Objective:
After this lesson, students should understand how to:
Due to the simplicity of the subject, this lesson should only take about 15 minutes from start to finish, potentially with an extra 5 minutes at the end for students to ask questions
Outline of the Lesson:
1. Review of commas with PowerPoint presentation (5 minutes)
a. When to use a commas in a sentence with:
i. A prepositional or introductory phrase
ii. An appositive
iii. A conjunction joining two independent clauses
iv. A word, phrase, or clause that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence
v. Dates, Places, and Titles
b. The PowerPoint will not include any commas, so students will have to answer where the commas should go in the example sentences
2. Students will get into groups of 2-3 to place commas in 8 example sentences. (5 minutes)
a. We will come back together at the end to ensure that all students know the correct answers
3. Discuss other common grammatical errors that they tend to make in their assignments. (5 minutes)
a. Discuss what a run-on sentence is, including comma splices
b. Discuss solutions to other common issues
c. Provide resources and advice on when/ how to use semicolons and dashes
d. Provide tips on how to avoid missing words or misspellings
e. Talk about common capitalization errors
4. Finish with questions that they have about grammar issues from their assignments
Method of Assessing the Objective:
Students will be assessed on their participation in the PowerPoint presentation and the group discussion on commas. Currently, I take off points for grammatical errors in their discussion board posts and reflections, so I hope to see a big reduction in these errors when I am grading. In addition, I hope to reduce the amount of errors that end up in their final papers.
After this lesson, students should understand how to:
- Properly use a comma in a wide variety of sentences
- Identify a run-on sentence
- Solve common issues that they have with grammar
- Use semicolons and dashes properly
- PowerPoint
- Projector
- Computer and internet access
- Blackboard
Due to the simplicity of the subject, this lesson should only take about 15 minutes from start to finish, potentially with an extra 5 minutes at the end for students to ask questions
Outline of the Lesson:
1. Review of commas with PowerPoint presentation (5 minutes)
a. When to use a commas in a sentence with:
i. A prepositional or introductory phrase
ii. An appositive
iii. A conjunction joining two independent clauses
iv. A word, phrase, or clause that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence
v. Dates, Places, and Titles
b. The PowerPoint will not include any commas, so students will have to answer where the commas should go in the example sentences
2. Students will get into groups of 2-3 to place commas in 8 example sentences. (5 minutes)
a. We will come back together at the end to ensure that all students know the correct answers
3. Discuss other common grammatical errors that they tend to make in their assignments. (5 minutes)
a. Discuss what a run-on sentence is, including comma splices
b. Discuss solutions to other common issues
c. Provide resources and advice on when/ how to use semicolons and dashes
d. Provide tips on how to avoid missing words or misspellings
e. Talk about common capitalization errors
4. Finish with questions that they have about grammar issues from their assignments
Method of Assessing the Objective:
Students will be assessed on their participation in the PowerPoint presentation and the group discussion on commas. Currently, I take off points for grammatical errors in their discussion board posts and reflections, so I hope to see a big reduction in these errors when I am grading. In addition, I hope to reduce the amount of errors that end up in their final papers.
Supporting Materials
Reflection
I haven’t gotten as much as feedback from my students on this lesson plan as I did on the previous lesson plan. I am guessing this is because my professor and I have not assigned a discussion board post about my effectiveness as a TA yet. That is something that they typically turn in with their last assignment of the semester. That being said, I feel like they were able to use some of the tips that I gave them on how to improve their grammar. During the lesson plan, most students were able to participate in filling in the blanks that I intentionally put in my example sentences. My students this semester typically participate more than the students that I had last year, so this was a relatively successful presentation because they were more engaged in the material. Since I gave this lesson plan, one student told me that he used the type to talk website that I included in the PowerPoint to do a final edit on his Position Paper, and I have noticed that most of the students make less punctuation mistakes now than they did before I gave the lesson plan. For these reasons, I feel as though a lot of them have been thinking about the lesson as they turn in their assignments. Hopefully, more feedback is yet to come when they turn in their final assignment and include feedback on my effectiveness as a TA.