Combine simple sentences into a complex one showing a cause-effect relationship.

To begin with, the teacher has a role as the caller. S/he calls out the category CAUSE or EFFECT, rolls the conjunction die, and reads a simple sentence from the caller’s deck of cards. Players look on their boards for a simple sentence that can sensibly be combined with the conjunction and simple sentence given. There are multiple squares that work. I have students phrase the complex sentence both with the conjunction in the middle and with the conjunction at the beginning. (Don’t worry about comma usage at this point.) This is an opportune time to point out that so has a specific relational meaning and is misused in informal speech.

Another way to play the game is to simply roll the conjunction die. Players have to find two simple sentences on their boards that can be combined with that conjunction. They have to orally state the sentence two ways–with the conjunction in the middle and at the beginning (except when using so.) The first one with four in a row is the winner. Because the students have the simple sentences in different places on their boards and because there are a variety of plausible solutions, not everyone will get a Bingo at the same time.

For the die:  when, because (on 2 faces), since (on 2 faces), so

Bingo Boards                                         Teacher’s Deck

He got a bad sunburn.                                The fire department came.

He couldn’t see.                                           The alarm clock didn’t buzz.

He broke his leg.                                         He dropped the glasses.

His hands were sweaty.                             They were stuck in a traffic jam.

She was hungry.                                          She ate four doughnuts.

She had a stomachache.                           There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

He couldn’t play basketball.                     The test was going to be hard.

She was late to work.                                There was a lot of homework.

The glasses broke.                                     She was watching a scary movie.

She overslept.

A fire broke out.

She stayed up too late.

She ate three slices of pizza.

There was an accident on the highway.

There was smoke billowing out of the window.

It was very sunny.