Sentence starters, also known as sentence stems, are important because they serve as valuable tools to facilitate student participation and provide essential structure, particularly for English Learners.
Based on the provided reference, sentence starters are crucial for two primary reasons:
1. Fostering Participation for All Students
Sentence starters offer a clear pathway for all students to engage effectively in communication, both orally and in writing. By providing the beginning of a sentence, they lower the barrier to participation.
- How They Help All Students Participate:
- They give students a framework to organize their thoughts into complete sentences.
- They reduce the anxiety of not knowing how to begin a response or statement.
- They promote the use of varied sentence structures.
- They ensure students can articulate their ideas clearly and formally.
This structure empowers students to express themselves confidently and correctly, ensuring that all voices can be heard and ideas shared in the classroom.
2. Providing Necessary Support for English Learners
While beneficial for everyone, sentence starters are described as a necessary support specifically for English Learners (ELs). ELs are often navigating both new vocabulary and complex grammatical structures simultaneously.
- Why They Are Necessary for ELs:
- They provide explicit models of correct sentence structure and grammar.
- They help ELs practice forming complete and grammatically sound sentences.
- They build confidence in speaking and writing in a new language.
- They allow ELs to focus more on the content of their message rather than struggling with sentence formation.
For English Learners, sentence starters are not just helpful; they are a fundamental scaffold that enables them to access curriculum content and participate meaningfully in academic discussions and tasks using appropriate language structures.
In summary, sentence starters are important because they universally boost student participation by providing structure for complete sentences, and they are an indispensable support for English Learners who require this explicit guidance to develop their language proficiency.
