Your bright and eager students make my heart soar! What blessings they are! Thank you for entrusting them to me each week. I hope you witness their language arts grammar and writing skills grow by leaps and bounds during this year we spend together!
This week at home, pull out those Student EEL Task Sheets. Completing Tasks 1 through 3, teach and use simple sentences to review and reinforce what we've learned the first three weeks in class.
PLEASE NOTE: Sample sentences are listed at the end of Lesson 3. You'll notice that all sample sentences are classified, diagrammed, modified and QeQ'd just for you, giving you the answers you need to complete every step on the Student EEL Task Sheet. Even though we've only introduced Tasks 1 through 3 in class, you may go further at home if you wish. Even if you don't officially pass Step 3, you could use these answers to help review concepts we discussed in class, such as deciding the person, number and tense of a verb; whether a noun is proper or common; or what type of pronoun is used.
Two things are most important this week. One, I want students to become comfortable identifying the simple S-Vi sentence pattern. Two, I want them to get into the habit of identifying the subject and verb of a sentence by asking the questions, "Who or what is this sentence about?" and "What is (subject) doing?"
To aid them in learning these two things, I handed out a chart in class class called "Simple Steps for Solving Sentences." This chart is my own one-page version of the four-page document in the reference section of the EEL Guide. Use Steps 5, 6 and 7 of this chart at home this week to help them establish the habit of asking questions to identify subjects, verbs and the S-Vi pattern.
Here's how the conversation should go with our sample sentence, "Jesus wept."
Parent: Look at Step 5 on your chart. Let's answer the question, "Who or what is this sentence about?"
Student: Jesus.
Parent: That's right. Label "Jesus" as your subject noun (sn).
Parent: Now look at Step 6. What is Jesus doing?
Student: Weeping. (Or wept.)
Parent: Exactly. Label "wept" as your verb (V).
Parent: Now let's ask, "Jesus wept what?" Can we answer that question?
Student: Well, I guess he wept tears.
Parent: Yes, he probably did, but does our sentence tell us that?
Student: No. It only says he wept.
Parent: Right. So can we answer the question "Jesus wept what?"
Student: No.
Parent: Correct. Good job. So, in Step 7 on your chart, what does it mean if we don't have an answer?
Student: It means the verb is intransitive.
Parent: Exactly. And what kind of sentence pattern do you have?
Student: Subject-Verb intransitive (S-Vi).
Parent: Perfect. Now, just for fun, let's talk about what kind of noun "Jesus" is...
And so on!
Whew! Moving on to IEW...
In IEW Lesson 3, we're transitioning from poems to paragraphs. Students are responsible for writing a paragraph based on the key word outline we completed in class and the brainstorming they do at home. IEW is stressing the importance of creative titles in this lesson, and I will reward the MOST CREATIVE TITLE in class next week with a BONUS TICKET.
While you should review vocabulary each day, I'd suggest the following writing schedule at home this week.
- Wednesday -- As suggested in Step 1 of this week's assignment, cover the source text and use your key word outline to orally summarize the paragraph. Then use page 17 to brainstorm strong verbs, -ly words and quality adjectives.
- Thursday -- Follow Step 4 to write a rough draft. Note the structure reminders: indention and double-spacing.
- Friday -- Revise and rewrite! I believe parents should be involved in this step (lots of dialog and Q&A) here 1) to ensure correct grammar, spelling and punctuation; 2) to praise what's great; and 3) to help brainstorm improvement for what could be better. Don't forget to take advantage of the "Proofreading Marks" chart I gave them in class to note corrections on their rough drafts.
- Monday -- Use the checklist on page 19 to check structure and label dress-ups. Illustrate paragraphs, complete the checklist, and attach it to final papers to turn in to me on Tuesday.
Once again, don't forget to hand in a completed checklist, and remind them to put their names and a date on their papers.
See most of you Tuesday!
Long-winded but hopefully helpful,
Erin
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