Are you tired of listening to your English teacher drone on about boring grammar lessons taken out of your textbook? Are you frustrated when you get a paper back with confusing grammatical corrections made to it? Did you always wish you could learn valuable grammar rules on the internet? Well your wish has finally been granted.
Your mission is to complete this Grammar Quest. This quest will challenge you to focus on your sentences. By the end of this quest, you will successfully be able to combine sentences and vary the beginning of your sentences. This quest will start you on your way to writing like the popular authors Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe and Agatha Christie.
You will be surfing the web and researching captivating and thrilling power point presentations; those difficult grammar rules will become second nature, just like riding a bike. By the end of your quest, you will create a fun and educational presentation for those confused souls who yearn to understand grammar's mysteries.
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You will be put into pairs or small groups.
Each pair will be assigned to one of the following grammatical terms and must research the term through the provided links.
While researching your grammatical link, take notes in your notebook on:
Once your group has researched your assigned grammatical term and completely understands its function, you are required to turn your knowledge into a creative project that will be presented to our class. It is now time for you to become the teacher. Choose one of the following forms to teach your term:
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***Each presentation will be videotaped and shown to other classes in order to help your fellow students learn the same grammar rules you once struggled to understand. ***
In the table below you must find your group number. The grammatical term that corresponds to your group number is the term you will eventually be presenting to the class. Each link will provide a power point presentation through which each term will be defined and explained.
In addition to researching your specific link, go to the website http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/powerpoint.htm
At the very bottom of this website you will find three helpful links: Guide to Grammar and Writing, Principles of Composition and the Index. These sections will help you understand how to use these terms when varying the beginning of your sentences and when combining sentences.
The first 4 groups will be using the following grammatical terms to understand how to change the beginning of your sentences.
| GROUPS | GRAMMATICAL
TERMS and PARTS OF SPEECH |
ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ANSWER |
LINKS |
| #1 |
ADVERBS |
What are they? How do you use them to vary the beginning of your sentences? | |
#2 |
APPOSITIVES |
What are they? How do you use them to vary the beginning of your sentences? |
|
#3 |
VERBS
/ PARTICIPAL PHRASE |
What are they? How do you use them to vary the beginning of your sentences? | |
#4 |
PREPOSITIONS |
What are they? How do you use them to vary the beginning of your sentences? |
The last 5 groups will be using the following grammatical terms to understand how to combine sentences.
GROUPS |
GRAMMATICAL TERMS AND PARTS OF SPEECH | ESSENTIAL
QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ANSWER |
LINKS |
#5 |
CLAUSE / PHRASE and SUBORDINATE CLAUSES | What is a clause? What is a phrase? How do you use a subordinate clause to combine sentences? | |
#6 |
CLAUSE / PHRASE and COORDINATING CONJUCTIONS | What is a clause? What is a phrase? How do you use a coordinating conjunction to combine sentences? | |
#7 |
CLAUSE / PHRASE and SUBJUNCTIVE ADVERBS | What is a clause? What is a phrase? How do you use a subjunctive adverb to combine sentences? | |
#8 |
CLAUSE / PHRASE and SEMI-COLONS | What is a clause? What is a phrase? How do you use a semi-colon to combine sentences? | |
#9 |
CLAUSE / PHRASE and RELATIVE CLAUSES | What is a clause? What is a phrase? How do you use a relative clause to combine sentences? |
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***All links (except for What's the Point) lead to http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/powerpoint.htm.***
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As a final culmination of our grammar quest and as a way to prove how much you have learned, you must write a paragraph that is a minimum of 6 sentences. Within this paragraph, you need to include at least 3 ways to combine or begin sentences applying the grammatical terms we have learned.
Suggested topics:
GRADING RUBRIC FOR INDIVIDUAL WORK
CONTENT
GRAMMAR
If you are just starting out, play the Bling Bling Grammar Game Level 1.
For a more challenging game, play Bling Bling Grammar Game Level 2.
Click on the link below in order to locate the rubric from which you will be graded. Please take these categories into consideration when preparing your presentations. Also, any class time that is used to prepare your presentation will be included in your grade.
Power Point presentations taken from:
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/powerpoint.htm
Pictures taken from:
http://school.discovery.com/clipart/
http://school-clip-art.com/graduation_clipart.shtml
Motion banners (Bling Bling Grammar Thing, Introduction, Task, Procedure: Group Work, Procedure: Individual Work, Evaluation of Oral Presentation, and Conclusion) created at:
http://www.animationfactory.com/sales/use.htm
Grading Rubric created at:
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
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