07. Teaching Subjects and Predicates

Episode 7: Teaching Subjects and Predicates

Episode Summary

Fragments and run-ons — the bane of every teacher’s grading stack. By the time back-to-school writing assignments roll in, you’ve probably already seen sentences like “Went to the park” or “The dog with a long tail and spots.”

That’s why this episode is all about teaching subjects and predicates. Far from being too “basic,” subjects and predicates are the LEGO blocks of grammar. Without them, everything else — punctuation, clauses, and complex writing — collapses.

In this episode of Commas in the Chaos, I share four tried-and-true strategies for teaching subjects and predicates in upper elementary. You’ll learn why they matter, how to introduce them step by step, and how to make the practice hands-on and engaging so your students don’t just memorize rules, but actually write stronger sentences.

What You’ll Learn

• Why teaching subjects and predicates is essential beyond 2nd grade
• Four step-by-step strategies for introducing, modeling, and practicing
• How to scaffold instruction from complete to simple subjects and predicates
• Hands-on activities to make grammar interactive and fun
• Common pitfalls students face — and how to fix them

Why Subjects and Predicates Matter

Students may think they’re writing complete sentences, but without a clear subject and predicate, their writing quickly becomes a jumble of fragments and run-ons. In grades 3–5, the work expands beyond simply “find the subject” into:

• Complete subjects and predicates
• Simple subjects and predicates
• Compound subjects and predicates

Mastering these is the foundation for building sentences that are strong, clear, and ready for more advanced grammar.

4 Tips for Teaching Subjects and Predicates

Tip #1: Split the Sentence at the Verb

Teach students to find the verb first, then split the sentence in two. Everything before the verb is the complete subject, and everything after is the complete predicate.

• Example: The excited kids at recess played tag on the playground.
• Complete Subject → The excited kids at recess
• Complete Predicate → played tag on the playground

Pro tip: Give students anchor words (is, are, was, were) and let them act out verbs to help them identify the predicate.

Tip #2: Start with Complete Before Simple

Jumping straight into simple subjects and predicates overwhelms students. Start with the complete subject and predicate first to give them the big picture. Once they see the full “chunk,” it’s easier to zoom in later.

Tip #3: Shrink It Down to Simple

After students master complete sentences, introduce the two guiding questions:

• Who or what did or is something? → Simple subject
• The subject what? → Simple predicate

This repeatable process gives them confidence and consistency.

Tip #4: Make It Hands-On

Grammar sticks when it’s interactive:

• Sentence Surgery → Cut apart fragments and run-ons for students to “fix.”
• Highlight Their Writing → Circle subjects and underline predicates in their own drafts.
• Color Coding → Use two highlighters (one for subjects, one for predicates) to make sentence parts visible.

Common Pitfalls (and Fixes)

Even with a staircase approach, students will struggle. Some of the most common challenges include:

• Missing the verb → Use verb lists and reminders that verbs can be “boring” helpers like is or was.
• Underlining...