1. National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
Sentence Fluency…
Varied
Beginnings
Well Built
Sentences
Sentence
Fluency
Varied Length
and Structure
Rhythm & Flow
Easy to
Read Aloud
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project

2. What is sentence fluency?
It refers to the way individual words and phrases sound together within a sentence and how groups of sentences sound when read one after the other.
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project

3. National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
Chores!
Chores! Chores! Chores! Chores are boring! Scrubbing toilets, cleaning sinks,
and washing bathtubs take up a lot of my time and are not fun at all.
Toilets! When you’re scrubbing toilets make sure they are not stinky. I’ve scrubbed one before and I was lucky it didn’t stink. I think toilets are one of the hardest things to scrub in the bathroom because it is hard to get up around the rim.
Sinks are one of the easiest things to clean in the bathroom because they have no rims and they are small. I have cleaned one before and it was pretty easy.
Bathtubs, ever washed one? They are big, they are deep, and it is hard to get up around the sides. The bathtub is the hardest, I think, to wash in the bathroom.
All chores are boring, especially making my bed. Cleaning my room is OK because I have to organize, and I like organizing. Dusting is the worst: dust, set down, pick up, dust, set down. There are so many things to dust, and it’s no fun.
Chores aren’t the worst but they’re definitely not the best!
Source : What is Good Writing by Steve Peha at
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project

4. National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
SENTENCE FLUENCY
Varied
Beginnings
Well Built
Sentences
Sentence
Fluency
Varied Length
and Structure
Rhythm & Flow
Easy to
Read Aloud
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project

5. Varied Length and Structure Never vary the length of your sentences.
What is one of the best ways to make your writing boring and monotonous?
Never vary the length of your sentences.
One short sentence after another makes your writing
sound choppy and childish.
Using only “long” sentences can make your writing
hard to read.
Medium length sentences all the time doesn’t work
either.
Why? Sentences that are about the same length create
monotony.
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
Source : What is Good Writing by Steve Peha at

6. Rhythms of Sentence Length
  This sentence has five words. This is five words too. Five word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. If it’s monotonous, it’s boring. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It's like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes when I am certain the reader is rested I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals, and sounds that say listen to this, it is important. Gary Provost
Source:
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project

7. How might you analyze sentence length and structure?
Counting the words in a sentence is one way to measure the length.
Short sentences tend to have 3-6 words.
Average sentences have 8-14 words.
Long sentences may have 20 words or more.
Sentence Construction
Analyzing the structure of a sentence by looking at how many parts it contains and what kinds of parts those are.
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
Short

8. National RtI Writing Demonstration Project
Let’s look at the first paragraph of Chores.
Bathtubs, ever washed one? They are big, they are deep, and it is hard to get up around the sides. The bathtub is the hardest, I think, to wash in the bathroom.
First sentence: Two parts / 4 words—very short sentence.
Second sentence: Three parts / 16 words—more average length.
Third sentence: Three parts / 12 words—average length. Similar to second sentence, but constructed differently.
Source : What is Good Writing by Steve Peha at
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project

9. Vary the length and structure of your sentences.
So, what is one of the best ways to prevent your writing from being boring and monotonous?
Vary the length and structure of your sentences.
National RtI Writing Demonstration Project