Skip to main content

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. 

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 29, 2011 at 7:55 PM

    This makes me smile! I'm so happy to teach by your side. I wish I could saddle up during Grammar as well, but I'll settle for Language Arts for now! You are a great teacher!
    Suzanne Ridgill

    ReplyDelete
  2. JanetAugust 29, 2011 at 8:43 PM

    I would love to see a video tape of this action! Honestly, even with your embellishment, the hairs on my neck are bristling.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Easter Lesson

I decided that this break I was going to stay home and spend the week doing things I have not done or haven't done in awhile. It all began Thursday night with Ballroom Dancing, which will continue on Monday and Thursday with lessons. Saturday, I bought a couple of new outfits. Today brought both something I hadn't done in awhile and something new. Today, I went to church which was pretty cool in itself. I went with someone I just met the day before. (I am sure that is no surprise to any of you who know me.) We made plans to meet up at church. It was different from any church I had been in before. The chairs were set up "in the round." There was no piano or organ to accompany our singing. People were in and out throughout the 90 minute service. No surprise, the place was packed. The service was your typical protestant service, minus the organ, of course. It had been awhile since my friend had been to church. Many in the congregation flocked to him at the end to gi...
Post a Comment
Read more

WABDR: Section 1

Section 1  We end at the beginning  Does it feel like this trip will never end? Epic adventures tend to last a bit longer than just an average one. So….on with our tale.  We got our bikes all packed up and continued over White Pass. The first time we went over it, it was a cloudy day. Thus, the visibility of the mountains was not much. I was expecting the same on our return trip to Packwood. Therefore, it took my breath away when I saw the mountain off in the distance for the first time. The beauty was so overwhelming, I teared up.    I continued to watch the mountain until I could see it no more. Soon we were in Packwood. Back where we started. After a quick breakfast at the local coffee shop, we were on our way. I may have taken a few minutes to ride the big bike first… Not too long though, because someone was ready to get moving.  Jennifer had some friends that were camping at Walupt Lake, which is right on the trail for Sectio...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Christmas Ache

Christmas. For many it is a joyful day filled with family and good food, for others it is a struggle to get through the day.  Yesterday was my final Christmas waking up in an empty house. I don't want to do it again. The 50 plus years of waking up super early to either sneak to the tree and open my stocking or hear my kids do the same has made the silence of Christmas morning unbearable. The last four years, I have been waking up to an empty house. I had invites this year from every member of my family. I declined them for a variety of reasons, which do not matter in this piece of writing. What matters is today I talked to people who also struggled through Christmas day.  When alone, one can get caught up in one's feelings and think they are the only one going through whatever it is. In this case, being alone on Christmas. The ache inside begins. The tears flow. It doesn't help that the Hallmark channel is playing the formulaic Christmas movies. You know the one. It ...
Post a Comment
Read more