Students are asked to write a thank-you note of 7–8 sentences and include at least three sentences that contain a conjunction (for example because, and, although, but), which requires combining clauses. Students are instructed to answer chapter questions using complete sentences, reinforcing sentence-level construction. Students are directed to use post-it notes to jot down ideas before writing, which supports planning and potentially expanding sentences.

The Revising step tells students to "add, cut, or change ideas," asking them to read their draft and make changes. Part 3 directs students to "revise and edit your first draft" and to "Make any changes with a different color of pen," prompting students to alter their writing. The Writing Rubric asks whether sentences/paragraphs are easy to follow and whether the writer provides adequate details, which invites students to alter sentence content and clarity.

Students are asked to write sentences using linking verbs and action verbs (Task 1 and writing exercises) and to write a short paragraph with a topic sentence, supporting details, a concluding sentence, and at least one simile or metaphor (Friendship activity). The Parent Plan lists a skill to "Exhibit an identifiable voice in personal narratives and in stories," and students are instructed to write a storyline for "Ethan's Story," which engages sentence- and paragraph-level composition and use of figurative language to enhance style and interest.

Students are instructed to 'use strong verbs' in their invitations and to include at least one idiom and one simile or metaphor, which asks them to consider word choice and stylistic devices. The skills list explicitly asks students to 'use oral and written language to present information and ideas in a clear, concise manner,' and parents are asked to review concise presentation with the child. Students must 'write three sentences' to present tokens and practice them so they do not have to read, prompting revision for clarity and delivery.

Students are instructed in Activity 2 "Unnecessary Sentences" to decide the focus of a paragraph and put a line through sentences that are off-topic, practicing how to reduce or remove unnecessary material. The Parent Plan for that activity lists specific sentences that should be marked through, indicating students will identify and eliminate irrelevant sentences. Activity 4 "Author's Language" asks students to list three sentences that brought John Henry to life, which has students attend to sentence-level choices that affect style and reader interest.

Students read instruction and examples showing transitional words at the beginnings and middles of sentences (e.g., "Meanwhile, we waited..." and "We thought it would work, even though...") and a statement that transitions can "connect two clauses just as a conjunction (and, but) would." Students are given a categorized list of transition words (cause/effect, compare/contrast, order, etc.) to choose from. Students must write a summary using at least five transitional words or phrases, placing some at the beginning of sentences and some within sentences, and mark the punctuation (commas) that accompanies them.

Students plan, write, and revise a multi-paragraph folktale through prewriting, a rough draft, revision, editing, and a final copy. Students are directed to use transition words effectively and to consult a "Handy Guide to Writing" for grammar and punctuation. Students use a rubric that asks whether sentences/paragraphs were easy to follow and whether punctuation, capitalization, commas, and quotation marks were used correctly, and they have a conference to review ideas, organization, and mechanics.

Students are asked to record answers in complete sentences and to write the first sentence (a "hook") for two book-based stories and two movies, practicing single-sentence composition. Parents are prompted to have the child rewrite a hook to make it more effective, and students are asked to record beginning sentences from novels that have effective hooks. The instructions explicitly require students to write definitions and answers in their journals and complete sentences.

Students are asked in Activity 2 to identify a long and a short sentence from the text and to consider what makes each effective, which practices varying sentence length for interest. The lesson gives an explicit rule and example for combining independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction and comma, and Option 1 requires students to rewrite a paragraph to vary sentence lengths by combining and shortening sentences. The Parent Plan Skills list explicitly states students should combine short, related sentences with appositives, participial phrases, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases.

Students are asked to brainstorm prepositions and write prepositional phrases using five words, which practices adding detail to sentences. Part B requires students to write three sentences related to the novel, each containing at least one prepositional phrase, and Part C explicitly tells students to use prepositional phrases to start sentences for more interesting writing. The Parent Plan lists the skill "Use prepositional phrases to elaborate written ideas," and the activity pages have students identify and mark prepositional phrases in sentences.

The lesson explicitly teaches combining two independent clauses using a comma before a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) and provides an example: "I went to the zoo, and I saw a lot of interesting animals." The Comma Usage activity asks students to add commas to dialogue and includes an answer key that shows combined clauses with commas (e.g., "He handed me the vines, showed me how to weave, and watched as I tried to do it."). Students are also asked to write sentences from the chapters that follow the comma rules, which can include sentences that use coordination.

The lesson explicitly tells students that "Varied sentence beginnings make writing more interesting" and defines types of sentence beginnings, including verbals. Activity 1 directs students to write sentences that begin with prepositional phrases, adjectives, adverbs ending in -ly, verbals ending in -ed and -ing, and nouns, and offers an option to compose a paragraph using varied sentence beginnings. The Parent Plan notes focusing writing on elements such as sentence patterns, reinforcing practice with sentence-level variety.

Students are directed to focus on sentence structure when composing a rough draft and to consult a rubric that explicitly asks them to vary sentence length, begin sentences in different ways (e.g., verbals, adverbs, adjectives, nouns without articles), and use prepositional phrases. The rubric also asks students to check subject/verb agreement and to include at least five prepositional phrases with two sentences beginning with prepositional phrases, which requires them to add or vary sentence elements for style. The Things to Review section reminds students to vary sentence lengths and sentence beginnings, reinforcing practice in sentence variation and stylistic choices.

The Things to Know section tells students to revise by varying sentence length, combining sentences, varying sentence beginnings, selecting more interesting words to make writing more descriptive and engaging, and reorganizing sentences so ideas make sense. Activity 1 directs students to review their rough draft and explicitly focuses first on revisions using those same techniques. Students are then asked to edit and produce a final copy, applying the revisions they have made.

Students are asked to write a monument inscription that is usually less than 20 words, requiring them to condense ideas for concision. Students must write and rehearse a formal eulogy, with directions to "speak formally (using good grammar and avoiding slang)" and to emphasize important words and phrases. The rubric and skills list assess clarity, thoughtfulness, emphasis of ideas, and use of language to help the listener follow important concepts.

Students identify dependent and independent clauses in Part A and underline dependent markers, showing explicit practice with clause structure. In Part B students add commas where needed, practicing punctuation rules that affect sentence combination and clarity. In Part C students are instructed to combine given dependent and independent clauses to make single sentences, directly practicing sentence combining.

Students are asked in Activity 2 (both options) to write sentences that are "made up of two independent clauses or a dependent and independent clause" and to include commas where necessary. The Wrapping Up and Things to Review sections instruct students to "review the definition of independent and dependent clauses" and to write and identify sentences that contain dependent and independent clauses. Parent guidance asks adults to check that students' sentences meet the two-clause requirement and to have students explain their items using those sentences.

The lesson explicitly teaches how to combine independent clauses using coordinating conjunctions and commas (Things to Know; Activity 2 provides practice combining two independent clauses and writing three sentences made of two independent clauses). Students identify and use interesting adjectives and strong verbs (Activity 1) and record sensory details to create vivid images (Activity 3), which addresses sentence style and reader interest. The wrap-up and review ask students to decide when a comma is needed and to identify coordinating conjunctions, reinforcing clause-combining mechanics.

Students practice comma rules on the "More Commas" worksheet where they insert commas in lists, in city/state constructions, and in dates. The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes "Use commas when combining independent clauses with a conjunction," and students are asked to write three sentences about the novel that follow each comma rule. The activities require students to produce written sentences (e.g., completing sentences and composing sentences about the novel) that provide some practice with sentence-level punctuation and simple combining.

Students are prompted in the "Finding the Right Words" activity to take a simple idea and write the best description in no more than four or five sentences, with an example that expands a short idea into several vivid sentences. Students are asked to focus on the moment and use effective, concrete sensory language, and the Parent Plan directs discussion of words that were effective and any information that did not directly relate to the event. Students also write a short journal entry about fear, practicing selection of wording and sentence-level choices for effect.

Students are prompted to write short, discrete sentences in multiple activities (e.g., "Write three sentences that describe how Dina's life in America was different from life in Germany" and "Write three reasons Dina stayed in New York"). Students compose at least one poem (two poems for different time periods) and are instructed to take notes, choose vivid words and phrases, and evaluate their work using a rubric that mentions use of vivid language and fact-based information. Students are also asked to revise and finalize products (e.g., finalize quilt design, evaluate project based on the rubric) and to practice reading aloud with attention to clear language and appropriate tone.

Students are asked to "answer the questions below using complete sentences," which requires writing clear sentence-level responses. Students must "summarize the major points on a poster" and are told they "cannot fit a lot of information on the poster, so highlight the most important parts," which requires reducing and condensing information. The Parent Plan and Skills list include summarizing major plot points and using oral and written language to discuss ideas, which reinforces practice in producing concise statements.

Students are asked to write multi-paragraph newspaper articles and to vary sentence length and sentence openings (rubric: "Do I vary the length of my sentences and start them in different ways?"). Students are prompted to use transitional words and phrases to make ideas flow and to include effective descriptions and quotations, which supports attention to style and reader interest. The editing and revision activity instructs students to read through their paragraphs, make corrections in grammar, and add or change information as needed, encouraging revision of sentence-level choices.

Students work on an Activity titled "Sentence Fragments" in which they identify sentence fragments and transform each into a complete sentence. The lesson states that "A sentence needs to have a subject and a predicate," and the Parent Plan instructs adults to check that the child identified fragments and corrected them accurately. The activity page includes 10 fragments for students to revise into full sentences.

Students rewrite simple, telling sentences into more descriptive, showing sentences in the "Show, Don't Tell" activity (e.g., transforming "The girl was angry with her brother" into a multi-sentence, action- and dialogue-driven version). Students identify, punctuate, and write sentences that contain descriptive (dependent) clauses on the "Descriptive Clauses" page, including adding commas when clauses provide extra information. Students are prompted to write new sentences that include descriptive clauses and to elaborate names into rhymes, which requires expanding and elaborating phrasing for interest and style.

The lesson defines run-on sentences and provides specific examples with corrections, demonstrating fixes by splitting into separate sentences or joining clauses with coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS). Student activity pages require students to identify and correct run-on sentences by rewriting them, and the Skills section explicitly states students should "use a variety of types of sentences, such as compound and complex." The narrative writing task asks students to produce a longer story and to use descriptive language and sentence variety.

The Parent Plan lists the skill "Combine short or incomplete sentences with conjunctions" and instructs parents to review editing strategies. Activity 2 (Editing) asks students to "Rewrite the paragraph correcting the mistakes," presenting a paragraph with run-on sentences and sentence fragments and providing lines for rewritten responses. "Things to Review" directs students to review ways to identify and correct run-ons and fragments.

The Parent Plan skills list explicitly tells students to "Use simple and compound sentences in speaking," which directs practice with sentence structure. The Storytelling activity asks students to make up a story about a mysterious key and to stand up and practice telling it aloud using appropriate voice, tone, and body language, requiring them to produce and perform sentences. Activity 1 asks students to "Describe on a note card what specific task your automaton would do," prompting students to write descriptive sentences about function.

Students are asked to write five sentences that describe a picture and contain prepositional phrases, underlining the prepositional phrase and circling the preposition. The Parent Plan explicitly lists "Use prepositional phrases to elaborate ideas," and the activities give examples showing how prepositional phrases add location or time detail to sentences. Students also complete written reflection tasks (listing changes, describing route) that require composing descriptive sentences.

Students are asked to rewrite a paragraph to vary sentence beginnings and to begin at least one sentence with a prepositional phrase, one with a transitional word or phrase, and one with a participle phrase. The Parent Plan Skills explicitly tell students to elaborate ideas by using prepositions, use a variety of sentence types (compound and complex), and combine short related sentences with appositives, participial phrases, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases. The Things to Know note tells students to avoid repetitive sentence openings to better engage readers.

Students are asked to write step-by-step directions for the 'A Raccoon Craft' activity, including listing materials and providing numbered directions, and parents are instructed to test those directions by having someone follow them. The 'Things to Review' section prompts a discussion about whether it is challenging to write directions that are clear and the difference between writing directions and writing sentences in a paragraph. Students are also asked to compose a poem or song about Butte, which requires attention to wording and style.

Activity 2 asks students to practice writing sentences of varying lengths by writing a summary of Chapter 16 and alternating between shorter and longer sentences. The letter-writing task instructs students to "remember to vary your sentence lengths and the beginnings of your sentences." The Parent Plan Skills list includes "Write in complete sentences, varying the types, such as compound and complex," which implies practice with combining sentence structures.

Students are asked to "describe your idea in detail, by elaborating on it and expanding it," which requires expanding ideas into fuller written descriptions (Activity 3). Students are prompted to "write his own sentences" in Option 2 of the Possessive Plurals activity and to write two sentences for each possessive rule on the Student Activity Page, which requires composing and developing sentences. The Characterizing Meg graphic organizer asks students to provide three traits and then give three examples or pieces of evidence for each trait, requiring students to expand on brief trait statements with supporting sentences.

Students are instructed to rewrite given sentences using transitional words and phrases to improve flow (Activity 1), including specific exercises where they rewrite short passages (rabbit, mysterious man, car trip). Students are directed to write three related sentences without transitions and then combine them using transitions on the Student Activity Page. The parent guide asks an adult to evaluate how effectively the child used transitional words and to discuss choices, indicating student practice in combining sentences for smoother flow.

Activity 1 (Elaboration) asks students to rewrite simple sentences to make them more detailed and interesting and explicitly names techniques such as adding new verbs, descriptive words and phrases, adverbs, prepositional phrases, and using conjunctions to add new clauses. The Student Activity Page provides five simple sentences for students to expand (e.g., "The children went on a journey.") and blank lines for rewritten versions. The Parent Plan instructs students to read the original and elaborated sentences aloud and discuss what makes the second sentence more effective and interesting.

Students practice sentence-level editing in Activity 3 where they correct verb forms, plurals, and add transitional words or phrases, then rewrite the paragraph with corrections. In Activity 2 students identify transitional words and phrases in a summary, reinforcing how transitions affect coherence and flow. The parent answer key and guidance model corrected sentences and suggested transition insertions for students to emulate.

Students are asked in Activity 2 to write sentences in specified tenses for given verbs and to "elaborate on their sentences by adding interesting words, prepositional phrases, conjunctions, etc." The parent notes instruct selecting Option 2 which asks the student to elaborate on her sentences and the parent to check correct verb tense. The directions and example sentences require students to produce complete sentences in past/present/future or perfect tenses.

The Parent Plan lists as skills: "Edit and revise selected drafts to improve coherence and progression by adding, deleting, consolidating, and rearranging text" and explicitly includes "Combine short, related sentences." The rubric's Organization criteria require "Elaborate sentences and ideas" and engaging the reader, and Activity 4 tells students to write freely and then revise for details of grammar and style. Activity 5 instructs students to edit and revise using the rubric, check tense shifts, and consolidate paragraph ideas, which requires sentence-level expansion, combination, and reduction during revision.

Students are taught what a participle phrase is and shown examples (e.g., "Running past her competitor, Jane saw the finish line"), and they practice underlining participle phrases and circling the participles. Students write their own participle phrases in sentences, follow step-by-step directions for placing phrases (beginning or following a noun) with comma rules, and are given model combined sentences (e.g., "He chopped the wood, stopping to read occasionally"). The activities require students to create and place participle phrases to modify nouns, which practices expanding or combining ideas within sentences and attends to meaning and clarity.

The Skills section explicitly lists "Use participle phrases to combine short sentences." Activity 2 provides explicit instruction and a worked example showing two independent sentences combined into one with a participle phrase. The exercise set asks students to rewrite pairs of sentences as a single sentence using participle phrases and the Student Activity Page asks students to write two sentences about the book that contain participle phrases. The Parent Plan gives model combined answers and directs checking that student sentences contain participle phrases.

Students are instructed to "Use at least one participle phrase in your speech," which asks them to include a specific sentence-level grammatical construction. Students are asked to revise their speeches by "making changes to improve its delivery" and to "work on adding convincing and interesting words," which requires editing sentence wording for interest and clarity. Students use a rubric to edit content and practice reading aloud to improve phrasing and tone.

Students are taught what an appositive is, are given examples, and are instructed to identify appositives in a paragraph and write a sentence that uses an appositive. The Emancipation Proclamation activity asks students to read very long sentences, underline three sentences or parts of sentences they find most important, copy them into a journal, and explain their choices. The review asks students to write a sentence with an appositive and one with a participle phrase, giving direct sentence-level writing practice.

Students are directed to combine sentences using appositive phrases with commas in Activity 1, with examples and specific tasks that require rewriting paired sentences into a single sentence containing an appositive. The student writing exercise asks students to write two sentences that include appositive phrases, and a separate student page asks students to write sentences containing participle phrases. The Newspaper Report activity requires students to use at least one appositive in their report and to organize writing to hold reader attention.

Students are instructed to "use interesting sentences to build the paragraphs," to "use strong verbs and adjectives," and to "vary the length of your sentences," which asks them to make sentence-level stylistic choices. During revising, students read their paper a third time to "make changes that will make the report more engaging" and to check that "your sentences remain focused on the main idea of each paragraph." The directions also tell students to avoid copying chart text exactly and instead rewrite information in their own, more engaging sentences.