Teaching Sentence Fluency: Simple Strategies for Combining Sentences

If your students’ writing sounds a little like this:

“I like pizza. I like dogs. I like to play outside.”

You’re not alone.

Young writers can be great at putting their ideas on paper, but sometimes those ideas come out in short, choppy bursts. Sentence fluency is what helps their writing flow, and one of the best ways to build it is by teaching kids how to combine sentences.

The best part? It doesn’t take long, complicated grammar lessons. With a few simple strategies and some fun practice, your students can start writing smoother, stronger sentences in no time!

Start with the Basics: What Does It Mean to Combine Sentences?

Combining sentences just means taking two short, related ideas and joining them together into one longer sentence. It’s such a small change, but it makes a huge difference in how student writing sounds.

There are three main ways to do it:

1. Coordinating conjunctions:  for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so “I wanted to go outside, but it started to rain.”

2. Subordinating conjunctions: because, although, when, if, since, while, etc. “Although it started to rain, I still went outside.”

3. Correlative conjunctions: both/and, either/or, not only/but also “I enjoy both reading and playing outside.”

   
   

When I teach this skill, I love starting with our Combining Sentences Task Cards. Each card gives students a quick chance to practice using different conjunctions. They’re perfect for centers, partner work, or even a quick “sentence warm-up” before writing time.

Make It Visual: Model and Color-Code

Before students can combine sentences on their own, it’s helpful for them to see how it works.

Try color-coding different parts of the sentence, like subjects, predicates, and conjunctions. Model on the board how two short sentences can come together, and ask your students what conjunction would make the most sense.

You can even make a “Conjunction Wall” with examples of sentences your students create. Once they start spotting conjunctions in their reading or using them naturally in conversation, you’ll know it’s clicking!

Turn Practice into Play: Fun Sentence-Combining Activities

Grammar practice doesn’t have to be boring! Here are a few interactive ways to help your students build fluency and have fun with language:

1. Task Card Challenges

Use your Sentence Combining Task Cards in different ways:

• Partner races: Students draw two cards and try to combine the sentences correctly before their partner does.

• Scoot game: Set up cards around the room for quick movement-based practice.

• Small group rotations: Great for guided writing review or early finisher work.

  
  

The repetition helps them hear what good sentences sound like without feeling like they’re doing the same thing over and over.

2. Sentence Building Relay

Write short sentences on slips of paper and toss them in a basket. In teams, students draw two slips and combine them using a conjunction from a “conjunction jar.” It’s fast, a little silly, and gets kids moving while practicing grammar.

We have a ready-to-print Hands-On Combining Sentences Practice right here if you want to give this activity a try in your classroom without the prep time!

Check out our ready-made Thanksgiving sentences to try this hands-on activity with a fall-themed twist!

3. Sentence Surgery

Give your students “broken” sentences to fix. They have to figure out which conjunction works best and how to combine the sentences smoothly.

Apply the Skill: From Sentences to Writing

Once your students can combine sentences, it’s time to use that skill in their actual writing.

That’s where our Combining Sentences Revising and Editing practice passage comes in handy. Students read a short paragraph and answer questions that help make it flow. It’s a quick, low-stress way to see who’s got it and who needs a little more practice. Great for a mini-assessment or an exit ticket!

You can also have students take a piece of their own writing and revise it just for sentence fluency! It’s amazing how much better their writing sounds when they start noticing their sentence patterns.

Extend the Learning: Connect It to Reading

Sentence combining isn’t just a writing skill; it’s a reading skill too. Encourage your students to find examples of compound and complex sentences in the books they’re reading.

Have them copy one into their notebooks and underline the conjunction. You could even create a “Strong Sentences We Love” bulletin board where students post great examples they find in their reading.

Building Confident Writers, One Sentence at a Time

Sentence fluency helps students take their writing from basic to beautiful. A few minutes of “sentence play” each week builds confidence, variety, and flow and makes grammar a lot more fun along the way.

If you’re looking for ready-to-go activities, our Combining Sentences Task Cards and Combining Sentences Revising and Editing passage make it easy to fit meaningful practice into your day, no prep required!