Grammar Time

My co-op and I have started the grammar unit for our classes. While most English teachers, along with their students, dread this part of the year, I am mildly enthusiastic about it. Fortunately, I am right in the middle of Transformational Grammar, so all of the concepts being taught are fresh in my head. More importantly, I have alternative methods to help the students understand traditional grammar concepts, particulary the functions of parts of speech, thanks to Shields. On Monday of this week, I watched my co-op teach noun functions to the first two periods, and I then taught the remaining classes. As I was watching him, I was frustrated to see that he was mutilating certain grammatical concepts, specifically indirect objects (he kept confusing them with objects of prepositions). Anyway, when I took over, I tried, perhaps unsuccessfully, to give the students a variety of methods to identify the functions, often resorting to what Shields has told us in class. I think the most motivating part of the lesson, for me, was that I was implementing more contemporary strategies within traditional grammar, and I felt as though I was rebeling against our schools' preposterous infatuation with traditionally taught grammar. I always imagined myself being one of the teachers who held contempt towards teaching grammar, but after Monday I feel confident that I might be able to succeed in this content area and helps students gain a practical appreciation for it as well.