• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Expanding sentences with detail; Give reasons with because, also and so). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. A bird sang. Which sentence adds the most useful detail? (Sang a bird. / A bird sang a song a song. / A tiny robin sang on the frosty fence at dawn. / A bird it sang.) → A tiny robin sang on the frosty fence at dawn.Prompt: Good detail tells us more: what kind, where, when or why.
2. Choose the linking word that fits. Swimming keeps you fit. ___, it is lots of fun. (Because / But / Or / Also) → AlsoPrompt: Is the writer giving a reason (because), adding another reason (also) or showing a result (so)?
3. Read the question. Which sentence gives an opinion with a reason? (Go to the park. / I think the park is the best place to play because it has a huge slide. / Is the park open today? / The park has a slide.) → I think the park is the best place to play because it has a huge slide.Prompt: An opinion is what someone thinks or feels.

• Show two openings to the same piece of writing and ask which makes them want to read on.
• Share the objective: Choose the best concluding sentence. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Making a bird feeder is easy. First, spread seed butter on a pine cone. Next, roll it in birdseed. Then tie a string to the top. Which sentence would make the best ending?
• Step 1: A good concluding sentence sums up or finishes the main idea of the paragraph.
• Step 2: So the answer is: Finally, hang it on a branch and watch the birds arrive!
• Answer: Finally, hang it on a branch and watch the birds arrive!
• 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. Which sentence sounds most like a CONCLUDING sentence? (Pack a water bottle. / Pack some snacks. / Pack a hat. / So, remember to pack these things for a great day out.) → So, remember to pack these things for a great day out.Prompt: Concluding sentences often begin with words like In conclusion, All in all, Overall, So or That is why.
2. Our school should have a reading den. It would give us a quiet place to read at lunchtime. It would also help younger children love books. Which sentence would make the best ending? (Lunch is at twelve o'clock. / That is why a reading den would make our school even better. / I like football too. / Some books have pictures.) → That is why a reading den would make our school even better.Prompt: A concluding sentence wraps up the whole paragraph.

• 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 7 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. Which sentence sounds most like a CONCLUDING sentence? (In the end, the team's hard work paid off. / The team trained on Mondays. / The coach had a whistle. / It rained twice.) → In the end, the team's hard work paid off.Prompt: Concluding sentences often begin with words like In conclusion, All in all, Overall, So or That is why.
2. Volcanoes form where hot, melted rock pushes up through the Earth's crust. Over time, layers of lava and ash pile up. Some volcanoes grow into huge mountains. Which sentence would make the best ending? (Have you ever eaten lava cake? / In short, volcanoes are mountains built by the Earth's own heat. / Mountains can be snowy. / I visited the beach last summer.) → In short, volcanoes are mountains built by the Earth's own heat.Prompt: A concluding sentence wraps up the whole paragraph.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-3.