About this activity
Twelve sentences with the conjunction removed: I was hungry ___ I made a sandwich (so). She likes cats ___ she is allergic (but). We went to the park ___ played soccer (and). We can walk ___ we can ride (or). Unlike a combining task, this one gives both halves and asks only for the connector, which isolates the choice and makes the reasoning visible.
How to use it in a session
Read the whole sentence with each candidate conjunction rather than reasoning about it abstractly. She likes cats but she is allergic sounds right and she likes cats so she is allergic does not, and the ear settles it faster than a rule does. Group the answers afterwards — four so, four but, three and, one or — and ask what the sos have in common. Twelve minutes covers the set with that grouping step.
What to listen for
Watch the but items. He is small ___ he is strong requires noticing that the two facts are in tension, and a student who chooses and has missed the contrast rather than the grammar. Notice whether so is being used for sequence rather than cause — we went to the park so played soccer is a sequencing error that looks like a conjunction error.
Carrying it home
Leave the conjunction out of your own sentence and let the child fill it in. It rained ___ the game was cancelled works in a car and takes five seconds.
Questions
- How is this different from the sentence-building board?
- That one asks the student to combine two sentences; this one supplies the combined sentence and asks only for the connector. This is the easier of the two and a good starting point.
- Is it free?
- Yes, no account needed.
- What grades is it for?
- Second through fifth.