How is the Structure of a Sentence Like a House?

When learning about sentence structure and the importance of always writing complete thoughts, the students were asked to apply their knowledge of how a sentence functions to that of a house. The students were given the freedom to discuss capitalization, subject/verb, phrases, punctuation, etc.

The students were each given a sticky note where they wrote their thoughts as they made their comparisons of how the structure of a sentence is like a house. Then, they placed their notes on the house that was created out of poster board and displayed on the wall.

The following are the responses that were shared:

*A chimney casting out smoke is like a pronoun casting out an overused noun in a sentence.
*The structure of a good sentence is like the base of a house: it's strong, firm, and well constructed.
*The walls separate rooms as punctuation separates sentences.
*The front door of a house prevents intruders like end punctuation of a sentence prevents a new idea from intruding.
*Prepositional phrases of sentences are like the colorful painting on the walls because without them, the house is dull.
*Fixing a fragments is like fixing a hole in a house: once repaired, they both are complete.
*A run-on is like too much furniture of the house that soon creates overcrowding.
*A house is like a complete thought because they both need structure to support them.
*The structure of a sentence and a house must be strong or they will fall apart.
*You have to have a plan to build a house as you have to have a plan to build a sentence.
*A variety of decorations adds details to a house like a prepositional phrase adds details to a sentence.
*A subject and verb is the frame of the sentence as the two by fours create a frame for a house.
*Words stack up to build a sentence as bricks stack up to build a house.
*The paint, shutters, and gardens are like adjectives in a sentence.
*Prepositional phrases are like the decor of the house, they both add detail.