I'm not sure where the state of our nation stands on this one, but I believe in PA grammar is 'dead'.
While my daughter does have "grammar" class in fourth grade, it doesn't seem like they are actually teaching them the rules of grammar, let alone the parts of speech. For example, I feel that they are expected to write and know prepostional phrases, yet I don't believe they have ever been taught what a preposition or prepositional phrase is.
In talking to a friend that teaches fifth grade in another district she said that prepositional phrases are taught in fifth grade IF they get to them.
I remember growing up having to know the parts of speech and how to diagram a sentence. It seems today they expect our kids to be able to run (write) before they can even walk.
Llast week sentences came home that the students were expected to rewrite and correct. Two of them contained imperative sentences. I asked my daughter if she even knew who the subject of the sentence was, of course not. So how can they be expected to complete this assignment? Another sentence contained an implied "that".
From what I have gathered from talking to this teacher, the state's cirriculum has gotten away from teaching grammr but essentially expects them to learn it from their reading.
I realize that I am probably the only one that cares, but is it really like this everywhere? Originally I thought it was an issue with the school, but it seems to be much larger and possibly a flaw in the state's curriculum. Am I the only one who sees it (and again cares!)?
Cursive is another one. They taught cursive in 2nd grade, but apparently each of the three teachers had their own 'spin' on it. In 3rd grade cursive was basically out of the curriculum. They maybe did 4 assignments the entire year that had to be written in cursive.
Now this year in 4th grade her one teacher says that studies show better cursive writers are better readers (something about flow of words...) So now EVERYTHING has to be written in cursive and she is a stickler for form. I think it is ridiculous when the kids are so worried about form that the capitalization, organization, punctuation, and spelling start to suffer.
As you can see fourth grade is a tough year for me LOL ;-)
You aren't the only one that cares. The lack of proper grammar instruction makes me so sad. I can't understand why people don't think it is important. I'm right there with you :(
I know. I'm a Spanish teacher, and it's awfully hard to teach it in another language when they don't have the basics in English.
And by the way - it's a difficult subject! For example, you said "...a friend that teaches..." and "...the only one that cares...." -- and in both cases, "that" should be "who" since the noun is a person!
So while you're critiquing the school system's curriculum, you should petition for an adult ed class that would help parents immensely and make them better able to assist their children. And I also read a lot of responses from teachers on this site, and I'm not sure the teachers have a full mastery of the subject. It's epidemic.
You are not the only one who cares, believe me. I care tremendously. I also care about proper spelling and punctuation, to top it all off. I don't like to be a Nazi, but seeing all the crazy grammar and spelling on here DRIVES ME NUTS. I mean, we are supposed to be mothers, and a large population of us seem not to care at all about how we present ourselves.
This fast-paced, hurry up, let's go technological age we are living in has contributed to this problem as far as children are concerned...seems like they're being taught to take shortcuts whenever possible. I think that's sad.
I am homeschooling my children with the K12 program (available in most states, I think) through MN Virtual Academy. So far, I've found that the K12 curriculum has an excellent language arts program, but my oldest is only in second grade. However, she is learning nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, etc...and my hope is that they will continue into advanced grammar and sentence structure in the later grades.
I am also in the process of honing my Spanish speaking skills for necessary reasons, and I've found that I HAVE to have a good understanding of grammar rules or I would be completely lost. So can I tell you what a reflexive pronoun is...or a word in it's preterite form? Yup. But I believe a large percentage of the population would not be able to...it's becoming a lost art.
I think most people feel that if you can speak it and write it well enough to be understood, who cares "why" you write it a certain way or how you are "supposed" to spell it or structure it.
But again...I see it, and care. I'm with you. :)
(Just saw your SWH...okay, they teach cursive in my daughter's curriculum beginning in third grade, but you know what they DON'T teach? In an online school? TYPING. Go figure.)
ITs a fifth grade thing in our district and it is TOUGH! I seriously forgot how hard it is. My son is really struggling with it-and its the first time that he has found anything in school the least bit difficult. I wish that they taught it by diagramming like they used to . It was a better way to break it apart and have it make a little more sense.
I have been using this site and like it so far.
http://www.grammarbook.com/
Well, I teach AP Language (11th grade AP English) in Texas, and have been appalled by my students' lack of grammar knowledge for years. I have hope, though. My third grade son has already learned the basics of the parts of speech, and knows the different types of sentences. His teacher is something of a grammar Nazi, and I love it. She sends home her lesson plans, and shows where grammar is required by the state curriculum, so it's not just that she likes grammar; it is required. My third grader has certainly learned more grammar at school than my 9th grader had learned (at school) by that point. Hopefully I will start to see the benefits in my students soon.
I totally agree. Bad grammer drives me nutty ( and it's a short drive). To me bad grammer is like fingernails down a blackboard. It honestly hurts my ears.
Hi! You can always go over parts of speech at home so your daughter will be better prepared for school and life in general. For the time spent learning at home, you could develop a reward system so that she is motivated to learn. I am currently teaching my 9 year-old how to read and write in cursive as it is no longer part of the curriculum here in Tennessee, but I feel that he should be adept in that area. Good luck to you!
They will tell you with a straight face computers correct grammar. Don't know if you have ever used the grammar check but no it does not!
I am probably going to have to ruin their summer going into high school with some learning center all summer. I know I can't teach them. I do not know, nor do I care, where my participles are dangling. :-/
Our 1st graders learn prepositions at the end of the year. 2nd grade just did it a few weeks ago.
Oh holy heck.....I use k12 as my homeschooling option and I HATE their language curriculum. Okay, I hate it cause if I'm gonna be honest: I don't remember any of it and they are heavy into it. Their parents guide sucks, so I find myself internet searching trying to make sense of it.
Then there is my 18 year old DD, who is very helpful, but does say a lot of what k12 ask's they were never taught. She took one of my 6th grade sons test, just to see what she would get, and she failed it (it's okay it can be retaken). She felt rather dumb lol
Cursive is also taught, but my 3rd grader loves to do it so she practices on her own. I got some erasable books for her to use as practice.
So I see it, yet I'm not really sure how important it is.....okay that's my mommy confession for the day ;)
You know, I don't remember learning grammar until fifth grade and up, and that was in private school.
Teachers are no longer the curriculum--state mandated tests are. This fact kills the spirit of real, old-school educators. If grammar is not a big emphasis on the test--then you will need to teach it at home. Unfortunate but true.
They want the children to first focus on the creative parts of writing before they start the technical parts of writing. The technical aspects are easier to learn if the child has had lots of exposure to the written word before instruction.
