Sentence combining practice guide

Targeting sentence-level instruction is critical in order to develop foundational skills in writing. Sentence combining is an instructional technique used to improve sentence quality, complexity, and variety.

This practice guide draws on AERO’s review of literature on writing and writing instruction, providing evidence-based, practical advice for teachers on how to teach sentence combining in the context of their classrooms.

Sentence-level instruction is effective and recommended not only in the primary years, but also in the secondary years and supports the development of increasingly complex and sophisticated compositional writing.