Grasping Grammar Literature, Grammar and the Na3onal Curriculum By James Prowse, St Kevin’s College Who is this Relevant to? Middle Years English Department Coordinators and Teachers This presenta3on will... -­‐  Explain some of the Na3onal Curriculum documents that relate to grammar and how it should be taught in schools -­‐  Propose an alterna3ve paradigm for structuring a coordinated Grammar and Language Skills Unit that can be implemented across a year level. -­‐  Offer a broader, ‘func5onal,’ approach to the tradi3onal Grammar and Language Skills units that are taught in many schools – This breadth allows for a large number of the NATIONAL Curriculum Guidelines’ ‘strands’ and ‘sub-­‐strands’ to be addressed within a single unit. Who is this Relevant to? Year 7 and 8 English Staff -­‐  Give some strategies for shaping lessons with a focus on developing students’ awareness of grammar and the mechanics of language -­‐  Offers a structure that... 1. Engages students in an interes3ng unit of study, 2. Makes ‘grammar lessons’ more palatable than the tradi3onal paradigm of “learn the rules-­‐and-­‐do the exercises” 3. Exposes students to some culturally significant texts 4. Comfortably introduces students to cri3cal thinking skills that relate to language and how it is used in a way that is approachable and s3mula3ng There is nothing revolu3onary about the product I will be presen3ng to you today. This presenta3on simply offers a model for invigora3ng our grammar courses. The paradigm I have followed a^empts to extract the valuable shape and content from “tradi3onal” course structures. At the same 3me, I hope to shi_ the focus of the course to allow for a more comprehensive and ‘fuc3onal’ learning outcome to be achieved. Three li^le words you o_en see Are ARTICLES: a, an, and the. A NOUN's the name of anything, As: school or garden, toy, or swing. ADJECTIVES tell the kind of noun, As: great, small, pre<y, white, or brown. VERBS tell of something being done: To read, write, count, sing, jump, or run. How things are done the ADVERBS tell, As: slowly, quickly, badly, well. CONJUNCTIONS join the words together, As: men and women, wind or weather. The PREPOSITION stands before A noun as: in or through a door. The INTERJECTION shows surprise As: Oh, how pre<y! Ah! how wise! The whole are called the PARTS of SPEECH, Which reading, wri3ng, speaking teach. Na3onal Curriculum – English Year 7 Level Descrip3ons “ The English curriculum is built around the three interrelated strands of Language, Literature and Literacy. Teaching and learning programs should balance and integrate all three strands. Together the strands focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, wri5ng and crea5ng. Learning in English builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and teachers will revisit and strengthen these as needed.” ACARA Na7onal Curriculum So what is a “func3onal approach”? A func8onal approach to grammar is concerned with how language works to achieve various purposes. It takes account of how the contexts in which language is used and the purposes of the users give rise to par8cular texts.... Collerson, 1994 When we consider what kind of grammar best lends itself to teaching in schools, func8onal grammar can be shown to have some advantages over other modern approaches, as well as over tradi8onal approaches. A func8onal grammar is concerned with how language works in rela8on to almost every other aspect of human life. It takes account of the contests in which language is used, the purpose for using it and the resul8ng texts. In other words, it starts with the big picture, with the meanings embodied in texts, rather than with the details of gramma8cal structure. Collerson, 1997 How does the theory work in prac3ce Essen3ally , this ‘func3onal’ approach anchors the study of grammar with a study of LITERATURE. Significantly, the func3onal structure moves away from the tradi3onal structure of teaching each element of gramma3cal syntax, such as verbs, adverbs, adjec3ves..., in discreet isola3on. The tradi3onal structure suggests that each syntac3cal element can be reduced to a neat set of rules. These rules are generally learned in isola3on and only applied to a number of exercises or ac3vi3es based around sentences that test a students ability to apply their short term memory recall of the learned rules. A func3onal approach, however, looks at the way syntax func3ons and is used to make meaning and shape literature or text, and has been shown to have a number of posi3ve outcomes. . . A func3onal approach... ... Uses literature to foster CRITICAL THINKING “(Literature) trains, in a way no other discipline can, intelligence and sensibility together, cul3va3ng sensi3veness and precision of response and a delicate integrity of intelligence” F.R.Leavis, 1943 “What students need...is a kind of knowledge and skill that will enable them to make sense of their worlds, to determine their own interests, both individual and collec3ve, to see through the manipula3ons of all sorts of media, and to express their views in some appropriate manner” Scholes, 1985 In these types of classes students learn grammar in order to make sense of informa3on on a detailed forensic level. This kind of learning is not shallow, nor is it contained in the isola3on of ready packaged, neatly arranged, discreet modules – it is embedded in language, text and culture. A func3onal approach... ... Uses literature to foster CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT “Because literature engages the subjec3ve dimensions of experience in ways that evoke empathy with lives different from our own, it provides a unique and powerful pathway for exploring the rela3on of individuals to the public realm,” Koritz, 2005 By choosing literary works that evoke the deeper sen3ments of the human experience, we can move our students to engage with ideas or perspec3ves that are either foreign or relate to ques3ons with which they themselves are grappling. In doing so, we ‘educate’, drawing forth from our students a deeper connec3on to their studies, making ‘grammar class’ more than simply a cogni3ve task through appealing to an emo3onal or ethical reality as well. A func3onal approach... ... Uses literature to foster INTELLECTUAL EXPLORATION “Literature is a place for playing with knowledge ...To be deprived of literature means to be deprived of a chance to play with and test the paradigms of knowledge of a given period in a manner that is not simply mime3c. At its best, such play can outstrip those paradigms, provoke discoveries, and make connec3ons that cannot easily be made in a laboratory or in everyday life” Bell, 2002 Exposing students to literature in a careful, but rigorous, manner allows them to take part in the sort of intellectual play that can yield new and unforseen connec3ons and learning. By using an esteemed piece of text to engage students with the way in which words, a part of speech or sentence construc3on is controlled, they can see language used at its best, they can model from it and they can then prac3ce manipula3ng its structures to extend their grasp of how to use language themselves. A func3onal approach... ... Uses literature to build BETTER VOCABULRY AND STRUCTURE “Reading may be the most powerful tool we have in langauge educa3on...It is an effec3ve way of increasing literacy and language development, with strong impact of reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and wri3ng...Free reading may also be an important part of the solu3on to two related problems: making the transi3on from the elementary level to authen3c language use, and from ‘conversa3onal’ language ability to ‘academic’ language ability” Krashen, 2003 This is perhaps the most obvious and self explanatory jus3fica3on for using a func3onal approach. By exposing students to gramma3cal structures that are situated in literature, they observe language working, at its best. Increased exposure, when carefully scaffolded can lead to students engaging with and expanding the vocabulary and knowledge of how language and its component parts func3on. t Kpt c
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Year 7 Language Skills Unit Term 1 Lesson 4 -­‐ Adjec3ves Lesson 4-­‐ Adjec3ves Adjec3ves are describing words. They describe or provide informa3on about nouns and pronouns and are o_en words that make wri3ng and reading interes3ng With the use of adjec3ves, a sentence like: The boy walked towards the castle. Can become far more interes3ng and informa3ve: The small, frightened boy walked towards the gloomy, forbidding castle. Read through Percy Shelley’s poem Ozymandias. As a class iden3fy all the adjec3ves and iden3fy the effect that they have on the poem. Adjec3ves in Text A_er reading the poem, listen to this recita3on and use the images to help understand the language of the text Ozymandias Percy Bysshe Shelley Iden3fy all the adjec3ves that help add meaning and detail to the nouns in this poem. Discuss the impact of the adjec3ves and the meaning they convey Adjec3ves in Text -­‐ Ac3vity 1.  Write out a list of all the adjec3ves used in the poem in a column down the le_ hand side of a page in an exercise book. 2.  Next to each of the original adjec3ves write down 3 other adjec3ves that might replace the first in the original poem. 3.  Reconstruct the poem, replacing each original adjec3ve with one of your own. 4.  Observe the subtle difference in meaning that has occurred with the changing of the adjec3ves. Iden3fy one par3cular change that has occurred and write a brief explana3on of the impact of this change under your rewri^en version of the poem Adjec3ves in Text Discuss as a class the symbolism and meaning of the poem, then instruct the students to answer these ques3ons. . . -­‐ Why did King Ozymandias’ build this statue? -­‐ What has happened to the statue and what might have caused this? -­‐  What was King Ozymandias’ grave mistake? -­‐ What might the poet be saying about life? -­‐  What might the statue and the sand each symbolise? -­‐ What might the poet be trying to say about poli3cal power? -­‐ How is the head of this statue described? What is the significance of the adjec3ves used to describe Ozymandias’ decapitated head? Other func3onal approaches to Ozymandias •  The layers of direct speech and narra3ve –  the impact of the pronouns “I” at the start, and then “my” in the voice of Ozymandias •  Constrast sentence lengths: 21-­‐69-­‐3 –  Unpack the effect and potency of descrip3on against the gravity of brevity p h
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Year 7 Language Skills Unit Term 1 Lesson 3 – Indefinite and Definite Ar3cles Definite and Indefinite Ar3cles Definite ar8cle – The “The” signals that a noun is definite, that it refers to one par3cular or unique member of a class. eg: the dog in the park barked at the old man Indefinite ar8cles -­‐ A / An “A” or “an” signals that the noun it modifies is indefinite, that it refers to any member of a class eg: a dog in a park barked at an old man Definite Ar3cles Listen to and read Banjo Pa^erson’s ‘ The Man from Snowy River’. Banjo Pa^erson The Man from Snowy River Iden3fy one stanza where definite ar8cles are par3cularly prominent. Rewrite this stanza by subs3tu3ng the definite ar3cle, “the” for the indefinite ar3cle “a” where possible. Some3me it may be inappropriate for a direct subs3tu3on of “a” for “the”, so in these cases simply eliminate the use of the definite ar3cle The Value of the Definite Ar3cle Comparing your new stanza with the original version, comment on the various func3ons and influences that the definite ar3cle has on the tone of the piece. Key Words -­‐ Specifies, iden3fies, clarifies, . . . It fits. New Stanza There was movement at a sta3on, for word had passed around That a colt from old Regret had got away, And had joined a herd of wild bush horses -­‐ he was worth a thousand pound, So all had gathered for a fray. All tried and noted riders from sta3ons near and far Had mustered at a homestead overnight, For a bushmen loves hard riding where wild bush horses are, And a stockhorse snuffs ba^le with delight. Original Stanza There was movement at the sta3on, for the word had passed around That the colt from old Regret had got away, And had joined the wild bush horses -­‐ he was worth a thousand pound, So all the cracks had gathered to the fray. All the tried and noted riders from the sta3ons near and far Had mustered at the homestead overnight, For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are, And the stockhorse snuffs the ba^le with delight. Indefinite Ar3cles Observe how prominent Indefinite ar8cles are in the 3rd stanza. And one was there, a stripling on a small and weedy beast, He was something like a racehorse undersized, With a touch of Timor pony -­‐ three parts thoroughbred at least -­‐ And such as are by mountain horsemen prized. He was hard and tough and wiry -­‐ just the sort that won't say die -­‐ There was courage in his quick impa3ent tread; And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye, And the proud and lo_y carriage of his head. Rewrite this stanza by subs3tu3ng the indefinite ar3cle, “a” for the definite ar3cle “the” where possible. Some3me it may be inappropriate for a direct subs3tu3on of “the” for “a”, so in these cases simply eliminate the use of the definite ar3cle The Value of the Indefinite Ar3cle Comparing your new stanza with the original version, comment on the various func3ons and influences that the indefinite ar3cle has on the tone of the piece. Key Words -­‐ Uncertainty, ambiguity, indis3nctness. . . It fits. New Stanza Original Stanza And one was there, the stripling on the small and weedy beast, He was something like the racehorse undersized, With the touch of Timor pony -­‐ three parts thoroughbred at least -­‐ And such as are by mountain horsemen prized. He was hard and tough and wiry -­‐ just the sort that won't say die -­‐ There was courage in his quick impa3ent tread; And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye, And the proud and lo_y carriage of his head. And one was there, a stripling on a small and weedy beast, He was something like a racehorse undersized, With a touch of Timor pony -­‐ three parts thoroughbred at least -­‐ And such as are by mountain horsemen prized. He was hard and tough and wiry -­‐ just the sort that won't say die -­‐ There was courage in his quick impa3ent tread; And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye, And the proud and lo_y carriage of his head. So, did I succeed? At the end of the session you will... In a weeks 8me you will... In a month you will... Have renewed your belief in the reasons why we teach English. Hopefully you will also have found a new way to reveal the riches of our area of study to your students. Have a set of tools (some strategies and some ac3vi3es) to take to the next curriculum planning mee3ng for the Middle Years English Syllabus with which to renovate your Introductory units. Have augmented, tailored and refined the framework of a 5 week long unit of work. Acquainted yourself with the complete set of resources, ready for your classes come the start of term 1. What I have presented may be drama3cally different to what the textbooks offer, although I think they are catching up. It is rigorous and, in my experience, highly engaging. Hopefully you will have enough a_er this seminar to be able to walk energe3cally into your next mee3ng and declare a revolu3on. Maybe not. But these resources could change a few of your classes I will try to arrange to have as many resources rela3ng to this unit of work uploaded onto the inter-­‐web by VATE so you can be fully ki^ed-­‐out come the end of term, and the start of next year. In case you s3ll feel like you’re about to walk away with nothing. Read on. I have one more story! It happened on camp... References and Handy Resources ACARA – Na3onal Curriculum – English – F to Yr 10 h^p://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Curriculum/F-­‐10?
layout=4#level=7 Literature and Stylis3cs for Language Learners : Theory and Prac3ce -­‐Edited by Greg Watson and Sonia Zyngier. Teaching Literature in a Second Language -­‐ Brian Parkinson and Helen Reid Thomas. Teaching Literature in the Languages : Expanding the Literary Circle Through Student Engagement -­‐ Kimberly A. Nance.