• to review the concepts presented in lessons 1 through 6:
nouns, pronouns, verbs
Summary
As this lesson opens, the student hears about three children
who are working a jigsaw puzzle. The narrator draws a parallel between the
joining of the puzzle pieces to form a picture and the putting together of the
parts of speech to form clear sentences. This is followed by a review of nouns,
pronouns, and verbs.
The noun review takes place on page 1 of the activity sheets.
In exercise A, the student underlines the common nouns in each sentence and
circles the proper noun. Exercise B calls for the correct capitalization of
some names and addresses. In exercise C, the student writes the singular or
plural form of the noun printed on each puzzle piece.
Page 2 contains the pronoun review activities. At the top of
the page, the student reads a series of sentences, changes the underlined nouns
to pronouns, and writes the pronouns on the lines provided. The student then
decides whether each pronoun is used as the subject of the sentence, the object
of a verb, or the object of a preposition. Finally, he writes "S,"
"OV," or "OP" on the numbered puzzle pieces at the bottom
of the page.
On page 3, the student works a puzzle that deals with verbs.
The puzzle is completed by reading each definition on the left side of the page
and filling in the numbered blanks on the right with a verb that matches the
definition. The student then uses the letters and numbers from the puzzle to
fill in a secret message at the bottom of the 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..