When I was a kid, we diagrammed sentences. I loved it!
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| Diagramming Sentences = AWESOME |
Yes. I am one of the people that is ALWAYS silently (or not-so-silently) correcting your grammar.
And I KNOW I am not the only one. And because I am not the only one...we HAVE to remember to teach kids about grammar. The pendulum of what/how we teach is always swinging. People in positions of power will say...you can't teach grammar in isolation, it should be done in an integrated way through all subjects and while reading and writing. The only problem with this is that it doesn't work. I went to school in the 70's and 80's. I can recite 20 adjectives on demand. I can come up with 30 prepositions in a short minute. And I know the difference between they're, their and there. I also know how to correctly use to, too and two. And never screw up your and you're. I can identify the subject, object (direct and indirect), and verb of any sentence.
When did we stop teaching the basics? How does one become a brilliant writer if they can't put together a sentence, or spell basic words? Or know how to use punctuation? I've had entire papers turned into me over the course of the past decade that didn't include a single period, comma or exclamation point. And the use of dialogue in writing? Forget about it. Kids aren't being taught sufficiently about how to use dialogue in writing. I contend that we do a disservice to American children each and every day when we ignore the Language Standards, because the state assessments are more focused on reading comprehension. And our focus on comprehension seems to have us moving n the wrong direction as well. When the third grade rule goes into effect in Michigan, we are going to have grown people in third grade.
When I first started digging into the Common Core for ELA, (and I had to do that all on my own...) nobody mentioned the Language standards. I found them later on, and decided to make some things that would help teachers to teach LANGUAGE. It is the cornerstone of reading and writing. I compare grammar, punctuation and spelling to kids knowing the basic facts in math. It is SO MUCH HARDER to do algebra or geometry if you are not fluent in numbers. If you don't have multiplication tables memorized, or know how to divide numbers the long way, or know how to add/subtract/borrow and all of the other basic math concepts that give children the confidence to do higher level mathematics.
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When I discovered the Language Standards, I decided to dissect them and create something that would make it EASY AS PIE (like my simile?) to teach all aspects of the CCSS for your grade level. I even started making the middle school version. But I put my focus back on elementary because, frankly, middle school teachers aren't that nice. I get to say this 'cause I am one of them. But whenever I get mean feedback on a product that I spent 100 hours making, it is usually a middle school teacher that says it. What is that all about???
I didn't really know what I was going to make once I started digging into the CCSS for Language. But it ended up being something cool that I loved using with my sixth graders.
We gotta start teaching the basics. We all know that the kids WILL be judged if they can't tell a future employer the difference between to, too and two.
Especially for students, I have always believed that the correct use of language, grammar and punctuation is a “great equalizer.” It can elevate a person to a higher level, no matter what their social or economic position. It says so much about a person, even without knowing anything else about them. Good advice, Tera.
ReplyDeleteMr. F I just saw your comment. And you KNOW I learned from the best! Someone had to teach me the difference between to, too and two. For this, I THANK YOU!
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