The Listening Center: Sentences

The Listening Center: Sentence Activities

We need to help them hear the individual words in a sentence.  Words that relate to people, things or actions are easy because they are concrete. Because articles (and, the) don't describe people, things or actions, they are difficult to "hear" in a sentence.

Hearing the pauses in spoken language is a step towards becoming a reader. Start with simple sentences children know well. Use images or items to provide a visual for the sentence. This links words with print.

As sentences become more complex it is common for children to overlap the counting of syllables and words. In simple sentences created with one syllable words there is little chance for confusion. If you are clapping, each word gets one clap. Confusion sets in with words that have more than one syllable. Look at the sentence, "The dog is sleeping on the bed." Children will want to clap sleeping as two words instead of one. The pauses help identify the number of words in a sentence. Speak clearly with an exaggerated pause between each word.

1. Tap a Sentence: Students tap out the number of words in a sentence. Students listen to the sentence being read and then tap it out. They can record the number of words in each sentence.
2. Build a Sentence: Students listen to a sentence being read. As each word is said in the sentence the student builds a tower using snap blocks.
3. Word for Word:  Provide students with a copy of the sentences being read. As each sentence is read, students place a marker on each word in the sentence.
4. Stretch It: In this activity students listen to a sentence read and stretched the elastic after each word. See the video clip for explanation. Stretch It Video