Sentence Stretching for a Stronger Thesis (Expand-Combine-Reduce Preview)

Teacher writes a weak thesis ('Verse form is good for memoir.'). Children offer ways to strengthen.

• Project weak thesis
• Affirm specific strengthening moves
• Bridge to today's lesson

Today you make your thesis STRONGER with two moves — Hochman's 'because-but-so' drill (continued from G4) and EXPAND-COMBINE-REDUCE (preview; full teaching lesson 14). Hochman drill: take a weak claim and stretch with BECAUSE (a reason), BUT (a counter), or SO (a consequence). 'Verse form is good for memoir' → 'Verse form is good for memoir BECAUSE the line breaks slow time.' → 'BECAUSE line breaks slow time, BUT readers must adjust to the pace.' → 'SO writers can let memory breathe across the page.' Each stretch makes the claim richer. EXPAND-COMBINE-REDUCE: EXPAND adds detail; COMBINE joins two short sentences; REDUCE cuts wordiness. Watch teacher: EXPANDED: 'Verse form works for memoir because line breaks slow the pace AND give memory the time it needs.' COMBINED: 'Verse form slows time. Memory needs slow time. → Verse form works for memoir because it slows the time memory needs.' REDUCED: 'Verse form works for memoir because it slows time.'

• Stretching is NOT making the thesis longer for its own sake. It is adding meaning. Reduced thesis can be the strongest if it carries meaning sharply.

  model See narrative.

  prompt Teacher stretches a weak thesis through 5 moves.

• What does the BECAUSE stretch add to a thesis?
• When would you REDUCE rather than EXPAND a thesis?

M-5-F-WR-05-A Chart

11x17 chart: starting weak thesis at top, three branches showing BECAUSE / BUT / SO stretches with worked examples. Dyslexic-friendly font. Print-ready.

• Take your thesis from lesson 2. Try BECAUSE-BUT-SO stretch on each reason.

  scaffold Hochman drill card at desk; sentence-strip kit
• Apply ONE of EXPAND / COMBINE / REDUCE to your thesis. Note which move.

  scaffold MG-19 anchor; thesis from lesson 2

M-5-F-GR-05-B Chart

Reproduction of MG-19 at 11x17 with three moves side-by-side, worked example on a thesis sentence. 'Preview — full teaching in lesson 14' noted at bottom. Print-ready.

MG-19 Chart

Sentence expand/combine/reduce anchor (L.5.3.a): three moves shown with worked examples. EXPAND — start: 'Verse slows time.' expanded: 'In Brown Girl Dreaming, Woodson uses verse form to slow time and let memory breathe across the page.' COMBINE — start: 'The verse is short. The verse holds weight.' combined: 'Although the verse is short, it holds the weight of a paragraph in prose.' REDUCE — start: 'The fact that verse form is something that slows the pace of the reader is part of why memoir-in-verse works.' reduced: 'Verse form slows the reader — and that is why memoir-in-verse works.' Bottom rule: 'Each move is a revision tool. Expand for detail; combine for flow; reduce for sharpness.' Print-ready 11x17.

• Show strengthened thesis. Name the stretching move(s) used.
• Note one move you might use again at revision time.

• Star revised thesis.
• Predict: tomorrow we look at audience.

• At home tonight, find ONE sentence in your reading and apply BECAUSE or BUT or SO to extend it. Note on a sticky note.