Frog TV

Learning Intention

I am learning to analyse complex sentences to understand the choices authors make about how they order clauses.

Success Criteria

I can: 

• identify dependent clauses
• identify reasons for placing dependent clauses in a variety of positions
• compose complex sentences
• experiment with the placement of dependent clauses within a sentence 

Essential knowledge

Ensure students understand the following about complex sentences: 

• They consist of an independent clause and a dependent clause
• An independent clause contains a subject and a verb, and it makes sense on its own
• A dependent clause provides additional information about the independent clause, but it does not make sense on its own

View the NSW K-10 English Glossaryungroup for further information on complex sentences.

Introduction

Display the following sentences: 

• I like to spend time relaxing once I have finished all my homework.
• After she has eaten dinner, Jenny likes to go for a walk outside.
• Swimming is a fun activity when the weather is nice.
• I'm always dancing – even when I'm in the bath!
• Although Hugo always tries his best, there are times when he struggles.

Read the sentences and discuss which are the independent and which are the dependent clauses. Sample answers are provided. Note: the dependent clauses have been underlined. 

• I like to spend time relaxing once I have finished all my homework.
• After she has eaten dinner, Jenny likes to go for a walk outside.
• Swimming is a fun activity when the weather is nice.
• I'm always dancing—even when I'm in the bath!
• Although Hugo always tries his best, there are times when he struggles.

Discuss where the dependent clauses appear in each sentence. Tell students that the placement of dependent clauses can create variety or provide emphasis. Inform students that authors think carefully about where they place clauses. 

Discuss where commas appear in the example sentences. Inform students that commas are used when a dependent clause appears before the independent clause. Tell students that they do not need to be used when the dependent clause appears after the main clause.

Inform students that an em dash may also be used to separate clauses. Tell them that em dashes (—) serve the same function as commas, by separating clauses. However, using an em dash can create greater emphasis on the information that appears after it. Tell students that this will usually be the dependent clause. Refer to sentence #4 that features and em dashes and note how the dependent clauses in each of the sentences are emphasised. 

Read the story Frog TV or listen to the audio file if you have a digital subscription. 

Teacher modelling (I do)

15 minutes

Display the following sentences: 

• Although in fact, Ari often felt like a being from another world, trying to make sense of life on Earth.
• Ari often felt like a being from another world, trying to make sense of life on Earth in fact.

Inform students that the first sentence is taken directly from the story while the second sentence is an edited version of the first. 

Discuss the following questions: 

• How do the two sentences differ? (The placement of the dependent clause differs; in the first sentence it appears before the independent clause while in the second it appears after)
• Why do you think the author chose to construct the sentence in the way that they have? (Placing the dependent clause prior to the independent clauses places greater emphasis on the idea that in fact Ari often feels like he is from another world)
• Which of the sentences do you prefer? (Most students will conclude the first sentence creates the desired impact best) 

Repeat this process with the following two sentences: 

• Sometimes, I narrate my life as if I’m in a movie—occasionally out loud.
• Sometimes, I narrate my life, even out loud occasionally, as if I’m in a movie.

Again, discuss the following questions: 

• How do the two sentences differ? (The first utilises an em dash, and the dependent clause appears at the end of the sentence while the second uses commas and the dependent clause appears between the independent clauses)
• Why do you think the author chose to construct the sentence in the way that they have? (To make the comment, ‘occasionally out loud’ appear as an afterthought)
• Which of the sentences do you prefer? (Most likely students will conclude the second sentence creates the greatest impact, making readers imagine the comical sight of the character narrating out loud) 

Draw students’ attention to further complex sentences in the story. Use the think-aloud strategy to make explicit why the author has chosen to place the dependent clauses in the places they have. Display the following excerpts from page 4: 

We moved here less than two weeks ago, and already my brother, Reu, has a loyal gang of ninja space warriors. (Think aloud: here the dependent clause ‘Reu’, is embedded. It is provided next to the mention of the character’s brother as it provides further information about this character) 

There’s a lush, grassy oval (good for walking laps) surrounded by gum trees (providing handy shade when walking laps). (Think aloud: multiple dependent clauses have been included, (good for walking laps) as a parenthesis to provide further information about the noun it is placed next to in the sentence and prior to a dependent clause ‘surrounded by gum trees’. A similar parenthesis has been included between brackets after the dependent clause ‘surrounded by gum trees’. Repeating a similar phrase in the dependent clauses helps to emphasise the point of walking laps and creates a rhythm to the sentence) 

And I have a funny (as in ha ha, but also slightly peculiar) teacher, Mr Arnold, who loves to tell us crazy science fiction stories. (Think aloud: the first dependent clause appears inside brackets as a parenthesis, which provides further information about the type of funny the character is referring to. The second dependent clause ‘Mr Arnold’, provides additional information about the teacher) 

Anyway, my hope is that despite the so far lukewarm welcome from my classmates, they might see me as an interesting foreigner— the pale, new kid with the cool Scottish accent. (Think aloud: this sentence features two dependent clauses. The first dependent clause, prior to the independent clause begins with the word ‘anyway’, to create the idea that the character wishes to transition to a new idea. The second dependent clause appears after an em dash to provide clarity and further information) 

As Ari trekked around the oval, he felt a glimmer of hope as he began this new chapter in his life. (Think aloud: placing the dependent clause prior to the independent clause controls emphasis on the focus being on where the event occurred).

Guided practice (we do)

10 minutes

Place students with a partner and display the following sentences from page 5: 

But tonight, there’s a new sound. 

Intrepid explorer Ari, grabs his torch, unsure what danger awaits him in the jungle outside.

I creep into the garden, the Stranger Things theme music playing in my head and follow the source of the sound … 

Instruct students to discuss the following: 

• Which is the independent and which is the dependent clause in each sentence?
• Why has the dependent clause been placed in the position it has? 

Pause after every couple of minutes to assess students' understanding and to challenge any misconceptions. 

Sample responses are:

(Note: dependent clauses have been underlined)

But tonight, there’s a new sound. (The dependent clause has been included before the independent clause to create nuance, showing that tonight things are different from usual)

‘Intrepid explorer Ari, grabs his torch, unsure what danger awaits him in the jungle outside. (The dependent clause appears after the main clause to provide further information)

I creep into the garden, the Stranger Things theme music playing in my head and follow the source of the sound … (The dependent clause is embedded in the main clause to show the event occurring simultaneously) 

Gradually release responsibility, instructing students to examine the following complex sentences with their partner: 

There, perched on the gatepost, seemingly unafraid of the pyjama-clad human, is the most perfect shiny green frog, with huge, staring amber eyes and a wide, encouraging smile

According to Amphibians of Greater Brisbane, he’s a common green tree frog, a robust frog, found in suburban gardens around south-east Queensland

Fergus (Ferg for short) becomes a regular visitor. 

We chat (well, I chat, Ferg mostly listens) about all sorts of things—like metamorphosis, the benefits of being nocturnal and whether I should take up electric guitar.

Provide students digital access to a shared slide deck and create a slide for each group. Tell students that they should then note their responses to the discussion questions on their allocated slide. Alternatively, provide students with Butcher’s paper and instruct them to note their ideas on there. 

Display each of the groups’ shared slide deck/butcher’s papers’ and discuss responses.

Sample responses are: 

(Note: dependent clauses have been underlined)

There, perched on the gatepost, seemingly unafraid of the pyjama-clad human, is the most perfect shiny green frog, with huge, staring amber eyes and a wide, encouraging smile. (To provide further information about the frog) 

According to Amphibians of Greater Brisbane, he’s a common green tree frog, a robust frog, found in suburban gardens around south-east Queensland (To emphasise that the information has been checked in a valid source) 

Fergus (Ferg for short) becomes a regular visitor. (To provide further information using parenthesis, to create a relaxed, conversational style) 

We chat (well, I chat, Ferg mostly listens) about all sorts of things—like metamorphosis, the benefits of being nocturnal and whether I should take up electric guitar. (To provide further information and to create a conversational style) 

Compile a class list of reasons why authors choose to place dependent clauses in the positions that they do, including: 

• To control emphasis
• To transition to a new idea
• To provide further information alongside what is being described
• To create a conversational style of writing
• To create nuance
• To provide variety
• To show events occurring simultaneously 

Independent activity (you do)

15 minutes

Inform students that they will be experimenting with composing complex sentences and that they should make deliberate choices about how to order the clauses they compose. 

Inform students that first the class will be constructing some examples together. Begin by constructing sentences about discovering an animal at school. Discuss ideas of animals that might be discovered, such as a bird, a koala or a cat. Discuss ideas for independent clauses, focusing on where you found the animal and what it was doing. For example: 

• The cat was hiding under the demountable classroom.
• The koala climbed high into a tree.
• The bird squawked at the students.

Compose dependent clauses that can be added to the independent clauses, to provide further information about the animal. Suggest ideas for the types of information to add, such as the animal’s behaviour or when it was discovered. For example: 

• The cat was hiding under the demountable classroom yesterday afternoon.
• The koala climbed high into a tree never taking its eyes off the students.
• The bird squawked at the students while they played in the playground.

Discuss which of the clause's students may wish to emphasise and experiment with moving the dependent clauses. Add punctuation and adapt the language in the clauses where necessary. For example: 

• Then yesterday afternoon, a cat was found hiding under the demountable classroom.
• The koala climbed high into a tree – never taking its eyes off the students, even for a moment.
• While the students played in the playground, the bird squawked at them loudly. 

Instruct students to work in the same pairs as previously. Tell students to imagine they have found an animal in the playground at school. Instruct them to write a brief description of finding the animal. Tell them that they should compose complex sentences. Instruct students to experiment with placing the dependent clauses in a variety of positions within the sentence before deciding how best to structure their sentences based on what they wish to emphasise.

Differentiation

During the guided activity: 

Instruct students requiring support to focus on identifying the dependent clauses. 

Tell students who require extension to identify further complex sentences in the remainder of story. Instruct students to copy the complex sentences they identify onto their slide/butcher’s paper and record their responses to the discussion questions displayed in the guided section in reference to these sentences. 

During the independent activity: 

Provide students requiring support with the following list of dependent and independent clauses:

Dependent clauses 

• after completing all my chores
• before it gets dark
• during the day           
• with my friends
• especially when I am with my family 

Independent clauses 

• I like going for walks
• I love to play board games/read a book/play outside (Instruct students to select their preferred idea)
• I walk home from school
• I like cooking/watching a movie/playing ball games (Instruct students to select their preferred idea)
• I spend time in the library/playground/classroom (Instruct students to select their preferred idea) 

Instruct students to complete the following: 

• Match the dependent and independent clauses together to form complex sentences
• Decide where to place the dependent clauses in each sentence (Consider which part of the sentence you wish to emphasise, whether you wish to create variety, or if you need to use the dependent clause to add further information)
• Consider punctuation you might use (Commas between the dependent and independent clause if the dependent clause appears before the independent clause, an em dash to create emphasis)
• Add one additional dependent clause inside brackets as a parenthesis, for example: 

I love to play board games especially when I am with my family (although not Monopoly as my little sister always cheats). 

Instruct students requiring extension to reread the story. Tell them to locate five complex sentences that they feel are the most interesting/impactful. Tell students to respond to the following questions in their workbooks: 

• Why did you choose the sentences?
• Where does the dependent clause appear in each of the sentences?
• Locate five sentences you feel can be improved through changing the order of the clauses. Rewrite these in the way you think is most impactful.

Assessment

Instruct students to respond to the following exit-ticket questions in their workbooks: 

• What are dependent clauses?
• What are some of the reasons that impact where authors choose to place dependent clauses? 

Mark the work and use the following feedback sandwich to provide students with timely feedback: 

• Positive comment
• Constructive criticism with explanation of how to improve
• Positive comment or contextual comment: X was good… because… now/next time…

Strategy taken from Feedback Practices and Strategies,ungroup NSW Department of Education.