Step 5:
Consider the ratio of sentence types and conjunctions used in relation to peers or
the norms provided below.
Norms
(Nippold 1998; Owens 2008)
22
Support Materials for Students with Special Education Needs
English K–6
Speaking and listening
ASSESSMENT
Type of sentence and conjunctions
Age
• Uses simple sentences
2–4 years
• Uses mostly simple sentences with occasional early-developing
compound and complex sentences, for example:
– He’s the boy
who
I played with
– He was really tired
and
he went to sleep
• The conjunction
and
is often used
5–6 years
• Uses more compound and complex sentences
• Approximately 80% of sentences used in interactions are simple.
More compound and complex sentences are used in narratives
• The conjunction
and
is used often and
because
,
then
and
when
are
used sometimes
7–8 years
• Comprehends and uses
because
consistently.
9–10 years
• Uses compound and complex sentences.
• Approximately 60% of sentences are simple sentences.
• Uses
if, though, anyway, therefore, however
.
11–12 years
Question forms
Observe the student and circle the question starters and other forms on the table below.
Record of question forms
Question starters
what
where
when
how
who
whose
why
which
is
are
was
were
do
does
did
can
could
would
may
will
Other question forms include:
•
Tags
, eg He is a boy, isn’t he?
•
Intonation
(rising), eg He is going?
Are questions formulated accurately? Yes No
