Teaching grammar

One thing that amazes me about the teacher I work with is her ability to seamlessly incorporate grammar into a contextualized writing lesson that draws from the experience of the students. Today we worked on questions starting with “Do you know how to” and “Would you like to.” My teacher wrote the following simple definitions after introducing questions one at a time:

Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?
Do you know how to = Can you

Would you like to know how to fly an airplane?
Would you like to = Do you want to

Students immediately understood the more complex way of asking the question after seeing the simple definitions. The teacher did not have to launch into a detailed grammatical explanation, but the students understood meaning through the context and practiced different forms of the answer, as they responded to the questions and asked their partner. (Yes, I do know how to ride a motorcycle. No, I don’t know how to ride a motorcycle. Yes, she/he does . . . No, she/he doesn’t . . . )

Sometimes grammar can feel very daunting to teach, but doing so in a manner where meaning is emphasized over a strict repetition of grammatical forms seems easier to both teach and understand. My teacher also does this with vocabulary words. Today she defined “ride” as “sit and go.” There was a collective “ohhh” of understanding as all of the learners instantly were able to envision the verb. Through the use of pictures and simplified definitions, my teacher is able to aid learners in grasping new vocabulary and structures of English.

When you were a child . . .

Today learners wrote about things pertaining to their childhood. They seemed to enjoy this topic and became quite animated while sharing their answers.

When you were a child, what was your favorite animal?
• Peacocks
• Birds
• Baby goats
• Cows and calves
• Horses on my farm
• Tigers (though this was hotly contested by some students who said they hated wild cats because they attacked humans)
• Brightly colored fish
• Camels
• Chickens

What did you like to do when you were a child?
• Play with my friends
• Swim in the river
• Help my dad feed the animals
• Cook with my mom
• Play games with my sister

Where did you like to play?
• Under my bed
• In the yard
• At the park
• Near the river
• Under the kitchen table

What did you like to eat?
• Candy
• Mangos and papayas
• Honey and bread
• Cookies and pizza
• Milk
• Spaghetti
• Bananas


I was struck by how many answers were similar between students from vastly different parts of the world. In some respects, children are children the world around.

Studying sugar

Today’s class period focused on healthy beverages and was led by Susan, from the University of Minnesota Simply Good Eating program. Throughout the lesson, the students were highly engaged and asked numerous questions. First, students surveyed their peers to find out the answers to the following questions:

1. What do you drink when you are really thirsty?
2. What is one healthy beverage?
3. Do you drink tap water?

The majority of students said they drank water when they were very thirsty. For question two, answers were varied but most were juices, milk and water. One student answered Sunny Delight and another mentioned coffee. Susan explained the negative effects of caffeine and taught the students how to check labels to discover how much juice beverages contained, the ideal being 100% vegetable or fruit juice.

Most students said that they drank tap water, though some said they didn’t. One student said she didn’t like the taste, and another said she heard that you could get depression from drinking tap water. Susan assured the learners that tap water in this area is good to drink. I’m always glad for these lessons after hearing some of the bizarre misconceptions learners hold.

For the final activity, the students each picked an empty beverage can of differing varieties – fruit cocktails, various sodas, fruit punches, fruit juices, coffee drinks, tomato juice, etc. Their task was to use the label to determine how many grams of sugar and subsequent tablespoons each contained.

Everyone presented their findings to the class. The healthiest drink was V8 tomato juice with only one teaspoon of sugar. The most shocking result was the energy drink AMP made by Mountain Dew – the 24 ounce can had about 87 grams of sugar – nearly 22 teaspoons! Learners were shocked to find out how much sugar was in beverages they regularly consumed.

Ali proudly stated at the end of class, “Well, Coca-Cola is going to be loosing one of its best
customers – me!” He said that he went through multiple cans a day but was planning to quit after learning about the sugar and caffeine content. He emphatically thanked the nutritionist, and everyone in the class said they wanted her to come every week.

Student authors to share their work

School was on break this week, but I wanted to share this upcoming event. It's quite inspiring, and you get the chance to meet and support adult learners!

Journeys Reading
Adult learners from diverse programs throughout Minnesota will come together to share their voices in celebration of MLC's annual publication, Journeys: An Anthology of Adult Student Writings. Honor their dedication and hard work as they read original stories, poems and autobiographical pieces.

Thursday, October 15 at 6:00 pm

Loft Literary Center (Open Book)
Loft Literary Performance Hall
1011 Washington St.
Minneapolis, MN 55415

The public is welcome and no RSVP or registration is required.

Fall Tutoring Kickoff

Interested in meeting other volunteers while improving your tutoring skills? Attend the Minnesota Literacy Council's Fall Tutoring Kickoff! This mini-conference will feature a variety of 45-minute sessions designed to give you fresh activities and ideas.

Saturday, October 17 from 8:30 am - 12 noon

MLC Learning Center - Lake Street
2700 E Lake Street, Second Floor
Minneapolis, MN 55406

FREE

Register online here: www.themlc.org/registrationform

What do you learn in school?

When asked in class today, here were some of the learner's responses:

• Reading, writing and speaking English
• Things about other countries from people in my class
• American culture
• How to look for and work at a job in Minnesota
• Computer skills
• Words to talk to my kid’s teacher
• Pronunciation
• Food safety
• English conversation skills that help me to have more opportunities

Clearly the skills they are aquiring go far beyond the classroom. It was a good reminder of why I volunteer and the impact adult basic education has on the lives of the learners.

Conversation Circles

On occasion, I help out in an English conversation circle at the Saint Paul Arlington Hills library on Thursday nights. This has been a great experience in addition to volunteering at Metro North – the format is casual, as we break into small groups based on language ability and just talk for about an hour. It’s easy to connect with learners on an individual level, and if possible, we encourage the learners to select topics and initiate conversation.

At the conversation circle this week, I met an incredibly inspiring learner. Marco has been in the United States for three years and only began taking English classes this past January. I had split off with a group of three advanced learners, and it was readily apparent that his language skills were the most sophisticated in the room. His passionate drive to learn English seemed to radiate out of him, affecting all those around him.

He told me that his top three goals are to 1) learn English, 2) learn English and 3) learn English. Marco holds two jobs and goes to English classes at two different adult learning centers when his schedule permits, in addition to the English conversation circle. He wakes up at two or three in the morning to deliver newspapers, and then goes to his full time job at a moving company, sometimes in total working up to 16-20 hour days. Marco said he attends English classes as much as he can; he spoke appreciatively of teachers who were willing to give him lessons to take home to study. In spite of his seemingly impossible schedule, Marco did not complain. He simply said that it was all necessary for him to learn English, and that nothing could get in the way of this goal. His family – his wife and two young daughters – live in Guatemala. When he has learned what he has deemed to be enough English, Marco will return to his native country to teach his daughters the language so that they will have more opportunities in life.

Marco asked the other learners in the group about their learning goals. One of the other learners in my group told me that Marco has been instrumental in his English language learning process, saying that when he feels to tired to go to class, he thinks of Marco and all he has sacrificed to learn English. He said that Marco inspires him to continue his education, something that he views as necessary to survive and be successful in the United States. Marco’s tenacious attitude and work ethic obviously inspire those around him, students and teachers alike.