Writing: Sentences
& Paragraphs
Writer's Theatre
Today's
Snack: If you're going to be at a
theatre, even though it's a writer's theatre, you probably need the basic
theatre snack - popcorn! Have a tall glass of juice, on ice, to wash down that
salty goodness.
--------------------
Supplies:
Print out the checklist, below, for
each participant
and distribute with pencils,
or project them on a big screen
and use as post-reading evaluation
questions
You
can get a really good idea of how fluent your writing is by listening to
someone else read it aloud.
So
get together with at least one other student. Each of you write a story or a
paper.
Use your school's stage, or set
up a mini-stage, even if it's just an open space in the room, and set up some
chairs for the "audience."
Then read aloud your
partner's story or paper, and listen to him or her read yours aloud.
You
can assemble an audience of parents, siblings, grandparents, babysitters,
neighbor kids, etc., too, if you really want an idea of how your writing
"sounds."
Print out the checklist, below, and have a copy for each
member of your Writer's Theatre "audience" - including the writer -- for them
to "score" how each story or paper sounds. You might prefer to give these
"reviews" to each writer privately, or share them as a group.
Writer's
Theatre "Reviews"
1.
Are any sentences so long that the reader
runs out of breath? That
could signal run-on sentences.
2.
Does any part sound short and
choppy? If so, there
may be sentence fragments that need to be rewritten as complete sentences. Or
the writer used too many simple sentences, some of which could be combined.
3.
Are there any incomplete thoughts that
confuse you, or leave you hanging? They might need to be expanded and rewritten so that they
are complete sentences that communicate the meaning better.
4.
Do several sentences begin in the same
way? Rewrite with more
variety in sentence starts.
5.
Do several sentences sound the
same? If so,
rework and add more variety.
6.
Do all the sentences seem to be of the same
length? If so,
rewrite some to add variety.
7.
Does the reader get confused and have to re-read
any parts? If so,
look at how the sentences are connected to each other. Make clear transitions
so that the relationship between ideas is more clear.
8.
Does it sound like the way a person would
normally speak? If
not, rewrite the sentences to sound more like human speech.
9.
Do any areas of the reading sound
effortless, flowing, and rhythmic? If so, these areas contain good sentence fluency.
10. Do
any areas invite expressive, oral reading? Congratulations! Good sentence fluency.
