ERIC Number: ED380955
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1994
Inspecting Our Own Ideas: A Grammar Self-Study Program for High Ability Students. A Grammar Unit for Grades 4-6.
Thompson, Michael Clay
This unit of study introduces high-ability intermediate-grade students to the aspect of grammar which is usually missing from technically oriented studies of grammar, namely, the wonder and pleasure of grammar or grammar appreciation. It presents grammar as a powerful way for one's mind to make ideas out of language, and a way of inspecting one's own ideas. Many of the facts and concepts of grammar are mentioned to give students a concrete sense of what grammar is and how its elements operate, with the goal of creating an enlightened enthusiasm for the study of ideas in language. There is no strict series of assignments or procedures. The primary activity is for the student to read and to think. The role of the teacher is to act as an encouraging and appreciative mentor, in a manner that is more artistic than methodic. The unit recommends that, after the student completes a reading session, the student and teacher come together and talk about the elements of grammar. Sections of the unit of study address: ideas, language, and grammar; the sentence; clauses; parts of speech; and phrases. A grammar pretest and posttest are provided. (JDD)
Publication Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Practitioners
Sponsor: Department of Education, Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA. School of Education.; Washington-Warren-Hamilton-Essex Counties Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Hudson Falls, NY. Southern Adirondack Educational Center.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: For the unit for grades 7-8, see EC 303 830.