There Are Mistakes in Their Writing and They're Ashamed!

Alright, we are back to English! Another basic that I do not feel is prioritized enough is the art of writing. Since I have already discussed spelling in a previous post, this time I will be focusing more on grammar and writing issues that are not being instilled in elementary schools.

From my personal experiences with either tutoring, or with my elementary school experience, I can say that it seems as though English grammar lessons are almost non-existent. I have noticed with many younger students (as well as students our age) that some grammar rules are still not understood. According to Azadeh Aalai, a professor in psychology at The George Washington University, writing, spelling and grammar have declined in the past five years. (1) She explained that her students are handing in written papers with “poor sentence structure” (1) and grammar. In my opinion, this “poor sentence structure” and grammar are the results of it not being prioritized by teachers in elementary schools.

Commas can save lives!

I find that still today, some students do not know how to use proper punctuation. Not being taught punctuation can lead to a series of other writing issues as well. For example, not knowing when to use a comma can cause students to be making run-on sentences. Not knowing where and when to use a period can cause students to not use capital letters at the beginning of a sentence. I believe that these writing rules should be one of the top priorities throughout elementary school. The only way to learn them is to keep practicing and unfortunately, some students are not being given that opportunity.

The proper way to use there, their
and they're. 

Another common grammar mistake that even students our age are still making is confusing homophones. From the time I was in the fourth grade, I remember being taught that there were words that sounded the same, but were spelled differently. Nothing is more aggravating to me than when someone uses the wrong its (it’s), there (their, they’re) or your (you’re) when they are writing. I think that teachers should be putting more emphasis on these homophones so that students can learn them and use them properly at an early age.

It’s obvious that students’ writing habits have changed over the years. In my opinion, learning how to write properly does not seem to be as important in schools as it used to be. Knowing the proper English grammar rules and being able to write are simple skills that are important to have for everyday life. With the decline in teaching writing in elementary schools, I’m interested to see how it will affect all of us in the near future.

(1) http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-first-impression/201402/why-can-t-college-students-write-anymore

Reading…En Français!

In my previous post, I discussed the importance of French spelling and grammar. I decided to continue with the subject of French and dive into reading. For the good majority of us, we almost have fourteen years of French education behind us. This is why I find it shocking that some of us still cannot properly read in French.

Since we began reading at the young age of five or six, there are some rules that have been, or should have been drilled into our heads. I am sure that many of you have either heard or made the mistake that I am about to discuss. We all know that in French, the plural form of a verb ends in ent and not with an s. What some of us still do not remember while reading is that you do not pronounce that ent…it is silent! In my opinion, this reading mistake is acceptable for young readers who are just learning to link their sounds and letters. As for the older and more experienced readers, I do not believe that there is an excuse. We have been reading in French now for several years, which intern means that we have had a lot of practice.

Chat and Shoe share the same
sound. 

Similar to what I mentioned in my English reading blog, syllables are important to all young readers and a child’s ability to read will depend on a child’s ability to spell. Although there are some differences between the French and the English languages while reading, I believe that they are quick and easy to learn. For example, in English, the syllable ch makes a sound like at the end of the word sandwich. In French, this same syllable (ch) will create the same sound as our English syllable sh. For example: shoe and chat. This is where there could be some confusion for young readers, but as I already mentioned, students can know these simple rules and differences with a lot of practice.

A "petit livre".

I am sure that many of you remember learning to read by reading a different “petit livre” every week for homework. These small books served as a base to help us be able to move on to more complex chapter books in the future. Having said that, these small books are still used in elementary schools today for the same reasons.

From previous experiences at Club de Devoirs, there have been certain comments that came from teachers that have frustrated me. On numerous occasions, I had to listen to a teacher tell me that the students’ reading is not as important as their math or writing homework. For some students, reading at Club de Devoirs is the only chance that they get to practice their reading outside of school seeing as neither parent speaks French. Where I’m going with this is that I believe that teachers (being in a French school) should prioritize reading just as much as math or science. If reading is left to be done at home and a student’s parents do not speak French, no one is there to correct them.

A plural French verb ending in ent.

In my opinion, I find that learning the simple rules when it comes to reading in French has been put on the back burner for most French elementary schools. I find that students are being taught how to read by simply memorizing words instead of mastering each sound. I know that I cringe whenever I hear someone misread a word, so I’ll leave you guys with this. Please, when you are reading a plural verb out loud, remember this simple rule…DO NOT pronounce the ent.

Spelling and Grammar...En Français!

Most of us (if not all of us) have had a complete French education for almost fourteen years. This leads me to my next blog topic. French spelling and grammar is often a class that most of us will curl our noses at. What we do not realize is how easy and effortless it can become if we put forth the slightest effort.

In my opinion, the reason that students dread learning French grammar is because the teachers (for the most part) do not make the effort to make it enjoyable. In both French and English schools, I have heard many students complain about having to learn French. I believe that one of the reasons for this is based on the teachers’ educations. For example, a person that attended an English elementary and secondary school can very well become a French-speaking teacher. Most of these teachers will become French teachers in English schools. All judgments held aside, I believe that the reason that children who attend English elementary schools dislike learning the French language is because the teachers do not know the subject well enough to teach it to others. I find this very unfortunate seeing as this beautiful language can open up so many doors for numerous people if they just put forth a small effort.

From my experiences of tutoring at “Club de Devoirs” at Monseigneur Augustin Caron, I can say that there are few students who can properly read and write in French. Certain rules that most of us do not even think about as we write in French are now becoming unknown to most students. Rules such as making the proper grammar agreements (accords) and knowing whether a verb ends in é or er are now guessing games for students. I find this very upsetting.

As I already mentioned a bit in my previous blog entries, not mastering these basics at a young age can lead to bigger problems in the future. In many instances at “Club de Devoirs”, I have noticed that not only do the students have bad French Grammar, but some of the teachers do as well. I have noticed numerous times that certain teachers are making grammar mistakes on the students’ worksheets. The mistakes that I have noticed the teachers making are not typos and are certainly avoidable. If teachers are making mistakes such as forgetting to add an s when you use tu and knowing whether a verb will end in é or er, how are the students supposed to learn from them? In my opinion, these teachers really do not have much of an excuse to be making these mistakes. Nobody is perfect, but the students are never going to learn proper French grammar rules if the teachers do not know them themselves.

In my opinion, for students in both the French and English school systems, French spelling and grammar is very important. Although grammar rules are known to be lame and boring, they will become easy and effortless once a student has properly been taught them. After all, as an aspiring teacher, I know that I do not want a spelling mistake of mine to be pointed out to me by one of my students. Imagine the embarrassment…

The Simple Concept of Cursive Writing

            Most basics that are necessary in a child’s education aren’t necessarily considered school subjects. As spelling is an important concept that requires lots of practice, so does cursive writing. This basic skill will not only speed up the writing process, but it will also introduce students to developing their own signature. Unfortunately, teaching students how to write in cursive as well as how to read cursive writing isn’t as important as it used to be.

          Cursive writing used to be a mandatory skill that was introduced to most students in the second grade and was perfected as the years went on. 

“We spent hours a week teaching young students how to correctly form letters doing stroke work, proper formation and a lot of printing practice,” explained Marianne McTavish, professor of language and literacy at the University of British Colombia. (1)

            Learning a new cursive letter every few days was a stepping-stone towards being able to link letters in order to form words.(1) I believe that not only should teachers go back to teaching students how to write in cursive, but they should also be teaching them how to read it.

            From my grade school experience, I can say that in most cases, we were forced to write in cursive for every assignment. By being told over and over again to write in cursive, most of us were able to master the art of cursive writing at a young age. After volunteering my time tutoring at Club de Devoirs, I have noticed that most of the students cannot properly write in cursive let alone read it. “Mme Nina, what does that word say?” is a common question that I am asked by students ranging from the fourth to the sixth grade when they see a word written in cursive. If children are unable to read cursive writing, how will they be able to read things such as greeting cards from grandparents or an old text written in cursive?

            With elementary schools not prioritizing cursive writing, many students are also losing out on numerous fine motor skills.By taking the time to master cursive writing, students will gain skills that will help them with memorization, expanding their vocabulary as well as adopting a more creative mindset while writing. (2) In my opinion, students who aren’t having the privilege to adopt this simple concept are losing out on multiple skills that will only be an advantage to them throughout their education.

 

            When thinking of cursive writing being eliminated from certain curriculums, the first thing that comes to mind is how will children in upcoming generations acquire a proper signature? A signature is required in many instances as you get older and without knowing how to link letters, it could become tricky.

I think it is unfortunate that students are not being taught how to properly scroll their letters at school and that it is becoming yet another skill that parents have to teach their children on their own. A simple ten-minute lesson every day to introduce a new letter would make a world of a difference in my opinion. After all, isn’t school supposed to prepare you for the future? 

I would like to end this post with a short video that for the most part sums up the importance of learning cursive writing even in today's technologically driven world. Enjoy!

(1) http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/does-handwriting-have-a-place-in-today-s-tech-driven-classrooms-1.1231769

(2) http://www.todaysparent.com/family/education/cursive-writing-in-schools/