Grammar Instruction In Middle School

First of all, keep in mind that I teach sixth and seventh graders.  If we were asked to do some of the things that I ask my students to do, we would most likely chuckle and continue talking, assuming we hadn’t heard correctly. 

1.  I give students laminated signs with words, phrases, and/or clauses and have them stand in front of the class, cooperatively creating sentences, usually very silly ones.  They can see firsthand that adverbs (words, phrases, and clauses) are more flexible and move around with ease.  (This strategy would probably not work past seventh grade, but might be returned to for our octogenarian students.) 

2.  I write exceptionally dull passages (a fun pastime before bedtime), and have students rewrite them using compound, complex, and compound/complex sentences.  They are also asked to make nouns more specific with accompanying phrases.  Middle-school students write ridiculous (what they consider to be extremely witty and ironic) passages. 

3.  Similar to idea #2, we rewrite children’s books, especially The Bernstein Bears. 

4.  Students read their own work aloud to a classmate and see if they can find errors or loss of clarity. 

5.  I put my students’ names in short exercises and worksheets.  As the year goes on, I add their hobbies, interests, etc. They love their brief moments of classroom fame.

6.  I make mini-lessons that feature short passages of my favorite works.  We study the style and how the punctuation and grammatical choices enhance the writing.  (I will endeavor to add an example at the end of this post.)  As the year goes on, students are asked to make the same kind of lessons from books they are reading.

7.  I am now doing Lindemann’s trick of putting a check mark on a line where an error has occurred, and asking students to find the error on their own or with a partner.

As I have stated earlier, and I seldom go back on my word, lots of grammar instruction does minimal good.  Reading great writing, even good writing, on a daily basis, in my opinion, is the best solution.  Writing a lot is also critical.  I know that even with the seemingly fun, cooperative learning strategies I listed above, many students are just not developmentally ready for the concentration and abstract thinking that is necessary for grammar or anything but simple writing mechanics.  However, with exposure and gentle encouragement, we can get things started. 

 

  

Dailies #6 – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

A Closer Look at Diction

For nearly a year, I sopped around the house, the Store, the school, and the church, like an old biscuit, dirty and inedible.  Then I met, or rather got to know, the lady who threw me my first lifeline. 

                                      -- Maya Angelou

What verb in the first sentence stands out to you? ______________________________

What is the dictionary definition of this word? _________________________________

How is this word ordinarily used? __________________________________________

How is the author using it here?  What feelings does the word evoke in this passage?

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What noun in the second sentence stands out to you? __________________________

How is this word ordinarily used? __________________________________________

How is the author using it here?  How does it enhance the passage?

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What other literary device do you see at work in the passage?  Explain.

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Why do you think the word “store” is capitalized? ______________________________

Explain why there are commas before and after the words “or rather got to know.”

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