Sentence Welding Teacher Guide Sentence Welding
Teacher Facilitation Guide
GRADE 4
Learning Objective
Students will be able to combine two simple sentences into one complex sentence using the relative pronouns who and that.
Lesson Materials
• Welder Slides (with Video)
• Welding Manual Anchor Chart
• Sentence Welder Worksheet
• Scrap Metal (Paper Strips)
Lesson Sequence
Warm Up: The Broken Beam
5 MIN
Display these two "broken" sentences on the board:
"I saw a dog." / "The dog was barking."
Ask: "These ideas are related, but they feel like two separate pieces of scrap metal. How can we weld them into one strong sentence?"
Discuss: Elicit student ideas. They might suggest "and" or just combining them. Introduce the idea that today we are using special "relative pronoun" welds.
Instruction: Video Blueprint
10 MIN
Watch the Khan Academy video on Relative Pronouns. Use the following timestamps for targeted discussion:
0:34 Pause: Have students copy the list of 5 relative pronouns (Who, Whom, Whose, That, Which) onto their notes or worksheet.
0:50 Pause: Ask: "Which words can we use for people? Which for things?" Notice that that works for both.
1:00 Discuss: "The man who sold the world..." How did 'who' help us combine two facts about the man?
Guided Practice: The Sentence Welder
20 MIN
Hand out the Sentence Welder Worksheet . Explain the process:
Identify the noun that appears in both sentences.
Choose the correct welding tool (who for people, that for things).
Remove the repeating noun and "weld" the sentences together.
Tip: Remind students that "who" usually refers to the person we just mentioned.
Closure: Quality Control
5 MIN
Students stand up and share their favorite "welded" sentence. The class gives a "thumbs up" if the weld is strong and grammatically correct.
Extension: Chain Story Welds
Start a story with a simple sentence: "I saw a cat." The next student must add a relative clause to the noun: "The cat that had purple wings ate a taco." The next student adds to the taco: "The taco that was made of gold belonged to a king."
Sentence Welding Slides Workshop Floor
SENTENCE
WELDING
Mastering Relative Pronouns
Safety First
Precision Joining
The Warm Up
We have two separate pieces of scrap metal. How can we join them into one strong piece?
"I saw a dog."
"The dog was barking."
Share your ideas with a partner!
Training Video
The Parts of Speech: Relative Pronouns
Source: Khan Academy
Embedded media
0:34 Pause for Tool List
0:50 People vs. Things
The Five Tool-Words
These are our Relative Pronouns . They act like the sparks that fuse two sentences together.
Who Whom Whose That Which
Workshop Note
In 4th grade, we focus most on
Choosing the Right Tool
People
When welding sentences about humans, use:
WHO THAT
Things
When welding sentences about objects, use:
THAT WHICH
The Welding Process
1
Identify the Subject
Find the noun that appears in both simple sentences.
2
Cut the Duplicate
Remove the subject from the second sentence.
3
Apply the Weld
"The man who sold the world..."
Workshop Time!
Grab your Sentence Welder Work Order. It's time to join some ideas!
Step 1
Read the scrap
Step 2
Choose your tool
Step 3
Fuse them together
Welding Manual Anchor Chart The Sentence Welder's Manual
A Guide to Relative Pronouns
What is a Relative Pronoun?
It's a "welding" word that joins a dependent clause to a noun in another sentence.
Inventory
Your Welding Tools
WHO
WHOM
WHOSE
THAT
WHICH
People
WHO / THAT
Things
THAT / WHICH
Pro-Tip: "That" is a multi-purpose tool!
How to Apply a Weld
Scrap A
"The girl is my sister."
Scrap B
"The girl plays soccer."
WELD: WHO
"The girl who plays soccer is my sister."
Sentence Welding Worksheet Work Order: Sentence Welding
Master Welder Practice Sheet
Welder:
Date:
Part 1: The Blueprint (Video Notes)
List the five relative pronouns mentioned in the training video:
Part 2: Active Welding
Join the two pieces of scrap metal into one strong sentence using who or that.
SCRAP
"The girl is my sister." + "The girl plays soccer."
SCRAP
"I saw a movie." + "The movie was very scary."
SCRAP
"The man works at the bank." + "The man is my uncle."
SCRAP
"She found a ring." + "The ring was in the grass."
Part 3: Custom Build
Choose a person or an object in this room. Write a welded sentence about them using a relative pronoun.
Sentence Welder Answer Key Work Order Key
Sentence Welding Answer Key
Teacher Resource
Part 1: The Blueprint (Video Notes)
Who
Whom
Whose
That
Which
Part 2: Active Welding
Original Scrap:
"The girl is my sister." + "The girl plays soccer."
Welded Sentence:
"The girl who plays soccer is my sister."
(Or: "The girl that plays soccer is my sister.")
Original Scrap:
"I saw a movie." + "The movie was very scary."
Welded Sentence:
"I saw a movie that was very scary."
(Or: "The movie that I saw was very scary.")
Original Scrap:
"The man works at the bank." + "The man is my uncle."
Welded Sentence:
"The man who works at the bank is my uncle."
Original Scrap:
"She found a ring." + "The ring was in the grass."
Welded Sentence:
"She found a ring that was in the grass."
Grading Tip
Ensure students are removing the duplicate noun (e.g., "The girl"). A common error is "The girl who the girl plays soccer..." If students use that for people, it is grammatically acceptable according to the lesson video, though who is often preferred.
