Appositive Action
Appositives are descriptive phrases, set off by commas, that modify a noun or noun phrase. Using appositives helps writers create sentences that are smoother and less choppy. In this lesson, students will learn to combine 2 or more descriptive sentences and action sentences into one sentence with an appositive phrase.
A lesson plan for grades 3–5 English Language Arts
Learn more
Related pages
- African Masks (Pre-Visit): This lesson will observe and describe several masks from different parts of Africa housed in the Smithsonian Institute (National Museum of African Art) Washington, D.C. Students will use the internet to view the Smithsonian's virtual exhibits. There are two lessons to follow this pre-visit. In the first, the students will explore African masks at the Ackland Art museum in Chapel Hill. In a culminating activity the students will make their own masks with some personal materials brought from home. (Post-visit activity)
Related topics
- Learn more about English language arts.
Legal
This page copyright ©2008. Terms of use
Learning outcomes
Students will:
- learn to identify the appositive phrase in a complex sentence.
- learn to combine sentences by turning one of the sentences into an appositive phrase.
- learn to correctly punctuate appositive phrases.
Teacher planning
Time required for lesson
1 Hours
Materials/resources
Appositive Action transparency pdf | rtf
Technology resources
Overhead Projector
Pre-activities
None.
Activities
Modeling/Minilesson:
- Share with students that some writers use short, choppy sentences in their writing, but if they knew about a fix-up strategy for choppy sentences, their writing would be much smoother. This fix-up strategy is called “Appositive Action.”
- Show the students the sample sentences on the “Appositive Action” transparency, making certain to uncover only the first sentence. Read the sample sentence that contains an appositive, “John, my three year-old brother, broke my favorite toy.”
- Point out that the words “my three year-old brother” are called an appositive. Circle the words “my three year-old brother.” Explain that an appositive describes the word that comes right before it and is set off or separated from the rest of the sentence with commas.
- Uncover sentence 2. Show the second example of an appositive. “I sat beside Mrs. Jones, my favorite teacher.” Point out that the words “my favorite teacher” come right after “Mrs. Jones” and describe her.
Guided Practice/Shared Writing/Interactive Writing:
- Have the students read the next two choppy sentences and combine them into one sentence using an appositive phrase like those in the two sentences on the transparency. Pause for students to work, and then share responses. For example, “Freddy, my shaggy dog, chewed up my mother’s gloves.”
Independent Practice/Peer Conferencing:
- Have students find a piece of their own writing, and look for a place to combine choppy sentences by using “appositive action.” They can work with a partner and find one place to use an appositive in pieces of their own writing. Allow 4-5 minutes for students to work, and then share out examples.
Closure:
Remind students that using appositives to combine short, choppy sentences helps writing become smoother.
Assessment
Can students:
- identify the appositive phrase in a complex sentence?
- combine sentences by turning one of the sentences into an appositive phrase?
- correctly punctuate appositive phrases?
Supplemental information
Appositive Action Transparency: pdf | rtf
Related websites
N/A
Comments
None.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 3
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.08: Focus reflection and revision (with assistance) on target elements by:
- clarifying ideas.
- adding descriptive words and phrases.
- sequencing events and ideas.
- combining short, related sentences.
- strengthening word choice.
- Objective 4.08: Focus reflection and revision (with assistance) on target elements by:
- Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective 5.01: Use correct capitalization (e.g., geographical place names, holidays, special events, titles) and punctuation (e.g., commas in greetings, dates, city and state; underlining book titles; periods after initials and abbreviated titles; apostrophes in contractions).
- Objective 5.03: Demonstrate understanding by using a variety of complete sentences (declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory) in writing and speaking.
Grade 4
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.08: Focus revision on a specific element such as:
- word choice.
- sequence of events and ideas.
- transitional words.
- sentence patterns.
- Objective 4.08: Focus revision on a specific element such as:
- Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective 5.01: Use correct capitalization (e.g., names of languages, nationalities, musical compositions) and punctuation (e.g., commas in a series, commas in direct address, commas and quotation marks in dialogue, apostrophes in possessives).
- Objective 5.03: Elaborate information and ideas in writing and speaking by using:
- simple and compound sentences.
- regular and irregular verbs.
- adverbs.
- prepositions.
- coordinating conjunctions.
Grade 5
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.08: Focus revision on target elements by:
- improving word choice.
- rearranging text for clarity.
- creating simple and/or complex sentences for clarity or impact.
- developing a lead, characters, or mood.
- Objective 4.08: Focus revision on target elements by:
- Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective 5.01: Consistently use correct capitalization (e.g., names of magazines, newspapers, organizations) and punctuation (e.g., colon to introduce a list, commas in apposition, commas used in compound sentences).
