Comparative Grammar Project and Annotated Lesson Plan

A. Introduction

Name:

Grade/Age of students: Middle School

Concentration Domain: ESL - ELA class

Materials: paper and pencil

Time Needed: 3 55 minute class periods

B. Learners and Learning Environment

· Language comparison, grammar focus of instruction and establishment of relevance

This lesson will focus on word order in relation to descriptive adjectives and nouns. After speaking to an Arabic-speaking colleague, I learned that there is a difference in where descriptive adjectives are placed in a sentence. In English, descriptive adjectives are placed before nouns. For example, I might say, “I have a brown dog”. However, in Arabic, the descriptive adjective is placed after the noun, so a direct translation would read: “I have a dog brown.” This difference in placement can lead to confusion when Arabic-speaking students who are learning English. This lesson will focus on teaching students the correct placement of descriptive adjectives in a sentence in English.

· Introductory Statement of Language Task

Students in middle school are required to write narratives per the Michigan Department of Education. As part of this requirement, students need to be able to use descriptive language in order to give their readers the ability to visualize their story. One way to incorporate descriptive language into narratives is with the use of sensory details. Sensory details add depth and interest to writing. When students add adjectives to those sensory details, they become even more rich.

· Review of Terminology

Input: written or spoken language

Output: language that is read or heard

Enhanced Input: written or spoken language that is modified in order to make information more understandable for students

Structured Input Activity:

Structured Practice Activity:

Output/Assessment Activities:

· Annotation

C. Standards and Outcomes

· MDE Writing Standards from grade 7:

3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.

· WIDA Standard:

· Outcomes:

Students will be able to describe settings by using sensory details.

Students will be able to write descriptive details using adjectives correctly.

D. Instructional Practice

· Engaging Students, Activating Prior Knowledge, and Setting Lesson Goals:

· Structured Input Activity:

First, I will read a paragraph to the class describing the setting of the story. The paragraph will contain descriptive adjectives allowing the student to visualize the scene.

Paragraph: The large house sat in the middle of a green field. A yellow dog was taking a nap on its long, cement porch. A tall tree grew next to that house, filled with tiny, pink flowers. Someone had hung a wooden swing from one of its branches. On that swing was a small boy in blue pants.

Next, I will ask students to turn to a neighbor and discuss adjectives that were used to describe the scene.

· Answers: large, green, sleepy, long, cement, tall, tiny, pink, wooden, small, blue

Next, we will identify each noun and circle it.

Next, I will ask students to identify the adjective(s) that describe each

noun using the chart below:

Noun	Adjective describing the noun
house
field
dog
porch
tree
flowers
swing
boy
pants

Last, we will discuss where the adjectives were found in relation to the noun they described. I will underline the adjectives as we discuss each one.

Answer: In front of the noun.

· Structured Practice Activity:

Students will receive a list of several sentences. The sentences will have no adjectives.

First, we will begin by identifying the nouns in the sentence. We will circle the nouns before moving on to the next step.

Next, I will ask the students to rewrite the sentences adding adjectives where appropriate.

1. I read a book. 2. The girl drew a picture. 3. My cat caught a rat. 4. The man drove his car. 5. The woman made a pizza.

Students will turn and share their sentences with each other.

· Output/Assessment Activity:

Students will be asked to write a paragraph describing a place that is special to them using adjectives to describe nouns. Students will share their paragraph with a partner. That partner will draw a picture based on the described setting. This drawing will help the writer to see how a reader visualized their description. Based on the results of this drawing, they will have the opportunity to rewrite their paragraph.

These paragraphs can be incorporated into the personal narratives that students are required to write as part of state requirements.

· Closure: