OBJECTIVE:
Writing descriptive sentences in FREESTYLE mode on piclits.com can allow users to focus on writing in the present tense and keeping to the present tense in one sentence. This will entail creating a compound sentence- two independent clauses joined by a conjunction: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. An independent clause contains a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a sentence. (See the compound sentence lesson plan for a review, if needed).

In DRAG-N-DROP mode, users can click on the verb and choose the present tense. Being cued to do this helps writers think about what constitutes the present tense and how to conjugate verbs in the present tense.

INCORRECT AND CORRECT:
Incorrect: The fish rises to the surface and ate the insect on the surface.
Correct: The fish rises to the surface and eats the insect on the surface. (the verbs “rises” and “eats” are both in the present tense).

MODEL PIC-LIT:

GUIDED PRACTICE WRITING PROMPT:

1. Go to piclits.com
2. Sign in with your e-mail and password
3. Select a picture from the gallery of pictures
4. In FREESTYLE mode, write a compound sentence with both verbs in the present tense. Ensure that you have a comma before the conjunction if the second independent clause has a different subject. Or do not place a comma before the conjunction if the subject is the same for both independent clauses (as in the model PIC-LIT above).