Which Sentence Is Grammatical? Teen Topics

Seven sets of three sentences about school and everyday teen life; the student picks the one written in standard academic grammar.

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Which sentence uses standard academic grammar?

This pass0 correct · 0 cued · 0 incorrect · 0/7
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Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.

How to run it

Read all three sentences aloud, then let the student choose. Ask what is wrong with each of the others and how to fix it. The fixing is the real work. Finish by giving a sentence from the student's own writing and asking them to check it the same way.

Cueing ladder

Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.

  1. Step 1IndependentPresent the item and wait 5 seconds of quiet before helping.Log as correct
  2. Step 2Read aloudRead each option aloud so the student can hear which one sounds right and keeps the meaning.Log as cued
  3. Step 3Point to itPoint to the part that changes, such as the joining word or the word order, and ask what it does.Log as cued
  4. Step 4ModelSay the correct sentence and explain the choice, then the student says it back and makes one of their own.Log as cued

Adjust it

Easier

Offer two options instead of three, and read every option aloud first.

Harder

Cover the options and ask the student to write the sentence before checking.

Matching IEP goal

Given sentence-level tasks, Student will judge and correct sentence structure in standard academic grammar in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than an indirect cue.

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About this activity

Seven sets of three sentences about school and everyday teen life, and in each set one follows standard academic grammar. The errors are the structural ones that show up in student writing: word order in embedded questions such as do you know where the gym is, a doubled pronoun in a relative clause, a missing subject, and mismatched parallel structure such as drawing and to paint. Judging which sentence is correct, then explaining why, builds the editing skill secondary writing assignments expect.

What to listen for

Embedded questions, do you know where is the gym, are a common pattern for multilingual students and dialects, because many languages and dialects of English keep question order there. Notice whether the student can explain the rule or only hears that something sounds off. Parallel structure errors are often the last to be noticed.

Carrying it home

When your teen is writing for school, ask them to read one paragraph aloud and listen for a sentence that sounds tangled. Reading aloud catches many of the same errors on this board. Praise the edit, not the first draft.

What's in this activity

  • Which sentence uses standard academic grammar?
    • Do you know where the gym is?
    • Do you know where is the gym?
    • Do you know the gym where is?
    • The movie that we watched it was really long.
    • The movie that we watched was really long.
    • The movie was that we watched really long.
    • I asked him what time was it.
    • I asked him time what it was.
    • I asked him what time it was.
    • We went to get food after we finished practice.
    • We went to get food after finished practice.
    • Went to get food after we finished practice.
    • She is good at both drawing and to paint.
    • She is good at both drawing and painting.
    • She is good both at drawing and paint.
    • The coach told us run faster.
    • The coach told to us run faster.
    • The coach told us to run faster.
    • I have been working here since June.
    • I am working here since June.
    • Working here I have since June been.

Questions

Who is this for?
Students in grades 6 through 12 working on syntax, sentence structure and editing their own writing.
Are dialect features counted as errors here?
Some wrong options here are normal in other dialects of English, such as question order inside a question. They are marked only against standard academic English for school writing, not as errors in how the student speaks.
Is it free?
Yes. It plays free in the browser with no login. An account adds session data, goal scoring and assignment to a student.

Use this board with your caseload

With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.

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