Grammar and Me

When I first took the job, the thought of teaching two 45-minute Grammar classes made me cringe. Sitting through the training of the scripted program only brought up bile. I am all for teaching students how to use Grammar correctly. However, in order for it to work effectively, it needs to be incorporated with writing. Shurley Grammar is not set up that way. Students start by learning a song about whatever part of speech we are  working on and then go through a rote process in labeling the parts of a sentence. I was sure the students would laugh at the songs and refuse to sing them.

Six weeks into school, I have found a way to put my touch into Grammar class. It began with the singing. The songs are rather annoying. Think of Barney on steroids. A few of the songs are more tolerable, such as the Adverb song. It has a rather jazzy sound to it. The perfect song to wear sunglasses when singing. Fridays became our sunglasses day. Shortly after, we decided to make Grammar T-shirts. Of course, we needed to have somewhere to wear the T-shirts so we will be putting on a Grammar concert complete with choreography and props for the younger students. We are making it our own.

Because of the structured way the program is set up, the students have been able to take over most of the classes. They all clamor to be the ‘teacher’ (leads the class using the teacher’s book) or ‘student’ (labels the sentence on the board). Imagine my surprise when I was told, “This is my favorite class!”

Even with all the fun and memorization, grammar is not going to improve unless writing happens. Therefore, writing has become a part of each class. Students are writing on a daily basis while focusing on whatever it is we are learning in class. While reading, they are keeping an eye out for well-written sentences. When they find them, they bring it into class to share. Ultimately, the goal is for them to transfer their knowledge into other classes.

Once again, I have been reminded the importance of attitude and giving whatever it is I do the very best of me. What began as a class I dreaded, I now find myself looking forward to each day.