Lesson Plan: Sentence Power

Prerequisites
Students can distinguish among main ideas, supporting ideas and details, labeling each with a number from 1-3, respectively. They can develop ideas through successive stages of outlining using Word Power Outlines and Phrase Power Outlines. Students can write complete sentences.

Materials
Computer (Internet Connection) Papers & Pens/Pencils Printouts of Photos of Actors or Cartoon Characters from a Popular TV Show (from Internet) Tape or Magnets

Learner Objective
Students will develop their ideas from phrases into sentences using Power Outlines.

Behavioral Objective
Students will transform phrases into sentences. They will organize their ideas using numbers to represent their main idea, supporting ideas, and details. They will expand Phrase Power Outlines into Sentence Power Outlines.

Anticipatory Set
Show students pictures of popular characters from a TV show about an office, hospital, police department, or any show in which there is a hierarchy with which they would be familiar. Ask them to tell you what each characters job is using complete sentences. Put them in the order of their seniority on the white board with tape or magnets.

Input:
Explain to students that they will learn to expand phrase outlines into sentence outlines.

Direct Instruction/Modeling
1. Write a Phrase Power Outline on the board, such as the following one. 1) Two Popular California Cities 2) San Francisco, a City of Hills 2) Los Angeles, the City with the Second Largest Population in America 2. Ask students how they would transform these phrases into sentences. Write down a correct answer for each sentence.

Comprehension Check
Write another 1-2-2 Phrase Power Outline on the board. Ask students to expand it into a Sentence Power Outline on a piece of paper and hold it up when they are done. If they have difficulty doing this, elicit a definition of a phrase from students and write it on the board. Then elicit a definition of a sentence from students and write it on the board. Ask students to compare and contrast phrases and sentences and write their answers on the board. Then model how to expand a Phrase Power Outline into a Sentence Power Outline and have students practice writing their own until they get the hang of it.

Guided Practice
Begin a 1-2-3-2-3 Phrase Power Outline on the board. Ask students to provide the main idea, supporting ideas, and details. Then assign them to work in pairs and generate another supporting idea and detail. Give them 3 minutes to complete this task. Walk through the room, monitoring their work and giving feedback. When they are done, ask them to share their work with the class. Have two or three students share their pairs work.

Independent Practice
Relocate to a computer lab. Access the Power Writing Workshop. Ask students to read the lesson on Sentence Power and complete the activity.

Assessment
Have students form groups of three. Working together, assign them the task of creating a 1-2-3 Sentence Power Outline that they must say aloud to you before leaving the classroom for recess, lunch, the day or free time at the computer.