Teaching page · Grade 3 · Lesson 26

Imitate the pattern

An author's sentence pattern can be borrowed and filled with your own content.

What it is

An author's sentence has a shape underneath its words, and the shape can be borrowed. Keep the frame — the order of the parts, the joining words, the punctuation — and change everything else. You will be able to build sentences this way long before you can name the parts you are building with.

Watch it built

1
Here is the author's sentence.
The wind had been rising all evening, and by dark it was loud.
2
Strip the words out and leave the frame standing.
The ____ had been ____ing all ____, and by ____ it was ____.
3
Fill the frame with your own content. Same shape, new sentence.
The rain had been falling all afternoon, and by evening it was heavy.
Remember
Keep the frame. Change the words. Same shape, new sentence.
Ask yourself: “Does mine have the same shape as theirs?”

Remember

Same shape, new words.

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