How To Teach Children to Use Fronted Adverbials

Written by Dan

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If you’re looking for a way to help your students improve their writing , consider teaching them how to use fronted adverbials. This grammatical device can add clarity and interest to any sentence and is relatively easy to learn. Here are some tips on incorporating fronted adverbials into your lesson plans.

What are fronted adverbials, and why are they essential for children to learn?

Fronted adverbials are words or phrases that move to the start of a sentence to provide more detailed information. They are essential grammar tools for children to learn as they can be used to clarify and expand on the meaning of a sentence.

Examples of fronted adverbials include adverbs such as quickly, adjectives such as Fortunately, and phrases such as During the night. By using these tools when writing, children can make their work more accessible for others to understand by providing clear information about the context of their ideas.

Through practising with fronted adverbials, children also learn valuable grammar and sentence structure lessons that will stay with them throughout their lives.

How can you introduce fronted adverbials to children in a fun and engaging way?

Introducing fronted adverbials to children can be a great way to expand their writing capabilities. There are several engaging methods to teach them.

One fun idea could be to play ‘adverbial bingo’, where each student is given a bingo card with adverbial phrases in the boxes, and you draw random descriptive words from a hat for them to match with the terms.

Another activity to consider is creating stories as a group; give the students some critical elements of the report, such as characters, setting, and conflict, then ask them to use their newfound understanding of adverbials by making up sentence starters. This technique increases enthusiasm about new concepts in a fun and unpredictable way!

Tips for teaching children to use fronted adverbials in their writing

Teaching children to use fronted adverbials can be challenging, but some simple tips can make it easier. We must constantly remind the student that adverbials provide an excellent opportunity to add detail to their writing. Parents and teachers should also explain the different types of adverbials and how they modify verbs.

Additionally, having your child practice writing simple sentences with adverbials can help them understand more complex grammar better. Finally, providing compelling examples with different adverbials can spark your students’ creativity and help them produce more descriptive sentences in their writing.

Examples of fronted adverbials that children can use in their own writing

Fronted adverbials offer a fun and creative way to add variety to sentence structure. These adverbials can help children express ideas in more interesting, sophisticated ways. Fronted adverbials are phrases at the beginning of a sentence, typically with a comma followed by the sentence’s subject.

A few examples include: “To increase his speed, he raced down the hill”; “On Tuesday, she always takes swimming lessons”; and “Making sure not to forget her lunch box, she ran off to school”. By exploring such wordings in their writing, children can enhance their sentences while introducing new elements that make their stories more captivating!

Why using fronted adverbials will improve your child’s writing skills.

Fronted adverbials are a crucial writing technique that can provide valuable clarity and impact your child’s writing. As the focus of their writing is moved from passive sentences to dynamic descriptions, fronted adverbials allow for more precise phrasing, leading to improved readability and potential engagement with a reader.

Introducing them into their writing encourages your child to explore how words and phrases can be used efficiently, providing more room for creativity. Expanding on action and time within their sentences will help contribute to an overall raised language standard.

Other Language Features that will improve Children’s writing

Personification is a literary device used to describe an inanimate object, animal, or concept as if it was a person. For example:

The sun smiled down on the field of daisies

The sun beamed down with warmth

The wind whispered secrets through the trees

The stars twinkled in the night sky

Fortune smiled upon him; revenge seethed with anger

Ambition pushed him forward

Laughter roared from the audience

Sadness hung in the air like a fog

Temptation teased him endlessly, and hope buoyed her spirits.

A metaphor is a literary device that compares two things by describing one thing as if it were another. Examples of metaphors:

The breeze was a gentle giant

Her smile was a ray of sunshine

He is an old soul

I was drowning in sadness

Life is a marathon

I have butterflies in my stomach

She has a heart of gold

This task is a mountain

His words are music to her ears

My room is a mess

That phrase is like a dagger to my heart.

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the start of words to create a compelling and often suggests rhythm. Examples include:

She sells seashells by the seashore

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

Sally sold seashells at the seashore

She sells sea shells by the seashore

Freddie fumbled for a fat frog

Dan dribbled down the dusky dock

Alec accidentally ate an ape apple

Tim tried to tweak a tiny turtle

Jake jogged joyfully to Juneau

Greg gallivanted with giddy goats

Vic vied valiantly with Vixen the Valkyrie

Doris drove diligently down dirt roads

Wally whittled wooden whales

A simile uses like or as to make a conciliatory comparison between two notions; Examples include:

The clouds are like mountains

She was as brave as a lion

Life is like a roller coaster

He drives like a maniac

She has eyes like stars

They argued like cats and dogs

As busy as a bee

As white as snow

As plain as day

As light as a feather

Life is like a box of chocolates

You run like the wind.

Finally, emotive language often focuses on emotions instead of facts to make a persuasive argument. Examples of expressive language include certain words, phrases or expressions that emphasize an emotion.

These include: earnestly, meaning in a sincere manner

Fervently, representing with great intensity

Passionately, pointing with great enthusiasm

Excruciatingly, meaning extremely painful

Vehemently, meaning strongly expressed anger

Despairingly, implying a feeling of hopelessness

Radiantly, displaying the happiness of something beautiful

Euphoric, referring to an intense feeling of elation

Despairing, conveying solid feelings of sorrow and anguish

Miserably expressing intense unhappiness. Such language can express emotions more accurately than simply stating facts and has the potential to evoke powerful reactions.

Fronted adverbials are a great way to improve your child’s writing skills. Introducing them in fun and engaging courses can help your child become a better writer. There are many benefits to using fronted adverbials in your child’s writing, so be sure to start teaching them today!

About The Author

I'm Dan Higgins, one of the faces behind The Teaching Couple. With 15 years in the education sector and a decade as a teacher, I've witnessed the highs and lows of school life. Over the years, my passion for supporting fellow teachers and making school more bearable has grown. The Teaching Couple is my platform to share strategies, tips, and insights from my journey. Together, we can shape a better school experience for all.

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