When we put words together to share a complete idea, we create something called a sentence. A sentence always starts with a big letter, known as a capital letter, and the words are arranged in a way that makes sense. Most sentences end with a little dot called a period.
Let’s look at an example: “The dog.” Is this a sentence? No, because it doesn’t tell us a complete idea. What about “Chase the cat”? Is that a sentence? Nope, because the words are not in the right order to make sense.
Now, think about this: “The dog chased the cat.” Is this a sentence? Yes! It starts with a capital letter, shares a complete idea, makes sense, and ends with a period.
Every sentence has two important parts: the subject and the predicate.
The subject is the “who” or “what” of the sentence. It tells us who or what the sentence is about. Every sentence needs a subject.
For example, in the sentence “The girls ran in a race,” who is the sentence about? That’s right, it’s about “the girls.” The sentence is telling us what the girls are doing. “A race” is not the subject because the sentence is not about the race.
Here’s another example: “The book fell on the floor.” What is the subject? Yes, it’s “the book.” The sentence is about the book, not the floor.
If the subject is the “who” or “what,” then the predicate is the “does” or “is” part of the sentence. The predicate tells us what the subject is doing or what it is. Every sentence needs a predicate to be complete and make sense.
In the sentence “The girls ran in a race,” what is the predicate? That’s right, “ran in a race” is what the girls did.
In the sentence “The book is heavy,” what is the predicate? “Is heavy” tells us what the book is like in this sentence.
Now you know how sentences work! They need a subject and a predicate to share a complete idea. Next time you write a sentence, remember to check for these two important parts!
Sentence Building Blocks: Gather some index cards and write different subjects (e.g., “The cat,” “My friend,” “A bird”) on half of them and different predicates (e.g., “is sleeping,” “likes to play,” “flew away”) on the other half. Mix them up and let the children pick one card from each pile to create complete sentences. Encourage them to read their sentences aloud and check if they make sense. This activity helps them understand how subjects and predicates come together to form complete ideas.
Sentence Detective: Go on a sentence hunt around your home or classroom. Look for sentences in books, posters, or signs. Write down a few sentences and identify the subject and predicate in each one. Discuss with a partner why each sentence is complete and how the subject and predicate work together to share a complete idea. This activity encourages observation and application of the concept in everyday contexts.
Create a Story: Ask the children to write a short story using at least five sentences. Each sentence should have a clear subject and predicate. After writing, they can illustrate their story with drawings. Share the stories with the class and discuss how each sentence contributes to the overall story. This activity promotes creativity and reinforces the importance of complete sentences in storytelling.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided transcript:
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**Sentences: Subjects and Predicates**
A group of words that tells a complete thought or idea is called a sentence. A sentence always begins with a capital letter, and the words in a sentence are arranged in an order that makes sense. Many sentences will end with a period.
Here’s an example: “The dog.” Is this a sentence? No, because it is not a complete thought or idea. How about this one: “Chase the cat.” Is it a sentence? No, because the order of the words does not make sense.
Now consider: “The dog chased the cat.” Is this a sentence? Yes, it has a capital letter at the beginning, it is a complete thought, and it makes sense. It also has a period at the end.
There are two parts to a sentence: the subject and the predicate. The subject is the “who” or “what” of the sentence; it tells who or what does something in the sentence. Every sentence must have a subject.
For example, in the sentence “The girls ran in a race,” what is the subject? That’s right, “the girls.” This sentence is about some girls. “A race” is not the subject because the sentence is about what the girls are doing, not what the race is doing.
In another example, “The book fell on the floor,” what is the subject? That’s right, “the book.” This sentence is about a book; it is not about what the floor is doing, so “floor” is not the subject.
If the subject is the “who” or “what,” the predicate is the “does” or “is” of the sentence. The predicate tells what the subject of the sentence is or is doing. Every sentence must have a predicate, or the sentence will not be a complete thought and will not make sense.
In the sentence “The girls ran in a race,” what is the predicate? That’s right, “ran in a race” is what the girls did in the sentence.
In the sentence “The book is heavy,” what is the predicate? “Is heavy” tells what the book is in this sentence.
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This version maintains the educational content while removing any informal or unclear phrasing.
