Choosing Two Grammar Targets in a Seventh-Grade Journal
Ms. Ortega is reviewing a short journal entry written by a seventh-grade student, Daniel, during a free-writing warm-up. The entry reads: 'Yesterday my brother and me went to the library. We was looking for a book about volcanoes. The librarian, who know a lot about science, helped us find it. She said, "You should to check the new shelf near the window." We founded three books and choosed one about Mount Vesuvius.' Daniel's first language is English, and he usually speaks fluently; Ms. Ortega wants to choose two grammar points to review with him tomorrow rather than correct every mistake. She has 15 minutes for the mini-lesson and wants Daniel to explain the pattern himself, not just copy a corrected version.
1. Ms. Ortega can address only two patterns in 15 minutes. Which two should she choose, and why? Explain the rule for each in language Daniel can use.
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Daniel's entry contains at least six possible targets: pronoun case ('my brother and me'), subject-verb agreement ('We was'), relative-clause agreement ('who know'), modal use ('should to check'), and irregular past tense ('founded,' 'choosed'). For a 15-minute lesson, the best pair is subject-verb agreement and pronoun case, because both can be tested with a simple, portable procedure and both occur in high-frequency academic writing.
- We was looking → We were looking. Rule: the verb be agrees with its subject. We is plural, so use were. A quick test: substitute they - 'they were,' not 'they was.'
- My brother and me went → My brother and I went. Rule: use the subject pronoun I when the pronoun is part of the subject. Test: remove 'my brother' - 'I went,' not 'me went.'
I would not start with 'founded/choosed' because irregular past forms are memorization items, not a rule Daniel can apply broadly in 15 minutes. 'Should to' is worth noting, but it is a single modal pattern and can be handled later. The two chosen patterns let Daniel self-correct many sentences, which fits Ms. Ortega's goal.
2. Daniel writes 'The librarian, who know a lot about science, helped us.' Rewrite the sentence correctly, and design two questions Ms. Ortega could ask to help Daniel find the error himself.
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Correct sentence: The librarian, who knows a lot about science, helped us find it.
Reason: the relative pronoun who refers to the librarian, a singular third-person noun. In the present tense, a singular third-person verb takes -s: knows. The clause 'who knows a lot about science' is extra information about the librarian, but it still has its own subject-verb agreement.
Two questions that guide rather than tell:
- 'In this sentence, who is the word who standing for? Is that person one librarian or more than one?'
- 'If you replaced who with she, would you write she know or she knows? What does that tell you about the verb?'
A third possible prompt: 'Read the sentence without the clause between the commas. Does the main sentence still work? Now read the clause alone: who knows...?' This helps Daniel see that the relative clause has its own subject-verb pair. Ms. Ortega should then have Daniel say the rule in his own words and write one new sentence with who plus a singular verb to confirm transfer.