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Re: What would a LA lesson look like?
Posted by: BrandNew on 10/27/09
Sara, Thanks so much for taking the time to post your sentence lesson.
What a great idea!
On 10/26/09, Sara wrote:
> I find a fair bit of grammar instruction does not 'sink in' but I
> try anyway and if I can make it a class they leave talking about,
> great.
> One of our school standards here is that by or in 4th grade
> students should understand what a sentence is as well as be able to
> write one.
> They don't. They can write them but they don't really have a clue
> as to what a sentence is. Grammatically a sentence is a
> noun/pronoun and a verb. Without a verb, you can't have a sentence.
>
> We know that but my middle schoolers don't. And I also think they
> don't know how to think about writing - they kind of spit out
> things to fill the page, get it done and they've been told often -
> just write what you think which would be nice but they're not
> thinking.
>
> Anyway, I strip it all away or try to and tell them what a sentence
> is, bear up under the argument(s) that always ensue - a sentence
> Does NOT need to have a verb... oh really??
> And then put them to writing two word sentences and we have
> informal fun no hurt feelings contests for most creative, most
> interesting, most congenial, most intriguing etc. etc.
>
> "It exploded" has won most intriguing several years in a row. Then
> we move to three word sentence contests after asking them - what
> part of speech do you want? Ala Wheel of Fortune, you don't get to
> buy a vowel, you get to buy a part of speech."
> They don't have to buy it but it usually starts a spirited if
> somewhat inane discussion about what part of speech to use to make
> a better three word sentence. The very cerebral always want an
> interjection - Darn! It exploded. but the majority go for an adverb
> though they call it an adjective because they really don't get the
> difference. "It exploded well."
>
> It's a popular lesson, they leave talking about it but whether
> they've learned what a sentence really is is another question. But
> it's a lesson that looks good on paper to administrators and works
> well in reality with middle school kids.
>
Posts on this thread, including this one
- What would a LA lesson look like?, 10/25/09, by BrandNew.
- Re: What would a LA lesson look like?, 10/26/09, by Sara.
- Re: What would a LA lesson look like?, 10/26/09, by BrandNew.
- Re: What would a LA lesson look like?, 10/26/09, by Sara.
- Re: What would a LA lesson look like?, 10/27/09, by BrandNew.
- Re: What would a LA lesson look like?, 10/28/09, by ellows.
- Re: What would a LA lesson look like?, 10/28/09, by BrandNew.
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