Grammar guide



centercenterGrammar guide7th GradeContents1: Prepositions2: Your vs. you’re3: Then vs. than4: Subject-verb agreement5: Plurals vs. possessives6: Gerunds7: Two vs. to vs. too8: Importance of commas9: Conjunctions10: Parts of speech Dewi Neeskens18 July 20209410077300Grammar guide7th GradeContents1: Prepositions2: Your vs. you’re3: Then vs. than4: Subject-verb agreement5: Plurals vs. possessives6: Gerunds7: Two vs. to vs. too8: Importance of commas9: Conjunctions10: Parts of speech Dewi Neeskens18 July 20201: PrepositionsName of the concept: Prepositions INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET for American students (funny scene)A Lesson In Prepositions Brought To You By Sean Spicer’s BushesThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert for Dutch students (song)“Preposition” by The Bazillions Explanation for students: Meme 1: Prepositions are very common in daily life. If you look for them, you will see them everywhere!Meme 2: Sometimes the difference between two prepositions seems small, but the meaning is impacted largely. If you look at the meme, the difference between getting IN the plane and getting ON the plane is a big one!Funny video: There are many examples of “prepositions gone wrong”, where the wrong preposition is used by the media. This can lead to funny situations. Take a look at the video to see what happened with the bushes!Song video: There are so many prepositions! Listen to the song to get familiar with all the prepositions there are. Explanation for teachers:Prepositions are tough! There are a lot of them, and it is not always straightforward which one to use when. This is especially true for ESL students. An example: the Dutch word for “at” is “bij”, which looks and sounds almost exactly like “by”. This is one of the most common errors regarding prepositions for Dutch students. Not only is it hard to remember all the prepositions, but when to use which one is very challenging as well. The video with the preposition song will help Dutch students remember what prepositions there are and in what kind of sentences they can be used. Songs usually do great with students of all ages. You could come up with several (short) assignments when using this in a (mini) lesson, such as “list at least 10 prepositions you can remember from the video and make an example sentence for each”. For American students, there probably doesn’t have to be as much focus on the words itself, but more so on how they are used, especially in daily life, since these students see and hear English prepositions all day, every day. The video fragment I chose for them is funny and shows them that mistakes are easily made, even in professional scenarios, where people get called out for it. A possible assignment for this could be “use the internet to come up with 3 other examples of prepositions gone wrong in daily life scenarios”.The two memes are great for both groups of students because the characters/people on them are familiar to them. They’re also easy to understand and they’re funny. The teacher can draw on some facts from Rhetorical Grammar with regards to prepositions when using the chosen multimedia (illustrations) in a (mini) lesson. Those are the following:Prepositions generally have meanings referring to time, space, or connection.Ten of the most common prepositions are of, in, to, for, with, on, at, from, by, and about. However, Rhetorical Grammar shows a table with at least 40 one-word prepositions and 9 phrasal prepositions.Prepositions cannot be distinguished by its form; there are no special endings that identify it.Prepositions are a closed class; no new prepositions can be added.Prepositions are small words that have a large impact on meaning.2: Your vs. You’reName of the concept: Your vs. You’re INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET for students: Meme 1: Sometimes it is not clear whether you must use your or you’re. The guy on the meme certainly is sweating to make his decision!Meme 2: The difference in meaning here is significant. In one case it is your dinner and in the other one you are the dinner!Meme 3: Some popular pictures contain incorrect grammar, as is also the case in the upper picture. The correct form that should be used is you’re, and this guy is happy to correct the mistake!Explanation for teachers:The difference between your and you’re is an important one and one that needs to be remembered by our students. I believe having memes posted in your classroom gives your students a small reminder about what the difference is between the two and why it is crucial for them to use these two correctly. We use your and you’re so often in English, but yet seeing mistakes in the use of them is very common. This is especially true for our Dutch students, which is why I think these memes will remind them of the grammar rules in a funny way.Rhetorical Grammar doesn’t specifically mention the differences between your and you’re, but you can draw on the facts it mentions about possessive pronouns for example to make this a larger lesson instead of a Grammar Guide.3: Then vs. ThanName of the concept: Then vs. Than Standard: LAFS.7.RI.2.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET for students:Meme 1: When you’re comparing two things, you must use “than”. If you use “then”, the meaning of the sentence changes completely. Look at meme 2!Meme 2: If you say you’d rather have a pizza than have a hamburger, you’re saying you enjoy pizza more than hamburgers. If you say you’d rather have a pizza then have a hamburger, you’re saying you want the pizza first and then you want the hamburger right after! Meme 3: As you saw in meme 2, the meaning of the sentence changes completely if you use “then” and “than” incorrectly. Remember to use “than” when it’s a comparison, and “then” when it’s a sequence!Explanation for teachers: The difference between “then” and “than” might seem small to us, but it is very important our students get this right. Mistakes made here will clearly make it seem as if our students uncarefully craft their sentences. These memes will help our students remember the rule in a fun way. Especially the last meme would be perfect to hang up in our classrooms to remind our students of the then/than rule.4: Subject-Verb AgreementName of the concept: Subject-Verb AgreementStandard: LAFS..L.1.1Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. g. Ensure subject-verb agreement. INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET Explanation for students: Meme 1: You will probably have seen this little girl’s face everywhere! She also makes that face when the subject and verb don’t agree, because without subject-verb agreement, the person who is reading your work can get confused. Therefore, it is very important to make sure that the subjects and the verbs always agree with each other in your writing pieces. Meme 2: Sometimes learning about subject-verb agreement can be challenging.Meme 3: This meme shows an error in subject-verb agreement!Explanation for teachers:The “characters” in these memes are all over the internet and are used for all kinds of (grammar) topics, so students will recognize them, which also makes it easier for them to remember. If students see these memes in the classroom they will be reminded of subject-verb agreement and its importance.You can draw on some facts about subject-verb agreement from Rhetorical Grammar starting on page 54 if you want to combine these memes with a (mini) lesson.5: Plurals vs. PossessivesName of the concept: Plurals vs. Possessives (use of apostrophe) Standard: LAFS.6.L.1.2/LAFS.7.L.1.2 INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET Explanation for students: Meme 1: It’s easy to make mistakes in writing the plural and possessive of some nouns, such as rocket. In speech we make no distinction; they sound identical. The apostrophe is a signal in the written language. This man clearly has a tough time deciding!Meme 2: We use the apostrophe with the s in possessive-case forms, and not with the plural! Patrick seems frustrated at how common these mistakes are…Meme 3: The dinosaur is asking you a question, I’m sure you can answer it now!Explanation for teachers:The characters on these three memes are used for many grammar topics, so students will likely know them. These memes will definitely support our students and help them remember the grammar rules. Especially the last one that asks a question is useful to urge students to think about the rules about possessives and plurals. You could hand them out in a guide or hang them on the walls in your classroom.Teachers can draw on page 198 from Rhetorical Grammar, where they specifically mention the misuse of apostrophes in plurals. 6: GerundsName of the concept: Gerunds INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET Link to the Grammar in Songs video (gerund starts at 1:42) for students: Meme: Some of you may have made a similar facial expression as this baby when you first learned about gerunds! Video: This video shows some songs that have gerunds in their lyrics. You probably know these songs!Explanation for teachers:Gerunds are a common grammar topic. Students will find the meme funny because of the baby’s facial expression. Introducing gerunds with this song or even just showing it to make the concept come to life will surely motivate our students and help them remember gerunds. The songs that are used in the video are by famous artists such as Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars, so our students are likely to know them, making it easier for them to remember. 7: Two vs. To vs. TooName of the concept: Too vs. to vs. two INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET Link to short video (1:29 min.) that explains the difference between to, two, and too visually! for students: Meme 1: There’s a big difference in meaning between to and too. As you can see on the meme, to funny suggests that you’re going to a place called funny!Meme 2: This shows the confusion that arises around this topic. Using the correct form is very important to make sure other people understand what you are saying.Video: This short video explains the difference between to, two, and too using cool visuals. If you have forgotten the difference, watch this!Explanation for teachers:The difference between two, to and too isn’t always clear. Even native English speakers are prone to make mistakes with these words. These memes and the video will remind our students of the rules regarding this topic, ensuring that they know how to form sentences using to, too, and two correctly!8: Importance of commasName of the concept: Importance of commas INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET Explanation for students: Meme 1: Using a comma makes all the difference in meaning in some sentences like the one on this meme! If you tell someone I’m sorry I love you, you are telling them you regret loving them! Of course, that is not what you mean, you want to apologize to them instead and tell them you love them! That’s what you need the comma for. Meme 2: Again, without the comma the meaning changes completely! If you say let’s eat grandma, you want to eat your grandma! If you say let’s eat, grandma, you are inviting your grandma to join you to eat food together. Explanation for teachers:We often see that students do not understand the importance of correct comma usage. These memes will help them understand why it is so important in a funny way. These would be perfect to hang up in your classroom,9: ConjunctionsName of the concept: Conjunctions Link to the Conjunctions Song: for conjunctions: INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET for students: Song: The conjunctions song explains conjunctions, names them and gives examples! Since it’s a song, you are likely to remember more of the conjunctions!Acronym: This acronym stands for the most common conjunctions. Remembering the word fanboys will help you with remembering the conjunctions as well. Explanation for teachers:The Conjunctions Song explains conjunctions, names them and gives examples in an easy to remember way! It will certainly help our students remember what conjunctions there are and how to use them. The acronym is great to hang up in the classroom so that our students are reminded of the conjunctions regularly. It also helps them remember what the conjunctions are. 10: Parts of SpeechName of the concept: Parts of speech INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET Explanation for students: This poem shows you what parts of speech there are and how they come to life in day to day sentences.Explanation for teachers:This is perfect if you want to use poetry to teach grammar! You can hang this up in the classroom to help your students remember the parts of speech. It names the parts of speech and gives examples of what they look like in common sentences. The use of bold, italic, and color stimulates visual learning. At the same time, it also teaches literary concepts like rhyme. ................
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