1. Introduction: Unlocking Your Sentence Superpower (Tell them what you'll teach)

Hook: The Language Secret Code

Educator Prompt: Valentina, imagine you have a secret message you want to send, but if you just send random words like "jump, blue, the, loudly," does it make sense? (Allow time for response.) No! We need a special code to make sure our ideas are clear. That code is called a complete sentence. Today, you are going to learn the five essential steps to build any amazing sentence, giving you a serious writing superpower!

Learning Objectives (In Student-Friendly Language)

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Identify the two main parts of any complete sentence: the Subject (Who or What) and the Verb (What they did).
• Use the five-step checklist to make sure every sentence is 100% complete and correct.
• Write three unique and interesting sentences all by yourself!

2. Building the Sentence Factory (Teach it)

I Do: The Three Main Ingredients (Modeling)

We are going to think of a sentence like a delicious sandwich. It needs specific ingredients!

Step 1 & 2: Finding the Subject and Verb (The Core)

• Ingredient 1: The Subject (Who or What). This is the person, animal, or thing doing the action. It's the bread on the bottom. Example: The tall giraffe.
• Ingredient 2: The Verb (What did they do?). This is the action word or the state of being. It's the yummy filling! Example: eats the leaves.
• Rule Check: Can we say, "The tall giraffe eats the leaves"? Yes! If you have a Subject and a Verb, you have a complete thought.

Steps 3, 4, & 5: The Finishing Touches (The Checklist)

These are the secret steps that make the sentence perfect.

1. Start Strong: Does the sentence begin with a capital letter? (Always!)
2. Act Now: Does the sentence include an action word (Verb)?
3. Complete Thought: Does the sentence make perfect sense? (It can't be a fragment like "Running quickly.")
4. End Right: Does the sentence end with punctuation (. ? !)?
5. Proper People: Are proper nouns (names like Valentina, places like New York) capitalized? (We will focus mostly on step 1-4 today).

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We Do: Sentence Scramble Challenge (Guided Practice)

Activity: Building Sentences from Parts

1. Write 5 Subjects (e.g., "A purple alien," "The sleepy dog," "My teacher").
2. Write 5 Verbs/Predicates (e.g., "sprinted to the park," "yawned quietly," "read a long book").
3. Cut the index cards into separate Subject and Predicate phrases. Mix them up in the bowl.

Educator/Valentina Task: Take one Subject card and one Predicate card. Read them aloud.

Example: Subject: "The fluffy rabbit." Predicate: "climbed the mountain."

Formative Check: Does this new sentence meet the three core ingredients (Subject, Verb, Complete Thought)? Write the new, silly sentence down and check it against the "Super Sentence Checklist" (Steps 1-4).

(Repeat 2-3 times, encouraging Valentina to create funny combinations.)

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You Do: Invent-a-Sentence Workshop (Independent Practice)

Success Criteria: Valentina, you must create three original sentences that successfully pass the Super Sentence Checklist.

Instruction: Choose three topics you love (e.g., space, art, animals). For each topic, write one sentence following these strict steps:

1. Brainstorm: Decide on your Subject (Who/What).
2. Action: Decide on your Verb (Did What).
3. Write: Put them together and add details.
4. Check! Use the checklist below to mark each sentence complete.

Super Sentence Checklist

Checklist Item	Sentence 1	Sentence 2	Sentence 3
1. Starts with a Capital Letter?
2. Includes a Verb/Action?
3. Makes a Complete Thought?
4. Ends with Punctuation (. ? !)?

Differentiation and Flexibility:

• Scaffolding (For Struggling): Provide visual sentence starters (e.g., "The blue robot _____," "I baked _____"). Work on one sentence at a time, checking off the list immediately after each step (Capital, Verb, Punctuation).
• Extension (For Advanced): Challenge Valentina to incorporate an adjective (describing word) AND an adverb (how or when the action was done) into her three sentences, increasing the complexity of the Subject and Verb phrases (e.g., "The brave, tiny astronaut launched quickly toward the moon.").
• Context Adaptability:
  • Classroom: Use a shared whiteboard for the "We Do" activity. Students check their partner’s checklist in the "You Do" phase.
  • Homeschool/Training: Focus on personalized topics and use physical flashcards/visuals for high engagement.

3. Conclusion: Sentence Mastery (Tell them what you taught)

Closure and Recap (Think-Pair-Share)

Educator Prompt: Valentina, tell me the two most important ingredients every single sentence must have? (Subject and Verb).

Let’s quickly review our 5-Step Secret Sentence Checklist:

1. Did we start with a Capital letter?
2. Did we include an Action/Verb word?
3. Did we make a Complete thought?
4. Did we end with Punctuation?
5. (Optional) Did we capitalize proper nouns?

Summative Assessment: Sentence Swap

The educator writes one sentence fragment (incomplete thought) and one run-on sentence (two complete thoughts joined without proper punctuation). Valentina must identify which is which, fix them, and explain which rule on the checklist was broken for each.

Example Fragment: Running through the giant field quickly. (Fix: The dog was running through the giant field quickly.)

Example Run-On: The sun was shining I put on my coat. (Fix: The sun was shining. I put on my coat.)

Next Steps

Congratulations! You now have the superpower to build perfect sentences. For extra practice, try to find 5 complete sentences in your favorite book today and identify the Subject and the Verb in each one.