Subject-predicate in RMSE-LA 3

First 10 lessons

Lesson six

Students learn that the subject is the part of the sentence that names.

They learn the part that tells more is the predicate in lesson eight. Students continue to work on subject-predicate skills through different types of exercises.

The process is:

• The teacher says, ‘I’ll read the instructions: put in the capitals and full stops. Circle the part of each sentence that names.’
• The teacher says, ‘Look at the first words in the passage, and figure out who the first sentence names. Everybody, who does it name?’ and signals (auditory). ‘Circle a young boy’ and observes students and gives feedback.
• The teacher says, ‘The first sentence tells more about a young boy. Say the words that tell more about a young boy’ and signals (auditory). ‘Put a full stop after the word ball. Start the next sentence with a capital T’ and observes students and gives feedback.
• The teacher continues working through the sentence with the students before instructing students to work on their own.

Later lessons

In lesson twenty-eight students are introduced to the part of the predicate that tells when. Students continue this work for five lessons.
In lesson thirty-two students are shown that sentences may begin with part of the predicate, a comma is needed just before the subject.

After students learn how to write and punctuate sentences that begin with part of the predicate, they apply this skill to writing passages starting in lesson sixty-seven.