CTAP7.org

TeachingEnglish Mastery Using Imagery

Why is it every Fall, teachers teach

nouns...

and it seems likea totally newthing for kids?

Most kids know thatadjective or adverbmeans “modify” -

BUT can they apply* this knowledge?

*Write an adverb in a sentence?

I’ve literally waved a $20 bill around in

class, but still can’t get a real world

answer from kids

What does modify MEAN?

Here’s the problem:

Everyone is followingthe book too closely

Here’s the problem:

All our textbooks are built on a “spiral up”

model of learning

Here’s the problem:

That means 3 or 4 weeks of nouns, 3 or 4 weeks of

verbs, and then the same routine next year

Here’s the problem:

That means no mastery

No “automaticity”

No time for constructivism

The major difference mentioned in the reports is that the U.S. curricular materials are "a mile wide and an inch deep". By this is meant that the curricula in the U.S. presents many topics, but no subject is covered in any depth and there is very little difference in the emphasis between subjects. Because the study was able to look at students in both 7th and 8th grades, it was possible to see if there are any gains in subject matter competency between these grades. In several countries, students showed gains in some subjects, mostly those that had been covered in some depth in their schools. In the U.S., by contrast, no subjects showed a gain in knowledge and skill.

http://www.aps.org/units/fed/newsletters/aug98/timss2.html

Read it:A Splintered Vision:An Investigation of U.S. Science and Mathematics Education.

We have the same structural problems in ELA

Back to work!

There’s a fix

Start with a good picture:

Start with a good picture:

Can of latex paint

Little brother

Add some scaffolding:

Put the picture up on your projector and start modeling

Boys in trouble

Boys in trouble

smilingproudly

playingbusily

Let’s work on Verbs and Adverbs

Boys in trouble

smilingproudly

playingbusily

How about Nouns and Verbs- easy!

Billy

paintpainter

white

Boys in trouble

smilingproudly

playingbusily

Prepositions - the key is position

Billy

paintpainter

white

in, around

Boys in trouble

smilingproudly

playingbusily

Interjection - one word with punctuation

Billy

paintpainter

white

in, around

HEY!

Boys in trouble

smilingproudly

playingbusily

Conjunctions- and, but, or (not in list form)

Billy

paintpainter

white

in, around

HEY!

and, but, or

Boys in trouble

smilingproudly

playingbusily

Pronouns- short name for a group

Billy

paintpainter

white

in, around

HEY!

and, but, or

he

Boys in trouble

smilingproudly

playingbusily

Analogy - start with simile, give the kids time

Billy

paintpainter

white

in, around

HEY!

and, but, or

he

white as a ghost

It’s EASY with Pictures!

Do this daily for 3-4 weeks

(get the grade level below you to do this

and see a difference next year, too)

But wait, there’s more!

We need to write our paragraph

Boys in trouble

smilingproudly

playingbusily

A quick little paragraph, full of the parts of speech

Billy

paintpainter

white

in, around

HEY!

and, but, or

he

white as a ghost

HEY! Dad yelledwhen he saw Billy the painter, who was busily playing.

There was white paint all around the room and Billy was proudly smiling, but dad was as white as a ghost.

+

Good modeling Good visuals

=Amazing results

A couple of words of caution:

The first lessons take time - it’s about reps

Don’t ruin it! Know when to take a break

Follow the: I do, we do, you do model(give loads of input at first,

after a while, none)

Want the whole thing?http://ctap7.pbwiki.com/Tech-Integration#nbsp8p%E2%80%A2ARTSLearningGrammarwithPictures

http://ctap7.pbwiki.com/Tech-Integration

Or

Search for: 8 p•ARTS - Learning Grammar with Pictures

CTAP7.org

Keep doing 8 p•ARTS until everyone gets an A

Move to Sentence Parts(also at CTAP7.org)

Spend the rest of the yearREALLY teaching