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Why Grammar? Christian Worldview Many of us that attended government school were not taught that suffixes or word endings will frequently give a clue as to what part of speech a word may belong (e.g., noun, verb, adjective, adverb). Yet, this is a relatively simple way in which to easily recognize what part of speech a word may belong. Yet, not only does grammar teach us about the importance of suffixes, but there is a Christian worldview behind grammar that points us to our Lord.
Noun
Review that a noun is a name of a person, place, thing, or idea.
(For more help with nouns, see The
Noun Game below.) Sound like a siren while saying,
"Red Alert
! Red Alert ! Red Alert
!" The reason for this
is that the articles (or words) a, an,
and the is giving a Red
Alert ! that a noun is soon to
appear. These Red
Alert ! articles (or words) comprise the noun test. Fill
in the blank behind the article ...
Review the noun definition and the Noun Red Alert ! Test Flashcard daily. (Note: Our family only spent approximately 2 seconds per flashcard per day. In this first week, there are 9 flashcards so that would be flashing, minimally, 18 seconds per day. We would not go on to other flashcards until instant recognition, which we defined as 2 seconds or less, was achieved).
Verb
Review that a verb is a word that tells action or being. (For
more help with nouns, see The
Verb Game below.) Again, sound like a siren while
saying, "Red
Alert ! Red Alert ! Red Alert !" The
Verb Test is fairly simple. It is a fill-in-the-blank sentence.
If the sentence can be filled in with a word and makes sense,
it is a verb. The Verb Red Alert ! Test
is ...
The first verb suffix we will take is good ole Mr. Ed. When -ed is at the end of a word, it means it has already happened. Take both your thumbs and fling them over your shoulder showing that it is behind you. This simple gesture will help your scholars remember this verb occurred in the past.
Suffixes
A suffix is a letter or group of letters added on at the end of
a word. Frequently, we can tell what part of speech a word
may be by looking at the suffix.
Suffixes
When flashing the child, have them tell you just the part of speech
and, perhaps, a one word example.
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- sion |
e.g., vacation, foundation, mission, conclusion, hibernation, delusion, humiliation, explosion, inspiration |
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e.g., achievement, embarrassment, equipment, engagement, arrangement, involvement |
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e.g., suddenness, enormousness, earnestness, drunkenness |
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e.g., guarded, leaped, astonished, inquired, increased, neglected, irritated, justified |
| Noun Definition Flashcard, Noun Test Flashcard, Noun Suffixes, Verb Definition Flashcard, Verb Test, Verb Suffix |
| Week #1 Test |
Need a Quick Review ?
The Noun Game
Let your little one know that a noun is
a name of a person, place, thing or idea. Go to a local feed store
and get a feed sack (which would be close to what a farmer would
use in the middle ages to sow seed). Either make an arm loop yourself
or have someone experienced in sewing make one for you. Send your
child off to find 10 nouns in the backyard, the front yard, his
room, the frontroom, the kitchen, the bathroom, or where you choose.
As your child pulls the noun out of his feed sack, have the child
identify the noun while you say, “A noun is a name of a person,
place, thing or idea.” This only needs to take about 5-10
minutes. Do not drag it out. Take only one target area a day (e.g.,
front yard, bedroom, etc.). In that way, your child will have
plenty of practice picking up and identifying nouns. Children
have a tendency to be very concrete. This concrete exercise will
help him understand nouns in such a way that he will become VERY
comfortable with them. One child, for example, was sent into the
frontroom to retrieve 5 nouns. She came back carrying her little
sister. When asked how this could cover 5 nouns, the child responded
exasperatedly with, "Oh ma ! why she is a girl, sister, daughter,
child, friend!"
The Verb Game
You will need: kitchen timer
Again, this game should only take 5-10 minutes daily. Explain to your child that many verbs may be acted out. Do not drag this game out. Take turns with your child acting out verbs. One will pantamime the verb while the other needs to guess it. (e.g., eating, sleeping, snoring tended to be a great hit around here as well as burping, barking, walking, running, etc.). Take turns miming various verbs.
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