eng.g1.s.lesson_05.compound_sentences_but
Joining with BUT — Showing Contrast
- Students combine two simple sentences that show a contrast using 'but'.
- Students distinguish when to use AND (addition) versus BUT (contrast).
Lesson plan
Warm-up
5 minAND-BUT discrimination: teacher reads two sentences; class chants AND if they add, BUT if they contrast. 10 pairs.
- First five pairs obvious (I like cats / I hate cats = BUT); last five subtle
M-1-S-GR-05-B
Video
Physical / non-image
Top-down camera. Teacher reads sentence pairs; a child holds up the AND card or the BUT card. 10 pairs total. Voiceover narrates each correct choice with brief reason ('They both like apples — they ADD up. AND.'). Caption track on. Final shot: the chant 'AND adds, BUT contrasts'.
Direct instruction
12 minYesterday AND was our joining word. Today we meet AND's contrast cousin: BUT. BUT means the second sentence is OPPOSITE in feeling from the first. 'I wanted to go outside. It was raining.' These feel opposite — wanting vs. weather. Join: 'I wanted to go outside, BUT it was raining.' (Note: we'll add a comma before BUT later in Grade 2 — for now just use the joining-word pattern.)
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BUT because the two feelings are opposite (like vs. don't like).model I like apples but I don't like applesauce.prompt Combine: I like apples. I don't like applesauce.
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BUT shows the surprise — small AND brave is a contrast we don't expect.model My dog is small but he is brave.prompt Combine: My dog is small. He is brave.
- AND or BUT? 'I am tall. My brother is short.' (BUT — contrast)
- AND or BUT? 'I have a dog. I have a cat.' (AND — addition)
M-1-S-GR-05-A
Chart
Physical / non-image
Two-panel anchor chart, 11x17. LEFT panel labeled AND with + sign in green, two stick figures both smiling, example sentence 'I jumped AND I clapped.' RIGHT panel labeled BUT with / contrast slash in red, two stick figures one smiling one sad, example sentence 'I wanted ice cream BUT the truck left.' Bottom: 'AND adds. BUT contrasts.' Clean primary colors, child-readable.
Guided practice
13 min-
Hochman sentence-combining drill — 8 sentence pairs; child writes combined sentence with AND or BUT (their choice; must justify).scaffold AND/BUT conjunction cards available; teacher confers with stuck pairs
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Original-pair creation: each child writes one BUT sentence about themselves ('I love ___ but I don't love ___.').
Formative assessment
4 min- Combine with the BEST word: 'I went to the park. I forgot my hat.' (BUT? AND?)
- Write one of your own BUT sentences.
Closure
1 min- Whisper to your partner: 'AND adds. BUT contrasts.'
Homework
8 min- Listen for a BUT sentence at home (in a TV show, a song, a conversation). Write it down or have it written for you.
Exercises in this lesson
Differentiation
- Color-coded cards: yellow AND, red BUT
- Pre-filled sentence pairs with one blank for conjunction choice
- Oral-only option for IEP children
- Find a BUT sentence in the mentor text 'One Green Apple' and discuss why the author chose BUT.
- Write a four-sentence paragraph using AND once and BUT once.
- Bilingual BUT card (PERO for Spanish, NGUNIT for Tagalog)
- Repeat AND-vs-BUT discrimination warm-up at small-group level
- Sentence-strip manipulation only
- Reduced volume — three combines is acceptable
Teacher notes
The contrast logic is the cognitive lift. Children who are still solidifying AND from yesterday may produce BUT-as-AND ('I like pizza but I like apples') — this is a real misconception worth gentle correction. Spend extra time at small-group with these children. The Hochman sentence-combining drill is research-backed; do not shortcut it.