Sentence Unscramble
Try Sentence Unscramble
with a sample word list!
- 2nd-3rdVocabulary: Antonyms
- 3rd-5thVerb Tenses
- 3rd-5thChanges in Matter
- 6th-8thHomophones
Note: Although this activity is designed for the grade levels above, it can also be used as a remediation or enrichment activity at any grade level with an appropriate word list.
Building Literacy
- Foundational Skills
- Vocabulary
- Sentence Structure: Syntax
- Grammar
- Language
What? A sentence is a set of words that contain a complete thought. More...Less
It has a subject and a verb, and it conveys a statement, question, command or exclamation. There are only so many different ways to construct a grammatically correct sentence. Students benefit from playing with and creating sentences, including manipulating the word within the sentence to see how their order changes the meaning of the sentence. The ability to recognize sentence structure or syntax will help students become stronger writers.
When? Students can begin to unscramble sentences as soon as they have the ability to read them. When students unscramble sentences, they become cognizant of the fact that words have an order in a sentence and without that order, the sentence does not make sense.
How to teach: Begin teaching the syntax of a sentence by letting students edit by ear, not by naming parts of speech. More...Less
For example, write the words of a simple sentence on index cards and ask them to arrange the words in order so that the words make a complete thought. Once students understand that words need to be in a particular order to make sense, teachers can deepen the level of instruction to meet the needs of the students. For students who need additional practice with hearing grammatically correct simple sentences, use Sentence Unscramble as a small group lesson.
Play to learn: To begin Sentence Unscramble, students arrange spelling and vocabulary words to make a contextually correct sentence. More...Less
Students drag and drop words into a box in the same order they hear it read in the sentence. When they are finished and submit their sentence, words that have been arranged correctly turn green. If students make an error, they are given another chance to rearrange the words to form a complete sentence. To provide extra support, students can hear the sentence read aloud multiple times, and roll over a word to hear it in isolation.
Teaching Tip: Sentence Unscramble can be used as a whole group activity to introduce the idea of how words go together to create a complete sentence. More...Less
It is also perfect for small group instruction and independent practice. It is especially helpful as additional support for English Language Learners whose native languages have different syntax rules than English. Sentence Unscramble is available as an online activity or printable worksheet.