.
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Write a sentence with an appositive and highlight the sentence in pink.
Or sometimes I just tell my students to pull out their phones, read the last text message and respond with the grammar skill I just taught them.
A Challenge to Students: Learn With Times Mentor Sentences and Create and Post Your Own
Now that you know how we work, here are mentor sentences that illustrate some of the most taught sentence structures.
And here is our challenge to your students: Can they find their own examples of each structure in The Times? If so, they are invited to use the comments feature on this article to:
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Find a Times sentence of one of the types listed below, post it and tell us which article it is from.
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Write their own sentence using the same structure.
We can’t wait to read what they post, and we may highlight some of our favorites here or on social media.
I. Simple Sentences
Explanation: A simple sentence consists of one independent clause. An independent clause has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.
Times Mentor Sentences
From “The Iguana in the Bathtub,” a 2014 essay by Anne Doten:
The thing was dead. It was definitely dead.
From “How Black Lives Matter Reached Every Corner of America,” a 2020 article by Audra D.S. Burch, Weiyi Cai, Gabriel Gianordoli, Morrigan McCarthy and Jugal K. Patel:
They march. They kneel. They sing. They cry. They pray. They light candles.
From “What Makes Sand Soft?,” a 2020 article by Randall Munroe:
We don’t know. No one understands how sand works.
Now you try — and post the results in the comments:
1. Find a simple sentence in today’s New York Times. Post it and include the URL or the headline of the article it is from.
2. Write a simple sentence — and be sure you can identify the subject and the verb.
II. Compound Sentences With Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS)
Explanation: Compound sentences combine at least two independent clauses, joining them with a coordinating conjunction. An acronym to help you remember the most common coordinating conjunctions — for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so — is FANBOYS.
Times Mentor Sentences
From “12 Fraught Hours With E.M.T.s in a City Under Siege,” a 2020 article by Jan Hoffman:
Six minutes of ultraviolet light should clean the interior properly, but department protocol requires 20 minutes.
From “Why a Perfect Spiral Football Pass Doesn’t Break the Laws of Physics,” a 2020 article by Kenneth Chang:
These physicists were never amazing football players, but they’ve helped explain some of the magic when a quarterback goes deep.
From “Up, Up and Away From It All,” a 2020 article by Daniel Duane:
They were shivering in wet sleeping bags, and ice was forming inside tents.
Now you try — and post the results in the comments:
1. Find a compound sentence that has a coordinating conjunction in today’s New York Times. Post it and include the URL or the headline of the article it is from.
2. Write your own compound sentence by combining two simple sentences using a comma and a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).
III. Compound Sentences With Semicolons
Explanation: Another way to connect two related clauses is by using a semicolon. In this kind of compound sentence, you don’t need a coordinating conjunction; the semicolon does the job.
Times Mentor Sentences
From “Tales From the Teenage Cancel Culture,” a 2019 article by Sanam Yar and Jonah Engel Bromwich:
Her decision didn’t stay private; she told a friend that week that she had canceled him.
From “We Found Our Son in the Subway,” a 2013 essay by Peter Mercurio:
What we could never have predicted was that Danny had not just saved an abandoned infant; he had found our son.
From “35 Thoughts About Mario on Super Mario’s 35th Anniversary,” a 2020 article by Stephen Totilo:
Luigi has more personality; he’s a nervous worrier and an underdog in the shadow of his famous sibling.
Now you try — and post the results in the comments:
1. Find a compound sentence that has a semicolon in today’s New York Times. Post it and include the URL or the headline of the article it is from.
2. Write a compound sentence by combining two simple sentences; use a semicolon to join them.
IV. Complex Sentences With Subordinating Conjunctions
Explanation: A complex sentence has at least one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. (A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb, but because it does not express a complete thought, it is not a sentence and cannot stand alone.)
The word that links the two clauses is called a subordinating conjunction. An acronym to help you remember some of the most common subordinating conjunctions is A WHITE BUS, which stands for although, whenever, however, if, though, even if, because, unless, since.
Times Mentor Sentences
From “Take the Edge Off With Video Games,” a 2020 article by Julie Muncy:
Although the neuroscience of video gaming is not conclusive, there may be evidence that the benefits are not (pardon the phrase) just in your head.
From “No, Mouthwash Will Not Save You From the Coronavirus,” a 2020 article by Katherine J. Wu:
Even if people did a very thorough job coating the inside of their mouths or noses with a coronavirus-killing chemical, a substantial amount of the virus would still remain in the body.
From “Postal Service Takes ‘Operation Santa’ Letter Campaign National,” a 2020 article by Kwame Opam:
With the coronavirus pandemic still raging, however, the U.S. Postal Service announced on Monday that it was taking its annual “Operation Santa” campaign nationwide, and that letters to Santa could be read exclusively online.
Now you try — and post the results in the comments:
1. Find a complex sentence that has a subordinating conjunction in today’s New York Times. Post it and include the URL or the headline of the article it is from.
2. After you analyze Times mentor sentences, write your own complex sentence.
V. Compound-Complex Sentences
Explanation: The compound-complex sentence is, as the name indicates, a combination of the two sentence types. Like a compound sentence, it contains at least two independent clauses. And like a complex sentence, it has at least one dependent clause. That dependent clause can be at the beginning, middle or end of the sentence, however.
Times Mentor Sentences
From “What if They Could Make the Pandemic Go Poof?,” a 2020 article by Kenneth Sturtz:
Along with Mr. Farquhar, magicians everywhere were realizing in-person events wouldn’t be returning soon and approached virtual shows with varying degrees of enthusiasm and equipment; setups ranged from a computer and webcam to elaborate makeshift studios.
From “The Exquisite Angst of Applying to College in a Deeply Anxious Year,” a 2020 article by Anemona Hartocollis
Final application deadlines are still to come, but the data on early-decision applications this month showed a slightly smaller number of students applying to college, especially from low-income families, although those that did were trying their luck at more schools than usual.
From “Masks Work. Really. We’ll Show You How,” by Or Fleisher, Gabriel Gianordoli, Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, Karthik Patanjali, Miles Peyton and Bedel Saget
A well-fitting N95 is the gold standard, but don’t worry if you can’t get your hands on one.
Now you try — and post the results in the comments:
1. Find a compound-complex sentence in today’s New York Times. Post it and include the URL or the headline of the article it is from.
2. Write your own compound-complex sentence; while it may seem difficult, you can do it!
This list, of course, could go on since there are myriad things to teach about sentence structure and myriad ways to teach those things with The Times. Which sentences have you admired? What might you do with them? We have related lesson plans below that can help you do even more.
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