Grammar Week Two!

Grammar instruction continues in our DEAR Interactive Notebooks!

This week, we looked at the difference between singular (one) and plural (many); we also analyzed the difference between common and proper nouns:

Once we understand the difference between general nouns and specific nouns, we can also analyze the difference between the articles that we use to specify nouns:

Finally, we ended our week by talking about pronouns (a word that replaces a noun) when used as a subject of a sentence; called Subjective Pronouns:

Next week we continue analyzing nouns and parts of sentences!

Grammar Week One

This week students began using their DEAR Interactive Notebooks to learn and practice grammar concepts. We started with some review, like the ways that verbs function:

 

 

 

Then, we began discussion infinitive verbs and their formula: TO + VERB = Infinitive

 

 

 

Once students understand infinitive verbs, then we can discuss phrasal verbs. These are verbs that are part of a two (or more) word phrase, which often changes the meaning of the verb altogether.

 

Here are the formulas for a phrasal verb:

 

VERB + Adverb = Phrasal Verb

 

or

 

VERB + Preposition = Phrasal Verb

 

 



For example, if you use the verb 'to take' that means to acquire something; if you add the word 'off,' then your phrasal verb becomes 'to take off' which means to depart.

 

Here are some examples, though there are many, many phrasal verbs in the English language:

 

 

Week One was a SUCCESS!

Students have finished week one of school and they are exhausted!

We’ve had some great discussions and learned some new, very important skills and procedures.

This week, students learned to format their DEAR Notebooks. This is where students will take notes on their grammar lessons, and have opportunities to practice and ask questions to the teacher.  If you want to help your student stay organized, here are some tips below:

 

 

Additionally, in preparation for our first quarter literature selection, Night by Elie Wiesel, students are beginning to discuss important social topics that impact us all, here in the United States and all over the world. We started by defining and discussing the idea of genocide and its stages. If you are interested, you can read about it here: Genocide.

Our final activity of the week was discussing the expectations for annotation and summary. When students interact actively with a text, they are able to understand the text better and get more from it. Here are the symbols we will use for the remainder of the school year:

Finally, we learned the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing, in anticipation of learning how to write clear, objective summaries in the future, to capture the real main ideas of a text.

Overall, students performed very well and seem to be ready to get back to work. We are so excited for this school year and all of the adventures it will bring!