Teaching Students How to Combine Sentences and Improve their Writing.Grammar builds the foundation for good writing: the better the grammar, the better the writing. This post is part of the series: Better Grammar Equals Better Writing Spring, TX.įor a complete semester standards based curriculum guide, follow the link. This lesson was inspired by Lebron James and Mini Lessons for Revision by Susan Geye, 1997, Absey & Co.
If these suggestions don’t work, try my shooting flames from your eyes trick explained above and imagine LeBron James in the NBA Finals.Click on the Using Strong Verbs lesson or Eliminate To Be Verbs lesson at the bottom of this article for suggestions.Motivate students with a paragraph challenge.Instruct each pair to exchange rough drafts and identify passive voice constructions in their partner’s writing.Instruct them to read their rough drafts and circle passive voice constructions.Instruct students to copy in their notebooks the differences between passive and active voice.For additional suggestions on personal voice in writing, follow this link. Passive voice contains a lot of to be verbs.įor additional suggestions on writing in the active voice, follow the link.Passive voice creates boredom, world hunger, and depletes the ozone layer (OK, I made the last two up).Passive voice is the equivalent of watching corn grow.Active voice is the equivalent of watching Lebron James.Active voice is preferred because it is direct and concise.If the subject performs the action, the voice is active.If the subject receives the action or is not doing the action, the voice is passive.If they still don’t improve their use of passive and active voice, have them make phylacteries. Instruct them to copy the following in their notebooks. Knowing when to use active and passive voice does not mean students will use it correctly. For example, Children were harmed by unlicensed bus drivers.Īctive vs. When passive voice better emphasizes the main point of the passage.
For example, a cheating husband might respond, “Adultery was committed by me.”
The classroom burned as I unleashed my demoniacal revenge for being peppered with essays full of passive sentences, the writing equivalent of the popcorn eater in the third row, when I could have been reading essays with active voice, the writing equivalent of Lebron James. My eyes enlarged and I shot fire out of them: one flame for each student. I began class with a simple question: would you rather watch Lebron James play basketball or some fat slob in row C eat popcorn? Other than the two unintelligent Kobe Bryant fans, the class shouted, “Lebron James! He’s the best! Who wants to watch some fat guy eat popcorn?”