Objectives:

• Gain an understanding of the Trait: Sentence Fluency
• Review methods for teaching Sentence Fluency
• Reflect on your own practices for teaching this Trait
• Continue practicing Traits assessment

"It takes great deal of experience to become natural." ~ Willa Cather, (1873 - 1947), American Author

Introduction:

Sentence Fluency--you know it when you hear it: rhythm, cadence, and the artful mix of sentences that weave a satisfying pattern. The writing might include short staccato statements, purposeful fragments, or longer, mellifluous, complex sentences. The order and frequency of the sentence mix is a combination of art and craft. When read aloud, the prose flows.

Consider looking for similes and metaphors to explain the phenomena. Sentence Fluency is like:

• scales on a reticulated python
• the dynamic motion of a Heisman Trophy running back on a long punt return
• the choreography in a Broadway musical
• squawking gulls punctuating the sound of the sea on a calm night

You might ask, "How can I teach a complex artistic idea when I'm struggling to just teach the rules of punctuation? I'm happy to get a complete thought, let alone a sentence that balances on its toes like a boxer or a ballerina!"

Honest question. We teach Sentence Fluency by describing it accurately to our students. We provide the specialized writer's vocabulary needed to make the complex plain. We train the eye and the ear.

• We provide examples, weak and strong, so young ears can synchronize to the sounds of fluent prose and recognize rambling, irregular, disjointed writing.
• We notice smooth transitions.
• We recognize and eliminate stumbling unconscious repetition.
• We provide meaningful practice, turning short sentences into long ones and long ones into short ones.
• We make reading aloud integral to the writing process.
• We calibrate the listening skills of our students to the details of Sentence Fluency by reading aloud what we write.

If we can hear Sentence Fluency, we will learn to recognize it on the page--and so will our students!

A powerful tactic is to find strong examples of harmonious writing and read them to your students. Read from a range of writers, from Gary Paulsen to Tim O'Brien, from John Steinbeck to William Shakespeare. Seek out books on tape, CD's, and streaming audio. Spend time listening to professional actors read professional writers. Practice writing and listening to literary devices like onomonopea, alliteration, and assonance.

Do it. It works. The art will follow.

In this week's lecture: Reading Aloud and Peer Review I discuss how I have students read their writing aloud. I found that listening and revising for Sentence Fluency, became a powerful part of the writing process.

*As always feel free to e-mail me with questions or comments.

Dennis O'Connor
Instructor