• to increase the ability to identify adverbs of time, place,
and manner
• to develop the ability to differentiate between adverbs and
adjectives
Summary
"The Case of the Hidden Adverbs" uses a mystery theme
to help students "detect" adverbs. The note at the top of the first
activity page contains dot patterns which, when connected, spell out the three
questions that are answered by the adverbs "when," "where,"
and "how:' The student then looks for hidden adverbs in a word-search
puzzle and writes them in the appropriate blanks under the puzzle.
The exercise on page 2 is worked in two steps. The student
first underlines the adverb found in each sentence, then indicates if it is an
adverb of time, place, or manner by writing it on a line under the correct
heading at the bottom of the page.
The last activity page contains an exercise which gives
practice in differentiating between adverbs and adjectives. Working with sets
of sentences, the student locates the adjective in the first sentence, and
writes it in adverbial form in the second sentence.
INTRODUCTION
The Grammarifics program
is a multimedia series of 12 lessons designed to supplement and individualize
language instruction for students in grades 4 through 6, and for those at ages
12 to adult in need of remedial help. Each lesson in the program consists of
audio media and three reproducible activity sheets. The audio combines expert
instruction in grammar and usage with themes that are relevant to the interests
of students in the intermediate grades. Central to the program is the
development of the students' communication skills. This is accomplished through
analysis of sentence structure, information of generalizations concerning
English usage, and the application of those generalizations in exercises which
stimulate students' interest.
The program
concentrates on nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives. Many important
sub-skills related to these parts of speech are also presented. Each
audio-directed lesson begins with a lively introduction focusing on a theme
which should be familiar to most students. Special effects and dialogue are
often used to heighten students' interest in the material to be learned. The
narrators then guide the students through written exercises on the activity
sheets. Found on many of the activity sheets is a block of content material.
The narrator helps the students analyze the content material, draw valid
conclusions, and apply the content to the exercises presented on the activity
sheets.
Every effort has been
made to make all elements of the program enjoyable and meaningful. All lessons are
self-directing and self-correcting. This allows students to work through the
lessons at an independent rate and to evaluate their performances privately.
The narrators give complete instructions for doing the exercises on the
activity sheets. Games, puzzles, secret messages, codes, newspaper ads, and
lively illustrations are just a few of the techniques used to create interest
in the lessons. Two lessons are devoted to each part of speech covered in the
program. The parts of speech may be studied in any order, depending upon the
preparation of the individual student. The audio, which deals with each part of
speech, however, should be used in sequence. Lessons 11 and 12, "Putting
It All Together—Parts I and II," contain a complete review of the concepts
presented in the first 10 lessons of Grammarifics. These lessons should be used
after the student has worked through the first 10 lessons of the program.
USING THE PROGRAM
The Audio
The audio lessons in
Grammarifics employ a variety of motivational techniques which are designed to
capture and hold the interest of students. Each audio begins with music,
special audio effects, or a short vignette played out by characters. The
students are then carefully guided through the entire lesson by professional
narrators who use a friendly, positive approach to language instruction. Timed
pauses are programmed into the audio to allow the students to complete brief
responses on the activity sheets. However, when more than a few seconds are
needed to complete a response or to read over specific material, an electronic
tone built into the audio signals the students to stop the player. Students
should be reminded that they may stop the audio whenever additional response
time is needed, or replay any material they may wish to hear. The use of
headsets is recommended to avoid distracting other students in the classroom
and to reinforce the interaction between student and narrator. The running time
of the audio averages approximately 20 minutes. The average working time of each
lesson is about 30 minutes. It should be remembered that this time is only an
approximation. Since the student stops and starts the audio several 'times
during the course of each lesson to read material or to complete exercises, the
actual time needed will depend on the student's working speed.
The Activity Sheets
Three illustrated
activity sheets are used in each lesson of the program. All activities are
completed by the student as the audio presentation progresses. The responses
for these activities are checked and corrected by the student through answers
given by the narrators. The activity sheets offer a variety of skill-building
games and enjoyable written activities to increase the student's understanding
of parts of speech. All exercises are closely correlated with the audio
instructions.
The Teacher's Guide
This guide contains
individual summaries of the 12 lessons in the program. Each summary lists the
skills objectives of the lesson, a description of each written activity, and
reproductions of all student activities with answers overprinted. Included in
the final pages of this guide are several creative follow-up activities which
may be used with small groups of students to reinforce the skills taught in the
program.
Lesson 1: Fun with Nouns!Using Singular and Plural Nouns !Recognizing Common Nouns and Proper Nouns !Capitalizing NounsObjectives to reinforce the abi..