Anna
Papst
Sean
Agriss
Eng.
408
07.22.2013
After all educating is done and people find themselves in
the real world, it’s as if their formal years of learning can have literally no
affect on their day to day lives. The questionnaire that was handed out to the
group of business and professional people is a prime example of education not
really sinking in. It was interesting to read the sentences myself and having
to look over them a couple of times to find the error. There is something to be
said for continually reading and putting yourself in academically challenging
circumstances that will help to keep your mind sharp. I never want to lose that
mind for continually acquiring information. It helps to look at the world in
different ways. You can continually think through circumstances or scenarios that
you or other people are put through.
Looking at the students’ work and going through to pick
out certain aspects of their writing is so important. “In my experience,
however, the ability to recognize the category of these connections is all
that’s needed: not the technical grammatical terminology, and not the ability
to analyze grammatical structures in detail.” (116) That is the technical side
to grammar and that part that I think gets swept under the rug. Grammar
functions and makes sense because all the different parts of a sentence work
together to create meaning. Students need to be taught and continually reminded
that grammar should be interesting and fun to work through. Just like any math
problem or science experiment, grammar also has rules that need to be followed
and applied to writing, both informal and formal.
I like how the chapter includes the definitions of the
terms for the parts of speech. This might be a good tool to use when going
through and grading papers. If I am looking for one or two things throughout
the paper, then the definitions might help at the bottom of the page to bring
more clarity or explanation to my students.
It was interesting reading the same sentence over and
over again with the varying grade levels and experience. That is going to be
interesting too because I am going to have a class of multiple students with
different abilities, strengths and weaknesses. I need to grade them all on the
same scale and I think in the same sitting. The criteria will be the same, but
the content of the papers will be different. Word choice is going to be betters
in some and not as advanced in others. It also talked about teaching grammar
throughout the grades, but leaving the intense, in depth study for the advanced
grades. “Instead of a crash course in writing more sophisticated sentences,
then, what the less proficient and even the least proficient writers may need
most is to spend a great deal of time in reading and writing workshops.” (137)
I latched on to the Guidelines
for the Teaching Grammar portion of the book with the guidelines and tips
under each bullet point. Engage students
is writing, writing, and more writing, Immerse students in good literature,
Reserve a thorough study of grammar for elective courses or perhaps units,
teach these relevant aspects of grammar within the context of students’
writing, introduce only a minimum of terminology, emphasize those aspects of
grammar that are particularly useful in helping students edit sentences for
conventional mechanics and appropriateness. The list goes on and on but
these are the points that I picked out that interested me.
“If our rationale for teaching grammar is primarily to
improve students’ writing, then it would seem that a much more limited and more
focused treatment of grammar has a better chance of being effective.” (104) I
thoroughly agree with this statement. Everyone needs to know and understand
grammar to an extent to communicate well in the world. There is a point when
students kind of just need you to work with them in order to understand
something. My goal is to research what method will work the best for me and
then as I go along, I can change if I need to.
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