Identifying Types of Sentences
I’m sure we have all been in a class with little ones where the teacher said “Who has any questions?” and 8 little hands went up and several of them began to share about their pet hamster, their granny who took them to get ice-cream or the last time they took a bath. And as cute as those chubby little hands are, they shared those stories because they haven’t yet learned the difference between a statement and a questions. Today’s post is about identifying types of sentences and having fun doing so.
Teaching what Punctuation looks like
Before teaching the four kinds of sentences you may want to first start with punctuation. This will help your student identify the different types of sentences easier. Younger students may not be aware of what a question mark or exclamation point look like. Start by creating simple sentences and showing them the difference.
That is a huge ant!
Can I have ice-cream?
It is raining outside.
Once your student has a good grasp of what those punctuation marks look like, you can move on to identifying the types of sentences.
Identifying Types of Sentences
There are four types of sentences that we want to introduce our students to:
Declarative – This kind of sentence is often called a “telling” sentence and ends with a period.
Examples:
- The sky is blue.
- Texas is known as the Lone Star State.
- I like chocolate.
Imperative- These kind of sentences are referred to as command sentences and end in a period.
Examples:
- Pick up your clothes.
- Run faster.
- Put on your shoes.
Interrogative- These sentences are often called “asking” sentences. Typically these sentences begin with who, what, where, why or how.
Examples:
- What time is it?
- When is lunch?
- How are you?
- When are you going to the store?
Exclamatory- These are sentences that show feeling and end in an exclamation point.
Examples:
- Watch out!
- That horse is huge!
- Congratulations!
- Don’t fall in!
Books that Teach Punctuation
I like to supplement every lesson I can with great literature. It’s always fun for students to see the lesson put into action and it helps make yet another connection to the subject matter. These books are great ones to include while teaching about sentences.
Semicolons, cupcakes and Cucumbers
When and Why did the horse fly?
Teach Types of Sentences with Games
Kids love games, and if we can make a topic like learning about different types of sentences fun… then we should!
This is a simple game that can be played with little to almost no materials. Print off the cards in the printable included and grab a paper bag.
Using the above explanation or the posters included, teach your students about each type of sentence.
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- In this activity, there are four different games to play to help practice using Imperative (command sentences), Declarative (telling), exclamatory (expressive) and Interrogative (question)
- The teacher will decide which type of sentence they will begin practicing with and place the cards that go with that game in the paper bag.
- Students will then take turns pulling a card out of the bag and creating a sentence that goes with that type of sentence. They need to do this with prosody (using the correct intonation in their voice) The game directions for each type of sentence will explain how students should change their voice.
Grab the Game Here:
This post is part of this summer’s series on 10 Days of Tips for Homeschool Moms.
Be sure to check out the rest of the great resources here.
Angela is the Homeschool Encourager for the Overwhelmed & Under-Caffeinated and the Chaos-to-Confidence Specialist behind Schooling with Grace. With a no-fluff approach, a dash of humor, and a whole lot of heart, she helps homeschool moms cut through the chaos, ditch unrealistic expectations, and teach with confidence.