Alex Funt

7th and 8th Grade English

Third Period

July 7, 2008

Objectives:

1. TSW distinguish between subordinating and coordinating conjunctions. (DOK 2, MSF 4a)

2. TSW distinguish between dependent (subordinate) and independent (main) clauses. (DOK 2, MSF 4b)

3. TSW apply standard English comma conventions to edit sentences involving subordinating and coordinating conjunctions.  (DOK 2, MSF 4b)

Materials: whiteboard, markers, transparency, overhead projector, Writer's Choice, worksheet

Do-now:

Identify the verbs in the following sentences and state whether they are action or linking and if they are transitive or intransitive.  Identify any direct objects, indirect objects, predicate nouns, and predicate adjectives.

1. I gave my dog a bone.

2. She is unhappy.

3. You are a teacher.

Students will come to the board to share and explain their answers.

Set:

Who here has ever heard of a smitten?  My girlfriend's grandmother bought us one for Christmas last year.  What a smitten is is a double-sized mitten (draw a diagram on the board) with two different hand entrances, so that you can hold hands with your significant other when it's cold.  It's not cold here in Mississippi, but it could be useful in a cold place like Michigan.  Let's change gears for a minute.  How many of you have dogs again?  When you go on a walk with your dog, do you hold hands with it?  What do you use to walk your dog?  Why do you use a leash?  What might happen to your dog if you did not use a leash?  As you have pointed out, your dog depends on you; it is a lesser being.  In an ideal relationship, when two people join hands, they are independent equals.  Words, phrases, and sentences are like this, too: either independent or dependent.  Conjunctions, as we have talked about, are words that join words, phrases, or sentences.  Coordinating conjunctions are kind of like smittens--they join words, phrases, or sentences that are equal and independent.  (Show an example using "and".) Subordinating conjunctions are kind of like a leash.  They connect a dependent word, phrase, or sentence to its owner.  Notice the -sub in the prefix meaning "under", as in submarine (a vehicle under the sea).  Subordinate means beneath in rank--or dependent.  A subordinating conjunction puts a word, phrase, or sentence beneath the rank of a more independent, governing word, phrase, or sentence.  (Show an example using "because")  By the end of the period, you will be able to distinguish between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions and between independent and dependent clauses.  You will also learn the conventional comma rules associated with these types of conjunctions.

Procedures:

1. Do now (5 minutes)

2. Set (6 minutes)

3. Define coordinating conjunctions again and give and, but, and or as three common examples.  State that they connect syntactic sames, as in the case of the smitten: person to person.  They do not connect dog to person.  Give three examples on the white board using words, phrases, and sentences connected by coordinating conjunctions. (3 minutes)

4. Administer guided identification practice on a transparency with examples including words, phrases, and sentences joined by conjunctions.  Have students state what is being conjoined.  Explain that when a coordinating conjunction conjoins two main sentences that are independent of one another, then there needs to be a comma before the coordinating conjunction.  Move into examples which contain more than two items in a series, explaining the necessity of a comma after every term except for the penultimate and ultimate.  Include examples without punctuation. (5 minutes)

5. Students will complete the first two exercises on the worksheet.  The first exercise asks students to underline the coordinating conjunctions and write what two syntactic sames that conjunction conjoins.  The second exercise asks students to insert commas into sentences.  The teacher will write the worksheet sentences on the board while the students are working.  (5 minutes)

6. Students will come to the board to share and explain their answers (5 minutes).

7. Explain subordinating conjunctions using the leash metaphor and examples sentences on the white board.  Explain that a comma must be present after the subordinate clause if it is introductory, and that it need not be there, except for stylistic effect, if the subordinate clause follows the main clause (3 minutes).

8. Administer guided identification practice on the transparency asking students to identify subordinating conjunctions and getting them to see that the subordinate clauses depend on the main verb. (5 minutes).

9. Students will complete the final exercise on the worksheet which asks them to identify the subordinating conjunction, what it has attached on its leash, and the owner (main) clause. (5 minutes)

10. Students will come to the board to provide and explain their answers. (5 minutes)

11. Closure (3 minutes)

Closure:

Today you learned how to distinguish between subordinating and coordinating conjunctions and between subordinate and main clauses.  You also learned where to place commas with respect to items in a series, sentences conjoined by coordinating conjunctions, and introductory subordinate clauses.  What is the conjunction we talked about that is kind of like a smitten?  Why is it like a smitten?  What is an example of a coordinating conjunction?  What is the conjunction we talked about that is kind of like a leash?  Why is it like a leash?  What is an example of a subordinating conjunction?  Coordinating conjunctions join what kind of clauses?  Subordinating conjunctions introduce what kind of clause?  Where do you place commas in items in a series?  Where do you place commas with respect to two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction?  Where do you place commas with respect to subordinating conjunctions?  In the next lesson, we will turn from conjunctions to another part of speech: adjectives, including their comparative and superlative forms.

Assessment:

1. TSW distinguish between subordinating and coordinating conjunctions.

Informal: The teacher will assess student answers on the worksheet (M) that asks students to distinguish between subordinating and coordinating conjunctions (C).

Formal:  The teacher will administer an exam (M) that asks students to distinguish between subordinating and coordinating conjunctions in simple sentences (C), with grades recorded (D).

2. The student will distinguish between dependent and independent clauses.

Informal: The teacher will assess student answers on the worksheet (M) that asks students to distinguish between dependent and independent clauses (C).

Formal: The teacher will administer an exam (M) that asks students to choose whether clauses are dependent or independent (C), with grades recorded (D).

3. TSW apply standard English comma conventions to edit sentences involving subordinating and coordinating conjunctions.

Informal: The teacher will assess student answers on the worksheet (M) that asks students to insert commas into sentences (C).

Formal: The teacher will administer an exam (M) that asks students to choose the most correctly punctuated form a sentences (C), with grades recorded.

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