Teach grammar through one decision students can make in their own writing. Show two sentences that make the decision visible, think aloud as you edit one, and give students a fresh example to try. Then have them use the same move in a draft. A student who can find a comma in your example still needs a chance to decide where a comma belongs in theirs.
The 20-minute lesson below teaches commas after introductory dependent clauses. Use the same sequence for subject–verb agreement, tense consistency, or any other grammar choice you can model in a few sentences. The sequence adapts the Model–Practice–Reflect approach in the What Works Clearinghouse guide for secondary writing. Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively
Choose a writing goal you can check
Start with a sentence from a class reading or a pattern you see in recent drafts. For an upcoming science report, you might notice students write sentences beginning with when or after and leave readers to work out where the setup ends. Plan one move for the next lesson.
- What students will do. Move a time or condition clause to the front of a sentence and punctuate it.
- What you’ll look for. Students can mark the end of the opening clause, place the comma there, and write a sentence with the clauses in either order.
Use an anonymous example or write one that shows the same pattern. Tell students which audience and convention you’re working with. This lesson teaches a punctuation choice for classroom writing, where a visible clause boundary helps the reader follow the sentence.
A 20-minute grammar lesson on introductory clauses
You’ll need two model sentences, space for every student to write a short response, and a place where students can use the same choice in their own writing. The example works with a science report, a story, or a school notice.
1. Model the decision in two sentences (5 minutes)
- When the timer rang, we recorded the reading.
- We recorded the reading when the timer rang.
Ask which version puts the timing first. Then think aloud. “We recorded the reading can stand as a sentence. When the timer rang tells when we recorded it. In the first version I put the time clause first, so I use a comma after rang. In the second, the time clause follows the main clause and I leave the comma out.”
State the rule students will apply. Use a comma after an introductory dependent clause. In a sentence like the second example, the dependent clause is part of the main idea and follows the main clause without a comma. Purdue OWL’s comma rules
2. Check everyone’s reasoning (5 minutes)
Display After the water cooled we measured its temperature. Ask everyone to bracket the opening clause and add punctuation. Then have students show their answers together on paper, mini whiteboards, or a shared slide. Ask one student to explain why the comma goes after cooled, and another to read the complete sentence that could stand on its own.
Next, show We measured its temperature after the water cooled. Ask students to decide independently whether this version needs a comma and underline the time clause. If several students add a comma, return to the model pair and move the time clause physically on two strips of paper. Give them one new sentence to try immediately.
3. Apply the choice in a draft (7 minutes)
Give students this line from a school notice. Bring your lunch inside if it starts to rain. Ask them to rewrite it so the condition comes first. Then ask which version they’d use in a notice about the rain plan and why. One response is If it starts to rain, bring your lunch inside. Putting the condition first tells readers when the instruction applies before they read what to do.
Have each student find a place to make the same choice in a current draft. They can write both versions in the margin and keep the one that fits. If students need help getting started, offer After ___, we ___ and We ___ after ___ as temporary frames. Invite students ready for a harder task to explain what they wanted readers to learn first.
4. Finish with a fresh exit ticket (3 minutes)
Give students We’ll post the results when the judges finish. Ask them to put the time clause first and underline the words that belong to it. Look for When the judges finish, we’ll post the results. Use both the underlining and the comma to decide what students need next. The following day, look for the same choice in an independent piece of writing.
Give feedback students can act on
Respond to the decision the student made. Ask for a revision and have them try the same move on a new sentence before you move on.
| What you see | What to ask the student to do |
|---|---|
| The opening clause is marked accurately, but the comma is missing. | “You found the whole opening clause. Add a comma where your bracket ends. Then try one that begins with if.” |
| The comma splits the opening clause, as in When the judges, finish. | “Read the whole time clause and point to its verb. Where does the time clause end? Move your comma there.” |
| A comma appears before when in We’ll post the results, when the judges finish. | “Underline the part that could stand alone. Which part comes first? Write both orders and punctuate each.” |
| The edit is correct, and the student explains the clause boundary. | “Try both orders in your draft. Which one puts the information your reader needs first?” |
Try a classroom practice set
These lines are from a school garden notice. In the first two, mark the time or condition clause and add a comma where needed. For the third, change the order and explain where the comma goes.
- When the soil warms up we’ll plant the beans.
- Bring the seed trays inside if the wind picks up.
- We’ll water the beds after the last group leaves.
Show answers and explanations
- When the soil warms up, we’ll plant the beans. The time clause comes first and ends after up.
- Bring the seed trays inside if the wind picks up. The condition follows the main clause in this instruction, so leave the sentence as written.
- After the last group leaves, we’ll water the beds. Once the time clause moves to the front, the comma follows leaves.
Plan your next grammar lesson
- Name the move. Write down what students will do and where they’ll use it. For agreement, they might match a verb to the subject in a sentence with an intervening phrase.
- Choose a model pair. Keep the sentences similar so the change is easy to see. Try The list of supplies is ready and The lists of supplies are ready. Explain how list or lists controls the verb. Subject–verb agreement guide
- Prepare a check and a retry. Give every student a new sentence, ask them to mark what guided the choice, and keep a second item ready for after feedback.
- Return to real writing. Ask students to apply the move in a draft and tell you what changed for the reader. Revisit it in the next assignment.
Use sentence strips, editing stations, or a shared document to rehearse the same decision. A game round can ask pairs to show their edit and explain it, followed by one independent response from each student. For younger writers, try rehearsing sentences aloud and building them with cards before students write. Hands-on grammar activities · Classroom grammar games · Grammar lessons for younger learners
