Sentence Structure and Seminars

This week I was relieved to get the chance to practice sentence patterns a bit more. I felt slightly uneasy at the end of the week about the difference between transitional and linking verbs, but after practicing with the newspaper headlines I feel very comfortable. Separating out the prepositional phrases was also a really helpful exercise. It can be confusing determining what the object of a verb pattern is when a prepositional phrase gets in the way, but labeling each part of the sentence made it much easier. I really like this exercise because it allows for lots of practice that isn’t boring or repetitive, such as a worksheet or exercise from the overhead.

The Socratic Seminar this week went a little more smoothly than last week. It’s interesting that we all prefer one big circle when statistics show the fishbowl to be the preferred method. We have a really great group of class members though, so taking turns and giving people room to speak and share their ideas isn’t a problem. I’m surprised that there was such a wide range of ideas about the way Dora’s teacher allowed her to practice her words and sentences. Though giving Dora the freedom to make mistakes and skill-build on her own probably helped Dora in future exercises and in coming to her own conclusions about writing, it was probably frustrating for her to continue to write incorrectly. I was glad that I wasn’t the only person in the class who recognized this. However, I was impressed that we were all able to come to some kind of consensus on the positive and negative aspects of the lessons Dora’s teacher gave.

At this point there aren’t any grammar concepts that I don’t understand or feel uncomfortable with, but practice only makes perfect. I’m excited to see and participate in the mini-lessons. I still feel uneasy about teaching grammar without giving a comprehensive overview before contextualization, and I feel like getting multiple perspectives on how to go about doing it will be very beneficial.

Question: Even when grammar is being taught contextually and in a trial-by-error manner like Dora’s teacher did, is it ok to use terminology such as “sentence pattern,” “verb phrase,” and “preposition” to describe grammar concepts if a question arises? Are these concepts too convoluted for younger students?

Speaking of Syntax

This last week has really helped to quell some of my concerns about the idea of contextualizing grammar lessons. Though I still feel like there is some value in teaching grammar on its own, I am beginning to understand how beneficial it is to let children practice their grammar skills in conjunction with other skills.

I really enjoyed the fishbowl discussion, not only because we were able to practice the Socratic Seminar technique, but also because of the topic we discussed. I found it to be very illuminating how interested people were in the idea of having students write poems to practice using adjectives and adverbs. I also felt a little relieved that not everyone thought this was an effective tool for cultivating grammar skills, but perhaps more for the creative process. This activity has given me an idea, however, to look at other poets’ work to practice first recognizing adverbs and adjectives in others’ writing, second practicing using such descriptive words, and third identifying these words in their own writing. Descriptive poets like Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Dylan Thomas, and e.e. cummings would be a good place to start. Reading e.e. cummings would even make for an interesting study in syntax.

Speaking of syntax, I loved the magnetic poetry exercise! My partner and I got stuck with a box which included both “genius” words and “naughty” ones. It made for an incredibly interesting and giggly class period. I think this activity would really help students strengthen their sentence structure while also practicing the verb types. However, I wonder if students, especially at a younger age, might get stuck on creating interesting or weird sentences rather than actually focusing on the types of verbs. I admit my own immaturity by saying that this was the case with my partner and me. Is there a good way to keep squirrely, word-loving kids on the task at hand rather than on a creative tangent?

At this point I feel pretty comfortable with the different types of verbs and combinations of verbs. However, I could use a little more practice recognizing which sentences are using transitive, intransitive, or linking verbs. It seems like some could be more than one of these types, or maybe I’m just still a bit confused as to what the direct object of the verb is. It’s tough when those tricky prepositional phrases get in the way. I wonder if we will cover the difference between a direct object and an indirect object, since these terms escape my memory. I also found my mind a bit boggled wondering where and how the rules for transitive, intransitive, and linking verbs come into play with gerund-start sentences. Ahh, syntax…


since feeling is first

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;

wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world

my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all the flowers. Don't cry
- the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says

we are for each other: then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph

and death i think is no parenthesis

-ee cummings


Question: Can a prepositional phrase, or part of a prepositional phrase, ever be the direct object of a verb, or is it always just extra descriptive information which modifies the noun or the verb?

Separation Anxiety

Upon coming into this class, I will admit that I felt a bit nervous about my own grammar skills, since it had been years since I have had any serious grammar lessons. However, after practicing in class a bit and working on my grammar scrapbook on my own, I realize that I actually know quite a bit more than I thought I did. The in-class activities, such as identifying parts of speech in newspaper headlines and practicing using apostrophes in a workshop session, have really helped to reaffirm my previous knowledge. I do feel much more confident in how to appropriately use apostrophes to indicate possession and pluralization.

Truthfully, I’m a little puzzled by the idea that grammar should not be taught separately in school as its own unit or sub-unit of writing curriculum. I understand that students process information better when it is contextualized. I find it interesting, however, that the teaching of grammar is moving so much toward this trend of contextualization and so far away from concept lessons, memorization, and practice of skills. Frankly, it makes me a little nervous.

I had a teacher in high school who was known fondly by past and present students as “the Grammar Nazi.” She began each school year with a comprehensive unit on grammar: the parts of speech, pronoun specifics, lists of prepositions, subject and verb agreement, etc. I remember despising this woman wholeheartedly for the first few weeks of school for the hell she was putting us through. However, once our unit was finished, the confidence I felt in my speaking and writing skills was invaluable. After taking written placement exams in several subjects for entrance to the Running Start program, I felt more grateful to that teacher than I had toward any teacher I had ever had. She helped me not only learn grammar both in the broad spectrum of applicability, but also in specific detail so as to be an excellent editor of my own skills in communication. She turned out more than ten years of incredibly articulate, confident writers whose writing was recognizable and exceptional to future teachers. I still send mental thank-you notes to this woman as I make my way through my college career. I do not think that we, ten years worth of students, are an exception in the idea that we were able to grasp grammar concepts with this method of teaching. Perhaps the Grammar Nazi was the exception in being able to teach it so wholly and so well. Either way, I find myself attached to this method and the success I have seen it yield.

I suppose I am still confused about the idea that grammar cannot be taught independently. I would also like more information or examples about contextualizing grammar into other lessons. For example, how can more subtle and variable nuances of the English language, such as differences in tenses and verb agreement between tenses be taught without some sort of comprehensive overview? I am open to such ideas and methods of teaching, but I would like more information which supports the reasoning behind it.

Question: A general rule I learned in high school for identifying the differences between adjectives and adverbs is that an adjective modifies a thing (a noun) whereas an adverb modifies an action (a verb). Is this still a good way to tell the difference between an adverb and an adjective at “first glance?”