Using Sentence Frames to Enhance Writing in a K-1 Classroom
Using Sentence Frames to Enhance Writing in a K-1 Classroom
Using Sentence Frames to Enhance Writing in a K-1 Classroom
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Results<br />
Student writ<strong>in</strong>g improved through the<br />
use of the sentence frames. Students were able<br />
<strong>to</strong> write more clear sentences and stay on <strong>to</strong>pic<br />
for the writ<strong>in</strong>g assignment. Dur<strong>in</strong>g the last<br />
implementation, 16 students chose <strong>to</strong> use the<br />
sentence frame and 5 students chose <strong>to</strong> not use<br />
the sentence frame. However, the students<br />
who chose not <strong>to</strong> use the sentence frame paper<br />
wrote complete sentences that did follow the<br />
sentence frame format.<br />
Student <strong>in</strong>terviews revealed that most<br />
students liked <strong>to</strong> use the sentence frames.<br />
Some of their responses were recorded <strong>in</strong> the<br />
box below. Only one student expla<strong>in</strong>ed that he<br />
did not like us<strong>in</strong>g the sentence frame.<br />
However, when he wrote his f<strong>in</strong>al writ<strong>in</strong>g<br />
sample on a paper without the sentence frame,<br />
he still wrote it <strong>in</strong> the sentence frame format.<br />
Student Reflections<br />
I liked us<strong>in</strong>g the sentence frame<br />
because…<br />
- I like <strong>to</strong> write and it helps me<br />
know what <strong>to</strong> write about. –CM<br />
- I get a bit of a head start. It<br />
helps me know what <strong>to</strong> write<br />
about. –LK<br />
- Then I could th<strong>in</strong>k about<br />
someth<strong>in</strong>g good. –SK<br />
- It makes me get more ideas. –SP<br />
- When someone writes it I can<br />
keep on go<strong>in</strong>g. –FH<br />
- We don’t really know what <strong>to</strong><br />
write about. When it<br />
(directions) is at the <strong>to</strong>p of the<br />
paper we get confused. -EH<br />
The Next Step<br />
The students benefitted from us<strong>in</strong>g the<br />
sentence frame <strong>in</strong> their writ<strong>in</strong>g. In the future, I<br />
would implement sentence frames <strong>in</strong><strong>to</strong> more<br />
writ<strong>in</strong>g styles and give students frames <strong>to</strong> beg<strong>in</strong><br />
s<strong>to</strong>ries as well.<br />
Over the implementation I saw an<br />
improvement <strong>in</strong> the student’s writ<strong>in</strong>g. It<br />
became clearer and focused. I would encourage<br />
teachers <strong>to</strong> use sentence frames <strong>in</strong> their<br />
classrooms. Even <strong>in</strong> the upper grades sentence<br />
frames can be a valuable <strong>to</strong>ol <strong>to</strong> help students<br />
collect their thoughts and give an example of<br />
an effective way <strong>to</strong> start their sentences or<br />
ideas.<br />
In the future, I would like <strong>to</strong> use<br />
sentence frames <strong>in</strong> a variety of ways <strong>in</strong> my<br />
classroom. For <strong>in</strong>stance, dur<strong>in</strong>g group<br />
discussions sentence frames could be a way <strong>to</strong><br />
encourage specific student language when<br />
address<strong>in</strong>g the group or express<strong>in</strong>g their ideas.<br />
Implement<strong>in</strong>g them earlier <strong>in</strong> the year would<br />
most likely make them more effective and<br />
foster the language we would like students <strong>to</strong><br />
use.<br />
References<br />
Cudd, E.T., & Roberts, L. (1989). <strong>Us<strong>in</strong>g</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>to</strong> enhance content area learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong><br />
the primary grades. The Read<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Teacher, 42 (6). Retrieved from<br />
http://www.js<strong>to</strong>r.org/discover/10.23<br />
7/20200161uid=3739936&uid=2134&u<br />
d=4578492917&uid=2&uid=70&uid=3&<br />
d=4578492907&uid=3739256&uid=60&<br />
d=21101950796693<br />
Wiesendanger, K. (2012). Help students<br />
understand relationships: implement<br />
paragraph frames. The Virg<strong>in</strong>ia Enligh<br />
Bullet<strong>in</strong>, 62 (1). Retreived from<br />
http://ehis.ebscohost.com.mutex.gm<br />
.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewersid=<br />
689c203-93ae-46f0-babe<br />
f75e66ad978e%40sessionmgr14&vid=1<br />
&hid=17<br />
<strong>Us<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Sentence</strong><br />
<strong>Frames</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Enhance</strong><br />
<strong>Writ<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>in</strong> a K-1<br />
<strong>Classroom</strong><br />
Michelle Claire Kroes<br />
Spr<strong>in</strong>g 2013
Elementary is a school<br />
full of opportunities for students. It is located <strong>in</strong><br />
Northern Virg<strong>in</strong>ia <strong>in</strong> a neighborhood. The school is<br />
a center school for the Advanced Academics<br />
Program (AAP),therefore the student body is<br />
made up of local students as well as students<br />
who are <strong>in</strong> the AAP program. The school is<br />
a Kennedy Center Chang<strong>in</strong>g Education Through<br />
the Arts (CETA) school. This makes the school<br />
unique because the arts are <strong>in</strong>tegrated<br />
<strong>in</strong><strong>to</strong> the core curriculum at the school.<br />
The Core Class<br />
The classroom <strong>in</strong> which the research<br />
<strong>to</strong>ok place is a K<strong>in</strong>dergarten- First Grade<br />
multiage classroom. There are 13 First Graders<br />
and 9 K<strong>in</strong>dergarteners for a <strong>to</strong>tal of 22 students.<br />
There are 6 students who qualify for ESOL<br />
services and 3 students who are pulled for<br />
Advanced Academic Placement enrichment. Mrs. T<br />
practices Responsive <strong>Classroom</strong> <strong>in</strong> her<br />
room <strong>to</strong> help students become <strong>in</strong>dependent <strong>in</strong><br />
their decisions and take responsibility for their<br />
actions. The classroom is rich with text <strong>to</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong>fluence student writ<strong>in</strong>g and students have a<br />
variety of opportunities and avenues <strong>to</strong> express<br />
themselves through writ<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
The Process<br />
Hav<strong>in</strong>g a multiage classroom presents the<br />
challenge of scaffold<strong>in</strong>g enough for both ages while<br />
extend<strong>in</strong>g for the First Graders <strong>to</strong> prepare them <strong>to</strong><br />
enter Second Grade. I noticed that many of the<br />
students were struggl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> f<strong>in</strong>d the words <strong>to</strong> start<br />
sentences and would end up writ<strong>in</strong>g down answers<br />
without actually start<strong>in</strong>g a sentence <strong>to</strong> let the<br />
reader know what they were writ<strong>in</strong>g about. I<br />
wondered if us<strong>in</strong>g a sentence frame would help<br />
students <strong>to</strong> better form their ideas and limit the<br />
number of responses that seemed <strong>to</strong> be written<br />
without a clear purpose stated <strong>to</strong> the reader.<br />
The Research<br />
<strong>Sentence</strong> frames or paragraph frames help<br />
students <strong>to</strong> organize <strong>in</strong>formation and better<br />
understand the relationship between their writ<strong>in</strong>g<br />
and the <strong>in</strong>formation presented. Implementation is<br />
achieved by first read<strong>in</strong>g the text <strong>to</strong> the students<br />
and then show<strong>in</strong>g them the frame <strong>to</strong> write from<br />
(Wiesendanger).<br />
<strong>Sentence</strong> frames and paragraph frames are<br />
most effective when students are provided with the<br />
frame or have the frame <strong>to</strong> copy <strong>to</strong> beg<strong>in</strong> their<br />
sentences and then fill <strong>in</strong> their responses <strong>to</strong> the<br />
prompts (Cudd & Roberts).<br />
The Question:<br />
How will <strong>in</strong>troduc<strong>in</strong>g a<br />
sentence frame <strong>in</strong> language<br />
arts help students <strong>to</strong> write<br />
about the problem and<br />
solution <strong>in</strong> a s<strong>to</strong>ry<br />
Data Collection<br />
I decided <strong>to</strong> collect data through multiple<br />
avenues. The ma<strong>in</strong> data collection was through<br />
samples of student writ<strong>in</strong>g analysis. To scaffold the<br />
writ<strong>in</strong>g for different ability levels all writ<strong>in</strong>g papers<br />
had space <strong>to</strong> draw a picture as well as write words.<br />
The second type of data collection was tally<strong>in</strong>g how<br />
many students decided <strong>to</strong> use the sentence frame<br />
when given the option. The third type of data<br />
collection was student <strong>in</strong>terviews <strong>to</strong> assess if<br />
students were f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g the sentence frame <strong>to</strong> be<br />
useful. To conduct the <strong>in</strong>terviews, I asked students<br />
if the sentence frames helped them <strong>to</strong> write and if<br />
they liked us<strong>in</strong>g it. I also provided a sample of a<br />
worksheet we had used so they could see what I was<br />
talk<strong>in</strong>g about.<br />
Implementation<br />
The students had already reviewed and<br />
talked about f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g the problem and solution <strong>in</strong> a<br />
s<strong>to</strong>ry, therefore my implementation was more<br />
focused on us<strong>in</strong>g the sentence frame rather than<br />
teach<strong>in</strong>g the new material.<br />
I began implement<strong>in</strong>g the sentence frame<br />
by read<strong>in</strong>g aloud Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Pota<strong>to</strong><br />
and discuss<strong>in</strong>g the problem and solution <strong>in</strong> the s<strong>to</strong>ry<br />
with the students. As a class, we phrased our<br />
responses <strong>to</strong> be <strong>in</strong> the sentence frame format. Then,<br />
I gave students a paper <strong>to</strong> write their response with<br />
an area <strong>to</strong> draw their picture. Most students did not<br />
write <strong>in</strong> complete sentences and a few wrote about<br />
someth<strong>in</strong>g other than the problem and solution.<br />
Dur<strong>in</strong>g the second implementation, I read a<br />
big book aloud, Gu<strong>in</strong>ea Pig Grass, and aga<strong>in</strong> asked<br />
students <strong>to</strong> formulate their response for the<br />
problem and solution of the s<strong>to</strong>ry. Then, students<br />
wrote their responses on paper which had already<br />
been prepared with the sentence frame. The<br />
student responses were much more clear and<br />
concise.<br />
Over the next week, students cont<strong>in</strong>ued <strong>to</strong><br />
write about the problem and solution <strong>to</strong> text at the<br />
listen<strong>in</strong>g center and at the big book station.<br />
For the f<strong>in</strong>al implementation, I read The<br />
Best Loved Bear and we discussed the problem and<br />
solution as a group. Then students were given a<br />
choice of writ<strong>in</strong>g on paper prepared with the<br />
sentence frame or without it.<br />
The <strong>Sentence</strong> Frame:<br />
The problem <strong>in</strong> ________<br />
is ____________. The<br />
solution <strong>to</strong> the problem is<br />
_________.