A Nation of Illiterates
I underwent a revelation in my teaching about four years ago, when I read a grammar text called The Magic Lens by Michael Clay Thompson. (That's right, I read grammar textbooks in my free time. I'm that nerdy.) I never struggled with grammar. It just made sense to me. However, teaching grammar was another matter. It was an impossible task. Insurmountable. Completely unmanageable. So, I never taught it. First, it was hard. Second, it wasn't tested. Third, the kids didn't like it. Looking back on this decision now, I realize that it was only the first reason that truly drove my resolution. Testing has never really driven my personal teaching philosophy, and I've never hesitated to make my students do things they objected to. But, this was my personal comfort level we were talking about! I have a profound burden now for all of those students who missed out on grammar instruction, but I must press on, learn from the past, and do better in the future.
This is the first year I truly feel as though I am making headway in grammar instruction. My students this year now understand that there are 5 sentence structures in the English language, and that even the most complex of sentences can be broken down into these structures. They know what they look like, and how they function. Last week, we had a truly fantastic Socratic discussion of the sentence structure of a particularly complex little gem of a sentence from Orwell's 1984. It was a beautiful moment in my year!
That same afternoon, I was attempting to read a letter from Rainer Maria Rilke in its original German. I took four years of German in high school; I was never truly fluent, but I learned enough to be able to read ein bischen. As I was muddling along, I realized that I had read about halfway through but I had no idea what I was reading. I knew the words, but I didn't understand how they went together. I'd forgotten all of the rules to the language.
Then, I had an epiphany. Our students don't speak English. Oh sure, they can talk. They know words. They can even read (kind of). But they do not speak English. Their experience every time they try to read must be somewhat like my experience trying to decipher Rilke. How intensely frustrating! What's more, our students don't speak English because many of their teachers do not speak English.
Let's consider how one learns a foreign language. The focus is always, first, on learning vocabulary and grammar! American schools are totally backward in our instruction, and have been for years! How can you hope to comprehend a language you do not speak? In my own school experience, I learned grammar in sixth grade. It was taught to me throughout elementary school, but I had a phenomenal sixth grade teacher who had a "grammar" class. It was the only thing we did during that period, and that year, I learned grammar. I do not remember reading comprehension being a major part of instruction before fourth grade. We read, but the focus was not on comprehension. We learned phonics, spelling, vocabulary, and grammar before we tried to read. Makes sense, right? Apparently not.
My son is in first grade this year. He brings home reading comprehension worksheets at least once or twice a week. Guess how many vocabulary tests he's had. That's right, none. He is tested twice each quarter on his reading comprehension level. I have seen one item sent home this year in which he was expected to identify nouns and verbs. So, in essence, we are testing these children on reading comprehension before they speak English. How does this make sense? It is putting the cart before the horse in every way possible!
I don't know if anyone has done research on this topic. I would love to read it if they have. But, as for me, I hold to the Occam's razor theory: the simplest explanation for any given problem is probably best. I cannot see how any student can exhibit advanced levels of reading comprehension in a language they do not speak. So this year, my students will learn to speak English. Not conversational English, but true, formal grammar. It is the only way they have a prayer of reading and understanding the complex text required by the Common Core. I challenge other teachers to do the same. We have done a great disservice to generations of students by failing to give them fluency in their native language. This cycle must be broken, so let the grammar revolution begin!
This is the first year I truly feel as though I am making headway in grammar instruction. My students this year now understand that there are 5 sentence structures in the English language, and that even the most complex of sentences can be broken down into these structures. They know what they look like, and how they function. Last week, we had a truly fantastic Socratic discussion of the sentence structure of a particularly complex little gem of a sentence from Orwell's 1984. It was a beautiful moment in my year!
That same afternoon, I was attempting to read a letter from Rainer Maria Rilke in its original German. I took four years of German in high school; I was never truly fluent, but I learned enough to be able to read ein bischen. As I was muddling along, I realized that I had read about halfway through but I had no idea what I was reading. I knew the words, but I didn't understand how they went together. I'd forgotten all of the rules to the language.
Then, I had an epiphany. Our students don't speak English. Oh sure, they can talk. They know words. They can even read (kind of). But they do not speak English. Their experience every time they try to read must be somewhat like my experience trying to decipher Rilke. How intensely frustrating! What's more, our students don't speak English because many of their teachers do not speak English.
Let's consider how one learns a foreign language. The focus is always, first, on learning vocabulary and grammar! American schools are totally backward in our instruction, and have been for years! How can you hope to comprehend a language you do not speak? In my own school experience, I learned grammar in sixth grade. It was taught to me throughout elementary school, but I had a phenomenal sixth grade teacher who had a "grammar" class. It was the only thing we did during that period, and that year, I learned grammar. I do not remember reading comprehension being a major part of instruction before fourth grade. We read, but the focus was not on comprehension. We learned phonics, spelling, vocabulary, and grammar before we tried to read. Makes sense, right? Apparently not.
My son is in first grade this year. He brings home reading comprehension worksheets at least once or twice a week. Guess how many vocabulary tests he's had. That's right, none. He is tested twice each quarter on his reading comprehension level. I have seen one item sent home this year in which he was expected to identify nouns and verbs. So, in essence, we are testing these children on reading comprehension before they speak English. How does this make sense? It is putting the cart before the horse in every way possible!
I don't know if anyone has done research on this topic. I would love to read it if they have. But, as for me, I hold to the Occam's razor theory: the simplest explanation for any given problem is probably best. I cannot see how any student can exhibit advanced levels of reading comprehension in a language they do not speak. So this year, my students will learn to speak English. Not conversational English, but true, formal grammar. It is the only way they have a prayer of reading and understanding the complex text required by the Common Core. I challenge other teachers to do the same. We have done a great disservice to generations of students by failing to give them fluency in their native language. This cycle must be broken, so let the grammar revolution begin!
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