Standard 5: Language

Students will apply knowledge of grammar and rhetorical style to reading and writing. 

5.5.R.1 Students will recognize conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections and explain their effect in particular sentences.

Student Actions 

Teacher Actions 

• Students recognize that a conjunction is a word that connects parts of a sentence.
• Students recognize that a preposition is a word linked to a noun or verb to describe:
• the position of something (e.g., under the chair)
• the time when something happens (e.g., after dinner)
• the way in which something is done (e.g., without speaking).
• Students recognize an interjection is a word that expresses emotion and often stands alone in a sentence (e.g. Wow, Yes, Please).
• Students describe the impact conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections have in a sentence.

• Teachers explain and review  that a conjunction is a word that connects parts of a sentence.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to recognize conjunctions.
• Teachers explain and review that a preposition is a word linked to a noun or verb to describe:
• The position of something (e.g., under the chair)
• The time when something happens (e.g., after dinner)
• The way in which something is done (e.g., without speaking).
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to recognize propositions in text.
• Teachers explain that an interjection is a word that expresses emotion and often stands alone in a sentence (e.g. Wow, Yes, Please).
• Teachers model how to use an interjection.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to recognize and interjections.
• Teachers explain the impact conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections have in a sentence.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to describe the impact conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections have in a sentence.
• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback when describing the impact conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections have in a sentence.

Supporting Resources 

Teacher Insights 

• For additional guidance, there is a Grammar Companion Guide on page 92 of the Support Documents.

• Conjunction Junction Schoolhouse Rocks (video)

• Prepositions Schoolhouse Rocks (video)

• Interjections Schoolhouse Rocks (video)

• Combining Sentences Lesson (webpage)

• Khan Academy Introduction to Prepositions and Conjunctions (video)

• Classical Conversations Preposition Jingle (video)

• Playing with Prepositions through Poetry (webpage)

• The Magnetism of Language: Parts of Speech, Poetry, and Word Play (webpage)

• Composing Cinquain Poetry with Basic Parts of Speech (webpage)

• Hink Pinks (webpage) 

• To Grammar or Not to Grammar: That Is Not the Question! (webpage)
• Bringing Grammar to Life (webpage)
• Undoing the Great Grammatical Scam (webpage)
• The Passion of Punctuation (webpage) 

• Students should not only be able to identify these parts of speech, but should also be provided with opportunities to explain why we use these devices when composing sentences.

• How do they function in sentences and what is their effect on the sentence?

• Conjunctions are words that connect parts of a sentence.

• Coordinating Conjunctions  connect equal parts of a sentence.

• The seven coordinating conjunctions can be remembered with the mnemonic device FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So

• Subordinating Conjunctions connect a dependent clause to an independent clause (unequal parts of a sentence)

• Common subordinating conjunctions: after, although, because, if, how, since, supposing, than, that, though, unless, until, when, where, whether, which

• Correlative Conjunctions connect two ideas in pairs

• (neither/nor, either/or, not only/but also)

• Prepositions and prepositional phrases  are a word or a group of words linked to a noun or verb to describe direction or condition. A preposition relates the noun or pronoun that follows it to some other word in the sentence.

• List of Prepositions Also, see pages 11 & 12 of Support Document.

• Examples in sentences: The deer ran across the road. We stopped at the store down the street.

• It is important to explicitly teach prepositions that do not show spatial or time relationships

• Examples: of, like, among

• Distinguish an adverb from a preposition. Adverbs are used alone in sentences. Prepositions must be followed by a noun or pronoun that answers the question to what or whom.

• Adverb:  He walked around.

• Preposition: He walked around the store.

• Preposition Rules

• An interjection is a word or phrase that expresses emotion and often stands alone in a sentence.

• Interjections are punctuated with an exclamation point for strong feelings and a comma for introductions or when the feeling is not as strong.

• Ex: wow, yes, well, please, yuck

Due to recursive nature of the standards, it is essential that teachers are aware of how all objectives within and between strands work together for optimal instruction.