 Are grumbles all you hear when teaching grammar? Try a fresh approach -- a few new "hooks" your students will remember -- and check out a bunch of grammar sites on the Internet that will placate even the loudest grammar grumblers!
Grammar! Can't live with it; can't live without it…
As an English teacher in a middle school, it is incumbent on me to teach
that most dreaded of subjects. But I've found that there ARE ways to make
it a little less odious.
Trying to humanize grammar as much as possible, I give students "hooks"
to help them remember the rules. Let me share a few with you.
- When I teach the progressive tense, I spin a tale about a very progressive
Asian family on my block, the ING family. All in this family have the
same last name. There is the dad, workING, the mom, inventING, and the
children, learnING and studyING. The progressive family includes the
present progressive, is or are studyING, and the past progressive, was
or were studyING.
- When I teach the perfect tense, I tell my class about my husband
who, fortuitously, is named Ed. I spin a tale about a perfect person
I know who is named ED, and that all in this family also have the same
last name. The dad's name is workED, the mom inventED, and the children
learnED and studiED. The perfect family includes the present perfect,
have or has workED, and the past perfect tense, had workED. Then we
go on to discuss "dysfunctional families," the irregular verbs.
- When I teach indefinite singular pronouns, I draw a chart on the
board. After students have become familiar with the four words on the
chart, they will know sixteen indefinite singular pronouns. The chart
looks like this:
| an(any) |
body |
| no |
one |
| every |
thing |
| some |
other |
If one word on the left can be combined with any word on the right,
an indefinite singular pronoun is formed. Anybody, anyone, anything,
and another are all indefinite singular pronouns. I found it is definitely
easier for my students to remember four words than sixteen.
- When introducing transitive and intransitive verbs, I draw a giant
letter T on the board and a giant letter I. Then I try to hang a direct
object (DO) and an indirect object (IO), looking like little DO and
IO apples on the tips of the T. I can fit one on each end; however,
when I hang direct and indirect object apples on the ends of the capital
I, I tip it over, spinning a tale about how the puny letter I can't
support the objects' weight.
In my teaching I try to use visual aids or tell stories humanizing grammar,
trying to make learning it enjoyable. Zipping through the concepts, I
try not to spend any more time than I have to, but still cover all the
concepts that need to be covered.
I also review standardized tests my students will be taking in high
school -- the SAT and ACT College Board Exams, the PSAT National Merit
Scholarship Exam, and English SAT Achievement tests -- to get an idea
of what grammar skills my students will be expected to know well by the
time they finish high school. Those are the concepts I most emphasize.
Regardless of the exam, I've found that skill in English is essential.
- For National Merit Scholarships, the PSAT English score is counted
twice and the math score once.
- The ACT College Board Exam includes English, reading, math, and science.
In essence there, too, verbal ability counts twice.
- If a student chooses to attend a selective college that requires
SAT Achievement Tests, the school usually requires that the student
take an achievement test in English, math, and his area of specialty.
- The SAT College Board Exam also relies heavily on verbal ability.
When I reviewed those tests, I found that several concepts were emphasized
more than others. The concepts I found emphasized most often were:
- Correct use of commas, semi-colons, apostrophes, quotation marks,
and hyphens in sentences.
- When to use a possessive pronoun and when to use a contraction: it's
vs. its.
- Correct use of who vs. whom especially when whom is part of a prepositional
phrase in the beginning of a sentence: To whom should I give this?
- Use of subject pronouns vs. object pronouns especially with linking
verbs and in compound prepositional phrases: It is I. Keep this between
you and me.
- The use of his/her or they with indefinite pronouns: Will everyone
please pass up his or her paper?
- Correct verb usage in sentences with neither/nor and either/or conjunctions:
Neither Tom nor the boys go. Neither the boys nor Tom goes.
- Correct use of which, who, or that in sentences.
- Avoiding dangling modifiers, split infinitives, and misplaced modifiers:
Do you know what I am speaking about?
- Use of active voice, verb consistency, and parallel construction
in sentences. Avoiding redundancy.
- The rhetoric sections of these tests frequently emphasize the ability
to identify main idea and author's bias.
- The ability to identify a logical order for sentences or paragraphs
in a long passage is also essential.
- I frequently saw questions concerning the proper use of affect and
effect.
As the school year goes on, I emphasize to the students when I think
a grammar or rhetorical concept is really important and when it is one
students need to know. I take my job very seriously. Whether it
be through cajolery or storytelling, I try to get across to my students
essential concepts. Just as middle school teachers are influenced by how
much or how little the teachers our students had before us taught, so
too must we be concerned with what skills our students need to know in
order to do well in the classes they have after us. Middle school teachers
cannot teach in isolation.
If you and your students are hooked up to the Internet, you'll have
access to dozens of Web sites that focus on grammar! Be sure to check
out some of these sites:
- Basic
Grammar Review Using 'Jabberwocky' The purpose of this activity,
used at the beginning of the year is to help students identify where
they are weak in their grammar skills (in a fun fashion).
- More
Grammar Review Using 'Jabberwocky' Offers lessons in grammar that
a teacher can just pick up and do.
- Horrid
Homonyms A lesson plan from the AskERIC database, this activity
is designed to remind students of the specific meanings and correct
usage of some of these often confused words.
- Reviews
of Sites of Interest to Writing Teachers This site helps both the
novice and experienced English teacher use computer technology as a
tool for education. I found especially helpful their Writing Link. It
lists contests and addresses where students can publish their work.
I also enjoyed their Your Contributions link, which provides teachers
with lesson plans including some on how to use the computer to teach
English.
- Guide
to Grammar and Writing At this Web site, written by a community
college teacher, a character called "Grammar" answers your grammar questions;
responses are posted on the site. The site includes loads of grammar
rules along with computer-graded quizzes, a "bookshelf" of grammar resources,
and even a page of "grammar goofs" lifted from the work of students!
- Common
Errors in English This site lists common errors in word usage in
the English language. Each example provides a sample of wrong usage
and the correct usage.
- 11
Rules of Writing A "concise guide to the most commonly violated
rules of writing" from a teacher of a writing course for college freshmen.
The site provides examples for each of the 11 rules and links to additional
Internet grammar resources.
- Schoolhouse
Rock Click on the Grammar Rock section of this popular TV show's
Web site to find connections to the lyrics of such popular tunes as
"Unpack Your Adjectives," "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here,"
"Conjunction Junction," and "Busy Prepositions."
Article by Glori Chaika
Education World®
Copyright © 2004 Education World
Originally published 05/11/1998
Links last updated 09/05/2008
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