Fadwi Alturki

ENG 221

High Intermediate Writing and Composition

How to avoid run-on sentences and comma splices
Class time = 1 hour
Goal:
To focus on extensive practices in academic writing. Emphasis is on
developing a wide variety of sentence types and rhetorical patterns includes
a comprehensive review of grammar, mechanics, punctuations, and spelling
as well as be familiarized with effective online technology.
Objectives:

Identify run-on sentences and comma splices and correct the mistakes.
Practice writing compound sentences.
Expand students knowledge on punctuation usage.
Expand students knowledge on conjunction usage.

Pre-lesson inventory:
The following teacher materials will be employed:

Computer
Projector
Internet
Camera Doc
Google Drive
Handouts ( make copies of all handouts (Appendix A to G )

The following student materials will be needed for class:

Book:
Writers FAQ

by Harris

Supplies:

Paper with a clean edge

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ENG 221

A binder or folder
Highlighter(s)
Pen / Pencils

Also recommended:
A USB to save your writing
A good English-English dictionary
Activity One: Timed-Writing Essay (given as a surprise at some point
during our class) (15 minutes)
Purpose: The students will be writing for 15 minutes because they will then
be reviewing sentences and working in groups fixing them.
Procedure:
1. After morning greeting, the teacher will say:
Prepare a clean paper and a pencil, you will be given a topic, and you
have to write an essay about it. You will be given 15 minutes to complete this
task.
2. The teacher will pass out the class activity (Appendix A), and the
teacher will say:
Before starting writing, read the topic very well for 2 to 3 minutes, draw
a map, organize your plans, ideas, examples, and then write your essay.
3. After 15 minutes, the students submit their essays to the teachers.
Transition: Thank you so much! Now I would like to tell you that there are
two purposes of the previous class activity; first, the teacher can check the
track of each students improvement in writing, second, your essays will be
used today at the end of class.

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ENG 221

Activity two: (15 minutes) Warming-up activity

Purpose: The students will learn how to avoid common mistakes while
writing compound sentences.
Procedures:
1. The teacher will assign groups of students (equally distributed
combining different level of learners).
2. The teacher will pass out the handouts that include a warm-up
activity (Appendix B)
3. Moreover, the teacher will display the handouts on the Camera doc
and read the instructions for the activity.(Appendix )
4. The teacher will read the following examples:

When people go to a play, they wear black when they go to the opera,

they wear red

We have changed our majors so now we have to take another science

class.
Some vendors at flea markets sell old items and some sell new items.
Scripts for famous movies are popular collectibles yet theyre hard to

find.
I would like to go with you however, I have to work that weekend.
He is a cat person I am a dog person.
5. The teacher will ask the students a question as :

Is there anything wrong with these sentences?

6. The students after reading the sentences, they will need to know
more information.
7. The students are required to answer questions with their assigned
groups.
8. The teacher will pass out the handouts that include a self-check
handout (Appendix C)
9. The teacher will ask the students to take 2 minutes to complete the
checklist individually, and then the students will discuss the
checklist with their groups. (Appendix C)

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ENG 221

10.

The teacher will evaluate the students engagement in the

activity with their groups.

11. The teacher declares that the given time is finished.
12. The teacher will let the students to share what they already have
known about each term to the whole class.
13. The teacher displays the right answers with class on Camera doc.
(AppendixD)
14. The teacher will ask the students about the reasons of using
punctuation in different sentences.
15. The teacher gives them the right definitions, examples, and the
correct use punctuation in the handout (Appendix D)
Transition: Great job! After having discussion about how to use punctuation
correctly to avoid run-ons, we are going to look at several sentences and
judge whether each sentence is correctly punctuated or run-ons. This activity
will help you to avoid these mistakes in your writing and make your
compound sentences grammatically correct.
Activity three: Run-on sentences and comma splices (20 minutes)
Purpose: to identify run-on sentences and comma splices, to help the
students avoid these errors, and to enable them understand in detail by
practicing and using effective right solution to fix these common mistakes.
Procedures:
1. The teacher will pass out the handouts to practice how to avoid
mistakes while writing compound sentences.(Appendix E)
2. The same groups that are assigned in the previous activity will work
together again. Teams are then given 10 minutes to finish the task.
3. Group members think critically about each given sentences whether it
is correctly punctuated or not. If not, they have to discuss how they
can fix the sentence to be correct.
4. The teacher walks around evaluating and fostering the students
learning process.

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ENG 221

5. When time is up, the teacher opens and displays the website Google
Drive on projector.
6. Then, the teacher will explain how to use Google Drive, CMC
asynchronic online tool, step by step.
7. The teacher distributes the technological guide handout (Appendix F).
Step 1: You need to log on a computer, and create a Google account if
you do not have one.
Step 2: Go to https://drive.google.com/
Step 3: In order to create a document, click Create and select
Document.
Step 4: In order to share this document with teacher and classmates,
click Share, and then type their emails (it should be Google
accounts). Now, all users are able to edit a shared document.
Step 5: In order to chat with the others while editing and working on a
document, click comment and then start typing your comment.
8. The teacher will inform the students to write their answers for this
activity and share it with class.
9. After that, the teacher will share the correct answer for the activity and
discuss them with class (Appendix G) on Camera doc.
Transition: Well done!! Thank you. You look enthusiastic to learn because
the lesson involves group work and the lesson itself aims to help you become
professional writers.
Closure: Homework (10 minutes)
Purpose: to help students learn about writing compound sentences and
avoid common errors in writing by practicing more exercises.

Task 1: Peer evaluation.

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ENG 221

1. The teacher will use the students timed-writing essays for this task.
The teacher will assign groups of two students; each one will take
his/her partners essay in order to evaluate it using the checklist given
by the teacher (Appendix H). Each student has to write a brief
reflection about his/her partners writing and usage for punctuation.
Task 2: Editing a short reading passage.
1. The teacher will conclude the lesson by saying The other day I
went to the supermarket and the clerk checking me out was so
rude she totally did not greet me and kept talking to one of
her coworkers she also scanned all my items super slowly and
double scanned some items then she did not ask me if I had
coupons or bottle slips and bagged my items sloppily she put
my eggs on the bottom and my bleach in with my orange juice
and almost forgot to give me my change has anyone else ever
had this experiences its so frustrating.
2. Then, the teacher pauses and asks:
Did anyone have a difficult time following that?
3. The teacher then says: These are run-on sentences; it is very difficult
to focus and understand what have you heard, because it never stops.
So, I have shared this essay with you on Google Drive (Appendix I ).
This short reading passage is not correctly punctuated, thus, each one
has to copy the essay and edit it in individual document and share it
with teacher. So, the teacher can give each one formative feedback
4.
5.
6.
7.

that promotes students learning.

The teacher asks the students if they have any questions.
The students ask questions about the homework.
The teacher answers the whole questions.
Using Camera doc, the teacher shows the rubric, the grading scale for

the homework assignment.

8. The teacher will read the criteria, and the descriptors in the rubric and
how he/she is going to grade each point.
9. The teacher will pass out the rubric (Appendix )

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ENG 221

10.

The teacher thanks students for good listening and participation

and informs them if they have any other question, they can come in
his/her office hours or send an email to:
Fodaflower4@gmail.com