When building independent writers, it's essential for students to learn how to check their own sentences using a complete sentence checklist. During my sentence modeling lessons, I consistently demonstrated how to review each sentence for completeness. This routine helped my students develop the habit of checking their own work for completeness. Be sure to download the free writing sentences checklist at the end of this post!
How Kindergarten Students Learn to Check Their Sentences for Completeness
After my students write their complete sentence, I would give them this quick little checklist to mark off. I laminated these and kept them at their writing center, had one on the board, and they each had one at their desk. They had no excuse to forget a period or not use finger spaces.
Before they got to draw a picture, they simply checked each of these boxes on the complete sentence checklist:
- Use neat handwriting
- Use finger spaces
- Start with an uppercase letter
- End with punctuation
- Sentence makes sense
How This Sentence Writing Checklist Fostered Student Independence
If students were able to check everything off the list, they could move on to drawing their picture or turning in their work. If they missed an uppercase letter or punctuation, they could simply add it. However, for missing any of the other key elements, I had them start over using the same sentence. Yes, it was more work, but it reinforced the lesson that doing it right the first time was essential. In practice, students rarely had to start over because I emphasized neat handwriting and proper use of finger spaces from the beginning. Using the complete sentence checklist truly built a strong foundation for my students' writing!
You can grab this free writing sentences checklist download here:
If you are looking for more writing resources and activities, check out my writing resources in my Teachers Pay Teachers store here.
