Week 9, Post 6: HELP! (Drawing a Blank!)

 Find examples of the sentence level issue that you're going to focus on in your 704 lesson plan.  You can work from your tutees writing or you can work from any of the essays that we've looked at this semester.  What kind of lesson activities might you do with a class of students to help them with this grammar issue?

I know we discussed this (briefly) in class last week.  I know I'm to plan out and give a 20 minute (??) grammar lesson.  But I'm blocked because a) I'm finding no inspiring grammar issues in our sample essays, nor in my tutees' essays -- at least, nothing that would sustain my interest to rant for 20 minutes of my hot air.  Is this a lecture?

That's a hell of a long time to harangue about minutiae, no?  Especially after we've spent nine weeks discussing (and agreeing?) that grammar, if it's dealt with at all, should never -- or very, very, very RARELY -- be taught at the group level.  Nearly EVERYTHING we've read and discussed has concluded that error analysis is of ZERO benefit and that students IGNORE it -- UNLESS it's IN CONTEXT and MEANINGFUL.

I have taught mini-lessons in ESL for many years, but even at that level, I would avoid something as unruly as a 20 minute lecture.  Inevitably, some students will find it fascinating (and forget it), while others will be baffled (but not admit it), while others will already understand it (and resent it).

Then, if we're to address the most common errors our tutees make, I don't see the point.  Most of these grammar points are mundane, like subject/verb agreement, which they've known for years, but, for whatever reason, they fail to apply.  Perhaps they need to be shown the usefulness of the APPLICATION or the importance.  Other, more "exotic" points, like subordinate clauses, will tend to befuddle and bore more students than they aid, I'll wager, especially if the topic's presented out of context.

From my experience, what would be much more creative and beneficial, would be an APPLICATION of a grammar point to a particular activity or game.  But a 20-min. lecture just for the heck of it?  Hmmmm?

So, I'm really confused about the point of this project, and about how to proceed!

I welcome anybody's input!!  Thank you!