Divide the class into groups of three or four students. Give each group a bag full of index cards. Each index card should have a word printed on it and have a hole punched before and after the word. Make sure that some of the words begin with capital letters. Take time to practice building various sentences with each bag to ensure that this activity will run smoothly. After distributing the word bags, give each group a colorful piece of yarn. Instruct students to string the words together using the yarn to create a sentence. Ask the groups to present their sentences to the class when everyone has finished.
For this activity, make sure that each child has sharpened colored pencils available. Give each child a paragraph written correctly. On the board write the following instructions, "Underline the nouns in blue. Circle all of the verbs with a yellow pencil. Draw a red box around the end marks. Trace over the capital letters with a green." Continue to add instructions according to what has been studied in language arts, such as identifying the direct objects, locating proper nouns or finding prepositions. Students enjoy this activity because they are able to use colored pencils and create a strong visual representation of what correct sentences contain.
Create a puppet made out of a sock or a paper bag. Introduce students to "Run-on Randy." Even older students enjoy listening to what this puppet has to say. Teach a lesson to students in which you discuss how Run-on Randy is quite the talker. Show how Run-on Randy writes long sentences and never seems to be quite sure where the sentence should end. Ask students to proofread Randy's latest story. Give each child an entertaining paragraph that includes multiple run-on sentences. Ask students to separate these sentences by writing them correctly at the bottom of the page.
Students will gain practice deciding whether or not certain sayings are sentences. Instruct each student to use two scrap sheets of paper. On the back of the paper, ask students to write "Sentence" on one and "Not a Sentence" on the other. Explain that students will wait until after you have read a saying out loud. Students must then decide which paper to raise. This activity allows you to assess the students' understanding quickly. Take time to explain any of the questions that are missed. If desired, show students other phrases using a projector. Ask them to once again hold up the paper when they have determined whether or not the phrase is a sentence.