Dear Reader,

If you've been following Science of Reading discussions lately, you've probably heard the word syntax thrown around.

If your immediate reaction is, “Ummm...I vaguely remember learning about that in high school English?” 😬 – you're definitely not alone.

But don’t worry! Syntax practice doesn't have to be complicated.

At its simplest, syntax instruction helps kids understand how words and groups of words work together to make meaningful sentences. You can start doing that with something as simple as a sentence scramble!

✂️ Try this:

1️⃣ Choose a sentence from a text your students are reading and break it into words or meaningful phrases.

For example: The black cat | sat | on the log.

2️⃣ Mix up the pieces and ask the student to put the sentence back together.

3️⃣ Then talk about how they knew where each part belonged. No need to begin with complicated grammatical terminology.

Try asking:

Who or what is this sentence about?​
→ The black cat

What did it do?​
→ sat

Where did it sit?​
→ on the log

That's syntax!

You're helping the student notice that different parts of a sentence do different jobs, and that the way we arrange those parts affects meaning.

As students become comfortable with this, you can start playing with other questions:

• When did it happen?
• How did it happen?
• Why did it happen?
• Where did it happen?

These are often prepositional phrases, but at this point, you don’t have to discuss the terminology.

There's a surprising amount of language instruction packed into one very simple activity! And when students become more proficient, try mixing up words and phrases from a few different sentences. My students LOVE this! 😍

You can even move the chunks around and ask:

• Does this still make sense?
• How does moving this phrase change the meaning?
• Does it sound like something we would actually say?

💥 There's another important step, though: Once the student has rebuilt the sentence, have them read it aloud.

Now you're connecting syntax to reading fluency.

Understanding which words belong together helps students read in meaningful phrases rather than word. by. painful. word. 🤖

So in just a few minutes, you've worked on:

✅ decoding
✅ syntax
✅ grammar
✅ comprehension
✅ sentence structure
✅ fluent phrasing

Not bad for a few scraps of paper!

Two MORE things I love about this activity? ❤️

1. Versatility: It works with little kids but is also fantastic for middle schoolers, high school kids, and even adults! Just adjust the sentences and terminology to fit your students.
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2. Connection to writing: Once students understand the core elements of a sentence, they are more likely to create strong, grammatically correct sentences. This knowledge allows them to expand their sentences but also helps to prevent both fragments and run-on sentences.

Eventually, you can work up to some pretty complex concepts, and it's also really helpful for proofreading:

Okay, this email got a little long. 😊

But here's the bottom line: If words like syntax or sentence structure have ever felt a little intimidating, remember: you don't have to begin with the terminology.

Just help students identify the core of the sentence: who, does/did what, where, when, how, and why.

You can do all this without even mentioning subjects, verbs, predicates, or prepositional phrases. Once they understand the concepts, you can provide the official grammatical names.

⭐️ One last important tip? Pull sentences from material your students are actually reading. This way, you’re connecting the activity to meaningful text and giving your students a head start on fluency.

Have you tried this activity with your students? Or do you have any burning questions about syntax? I have lots more to say on this topic (and some amazing fluency and syntax resources). Just hit reply and ask anything you want to know!

Happy teaching!

P.S. A quick heads-up for my decodable text people: My new Short O Decodable Fluency set is almost ready and will be added to the growing Decodable Fluency Bundle! 🎉

If you've been thinking about grabbing the bundle, now is a good time. The price will increase when Short O is added, but anyone who already owns the bundle will automatically receive the new set at no additional cost.

​👉 Check out the Growing Decodable Fluency Bundle​

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