Sentence Types
Before jumping right into sentence types, it is important to understand how the foundation should be set. The Science of Reading is currently a comprehensive literacy model and approach subscribed to by many states and districts across the country. It focuses on understanding the processes behind learning to read and outlines the skills children need to become proficient readers. Early childhood is a pivotal time in a child’s literacy development. From birth to age five, children are exposed to language, sounds, and vocabulary that form the building blocks for reading. During this period, the brain is highly adaptable and responsive to learning, making it a prime time for developing essential.
Research has identified five core components of effective reading instruction, often referred to as the Five Pillars of Reading. First, phonemic awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words. For example, understanding that the word “cat” consists of the three sounds /k/, /æ/, and /t/ is an important foundational skill for reading. Next is phonics, an understanding of the relationship between sounds and their corresponding letters. Phonics instruction teaches children to decode words by connecting sounds (phonemes) to letters (graphemes), allowing them to read unfamiliar words. Fluency is the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. Fluency develops when children practice reading frequently and build confidence in their decoding skills, enabling them to focus more on comprehension. Building vocabulary follows. A broad vocabulary helps children make sense of what they are reading, aiding comprehension and expanding their ability to communicate ideas. And lastly is comprehension. This is the ability to understand and interpret the meaning of text. Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading and relies on a strong foundation in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary.20
As students become proficient in these five components, they will soon recognize that sentence structure varies, as does the ending punctuation. Along with these skills, students can start to identify how and why these sentences differ. There are four types of sentences based on their function. These sentences are usually distinguished by their end-of-sentence punctuation, whether a period, question mark, or exclamation mark. Formally, the types are called declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory. For this Kindergarten unit, we will use the terms statement, question, command, and exclamation. Within these terms are also two partial names of the punctuation students will be learning about - question mark and exclamation point - which is a helpful connection for them to make easily.
Statement (declarative) sentences do what they say - they make a statement, used to communicate a fact, an opinion, an observation, or an explanation. Declarative sentences end in a period. Some examples:
Some birds fly south for the winter.
The family had a fun time at the carnival.
In my opinion, blueberry is the best kind of pie.
Questions are known formally as interrogative sentences. These sentences request more information in the form of answers, usually to confirm something or fill in missing information. They are characterized by having a question mark at the end and often begin with question words like who, what, when, where, why, and how, or an auxiliary verb, such as do.
What color is your new bike?
Did you see the fireworks last night?
When is the circus coming to town?
Imperative sentences are commands, instructions, or advice you give to others to tell them what to do. In imperative sentences, the subject is generally assumed. It’s usually obvious that the subject is whomever the sentence is directed at, so the subject can be dropped, and the reader or listener can assume the missing subject is you.
Imperative, or command sentences for Kindergarteners, usually end in a period, but they can also use an exclamation point if they’re emphatic.
Put away your clothes and toys.
Please draw a picture of your family.
Don’t go in the puddle!
Usually, exclamatory sentences behave just like declarative sentences, except with more emotion or urgency. Exclamatory sentences also include interjections like “Ouch!” or “Yippee!” to convey sudden emotion.
We show this extra emotion with an exclamation mark, also known as an exclamation point, at the end of the sentence. There is a difference between these two sentences:
I ate a snail.
I ate a snail!
The first is a statement, stating a fact. The second has an emotional response as if the speaker is shocked, proud, or disgusted - emotions that don’t exist in the first sentence.
Exclamatory sentence examples:
It’s my birthday!
Thanks! You are such a good friend!
Yikes! That’s a giant spider!
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