Give examples of complete sentences with a subject, verb and complete thought. For example, write “I rode my bicycle to school” on the board. Discuss what makes this a complete sentence. Point out that you have a subject, “I” that is doing something. Don’t dwell too much at first on pointing out the parts of the sentence. Simply demonstrate to students that they are never puzzled by a complete sentence because it doesn’t leave them wondering what happened. Tell them the sentence is independent because it does not depend on any other information for them to understand it.
Write this clause on the board: “After I rode my bicycle to school.” Discuss with students what questions they have when they hear the clause. They might wonder what happened after the person rode the bike. Point out that this clause depends on more information before students can understand what the writer is trying to tell them.
Demonstrate to students how to put independent clauses together with a conjunction. For example, “I rode my bicycle to school and I put it in the bike rack.” Point out that this could have been two separate sentences, but you can put together by combining them with “and.” Provide other examples using “but.” You can go back later and show students how to use “however,” “therefore” and even semicolons, but in your initial presentation stick with easy-to-understand clause connections
Rewrite the independent clause you first used: “After I rode my bicycle to school.” Ask students to imagine what happened next. Choose a suggestion from your kids and finish the sentence by adding an independent clause. For example, “After I rode my bicycle to school, I went to my first class.” Discuss the fact that what was originally an incomplete thought has been completed by adding an independent clause. Give students lists of independent and dependent clauses that they can join together by adding a comma in the middle.
Once your students are adept at writing simple sentences, sentences with two independent clauses (compound sentences) and sentences with a dependent clause and an independent clause (complex sentences), talk about rhythm in writing. Put a paragraph on the board that uses only compound sentences and discuss with students how the sound becomes too repetitious. Do the same with a paragraph made up only of complex sentences or simple sentences. Write a paragraph that uses all three so that students can get a feel for how to vary the rhythm of their writing. You can assign homework that requires students to write paragraphs that use all the types of sentences you have covered.