The Power Sentence Lesson is interactive, whole-class instruction centered around the class discussion. Each Power Sentence Lesson identifies a single sentence from a passage of authentic text as a sample of academic language. The Power Sentence is an informationally dense sentence with significant meaning. Each Power Sentence Lesson includes an overall objective and the Common Core standards taught in the lesson.
Facilitated by teachers, students deconstruct the Power Sentence into Sentence Chunks, uncovering the layers of meaning and structural subtleties within the Power Sentence. For each Sentence Chunk, students parse out the meaning by discussing the structures, conventions, vocabulary, and punctuation. Students also explore the author’s craft by reconstructing the Power Sentence and discussing how the meaning changes as they reconstruct it in different ways. Throughout the lesson, students apply their understanding of the Power Sentence to the broader context of the Focus Question. The Power Sentence Lesson allows students to discover for themselves the intricacies of academic language and the reasons that authors use complex sentences to express their ideas.
The targeted language instruction in each Power Sentence Lesson benefits your students in multiple ways:
- It provides a model that students, especially long-term English learners, can apply when
they encounter complex academic discourse on their own. - It strengthens students’ ability to communicate elaborate and abstract concepts on their
own, in speaking or writing. - It builds your students’ foundation for understanding academic language, enabling them
to approach their close reading with confidence
Before Teachers lead a Power Sentence Lesson, they should prepare for the lesson and print offline materials, then follow the Power Sentence Lesson Plan. Each lesson includes an objective with the Common Core standards being taught.
Teacher Preparation
Instructions on how to prepare for each Power Sentence Lesson are provided in the Lesson Plan. Read or review the Power Sentence Lesson Protocol, read the passage that includes the Power Sentence, and print any offline materials.
Print Offline Materials
Before leading a Power Sentence Lesson, Teachers should print the Power Sentence Printout found in the Power Sentence Lesson Plan.
To print offline materials
- Log in to the Literacy Suite. If this is your first time logging in, choose Imagine Lectura.
- Click Unit Library in the upper navigation bar and select a unit.
- Select the Power Sentence Lesson in Step 2: Deep Reading Cycle.
- Scroll to Student Print Materials, then click Power Sentence Printout.
- Print the Power Sentence Printouts from your browser.
Follow the Lesson Plan
The Power Sentence Lesson Plan includes step-by-step instructions on how to lead a Power Sentence Lesson, including how to:
- Establish Context for the Power Sentence
- Deconstruct the Power Sentence and Unpack its Meaning
- Connect Ideas Between the Power Sentence and Focus Question
- Reconstruct the Power Sentence
- Transition to Close Reading
To deconstruct and reconstruct the Power Sentence with your class onscreen, click Presentation Mode at the top of the lesson.
