LEARNING-FOCUSED Lesson Plan

Name
:

Plan for the concept, topic, or skill Not for the class period

Topic:

Huffman Academy

Language Arts - Clauses/Complex

Sentences

Learning Goals for this Lesson

Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.E; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.C; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.F;
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.A
Students Will Know:

Students Will Be Able To:

How to recognize dependent

and independent clauses
How to recognize and create
complex sentences

Recognize and create

sentences with dependent and
independent clauses;
Explain what a complex
sentence is and how it is
created
Provide examples of
words that introduce a
dependent clause

Lesson Essential Question:

Activating Strategy:

Key vocabulary to preview and vocabulary strategy:

Independent clause, dependent clause,

complex sentence, compound-complex
sentence

Lesson Instruction
Learning Activity 1:

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Graphic Organizer

After activating strategy question is presented: Teacher will explain what

the word dependent means, and introduce the word independent
through discussion. The word dependent means you cant stand alone.
There are parts of sentences that cant stand alone, so they are
dependent on other parts of a sentence. Lets take a look.

Teacher will create anchor chart detailing dependent clause and

independent clause.

Clause - a group of words with a subject and a verb

Dependent Clause - A clause that cannot stand alone as
a sentence.
Independent Clause - A clause that can stand alone as a
sentence.

Teacher will provide examples of both:

Dependent Clause - After the sun sets

Independent Clause - Fireflies like to light up in the dark.

The subject in the Independent Clause is fireflies and the verb is likes.

The teacher will then introduce the idea of complex sentences, when a
dependent and independent clause are put together in one sentence:

Fireflies like to light up in the dark after the sun sets.

The teacher will then explain that a comma is necessary when the
dependent clause is written before the independent clause:

After the sun sets, fireflies like to light up in the dark.

The teacher will provide at least two more examples (dependent clauses
underlined):

Before the bell rings, lets solve four math problems.

The leaves are changing colors since the season is

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changing.

Assessment Prompt for LA 1:

Teacher will guide students through Clauses and Complex Sentences
worksheet that is handed out to all students.
Learning Activity 2:
The teacher pass out copy of Subordinate Conjunctions that can/may
begin a dependent clause. Students will glue these in their Reading/LA
Journals in a new section titled, Subordinate Conjunctions.

Teacher will discuss several of these examples in sentences:

Although I love to draw, I do not call myself an artist.
I believe it is going to rain today because it is cloudy
outside.
Unless the rain has stopped, it will be hard to draw
outside.
I will draw outside whether it rains or not.

Students will write these sentences beneath the pasted example in the
journal. The students will circle the Subordinate Conjunction in each
sentence, and underline the dependent clause in a blue colored pencil,
and the independent clause in a red colored pencil. The students should
create a legend that details what the circle and colors mean.

Assessment Prompt for LA 2:

In groups, students will complete page 74 and 75 on their own sheets of
paper from the Grammar & Writing textbook.

Assignment

Learning Activity 3:

Before the test, students

should independently
complete the Cumulative
Review worksheet (page
20).

The teacher will introduce the concept of Compound Complex

Sentences where the sentence has two independent clauses and one
dependent clause.

Students will create new section in their Reading/LA Journal titled

Compound-Complex Sentences. The teacher will have students write
two examples with explanations in their journals:

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Then, students will

complete the test, page
19 from Grammar and

 Although I like to go camping, I haven't had the time

to go lately, and I haven't found anyone to go with.
independent clause: "I haven't had the time to go lately"
independent clause: "I haven't found anyone to go with"
dependent clause: "Although I like to go camping... "
We decided that the movie was too violent, but our
children, who like to watch scary movies, thought that we
were wrong.
independent clause: "We decided that the movie was too violent"
independent clause: "(but) our children thought that we were
wrong"
dependent clause: who like to watch scary movies

Assessment Prompt for LA 3:

Students will work independently to complete page 78 in Grammar &
Writing textbook on their own paper, but, students must creatively change
each sentence to a compound-complex sentence in numbers 1 and 2,
and use at least two compound-complex sentences in the short narrative
section.

During Chromebook time, the students will spend 15 to 30 minutes

playing sentence review games:
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/sentence_band/in
dex.html
http://reviewgamezone.com/games/superpong/index.php
?3580&title=Sentence%20Structure&id=3580
https://www.quia.com/rr/126726.html

Summarizing Strategy:

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Writing practice book.