• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (What makes a sentence?; Who or what? Did what? (subject and predicate)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Which one is a complete sentence? • fed the ducks • omar fed • Omar fed the ducks. • Omar the ducks. (fed the ducks / omar fed / Omar fed the ducks. / Omar the ducks.) → Omar fed the ducks.Prompt: A sentence needs someone or something AND what they do.
2. Which part is the SUBJECT (who or what the sentence is about)? The little puppy chased its tail. (puppy chased / The little / its tail / The little puppy) → The little puppyPrompt: Ask: who or what did something?
3. Which part is the PREDICATE (what the subject does)? The little puppy chased its tail. (The little puppy / The little / puppy chased / chased its tail.) → chased its tail.Prompt: Find the subject first: who or what?

• Show two openings to the same piece of writing and ask which makes them want to read on.
• Share the objective: Complete sentence or fragment?. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Is this a complete sentence or a fragment? After lunch on Friday.
• Step 1: A complete sentence has a subject and a verb and makes sense on its own. A fragment is missing something.
• Step 2: So the answer is: fragment
• Answer: fragment
• 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. Is this a complete sentence or a fragment? When the bell rang. (complete sentence / fragment) → fragmentPrompt: Does it say WHO or WHAT, and what they DO or ARE?
2. Which is the best way to fix this fragment? The tall girl with the red scarf. (With the red scarf the tall girl. / The tall girl with the very red scarf. / The tall girl with the red scarf won the race. / The tall girl, with the red scarf.) → The tall girl with the red scarf won the race.Prompt: Adding more describing words does not fix a fragment.

• 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. Is this a complete sentence or a fragment? Under the bridge by the river. (complete sentence / fragment) → fragmentPrompt: Does it say WHO or WHAT, and what they DO or ARE?
2. Which is the best way to fix this fragment? Because it was raining. (Raining because it was. / Because, it was raining. / We stayed in because it was raining. / Because it was raining a lot.) → We stayed in because it was raining.Prompt: Adding more describing words does not fix a fragment.

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