[NIFL-ESL:8209] Re: how to teach questions and negatives

From: Gloria Spielman (gspiel@netvision.net.il)
Date: Mon Oct 14 2002 - 03:52:25 EDT


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From: Gloria Spielman <gspiel@netvision.net.il>
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Subject: [NIFL-ESL:8209] Re: how to teach questions and negatives
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Olivia

Thanks for the tip. Much appreciated. That is a techinique I'd forgotton
about so I appreciate the reminder!

Regards
Gloria Spielman

----- Original Message -----
From: "Olivia Durham" <odurham@integrity.com>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov>
Sent: Friday, October 11, 2002 06:15 AM
Subject: [NIFL-ESL:8193] how to teach questions and negatives


Here's a really practical new strain of thought: I have a great way to teach
questions and negatives that makes sense to me.  It's low tech and easy.
It's helpful for beginners.  (Not very first level beginners).  It helps
explain the question -- where did the do come from in the question and
negative?  And it evens out the explanation of always switching subject/verb
for a question (compare to He is/ Is he?)

I just get colored copier paper and cut it up into index card sizes on the
paper cutter.  Then I have students make these cards with me (one word per
card)

Pink - I/you/he/she/it/we/they
White - (a few verbs) shop, come, rest, walk, etc
Yellow - do, does, did
Orange - on Monday, Tuesday, etc - days of the week.
Brown - Not, also a period and a question mark.

I have them lay their piles out in front of them, and then I teach them to
make all statements (at first I leave out he/she/it)

Day one: I do work on Sunday. Etc, etc. (leave out 3rd person)
Practice making the question by switching the do/pronoun.  Also making the
negative by adding not.  The students do this on their own desks.
If it's going well, you can add the idea that "do" is optional in the
statement but not in the ? and negative.  My idea is that I say that "do" is
always there, but it's invisible.  (It's fun to teach this word -- you can
use a picture of a ghost) It only pops out for the ? and neg.

Day  (or week  if necessary) 2: Add did option (past)

Day 3: Add he/she/it.  Add a white card with an S to add to all verbs.

The fun of this system is that it's incredibly easy to make ?s with "do" in
the statement  but as soon as you leave it out they forget every time.  Then
you take them back to the step of converting " He walks on Sunday" to " He
does walk on Sunday" and it becomes easy again.

I think doing it with your hands helps your brain to learn.

Hope it's helpful to someone out there!

Olivia Durham
Odurham@integrity.com
ABE and Eng. Dept Adjunct,
Boise State University



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