1st Edition
Descriptosaurus Grammar Companion Ages 9 to 12 A Language Toolkit and Support for Creative Writing
Descriptosaurus Grammar Companion Ages 9 to 12 is a flexible grammar toolkit based on current research about effective strategies for teaching grammar tools and sentence construction (investigation, imitation, combining and expansion). It includes guidelines, exercises, scaffolds and models, and by showing a clear progression route to the acquisition and consolidation of increasingly more complex grammar tools it provides teachers and students with a road map that makes learning about sentence construction and revision visible.
This book is a collection of connected resources that can be used as and when required and it provides an easily accessible differentiation resource for each student based on their current stage of development, not the age-related targets and expectations. It enables the learning process for grammar tools to be recursive rather than linear; to be regularly revisited in short bursts to consolidate students’ knowledge and usage, or to correct any misconceptions or problem areas without impeding any writing activities already planned. Chapters focus on four main points:
- Investigation
- Imitation
- Combining
- Expansion
This Grammar Companion supports the main Descriptosaurus book and scaffolds students in their journey through the world of language. This essential resource will strengthen their language muscles and build confidence with sentence manipulation when revising their own texts, thus freeing their minds to think about the important issues of writing: content, audience and purpose, and organisation and structure.
Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART A – INVESTIGATIONS
CHAPTER 1 Chunking into Sentence Parts
CHAPTER 2 Subject and Predicate
CHAPTER 3 Writing Craft Tools
CHAPTER 4 Investigative Approach
CHAPTER 5 Prepositional Phrases
CHAPTER 6 Adverb Clauses
CHAPTER 7 Relative Clauses
CHAPTER 8 Participial Phrases
PART B – IMITATING
CHAPTER 9 Sentence Imitation Method
CHAPTER 10 Expanded Noun Phrases
CHAPTER 11 Opening and Delayed Adjectives
CHAPTER 12 Opening and Delayed Adverbs
CHAPTER 13 Compound Verbs
CHAPTER 14 Examples from Literature
PART C – SENTENCE COMBINING
CHAPTER 15 Sentence Combining Method
CHAPTER 16 Expanded Noun Phrases
CHAPTER 17 Adverb Clauses
CHAPTER 18 Relative Clauses
CHAPTER 19 Participial Phrases
CHAPTER 20 Creating a Sentence Combining exercise from a text
CHAPTER 21 Sentence Combining – Poetry
CHAPTER 22 Sentence Combining – Non-fiction
CHAPTER 23 Sentence Combining – History: The Blitz WWII
CHAPTER 24 Sentence Combining – Settings
CHAPTER 25 De-Combining Sentences and Paragraphs
PART D – SENTENCE EXPANSION
CHAPTER 26 Sentence Expansion Method
CHAPTER 27 A Writer’s Lens – Sentence Expansion
CHAPTER 28 Show not Tell: Warm-up Exercises
Bibliography
Biography
Alison Wilcox has extensive teaching experience in schools in England and Scotland. Colleagues describe her methods as "innovative and inspirational to even the most reluctant of writers".
