Complex sentence stems

When to use it

Use complex sentence stems with High Intermediate and Advanced students who are ready to move from short, declarative statements into the more cognitively demanding, decontextualized academic language that Cummins associates with academic proficiency. They fit analytical discussion, argumentative or explanatory writing, claim-evidence-reasoning tasks, Socratic seminars, debates, lab conclusions, and literary or document analysis, where the language demand is abstract. They are best matched to learners who already control basic sentence-level English but need support organizing complex ideas, hedging claims, integrating evidence, and signaling logical relationships. Use them as one tool within fuller content and language support, not as a stand-alone fix, and fade them as students take over the structures independently.

How to implement it

1. 1Identify the cognitive function and the target academic language for the task (for example, evaluating a source, comparing two solutions, defending a claim), then write 3 to 5 stems that cue that function with academic connectors and complex syntax.
2. 2Model each stem with a think-aloud, completing it yourself once or twice so students hear the full structure and the reasoning it carries, not just the opening words.
3. 3Post the stems and also place them on a desk card or in the digital task, organized by function (claim, evidence, counterargument, conclusion) so students choose the move they need.
4. 4Build in structured oral rehearsal first (partner talk or small group) so students say the stem aloud before they write with it, honoring the speaking-to-writing progression.
5. 5Invite students to plan or rehearse the idea in their home language first, then map it onto the English stem, treating their full linguistic repertoire as a resource (translanguaging).
6. 6Invite students to extend, combine, revise, or write their own stems, and name the academic move each stem performs, so the frame reads as a starting point rather than a script and students do not just pattern-match.
7. 7Fade by handing over responsibility: move from required stems, to an optional menu, to a single reference card, to no visible support, and note when students produce the structures on their own so the support is released once it is no longer needed.

Examples

• •Argumentative writing (ELA or social studies): 'Although some may argue that ___, the more compelling position is that ___ because ___.' The student supplies the opposing view, the thesis, and the reasoning, practicing concession and refutation.
• •Science lab conclusion: 'The data indicate that ___; this supports / contradicts our hypothesis because ___.' The stem cues evidence-based reasoning and the language of claims and evidence.
• •Literary analysis (Socratic seminar): 'The author's use of ___ suggests that ___, which reveals ___ about the character.' The stem scaffolds interpretation and inference rather than plot summary.
• •Mathematics justification: 'I approached this problem by ___; however, a more efficient strategy would have been to ___ because ___.' The stem prompts metacognitive comparison of strategies.
• •Document-based history task: 'Based on Document A, one can infer that ___; this is further reinforced by Document B, which shows that ___.' The stem supports synthesis across multiple sources.
• •Optional menu for a debate (faded support for Advanced students): a desk card listing stems by move, 'To concede a point... To rebut... To cite evidence... To conclude...', that students consult only as needed.