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Teacher
Section
Part One: The Launch
Part One of the Teacher Section
extends through the first reading of the book,
and provides the important foundation
of sentence grammar and paragraph elements
that students will need
for the elaborate paragraph
practice exercises in Part Two.
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106
To the Teacher
Students must write frequently, so this section
of teacher resources will be presented as twenty
lessons, providing a set of lessons to be available
during the school year, with flexibility built in
for holiday weeks and unexpected events.
I do not envision these lessons as dictating a strict
sequence of activities, or as a set of requirements in
which every element of every lesson must be completed.
Rather, I want to provide a collection of possibilities for the
thinking teacher to use in adjusting the program
to the specific characteristics of the class and the other
curricula that also clamor for attention in the school day.
It will be clear that I have attempted to present the
important knowledge about the paragraph in a fresh,
readable way, while still creating a program that is intense
with solid classical knowledge about writing. The presentation
is playful and childlike, but the content—both the facts
and the ideas—is advanced, and will support serious
reflection by students and teachers.
Few things not enjoyed are ever internalized, and so
a strong intellectual life depends upon the process going
beyond the cognitive plane to the affective domain as well.
I hope this text captures the joy of learning something important.
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Four-Level Analysis
Correct writing is impossible without correct grammar. In Paragraph Town, I use
the same grammar instruction strategy, four-level analysis, that I have developed
in all of my other texts. The companion grammar text for this book, Grammar
Town, introduces four-level analysis and provides extensive information about the
fundamental elements of traditional grammar, which is the grammar used by writers,
editors, and publishers throughout the English-speaking world. It is important to
employ this traditional grammar language—the language of every dictionary—and
to reject alternative grammar terms; our effort must be to bring students into the
mainstream of language culture, not to handicap them by teaching them terms never
used in higher academic or professional life. Every dictionary will call the word
insidious an adjective; none will call it a describer.
Four-level analysis is a powerful method for revealing the untold secret of grammar:
its simplicity. Students struggle through thick grammar texts for years without
realizing that there are only eight kinds of words, only two sides of a clause, only
several kinds of phrases. By doing four-level analysis each week, students soon
experience a stunning revelation: to an amazing degree, every sentence is the same.
Always, every word is one of only eight parts of speech. Always, the verb is either
action or linking. Always, a clause has a subject and a predicate. Always, the sentence
has one clause or more. Once students see this foundation, they become ready to
study more complicated sentences; until they do, there is little point in introducing
such sentences.
Each of the lessons of Paragraph Town will have a four-level analysis of a short
sentence. The teacher will need only to write the sentence on the board, draw
four lines below it, and take the class through the analysis. In the early weeks, the
teacher can even use the method to teach itself, but as students gain familiarity, the
conversation can become more of a dialogue, with the teacher asking the questions,
the students calling out the answers, and the teacher writing the abbreviations of the
grammar elements in the appropriate lines directly below those elements.
Certainly, there are more challenging sentences in the world than anything we will
analyze in these examples, but this method will give students a solid foundation that
will enable them to explore further and to comprehend what they learn.
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Four Levels of Grammar: A Summary
Even though this is a writing text and not a grammar text, correct writing is impossible
without a knowledge of correct grammar, and it is worthwhile to provide a capsule
review of the four levels of traditional grammar.
Parts of Speech
There are only eight kinds of words, which we call the parts of speech. With these
eight parts, we make English. The two main kinds, the noun and the verb, have at
their disposal six others to help them. All words, however much can be said of them,
are first acting in one of these eight roles in a sentence. The word the, for example,
is an adjective; it is a special adjective called a definite article.
Parts of Sentence
Every clause ever written has a verb acting as the simple predicate of a subject,
which will be a noun, a pronoun meaning a noun, or an understood subject if the
sentence is imperative. If the verb is action, it might shoot the action over to a
direct object (D.O.). If there is a direct object, there might then be an indirect
object between the D.O. and the action verb. If the verb is linking, it might form an
equation between the subject and a subject complement (S.C.).
Phrases
A phrase is a group of words that does not have a subject and its predicate, and
that acts as a single part of speech. There are prepositional, appositive, and verbal
phrases. Prepositional phrases always begin with prepositions and act as modifiers
(adjectives or adverbs). An appositive phrase is an interrupting definition: John
Adams, the second president, arrived. Verbals are verb forms that are used as
nonverbs. There are three kinds of verbals: gerunds are -ing verbs used as nouns
(Thinking is fun); participles are verb forms used as adjectives (The thinking man
laughed); and infinitives are the to verb forms used as nouns or modifiers (To think
is fun). If a verbal has its own modifiers or objects, it is a verbal phrase. Verbals
are exciting and absolutely must be taught from upper elementary grades on because
they are common in language and because no one who does not know verbals can
understand correct pronoun usage or sentence punctuation.
Clauses
A clause is any group of words that has a subject with its predicate. A clause
may be independent and able to stand alone, or dependent on being attached to an
independent clause in order to make sense. A sentence with two independent clauses
joined together is called compound, and a sentence with a dependent clause joined
to an independent clause is called complex. Every sentence has at least one clause.
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Systems and Patterns
It is simle to use this book’s four-level analysis method in the classroom. Write the
sentence on the board, draw four lines below it, and examine the sentence with the
students, identifying all parts of speech, all parts of sentence, phrases, and clauses.
Most
ducks
are
writers.
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
The first examples will be challenging, but students will gain speed as they begin
to see the same systems and patterns emerging in every sentence: the adjective
always modifying a noun or pronoun, the verb always predicating something about
its subject, the direct object always receiving the impact of the action verb—the
same patterns in the same systems, again and again. Once students perceive these
repeated systems, the light comes on, and they begin to replicate the patterns in their
own sentences. These correct patterns are the basis for a life of correct writing.
Most
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ducks
are
writers.
Parts of Speech
adj.
n.
v.
n.
__________________________________________
Parts of Sentence
subj.
pred.
S.C.
__________________________________________
Phrases
no phrases
__________________________________________
Clauses
--------------one independent clause----------------a simple declarative sentence
__________________________________________
Lesson One: Parts of Speech
Chapter One, Pages 5-19
Chapter Summary
Chapter One introduces the ducks Fishmeal and Queequack, whose names are
allusions to Ishmael and Queequeg, characters in Herman Melville’s great novel,
Moby Dick. Like Ishmael, Fishmeal leaves home to explore the mystery of the
world, but Fishmeal’s quest is a search for the paragraph. Fishmeal leaves his duck
pond and flies to Paragraph Town, where he meets Queequack, a paragraph expert.
Before Queequack will tell Fishmeal about paragraphs, he insists on a review of
fundamental grammar elements: the parts of speech, subject-verb agreement, and
the correct use of pronouns.
Key Concept: Simplicity. Only two main kinds of words, with six assistants.
The key to internalizing parts of speech for a life of writing is to realize that there are
only eight kinds of words, the nouns and verbs with six secondary words that help
out with adjustments, relationships, and connections. The simplicity of the parts of
speech system—how easy and pleasant it is to learn and use—is the focus.
Suggested Approach
Read pages 5-19 aloud, with students taking turns reading the parts of Fishmeal and
Queequack. Interrupt the reading to check for understanding and appreciation. At
the end of the reading, review the story and ask students about the important ideas
of the passage.
Supplemental Content: Conjunctions
Have students memorize two key kinds of conjunctions. The coordinating conjunctions
are and, but, or, nor, for, so yet. A starter list of subordinating conjunctions is if,
since, when, and because. This becomes crucial in understanding clauses later.
Open-ended, Socratic Discussion Questions Suggested by the Content
How can a language using only eight kinds of words be effective? Would it improve
language if there were more parts of speech? Can anyone think of a part of speech
that does not yet exist? What are the benefits of a language that uses only two main
kinds of words?
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Lesson One Parts of Speech Review
We will approach the four-level analysis technique by focusing first on the first level,
parts of speech. Students need practice identifying the eight parts of speech before
moving on the other three levels.
1.
2.
3.
Blue
eggs
adj.
n.
7.
paddled
in
the
interj.
adj.
n.
v.
prep.
adj.
v.
adv.
n.
adj.
n.
conj.
n.
v.
n.
v.
adj.
Oh,
the
flock
of
birds
flew
interj.
adj.
n.
prep.
n.
v.
They
conj.
n.
v.
prep.
v.
adv.
adj.
a
distance.
adj.
n.
a
high rooftop.
prep. adj.
adj.
n.
slowly overhead.
adv.
adv.
saw us before we saw them; it was a coincidence.
pron.
conj.
pron.
Queequack told
him
a
pron.
adj.
v.
v.
v.
pron. pron.
v.
adj.
very long story about
adv.
adj.
n.
n.
ducks.
prep.
n.
Ugh, the cold wind whipped white tips on the tops of the waves.
adj.
adj.
n.
v.
adj.
n. prep. adj.
n.
prep. adj.
n.
Queequack knew many important things about paragraphs.
n.
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prep.
He was tired, but Queequack flew to
n.
10.
n.
Fishmeal and Queequack saw Elijah from
n.
9.
pond.
He swam quickly to shore; the water was very cold.
pron.
8.
adv.
ducks
pron.
6.
v.
six
n.
5.
quickly.
Yes,
pron.
4.
hatched
v.
adj.
adj.
n.
prep.
n.
Lesson One Four-Level Analysis
At this stage, the four-level analysis is a preview for students; it lets them see the
dimensions of what they will learn. Write the sentence on the board, draw four lines
below it, and discuss the four levels of the sentence with the students.
Most
ducks
are
writers.
Parts of Speech
adj.
n.
v.
n.
__________________________________________
Parts of Sentence
subj.
pred.
S.C.
__________________________________________
Phrases
no phrases
__________________________________________
Clauses
--------------one independent clause----------------a simple declarative sentence
__________________________________________
Parts of Speech: The plural common noun ducks is modified by an adjective most.
The verb is a plural (duck is, ducks are) present tense linking verb, and writers is a
plural common noun.
Parts of Sentence: The subject of the sentence is the noun ducks. Its predicate is
the linking verb are, which links the subject to the subject complement writers. The
structure is like an equation in mathematics: ducks = writers.
Phrases: There are no prepositional, appositive, or verbal phrases.
Clauses: Because there is only one subject/predicate set, ducks/are, there is only one
clause. The sentence is simple in structure and declarative in purpose.
Comment: The sentence is a classic; it is the kind of crystal-clear statement of
equation that a linking verb can accomplish. It demonstrates the power of the linking
verb.
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Lesson One Paragraph Lab: Analysis
The text has not yet formally introduced paragraphs, but the thinking processes
involved in writing clear paragraphs can begin. A prominent thinking process in
paragraph writing is analysis, the breaking down of something into its component
elements. Writing about anything requires analysis because there are different aspects
to explore, and each aspect should be explored in its own paragraph or paragraphs.
If, for example, we were writing an essay on the Revolutionary War, we might break
the causes of the war down into economic causes, political causes, and social causes.
If we were writing about a beautiful lake, we might devote separate sections to
the surrounding mountains, to the wildlife, to the sounds of the lake environment.
Students must begin to think analytically, pulling a main subject apart into its
component topics.
A. Please think about a northern lake. In general discussion or in small groups,
make separate lists of details, in these categories:
1. What is under the surface of the water.
2. What is above the surface of the water.
3. What you would notice if you were sitting on the shore.
4. What you would notice from a canoe in the middle of the lake.
5. What you would hear if you lived on a lake.
6. The differences between conditions in the winter and in the summer.
B. If you were to write a description of the lake, but could only use three of the six
categories, which three would you choose?
C. Can you think of an important category of details that have been left out of our
list?
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