• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Combining sentences with conjunctions; -ing words: gerund, participle or main verb?). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. I studied hard. I didn't pass the test. Which choice combines the sentences most clearly? (I studied hard, so I didn't pass the test. / I studied hard, and so I didn't pass the test. / Because I studied hard, I didn't pass the test. / I studied hard, but I didn't pass the test.) → I studied hard, but I didn't pass the test.Prompt: What is the relationship between the two ideas: addition, contrast, cause, condition, choice or time?
2. Choose the word that joins the ideas as described in brackets. She wanted to go swimming, ___ the pool was closed. (show contrast) (but / because / so / and) → butPrompt: Read the instruction in brackets: contrast, result, cause, condition, time or addition?
3. What is the word in capitals doing in this sentence? SWIMMING is my favourite sport. (gerund (works as a noun) / participle (works as an adjective) / part of the main verb (is/was …ing)) → gerund (works as a noun)Prompt: Is there a helping verb (is, was, were, are) right before it? Then it's part of the main verb.

• Show two openings to the same piece of writing and ask which makes them want to read on.
• Share the objective: Combining sentences with appositives and participle phrases. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: The volunteers cleared the beach. They worked through the afternoon. Which choice combines the sentences most effectively using a participle phrase?
• Step 1: Appositives (a noun phrase that renames) and participle phrases let you combine ideas concisely without comma splices.
• Step 2: The volunteers, who did the working, follow the participle phrase.
• Step 3: So the answer is: Working through the afternoon, the volunteers cleared the beach.
• Answer: Working through the afternoon, the volunteers cleared the beach.
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Marie Curie won two Nobel Prizes. She was a physicist and chemist. Which choice combines the sentences most effectively using an appositive? (Marie Curie was a physicist and chemist and she won and won two Nobel Prizes. / Marie Curie, a physicist and chemist, won two Nobel Prizes. / Marie Curie won two Nobel Prizes, she was a physicist and chemist. / A physicist and chemist won two Nobel Prizes, Marie Curie.) → Marie Curie, a physicist and chemist, won two Nobel Prizes.Prompt: Turn one sentence into a phrase that describes a noun in the other.
2. What has the writer used to combine ideas in this sentence? The robot, a prototype built by students, won first prize. (an appositive / a participle phrase) → an appositivePrompt: Does the added phrase start with a noun group (a…, the…) or with a verb form (-ing, -ed, -en)?

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. What has the writer used to combine ideas in this sentence? The robot, a prototype built by students, won first prize. (an appositive / a participle phrase) → an appositivePrompt: Does the added phrase start with a noun group (a…, the…) or with a verb form (-ing, -ed, -en)?
2. My grandmother taught me to bake bread. She is a retired teacher. Which choice combines the sentences most effectively using an appositive? (A retired teacher taught me to bake, my grandmother, bread. / My grandmother a retired teacher taught me to bake bread. / My grandmother, a retired teacher, taught me to bake bread. / My grandmother taught me to bake bread, she is a retired teacher.) → My grandmother, a retired teacher, taught me to bake bread.Prompt: Turn one sentence into a phrase that describes a noun in the other.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-8.