Descriptosaurus Grammar Companion Ages 9 to 12: A Language Toolkit and Support for Creative Writing

Descriptosaurus Grammar Companion Ages 9 to 12 is a flexible grammar toolkit based on current research about effective strategies for teaching grammar tools and sentence construction (investigation, imitation, combining and expansion). It includes guidelines, exercises, scaffolds and models, and by showing a clear progression route to the acquisition and consolidation of increasingly more complex grammar tools it provides teachers and students with a road map that makes learning about sentence construction and revision visible.

This book is a collection of connected resources that can be used as and when required and it provides an easily accessible differentiation resource for each student based on their current stage of development, not the age-related targets and expectations. It enables the learning process for grammar tools to be recursive rather than linear; to be regularly revisited in short bursts to consolidate students’ knowledge and usage, or to correct any misconceptions or problem areas without impeding any writing activities already planned. Chapters focus on four main points:

• Investigation
• Imitation
• Combining
• Expansion

This Grammar Companion supports the main Descriptosaurus book and scaffolds students in their journey through the world of language. This essential resource will strengthen their language muscles and build confidence with sentence manipulation when revising their own texts, thus freeing their minds to think about the important issues of writing: content, audience and purpose, and organisation and structure.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

PART A – INVESTIGATIONS

1. Chunking into Sentence Parts
2. Subject and Predicate
3. Writing Craft Tools
4. Investigative Approach
5. Prepositional Phrases
6. Adverb Clauses
7. Relative Clauses
8. Participial Phrases

PART B – IMITATING

9. Sentence Imitation Method

10. Expanded Noun Phrases

11. Opening and Delayed Adjectives

12. Opening and Delayed Adverbs

13. Compound Verbs

14. Examples from Literature　

PART C – SENTENCE COMBINING

15. Sentence Combining Method

16. Expanded Noun Phrases

17. Adverb Clauses

18. Relative Clauses

19. Participial Phrases

20. Creating a Sentence Combining exercise from a text

21. Sentence Combining – Poetry

22. Sentence Combining – Non-fiction

23. Sentence Combining – History: The Blitz WWII

24. Sentence Combining – Settings

25. De-Combining Sentences and Paragraphs

PART D – SENTENCE EXPANSION

26. Sentence Expansion Method

27. A Writer’s Lens – Sentence Expansion

28. Show not Tell: Warm-up Exercises

Bibliography