| 8th grade worksheet sample This is the student worksheet that goes with an eighth grade lesson plan on coordination and subordination. This story uses simple sentences. Add coordinating and subordinating words to make the sentences more complex and the ideas clearer. For example, you might use "and" or "because" to combine two sentences. My parents have gone out to play Bingo. They've left me alone with my little sister. Her name is Desiree. I call her Destructa, Goddess of Demolition. Destructa is eight years old. She's up in her room. Today she learned about gravity in school. Now she says she's doing gravity experiments. It sounds like she's dropping bowling balls. I'm downtairs. I'm trying to tune my guitar. Wham. The living room ceiling quivers. Wham. The picture of our grandparents slides down the wall. It thuds on the carpet. It falls on its face. "Destructa!" I yell. I pick up the picture. "Stop that! You'll break the ceiling!" Silence. Then I hear a squeaky wheel in the upstairs hallway. Oh, no. Her skateboard. Blam-blam-blam-blam-blam-blam-blam-blam-blam-blam-blam. There are eleven steps on our stairs. Her skateboard hits every one. She's on the skateboard. At least until the last step. "Gravity!" she yells. She lands on the phone table. The phone lands on the floor. The dog runs in from the kitchen. He's barking. The phone is beeping. The dog barks at Destructa. He barks at the phone. Destructa looks at the phone. "If I drop a penny and the phone," she says, "which will land first?" "You can't do that stuff inside!" I yell. The dog is running around my legs. He's still barking. "Okay." Destructa picks up the phone. "How do I get on the roof?" I don't tell her about the neighbors' ladder. I would be grounded for life. "You can't go on the roof," I say. "I know the best gravity experiment in the world. You can do it in your room." Destructa stares at me. Her eyes are wide. Her mouth is open. She believes everything I say. I'm lucky that way. "Go up to your room," I say. "Turn out the light. Sit on the floor cross-legged. Hum the right note. You'll slowly float up. You'll defeat gravity. If you have the special power. Be patient. It takes about an hour to find the right note." Our parents are due back in forty-five minutes. "I bet I can do it!" Destructa says. She gallops up the stairs. She goes into her room. For the rest of the evening all I hear is a strange humming. Sometimes it's low. Sometimes it's high. Sometimes it's the note I need for my guitar. Teacher Directions Have the students edit the sentences. Often, they'll just need to add a coordinating or subordinating conjunction. When the students are done, go through the piece as a class and discuss the students' changes. Have the students identify whether the new, more complex sentence uses coordination or subordination. Point out how the more complex structure clarifies the relationship between ideas. Answer Key Answers will vary. One possible version appears below, with the changes underlined. Subordinate clauses you might discuss are in caps. My parents have gone out to play Bingo and have left me alone with my little sister. Her name is Desiree but I call her Destructa, Goddess of Demolition. Destructa is eight years old. She's up in her room. Today she learned about gravity in school, and now she says she's doing gravity experiments. It sounds like she's dropping bowling balls. I'm downtairs, trying to tune my guitar. Wham. The living room ceiling quivers. Wham. The picture of our grandparents slides down the wall, thuds on the carpet, and falls on its face. "Destructa!" I yell, picking up the picture. "Stop that! You'll break the ceiling!" Silence. Then I hear a squeaky wheel in the upstairs hallway. Oh, no. Her skateboard. Blam-blam-blam-blam-blam-blam-blam-blam-blam-blam-blam. There are eleven steps on our stairs, and her skateboard hits every one. She's on the skateboard, at least until the last step. "Gravity!" she yells. She lands on the phone table and the phone lands on the floor. The dog runs in from the kitchen, barking. The phone is beeping. The dog barks at Destructa, then at the phone. Destructa looks at the phone. "If I drop a penny and the phone," she says, "which will land first?" "You can't do that stuff inside!" I yell. The dog is running around my legs, still barking. "Okay." Destructa picks up the phone. "How do I get on the roof?" I don't tell her about the neighbors' ladder, BECAUSE I WOULD BE GROUNDED FOR LIFE. "You can't go on the roof," I say. "But I know the best gravity experiment in the world, and you can do it in your room." Destructa stares at me, her eyes wide and her mouth open. She believes everything I say. I'm lucky that way. "Go up to your room," I say. "Turn out the light, and sit on the floor cross-legged. Hum the right note and you'll slowly float up. You'll defeat gravity IF YOU HAVE THE SPECIAL POWER. Be patient, BECAUSE IT TAKES ABOUT AN HOUR TO FIND THE RIGHT NOTE." Our parents are due back in forty-five minutes. "I bet I can do it!" Destructa says. She gallops up the stairs and goes into her room. For the rest of the evening all I hear is a strange humming. Sometimes it's low, sometimes it's high, and sometimes it's the note I need for my guitar. |
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