Student

Mrs. Spillane
English I
October 11, 2001

A Strike Out!

Tears of a Tiger is about a boy, named Andy who thinks his is

doing well in life. Then he “gets a strike” by having beer and

then driving. His second strike is when his best friend, Robert

Washington, and captain of the high school’s basketball team dies

in his car crash. Andy’s third strike and is actually a strike out to

his life is all his issues dealing with his friend’s death. All of these

strikes lead him through great remorse in his social, school, and

reality life.

Passive Verbs Active Verbs

 Students say school
is boring.

• Ignore errors
- called “Benign Neglect”
- give students a chance to develop their message
1. Add a participle (-ing verbs): - focus on writing strategies and generating writing
Yawning, students say school is boring.
• Focus Grading/Responding
2. Add an absolute (noun + ing/ed verb): - focus on content, correctness or a combination
Attention flagging, students say school is boring. - be selective marking errors
- focus on ONE or TWO kinds of errors and ignore others
3. Add an appositive (a noun set off by commas):
Students say school, a learning factory, is boring. • Become a Teacher Researcher
- analyze student errors for patterns
4. Add adjectives shifted out of order (adjective noun, adj. & - discover/uncover errors in student thinking or back
adj,): ground knowledge
Disengaged students, unmotivated and uninterested, say
- plan strategic instruction based on observed error patterns
school is boring.

5. Add an action verb (replace to be verbs with action):

Students say school, perpetual boredom, silences their
curiousity. (Rosen, 1998)
activity based on Noden, Harry. (1999). Image Grammar. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
SENTENCE VARIETY:
Adjectives Shifted
Participle Absolute Appositive Out of Order
Action Verbs

What is
it?

Example

My
Sentence
Rewrites
 1. Participles: 2. Absolutes: 3. Appositives 4. Adjectives 5. Action
ing verbs noun + ing/ed shifted out of Verbs
verb • gives the order
• evoke action reader more • uses active vs.
• create details • spotlights an passive voice
• paint more dynamic images • add a second image • speeds up the
detailed image to a noun • intensifies an action
pictures • zoom in on • add sensory image • adds motion
details details • adds rhythm • gives “life” to
• single inanimate
particple = objects
rapid
movement

• expanded
phrases =
slower paced

Noden, Harry. 1999. Image Grammar. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemman, p. 4-10.

 LIST OF RELATED CITATIONS

“GRAMMAR FOR DUMMIES! What is teaching Grammar in Context?”

Presented by Lee Ann Spillane, Ed.S., NBCT

Allen, Janet. (1995). It’s Never Too Late. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Hillocks, George Jr. (1986). Research on Written Composition: New Directions for
Teaching. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English

Hillocks, G. Jr. and Smith, M.W. (1991). “Grammar and Usage.” In J. Flood, J.M.
Jensen, D. Lapp and J.R. Squire (eds) Handbook of Research on Teaching the English
Language Arts (591-603).

Noden, Harry. (1999). Image Grammar: Using Grammatical Structures to Teach

Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Routman, Regie. (1994). Invitations. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Weaver, Constance. (1996). Teaching Grammar in Context. Portsmouth, NH:

Heinemann.

Weaver, Constance. (1998). Lessons to Share: On Teaching Grammar in Context.

Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Wyse, Dominig. (December 2001). “Grammar for Writing? A Critical Review of

Empirical Evidence.” British Journal of Educational Studies, 49, (4) 411-427.

Zemelman, S. Daniels, H. & Hyde, A. (1993). Best Practices. Portsmouth, NH:

Heinemann.

Complete Bibliography Available Online at:

http://www.laspillane.org