Language and Content: Conjunctions

GRADES 3-5; 6-8; 9-12

LESSON PROCEDURE

Vocabulary

1. Watch the Vocabulary movie to introduce the new words, stopping to ask questions, give examples, and ask students to make connections to the words.
2. Use the Think Aloud strategy for the more abstract conjunctions, such as however, although, even though, as long as, rather than. For example: “I know I studied very hard for a test, but I still didn’t do well on it. So I might say, ‘Even though I studied really hard, I still didn’t do well on the test.'" Use the subordinating conjunctions in multiple examples, and ask students to think of examples. Provide pictures to prompt possible sentences or ask students to illustrate a sentence using the conjunction.
3. Project the picture side of Flash Words onto the board or interactive white board. Students label the words they know and then flip the pictures to check if they are correct.

Grammar

1. Watch the Grammar movie.
2. Construct a table to illustrate how coordinating and correlative conjunctions connect the same kind of words or phrases. See the sample table in the Preparation section. Students fill in the parts of speech of the bold words and the conjunctions that connect them. To differentiate, students highlight or circle the words that are connected, and identify their parts of speech and the conjunctions.
3. On the board, interactive white board, or pocket chart, create cards with short phrases and with subordinating conjunctions. Write sentence starters on the board and make cards for the subordinating conjunctions. Students work in pairs to complete the sentences using one of the conjunction cards. For example:

   He ran to school	because
   We were late	since
   It was raining	so that
   I wore a sweater	until
   I didn’t understand	although
   I didn’t get home	even though
   We ate the ice cream	whenever
   Our teacher gives a test	as long as
   I will study hard	rather than

   To differentiate, make sentence strips for the second half of the sentences, and students match the two halves, using a conjunction.
4. Have students do the Conjunction Strips activity in pairs. Students write captions for the images. The challenge is that their sentences must show an understanding of the conjunctions and how they are used. Point out that a comma is needed after the first clause in sentences 9 & 10. Alternatively, the three boxes of each strip can be cut up for students to put in the right order. The sentences below are sample answers. Students’ answers will vary. To differentiate, provide a word bank or captions for students to match to the pictures.
   1. Ben is brushing the horse and Moby is collecting eggs.
   2. Ben and Moby are going to ride the bus, but they have to stand.
   3. Ben will have the salad or the sandwich.
   4. They should buy the fruit rather than the cookies.
   5. Ben and Moby were scared before they saw it was only a rabbit.
   6. Ben couldn’t go outside until he finished cleaning his room.
   7. He’s studying so that he’ll do well on the test.
   8. Ben likes to play basketball with Moby, although Moby always wins.
   9. Even though Ben turned on his alarm clock, he didn’t wake up.
   10. As long as it’s raining, we have to stay inside.
   

Movie

1. As students watch the movie And Then What? (L3U2L1), have them listen for conjunctions to complete the following cloze activity. Remember to turn off the closed captions.

Features

1. Watch Hear It, Say It. Students may listen and repeat sentences from the movie.
2. Students do the remaining interactive features of the lesson: Play It, Warm Up, and You Can Do It.