The reading summary is done by: Simone Williams (ENGL300-1) and Zach Xanders (ENGL300-2)
Due by class time on: Monday, Feb. 14th, 2011
The responses by the whole class are due by class time on: Wed., Feb. 16th, 2011
The text you need to read is here.
By: Simone Williams
Have you ever been in class learning, but once you stepped outside the classroom, it seemed as if that knowledge never existed? This is one of the problems that is explained in John Berger's reading "A Systematic Approach to Grammar Instructions." Berger starts the article off by stating his goal of wanting to develope his middle school students into better writers. It seemed as though the minilessons and conferences were not enough. Mainly because he still found grammatical errors in the writings of the children. His solution was to create "a systematic approach to teaching conventions of punctuation and techniques of sentence combining." The purpose of this program was to measure increase of knowledge. Test what was learned prior to and after and record his/her progress.
Paying close attention to the students writing, Berger noticed that a major issue with the sudents writing was punctuation itself. Most students did not know where to correctly place semicolons or commons in a sentence, or which to use. So, he demonstrated different ways in which to break down this method into simple terms so the students understand it better.
Ex. When the narrator of "The Tell-Tale Heart" begins his story he is very calm and quiet.
There should be a comma placed after story. It is placed in that specific spot for the simple fact that it contains an adverb clause which is "when" and it appears first in the sentence.
Ex. The door makes a little noise so the old man opens his eyes.
In this case the sentence is a compound sentence, so there should be a comma placed after the word noise.
I do think the focal point of the article was to get us to get more familiar with using punctuation correctly. Even though the article focused more so on seventh and eighth graders, I myself still sometimes have problems using the correct punctuation at the correct times. Reason being because it has been quite a while since I have taken an English course that focuses on punctuation and grammar. I guess you can say that I fall into that category of people where that knowledge never seemed to exist once I left the classroom. I tend to forget little things as such. Once a person is exposed to those mistakes, it tends to stick with them more. Getting people more familiar with punctuation and grammar and correctly using them just make you have more appreciation for grammar.
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by: Zach Xanders
In Berger’s article, “A Systematic Approach to Grammar Instruction,” her main intention is to get her students to write better and using the standards conventions of English and grammar. The standard conventions of English usage are seen through other literary contexts and other example sentences, which Berger makes up for challenging the students’ comprehension of the material. Berger claims that (some) students attempt complex sentences because they are reading literature, which uses English in a complex way. Half of the battle is getting the kids to recognize the mistakes in attempting to write complexly; the other half seems to lie with the kid and his/her battle to apply the lesson(s) in a meaningful, more simplistic way. The grammar comes in after the student has been introduced to the ideas and terminologies behind the standard conventions. Berger claims that her students learn things better in this self-interested, simplified fashion.
While Berger’s goal “get students to write better” seems very simple, she realizes that life outside of her class can complicate her inclination. With this in mind, Berger created a more organized schedule for her 7th and 8th graders to follow (which her colleagues backed her up on). In this schedule, a new concept or grammar instruction is taught to the students. Berger also makes sure to use several other teaching methods to keep her students interactive. She will give her students lists of signal words to recognize what to look for in popular grammar mistakes. For example, she suggests for students look for the words “and”, “but”, and “or” when dealing with compound sentences. After adding conventions of teaching punctuation and techniques of sentence combing, Berger’s results were positive in her students’ work. For example, Devi Chari (student of Berger) not only could recognize what was wrong within grammar context but also could apply the conventions using correct terminology. Berger mentions that not all of her students are this successful but believes the amount learned is sometimes up to the student.
But even then, the overall results concluded that the current students were much better off with Berger’s new system than the previous students were with her old conventions (mini lessons and individual conferences. Berger writes this article very carefully and just the way she would want her students to write – simplistic and with recognition to correctness concerning every concept she instructs. She really goes after her one goal: “write better”. I really wish I could have participated in a program, which exemplified in more grammar concentration. I’m sure the “honors” English program at my high school was something more similar to Berger’s techniques but I feel like the regular programs should offer the same practices.
The two summaries that Simone and Zach wrote were very informative. Just like Macrorie makes his point across about grammar, Berger here states that students don't know where to place proper punctuation in sentences. She also mentions in her article that her goal is to get students to write better and use the standard conventions of English and grammar. What this means is that she challenges her students through her literary works and other example sentences that she uses to see how much her students comprehend what they are faced with. I find this very true because when I proofread my classmates work, they have numerous mistakes that deal with punctuation. Berger's way of implementing new ways of writing and how to properly punctuate in sentences has been very successful through her program that helps students 'correct their mistakes.' I think it is very important for others to be educated in this matter because punctuation helps create our sentences even if we don't realize it. The placing of semi colons, colons, commas, periods, hyphens, etc. help us understand what the sentence is conveying and how to 'read' the sentence.
ReplyDeleteThis article is about using a systematic approach to learning English writing skills and grammar. Berger believes that most kids are just leaving the classroom and forgetting everything they're learning about grammar and writing. To fix this, Berger believes that a more systematic approach to learning will help them focus on getting their writing and grammar correct by not worrying about writing in a complex way. Writing in a more simplistic manner will help the kids to focus on the proper sentence structure and grammar and less on making their paper sound complex.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, "A Systematic Approach to Grammar Instruction”, Joan Berger talks about her frustration with her 7th and 8th grade students’ grammar mistakes. Berger says after countless mini lessons and conferences she decided to change her teaching plan in hope of expanding her students’ abilities. I like that Berger gave her students tips and tricks to look for, while correcting their grammar. I believe it is very useful, and helps one memorize corrections. I always love to hear that teachers are constantly trying to better their students, and will change the itinerary, in order to increase learning results. I also found it interesting that Devi Chari, an 8th grade student, found several of her own mistakes on old papers, and felt accomplished by improving her grammar. I also liked that Berger didn't try to complicate something that should be easy. Sometimes, I feel that teachers make lessons harder than they need to be, by over explaining or giving to many exceptions to the rules.
ReplyDeleteThe summaries done by Simone Williams and Zach Xanders were really great. The layout of both of there summaries showed me that they read, which is why in Berger's article, "A Systematic Approach to Grammar Instruction." The article talks about how how Berger wants to challenge his students to write better by using the standards conventions of English and grammar. Paying close attention to the students writing Berger noticed that a major issue with his students was punctuation. Lastly the two main aricles of the two were absolutely great!
ReplyDeleteBoth of these summaries were interesting and portrayed the article in two different lights. The summary by Simone began well with examples to help the readers but ended with her own experiences and opinion. The same goes for Zach Xanders, he stayed on topic until the end of his summary where he ventured off. In my opinion the article was good, mainly because I love to hear that the teacher truly cares for her students. Her enthusiasm and willingness to adjust her teaching methods are qualities that students and other teachers appreciate.
ReplyDeleteI find Berger's article to be very interesting, However, even the name " A Systematic Approach to Grammar Instruction" frankly sounds a little too systematic. If the approach can avoid being too formulaic it seems like it can be effective. I suppose I could have benefitted from instruction like this to improve my own sentence structure.
ReplyDeleteBerger's article was interesting, and addresses an issue that needs to be addressed. Classrooms/teachers today need to form to student's today, and not use the same old methods as before. I think I could have used Berger's instruction with punctuation, because I still do not know where and why certain punctuations go where. Moreover, it makes deciding when/where to use certain punctuations a guessing game. I noticed that in the first summary Berger was addressed as a man, and in the second summary Berger was referred to as a woman.
ReplyDeleteI really wish I had learned more about punctuation in high school. Until recently, I didn't know what semicolons were for; I try and use them as much as possible, now. I took a forms of fiction class last semester and learned about how punctuation can be used to help tell a story. If I had had a better grasp on punctuation, I would have been able to get worth out of that class much sooner.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author that a systematic approach must be taken to teaching grammar. Aside from what you pick up by reading on your own, the only way, in my experience, to effectively learn grammatical rules is to have them very systematically driven in, so to speak. Grammar can be a fairly dry subject, so slogging through rule after rule can get pretty tiring, but it seems to be the only way to do it. Berger's idea of systematizing that is a good one. I especially like the example of having students look out for certain words in compound sentences. It is a strategy that I've used quite a bit myself when deciding how a sentence should be punctuated.
ReplyDeleteI really like Berger's stance on teaching grammar with her 2 year plan. I don't remember anything from my middle school level English classes, other than spelling tests, but even in High School we hardly ever went over more complicated punctuation. I never had a problem with it, but a lot of the other students did, and they definitely could have used a method like the one Berger uses. We discussed things like compound sentences and clauses, but we never really got into detail about it. Our teachers were always more concerned with subject vs. direct object vs. indirect object than anything else, as far as I can recall. If every school utilized a plan like Berger's, a lot more people would have better punctuation, sentence structure, and sentence variation in their writing.
ReplyDeleteI think that these two summaries were good but the only problem I saw was that Simone stated her own thoughts and feelings, which shouldn't be in a summary. I do believe in this systematic approach that Berger is saying. Instructors need to find a more pro-found method for students to understand punctuation, because I believe that this is the hardest part of English and Grammar. The crazy thing is that I just learned to add a comma before "and" when listing things! I know, it's terrible. I think more than anything, it takes practice.
ReplyDeletei think both of the students hit this one on the head and the fact that Berger found the mistake with punctuation is impressive. by focusing on teaching students how to correctly use punctuation, she helped make them better writers. teaching students punctuation in terms and ideas they can understand was also a good idea on Berger's part because it helps them retain what they learn about grammar.
ReplyDeleteI believe the article and the two summaries were both written very well. They seemed to give different perspectives on the article. Berger pointed out the fact he wants to challenge his students. That is amazing to hear a teacher care so much about their students. He wants his students to use the standards conventions of English and grammar. What Berger did was pay close attention to their writing, and he noticed their problem was most punctuation. One thing I really liked about the article was when Berger said he gave his students tips on correcting their grammar. It was nice to read that his students started to look back on his or her past work, finding the mistakes, and correcting them still.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, "A systematic approach to English", the author Joan Berger talks about her frustration teaching middle school students grammar. She decided to change the way she was teaching them because it was not working. She then created a "systematic approach" to find out where the students needed the most help. After looking at the students work she found that they had trouble with punctuation. She decides to use a different method to teach the students. And she developed some signal words to look for when forming compound sentences. After students went through her new program the experience was positive results.I think that how Berger changed her teaching method because the students were not understanding the material is what every teacher should do. I believe that this is a very good way to teach students grammar. I think this is good because if something is being drilled into your mind everyday, it is going to make it easier to understand.
ReplyDeleteBerger definitely hit the nail on the head with this article. I absolutely fall in the category of once I leave the classroom so does the knowledge, at least when it comes to punctuation. Correct punctuation can be such a tricky thing, something as simple as where to place a comma can be hard for me at times. I think the reason is when we learn things we keep them in our minds enough to get a good grade on a test and then we let the information go. If we were constantly drilled with the information after grade school I think it wouldn't be as easy for us to forget. Since some teachers don't stress punctuation as much as others we tend to let proper punctuation placement go.
ReplyDeleteI believe Berg's article was very informative for everyone. Punctuation is an important thing to learn and many people do not know when to use the correct puntuation because they was not taught how. I believe if teachers took the time out to teach their students different ways to write sentences by using different puntuations instead of common puntuation, students would have a much broader way of writing. Punctuation is just as important as grammar and without the proper use of both of them it can make it difficult for others to read and understand.
ReplyDeleteThis is the effective article to talk about the systematic teaching approach with grammar by Joan Berger. Being a student, I agree with Berger that it is easy to forget what I have learned in class after I step out the classroom. Mini-lessons and peer editors are really great ideas to make student remember what they learn. If students just listen from their teachers, they would forget it quickly. One way to get remember is doing and practicing. If a teacher teaches students but have no chance to let his/her students to do. There may none of the students remember it. However, if one of the students have done a mini-lesson, at least this student have learned the knowledge what he/she should teach. And the peer editors can make students learn from each other. Berger has really pointed out the effective solutions for teaching grammar and I appreciated Simone Williams’s and Zach Xanders’s posts too.
ReplyDeleteJoan Berger's article " a systematic Approach to Grammar Instructions" is written from the teachers perspective on dealing with students grammatical issues when it come to punctuation. This was something I could sympathize with her students on. The rules of punctuation never have stuck with me. I think this is because sometimes we are just given this information in mass amounts rather than just sorting down to the formula. Especially now, when examining on how our culture is becoming much more technology based. Because of this the way that we process information is different than it was some fifteen or twenty years ago. Therefore I think we will see Berger's style of teaching progress as we evolve.
ReplyDeleteJoan Berger's article, "A Systematic Approach to Grammar Instruction" was both helpful and interesting. Often times students attempt complex sentences, which only make writing more difficult on themselves. Personally, I believe that challenge is a good thing, however, sometimes keeping ones writing simple and to the point makes a better paper. I believe that Berger was probably a wonderful teacher because she realized that there was a problem and that the regular mini lesson and lectures were not getting through to the students so in an effort to get through to her students, she changed her teaching strategies. Personally, I believe this is what makes a good teacher. In the end Berger got better results and got through to more students.
ReplyDeleteResponding to Zach's blog yes it would be nice if every grammar class followed Berger. But not every person needs Berger. I am sure that is why your school has "honors" class. Honors are for the kids that know what they won’t to do after high school. But for the rise of us that need to fill an English credit, non-Berger will work.
ReplyDeleteA systematic Approach to Grammar Instruction is an article by John Berger that explores the ways in which people communicate in and outside of the classroom. Quickly, Berger found out mini lessons were not helping and did not lead to the success that he had hoped for. This inspired Berger to try something new, he started taking a month by month approach, introducing a new topic and taking a month to explain it, teach it, and review it. This approach showed success; improving writing and reading. Berger’s work has inspired his students and has shown to be a successful way to teach grammar.
ReplyDeleteLeaving the class and feeling that knowledge ever existed, good way to open. The teacher shown she wanted her kids to learn how to use these grammar skills so she went to the next level to teach them, that is what every teacher should do. Though, this is not for every student, some may never have to worry about commas again, but for those that do I agree that it should be more focused on.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what is being said by Berger in the article. I feel that I would also leave the classroom and forget this same information when I was learning it. I believe that this systematic approach could help teach children how to properly use grammar and punctuation. this is something that maybe should start being used in classrooms because it may help more children then the way that is normally used.
ReplyDeleteI thought the summary was well written, and I agree with the statement that the main idea of the article wasn't to get us more familiar with punctuation. I tend to have a lot of punctuation errors in my writing. When I re-vise that is what I have to change the most about my essays and such
ReplyDeleteI found both summaries to very informative and well written. I was glad to see that there are educators who are still looking for innovative ways to teach grammar. I attended public schools up to 5th grade, and I think the grammar instruction we received there was very inadequate. After homeschooling for several years and then finishing in private school, I found I had a much better understanding of grammar. Berger's methods seem to work, and I hope they are adopted in more school systems.
ReplyDeleteBoth summaries were very accurate and relateable. Berger's method were on point and seem to work. I, myself, still make the same common mistakes and I am pretty sure I am not the only one at this age who can admit to this. If it wasn't for taking notes and constantly practicing, I would forget almost everything I ever learned sometimes as soon as I walk out the classroom. It is great to see teachers and professors wanted to help improve this. Society needs more leaders like that in the classroom. Great article and summaries.
ReplyDeleteAuthor Joan Burger goal for her students is to, “Write better” (p.43). She has developed a systematic approach to instructing student in her seventh and eighth grade classes. Her article gives detail to her specific plans for students over the course of two years. She has proven that her two year approach works and her students agree. She explains that they know grammar terminology and reasons why they should implement specific skill like comma usage in specific areas. I agree with Burgers approach to grammar. I think grammar is one of the most important skills students learn. Writing and reading is not just done in the class room. When individuals complete school reading and writing is a part of everyday life. Without good grammar skill it may be hard to find a job. The approach Burger teaches is well thought out and is proven to work on her students. I just wish my school knew about this approach when I was in middle school, because I think it could even help me today as a student.
ReplyDeleteIn this article John Berger talks a lot about structure that goes along with using grammar. He tries to explain to readers that if you use correct structure it shall create a great deal of progression in your writing! He compares this to 7th and 8th graders in a classroom setting. I believe he used this example to relate to readers who have gotten frustrated one way or another with the different complication with using the correct grammar. Mr. Berger also expresses in the article different approaches that try to help improve grammatical imperfections in a student's work. This shows a teacher's effort to be of some help. I also liked the summaries. They were very detailed. Good Job!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIn the article, "A systematic approach to English", Joan Berger talks about her new approach to teaching English grammar. Bergner makes a good point that in order for students to really learn grammar, they have to understand the concepts of grammar rules. Berger believes that students can learn better by being able to identify mistakes in grammar. Bergner has seen positive results to her new approach, due to her ability to alter her teaching strategies.
ReplyDeleteI think that grammar is a very confusing and frustrating aspect of English. A lot of people use grammar incorrectly and do not notice it. Bergner explained how to effectively teach students grammar so they will remember it when class is over. Both students did a really good job summarizing the article. I have had a hard time myself trying to remember what we learn in this class. It is a struggle but I will get better at it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this is the best article that we have read so far in class. She made her article easy to read and interesting. The way she teaches her seventh and eighth graders should be used all around America. I'm pretty sure that if my english teachers would have used this method, then i would be a lot better at puncuation then i am now. In her article Berger, explains how she has her students on a schedule for her teaching and each one last about a month. I believe that its a good idea because if you rush through something, then as soon as they go on to the next lesson they will for get the last one. Her teaching style needs to be brought to college so that class can be a little bit easier.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, "A Systematic Approach to Grammar Instruction”, John Berger touches on a subject that has often concerned me. Berger measured the increased knowledge of punctuation both from pre/post-test results and the students’ enthusiastic descriptions of their writing progress to see if there could be decrease in student grammar error. This approach offered rapid progress through a variety of sentence constructions. So in the end of Berger's teachings the students learned to apply the lessons they have learned outside of the classroom instead of just forgetting everything when not used.
ReplyDeleteBerger’s article, “A Systematic Approach to Grammar Instruction,” her main intention is to get her students to write better and using the standards conventions of English and grammar.Often times students attempt complex sentences, which only make writing more difficult on themselves. Correct punctuation can be such a tricky thing, something as simple as where to place a comma can be hard for me at times.
ReplyDeleteZach’s summary was written very well. He provided an ample amount of examples that followed the topics he was addressing. Having the simplistic goal of wanting her students to “write better” can be challenging. However I feel that Berger went about this task in an appropriate manner. She changed her teaching methods and tried to steer away from her old conventions. Berger took into account that a students’ environment outside of the classroom can have a great impact on learning, and thus created a more organized schedule for her students to help alleviate those issues. A part of her new teaching method that I really appreciated was that she attempts to use different methods that will apply to students with different learning styles. As a future teacher I hope to implement Berger’s teaching style into my own so that I may be as effective.
ReplyDeleteThe systematic approach is a way to teach something differently in order for the class or students to remember. Through this approach students are subjected to learning in a new way in hopes that they retain the information. The idea of teaching in a new way to get students to remember, in my eyes, is something that should work very well. This approach makes students retain the information that is taught.
ReplyDeleteBoth summaries were well written and provided very precise details about the article. The purpose of the author writing this article is to motivate her students to write better. Berger was used to using traditional methods to instruct her class, but after seeing that those techniques were not working as planned, she altered them to fit the modern needs of her children. This is a tactic I strongly believe that all teachers should try. The world has changed so much since the day when they was sitting in a class learning; so it is only fair that just as the times change so should teaching methods. Not every child learns the same so tailoring ones strategies to fit different learning styles was the section of the article that caught my attention.
ReplyDeleteBoth summaries are well put together, and are very kin on details. The author purpose of this article is to motivate students to be better in there writing. Every student doesn't learn at the same pace, so each should be taught differently. So the author thought of methods to help each student learn at there own pace and have a successful outcome.
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of switching lessons monthly however there needs to be instruction on the last lessons or it will be forgotten. If you do not use the lessons the way of not using the lesson the knowledge will be lost. It takes practice. When you practice this sentencing structure then it becomes usable and more fluent in writing every day.
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