• to review the concepts presented in lessons 7 through 10:
adjectives and adverbs
• to provide an overview of the five parts of speech presented
in the program
Summary
A backpacking expedition involving two young brothers and the
treasure map they find provides the framework for this final lesson which
reviews adjectives and adverbs. The stew recipe on page 1 of the activity
sheets is used to review adjectives. The student circles all the adjectives
found in the title and instructions of the recipe, then categorizes them into
proper, limiting, or descriptive adjectives at the bottom of the page.
Page 2 contains the adverb review. The student is asked to
decode a message by completing each sentence or phrase and writing the missing
word in the blanks on the right. The student then uses the symbols under the
letters to fill in the message at the bottom of the page.
The crossword puzzle on page 3 provides a general review of the
five parts of speech studied in the program.
NOTE: Page 3 is not corrected by the narrator on the audio. The
student may ask the teacher to check this page.
INTRODUCTION
The Grammarifics
program is a multimedia series of 12 lessons designed to supplement and
individualize language instruction for students in grades 4 through 6, and for
those at ages 12 to adult in need of remedial help. Each lesson in the program
consists of audio media and three reproducible activity sheets. The audio
combines expert instruction in grammar and usage with themes that are relevant
to the interests of students in the intermediate grades. Central to the program
is the development of the students' communication skills. This is accomplished
through analysis of sentence structure, information of generalizations
concerning English usage, and the application of those generalizations in
exercises which stimulate students' interest.
The program
concentrates on nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives. Many important
sub-skills related to these parts of speech are also presented. Each
audio-directed lesson begins with a lively introduction focusing on a theme
which should be familiar to most students. Special effects and dialogue are
often used to heighten students' interest in the material to be learned. The
narrators then guide the students through written exercises on the activity
sheets. Found on many of the activity sheets is a block of content material.
The narrator helps the students analyze the content material, draw valid
conclusions, and apply the content to the exercises presented on the activity
sheets.
Every effort has been
made to make all elements of the program enjoyable and meaningful. All lessons
are self-directing and self-correcting. This allows students to work through
the lessons at an independent rate and to evaluate their performances
privately. The narrators give complete instructions for doing the exercises on the
activity sheets. Games, puzzles, secret messages, codes, newspaper ads, and
lively illustrations are just a few of the techniques used to create interest
in the lessons. Two lessons are devoted to each part of speech covered in the
program. The parts of speech may be studied in any order, depending upon the
preparation of the individual student. The audio, which deals with each part of
speech, however, should be used in sequence. Lessons 11 and 12, "Putting
It All Together—Parts I and II," contain a complete review of the concepts
presented in the first 10 lessons of Grammarifics. These lessons should be used
after the student has worked through the first 10 lessons of the program.
USING THE PROGRAM
The Audio
The audio lessons in
Grammarifics employ a variety of motivational techniques which are designed to
capture and hold the interest of students. Each audio begins with music,
special audio effects, or a short vignette played out by characters. The
students are then carefully guided through the entire lesson by professional
narrators who use a friendly, positive approach to language instruction. Timed
pauses are programmed into the audio to allow the students to complete brief
responses on the activity sheets. However, when more than a few seconds are
needed to complete a response or to read over specific material, an electronic
tone built into the audio signals the students to stop the player. Students
should be reminded that they may stop the audio whenever additional response
time is needed, or replay any material they may wish to hear. The use of
headsets is recommended to avoid distracting other students in the classroom
and to reinforce the interaction between student and narrator. The running time
of the audio averages approximately 20 minutes. The average working time of
each lesson is about 30 minutes. It should be remembered that this time is only
an approximation. Since the student stops and starts the audio several 'times
during the course of each lesson to read material or to complete exercises, the
actual time needed will depend on the student's working speed.
The Activity Sheets
Three illustrated
activity sheets are used in each lesson of the program. All activities are
completed by the student as the audio presentation progresses. The responses
for these activities are checked and corrected by the student through answers
given by the narrators. The activity sheets offer a variety of skill-building
games and enjoyable written activities to increase the student's understanding
of parts of speech. All exercises are closely correlated with the audio
instructions.
The Teacher's Guide
This guide contains
individual summaries of the 12 lessons in the program. Each summary lists the
skills objectives of the lesson, a description of each written activity, and
reproductions of all student activities with answers overprinted. Included in
the final pages of this guide are several creative follow-up activities which
may be used with small groups of students to reinforce the skills taught in the
program.
Lesson 1: Fun with Nouns!Using Singular and Plural Nouns !Recognizing Common Nouns and Proper Nouns !Capitalizing NounsObjectives to reinforce the abi..
Grammarifics Complete Program, All 12 LessonsLesson 1: Fun With Nouns, Using Singular and Plural Nouns, Recognizing Common Nouns and Proper Nouns, Cap..