SENTENCE
VARIETY CHECK

This activity works well AFTER you have covered everything you want to cover for Sentence Fluency.  I do not recommend doing this activity very often, as it is very time consuming and not very exciting.  It does, however, get the point across.  After a few times, the students will begin to do a mental check for sentence variety. 

Have the students do this activity with the second draft (never the first draft) of a major writing assignment.  The first step calls for students to skip a line after every sentence.  I have students do it this way for two reasons.  1) It is much easier to work with one sentence at a time.  2) The students will "accidentally" identify fragments and run-ons. 

The first time you do this activity, you may want to provide a sample paper that you have retyped, skipping a line after each sentence. Then work with the students to show them what you want them to do.  You can use your own sample paper, or choose one from the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.  Click here for a list of sample papers you can use.

STUDENT DIRECTIONS:

1. Skip a line after every sentence.  This is not the same as skipping every other line.  If a sentence takes up three lines, do not skip a line until after the sentence.
   
   

2. With a peer revision partner, identify and label each sentence for its structure.  Use the following abbreviations:  simple (S), compound (CD), complex (CX), compound-complex (CD-CX).
   
   

3. Write down the amount of each type of sentence structure.  Have you favored one particular structure?  Have you ignored a particular structure?  If so, work with the peer revision partner to balance the structures.  You do not need to have the same amount of each structure, but you should have a good variety.
   
   

4. With a new peer revision partner, highlight the sentence beginnings--the first phrase or first few words.  
   
   

5. Do you have a variety of sentence beginnings, or do you favor one in particular.  If you do not have variety, work with the peer revision partner to change some of the sentence beginnings.

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