Free for teachers
Sentence starters
Sentence starters, stems and frames sorted by purpose and grade, ready to post or hand out. For a set written for your assignment, tell Sparky what students are writing or discussing.
Used by 250,000+ teachers, and built to FERPA, COPPA and GDPR standards.
Sentence starters by purpose
Starters for the moves students make in writing and discussion. Post the ones you need, or ask Sparky for a set that fits your assignment.
Stating an opinion
- In my opinion, …
- I believe … because …
- The best choice is … because …
- After reading …, I think …
- I am convinced that …
Citing evidence
- According to the text, …
- On page ___, the author writes, "…"
- For example, …
- The author shows this when …
- One piece of evidence is …
Explaining evidence
- This shows that …
- This suggests … because …
- This matters because …
- The word "___" tells me …
- This connects to my claim because …
Comparing and contrasting
- Both ___ and ___ …
- ___ is similar to ___ because …
- Unlike ___, ___ …
- One difference between ___ and ___ is …
- While ___ …, ___ …
Cause and effect
- Because of …, …
- As a result, …
- This led to …
- One reason … happened is …
- If …, then …
Answering the other side
- Some people argue that …
- It is true that …, but …
- Others may say …; however, …
- Even though …, the evidence shows …
- This argument leaves out …
Summarizing
- This text is mostly about …
- The main idea is …
- First, … Then, … Finally, …
- In this chapter, …
- The most important event is …
Concluding
- In conclusion, …
- Overall, …
- All of this shows that …
- This is important because …
- Now I understand that …
Sentence starters by grade
The same moves get longer and more precise as students move up. Start where your students are, then take away the starters they no longer need.
Grades K to 2
- I see …
- I like … because …
- I think … will happen next because …
- My favorite part was … because …
- First, … Next, … Last, …
- I learned that …
Grades 3 to 5
- My opinion is … because …
- One reason is … Another reason is …
- I know this because the text says …
- The character feels … because …
- This reminds me of …
- The most important part is … because …
Grades 6 to 8
- The author's claim is …
- The evidence that best supports this is …
- This quote reveals …
- At first, the character …, but by the end …
- The central idea of this passage is …
- A reader might conclude that … because …
Grades 9 to 12
- The author argues that …, using … to …
- While … suggests …, a closer reading shows …
- This choice of words creates a tone of …
- This evidence complicates the claim that …
- The strongest counterargument is …; however, …
- Taken together, these details reveal …
Accountable talk stems
Stems for discussion, so students answer each other and not only you. Post one card at a time, and ask each speaker to use a stem from it.
Agreeing and adding on
- I agree with ___ because …
- I'd like to add to what ___ said.
- Building on ___'s idea, …
- That makes me think of …
Disagreeing respectfully
- I see it differently because …
- I disagree with ___ because …
- That's a good point, but have you considered …?
- I partly agree, but …
Asking for more
- Can you say more about …?
- What makes you think that?
- Where in the text did you find that?
- So are you saying that …?
Changing your mind
- I used to think …, but now I think …
- ___'s point changed my mind because …
- I'm still wondering …
- Now I understand …
Sentence frames for English learners
Frames give students who are learning English the whole sentence, with blanks for their ideas. Move students from one level to the next as their English grows.
Beginning
- I see a ___.
- It is ___.
- ___ is bigger than ___.
- I like ___.
- I agree. / I disagree.
Intermediate
- I think ___ because ___.
- ___ and ___ are alike because they both ___.
- First, ___. Then, ___.
- The text says ___.
- I agree with ___ because ___.
Advanced
- Although ___, I believe ___ because ___.
- The evidence suggests ___, which means ___.
- ___ is different from ___ because ___.
- I would like to add that ___.
- Based on ___, I can infer that ___.
Talking with a partner
- Can you repeat that, please?
- What does ___ mean?
- I don't understand ___.
- My partner thinks ___.
- Can I have more time to think?
How the sentence starter generator works
Name the writing and the topic
Type one line, like "opinion starters on school uniforms" or "stems for a Socratic seminar on Night". Without a topic, Sparky asks for one first.
Adjust the set
Sparky writes the starters in the chat, grouped by what each sentence does. Ask for frames for English learners, a set for a debate or fewer starters.
Copy or print it
Copy the starters into your slides, or ask for a printable handout you can open in Google Docs or download as a Word file.
What you can ask for
Starters for your assignment
Paste the essay prompt or attach the reading, and the starters fit that task and that text.
More and less support
One set with full frames for students who need them and short starters for the rest.
Discussion stems
Accountable talk stems for a seminar, a debate or partner talk, matched to the discussion question.
Science and math
Starters for claim, evidence and reasoning in a lab report, or for explaining each step of a math answer.
A handout or anchor chart
The set in a document you can print, open in Google Docs or download as a Word file.
Another language
Frames in Spanish or another language, or in English with the student's home language beside them.
Ways teachers use it
Essays and paragraphs
Starters for each part of the essay your students are writing, from the claim to the conclusion.
Class discussions
Talk stems for a seminar, a debate or a turn-and-talk, so students answer each other.
English learners
Frames at each level of English, with the words students need for your topic.
Explaining answers
Starters for explaining how students solved a problem or what a lab result shows.
Data privacy
Safe to use with student work
What happens to the files you upload and what your students write in Flint.
Not used to train AI
Student data in Flint is never used to train AI models.
Not shared
Flint does not share student data, or any other user data, with third parties.
Kept separate
Each school's data is kept apart from every other school's, and the AI providers Flint runs on can't reach it.
Signed agreements, on request
Flint signs a data processing agreement with any school that needs one, written to US state law and EU GDPR.
What teachers say about Flint
"The AI tutor I created took into account each student's English level and helped them write something they could understand. I then created another AI tutor that listened to the students as they practiced and gave feedback on their spoken English."
Nick House
PYP Y5 Homeroom Teacher at Changchun American International School
"For a school like ours, with a large number of multilingual learners, Flint has been a game-changer in making learning more accessible and engaging. The potential for inclusive and innovative activities is truly endless!"
Marie Sanz
Technology Integration Specialist at Changchun American International School
I teach 9th and 11th grade English CP, and Flint has transformed how I personalize learning and empower students to take ownership of their writing through activities like “Relationships in Speak.”
Courtney Grace
English Teacher at Somerville School District
Frequently asked questions
What are sentence starters?
The first few words of a sentence that a student finishes, such as "The evidence shows that…". They give students a way in to writing or speaking about an idea without telling them what the idea is.
What is the difference between sentence starters, sentence stems and sentence frames?
Sentence starters and sentence stems are usually two names for the same thing: the opening of a sentence. A sentence frame is a whole sentence with blanks, such as "I think ___ because ___", so it gives more support. Frames suit students who are new to English or new to a kind of writing.
What are accountable talk stems?
Stems for class discussion that ask students to listen, build on each other's ideas and back up what they say, such as "I agree with ___ because…" or "Where in the text did you find that?". Post a few and ask students to use one each time they speak.
Is the sentence starter generator free?
Yes, it's free for teachers.
Can I print the sentence starters?
Yes. Ask Sparky to put them on a handout and it makes a document you can print, open in Google Docs or download as a Word file. For a PDF, press Print and choose Save as PDF.
Can I get sentence frames in Spanish or another language?
Yes. Ask for the frames in Spanish, or in English with the student's home language beside each one, and say which students they're for.
Will sentence starters do the thinking for my students?
No. Sparky is told to leave the ideas for students to supply, so each starter opens a sentence without finishing the argument. If you want less support for some students, ask for shorter starters or none at all for the strongest writers.
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