Sort Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences 

Using a combination of simple, compound and complex sentences is an essential key to quality writing. Writing becomes boring, monotonous and sounds robotic without variation in the types of sentences used. Encourage your students to improve their writing by remembering to adopt a mixture of simple, compound and complex sentences. This activity will help students review their knowledge of sentence structure.

This activity requires students to: 

• Read sentences to determine if they are simple, compound or complex.
• Sort them into the correct categories.
• Use the answer key to check their answers.

By practising this skill in an engaging way, students can strengthen their ability to identify these types of sentences more quickly. This will translate into them having the confidence to use a variety of sentence types in their own writing.

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

If you have a mixture of above and below-level learners, check out these suggestions for keeping students on track with the concepts: 

• Support Struggling Students – Simplify the activity by limiting the sort to simple and compound sentences only. Prepare the sort ahead of time by removing the unwanted cards.
• Challenge Fast Finishers – Encourage fast finishers to change the simple sentences in the sort into compound or complex sentences.

Download This Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences Game

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. A recording sheet and answer key are also included with this download.

Print on thick card for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access. 

This resource was created by Kirstin Sowers, a teacher in Illinois and a Teach Starter collaborator.

More Resources for Teaching Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities and resources that cut down on lesson planning time: