5.applying socrates method in grammar sessions

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Using Socratic Method in Grammar Sessions

CONTENTS

Techniques of session handling

when students come with a specific grammar topic.

when students share a specific worksheet or assignment.

when students come to improve or brush up on their grammar skills.

Different Types of Students

In Grammar sessions, you may work with a/an

• student who would ask you to assist him/her with a specific grammar topic /questions.

• student who needs help with homework or assignment.

• ESL/EFL student or adult learner who would like to brush up on his/her grammar skills

Irrespective of the type of the students you may get, ensure that you

• Determine your students’ prior knowledge on a topic.

• Begin with an example to hold the attention of the students.

• Explain the concept (definition) and share more examples.

• Confirm students’ understanding by giving a practice test.

• Summarize what you’ve covered in the session.

Let’s see how to cater to the needs of different types of students.

When Student Doesn’t Share a Specific Topic

In general, students just mention “can you help me with english grammar?” “need help with grade 12 grammar.” They do not specify the topic as they

want to brush up on their grammar skills.

do not exactly know what kind of help they need.

When a student doesn’t specify the topic,

Suggest a list of topics and ask the student to pick one, or

Provide a small pretest to identify his/her area of improvements.

No Specific Topic

List some topics

Doesn’t Specify

Picks one

Provide a Pretest

Check Prior Knowledge

Choose a weak area

Explain the concept

Share more examples

Confirm Understanding

Summary

Begin with an example


Contd…

Tutor: Hello Jordan

Student: Hey, I would like to review 9th grade English.

Student: can you give me some worksheet prombles on grammar.

Tutor: here’s a test based on grammar for 9 th grade.

Tutor: let’s see how you perform.

Student: wat do i do?

Tutor: just mark the nouns in the sentences.

Student: done

Tutor: let’s see the correction.

Student: kk

Tutor: did you get it? so to brief you… Nouns are names of persons, places, things, or ideas.

Student: ok

Tutor: now the next exercise based on pronouns.

Student: ok what is a pronoun.

When Student Doesn’t Share a Specific TopicTutor: pronouns are used in place of nouns.

Personal pronoun: I, me, you, he, him, she, her, it, we, us, they, themPossessive: my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirsDemonstrative: this, that, these, thoseInterrogative: what, which, who, whom, whoseIndefinite: anybody, anyone, each, either, none, someone, somebody, both, everyone, neither, many, few, several…

Tutor: now find these pronouns in the sentences given.

Student: ok

Tutor: please do the entire worksheet

Student: i’m working. please give me sometime.

Tutor: k. let’s check the answers now.

Tutor: are you not clear with pronouns? There are lot of mistakes.

Student: I’m not clear with pronouns.

Tutor: The session is about to end Jordan. We can do the pronouns completely in the next session.

Student: ok thanks for your help

Tutor: hope to see you again

Student: bye

Tutor: Bye


1. Subject Verb Agreement

2. Pronoun Antecedent Agreement

3. Fragments and Run-ons

4. Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers

5. Faulty Parallelism

6. Unnecessary shift in tense

Example:

Scott is very good at Math his brother is hopeless.

This sentence contains two independent clauses. However, without an appropriate mark of punctuation between them, the independent clauses run together.

As a result, readers don't know where the first thought ends and the second one begins.

Contd…



Tutor: Sure. Are you looking for help with any specific grammar topic?

Student: not exactly. i just want to improve my grammar skills.

Tutor: Ok. Let me suggest you some grade 9 topics; pick the one that you find challenging.

Student: ok. My teacher says that my writing always contains run-on sentences. can you guide with me it?

Tutor: Sure, with pleasure.

Tutor: Let’s begin with an example.

Tutor: In this example, two complete sentences are written as if they were a single sentence.

Student: yes, no punctuation.

Tutor: Good! Can you underline the two independent clauses in the sentence?

Tutor: Excellent! Run-on sentences are when two or more independent clauses are connected without any form of punctuation between them.


Tutor: Is that clear so far?

Student: yes

Tutor: Let’s now see how to fix run-ons.

Tutor: Can you give it a try, Jordan?

Student: Sure.

Tutor: Good try, Jordan! However, the conjunction ‘and’ is not the best choice as it joins two similar ideas. Actually both the clauses convey contrasting ideas.

Student: so, use but, right?

Tutor: Excellent job! You got it. Let’s now try the next rule.

Student: ok. what is subordinating conjunction?

Tutor: because, when, though, although, while, after, since, whether…

Student: I remember now.

Tutor: Adding a subordinate conjunction at the beginning of one of the independent clauses makes it dependent clause.

Tutor: When the dependent clause is placed before the independent clause, it must be separated from the independent clause with a comma; however, do not use a comma if the dependent clause follows the independent clause.

Four ways to correct Run-ons

1. Place a period between the two independent clauses.

Scott is very good at Math. His brother is hopeless.

2. Place a semicolon between the two independent clauses.

Scott is very good at Math; his brother is hopeless.

3. Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

Scott is very good at Math, and his brother is hopeless.

Scott is very good at Math, but his brother is hopeless.

4. Create a complex sentence by adding a subordinate conjunction at the beginning of one of the independent clauses and joining the two independent clauses.

While Scott is very good at Math, his brother is hopeless.

Contd…

When Student Doesn’t Share a Specific TopicStudent: Jordan, did you understand how to fix run-on sentences?

Student: yes

Tutor: Let’s now work on a practice exercise.

Tutor: Try correcting the sentences using the clues provided in the parentheses.

Student: Sure.

Tutor: Good start! Please go ahead.

Tutor: Jordan, look at the uses of different coordinating conjunctions. Why did they listen eagerly? As the second clause is introducing the reason, you need to use ___

Tutor: Good!

Tutor: Jordan, when use join two independent clauses using a coordinating conjunction, use a comma before the conjunction.

Student: ok.

Tutor: In this session, we learned what run-ons are and how to fix them.

Student: Yes

Tutor: In the next session, let’s learn about specific kind of run-on (comma splice).

Student: Sure. thanks for your help.

Tutor: It was nice working with you. Please feel free to take more sessions.

Student: I will. bye

Correct Run-on sentences

1. Roller coasters make me dizzy I don’t enjoy them. (use a semicolon)

Roller coasters make me dizzy; I don’t enjoy them.

2. We listened eagerly he brought news of Patrick. (use a comma and a coordinating conjunction)

We listened eagerly, and he brought news of Patrick.and – joins two similar ideas togetherbut – joins two contrasting ideasor – joins two alternative ideas.so – shows that the second idea is the result of the first.nor – joins two negative alternativesfor – to introduce the reason for the preceding clauseyet – meaning ‘but’

to We listened eagerly, for he brought news of Patrick.

3. I stayed up so late I’m sleepy this morning (use subordinating conjunction)

Because I stayed up so late, I’m sleepy this morning.

4. The spacecraft landed on Mars a special camera took pictures of rocks. (use a coordinating conjunction.

The spacecraft landed on Mars and a special camera took pictures of rocks.


1. Subject Verb Agreement2. Pronoun Antecedent Agreement3. Fragments and Run-ons4. Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers5. Faulty Parallelism6. Unnecessary shift in tense

Choose the correct answer.

1. The two policemen at the construction site (look, looks) bored.

2. Neither of the two best single players, Joel and (he, him) lost a single set.

3. Tony (worked, had worked) as a lifeguard before he began his book.

4. Many people believe EVs are (good, better, best ) than conventional automobiles.

The two policemen at the construction site look??

prep obj of prep

A verb must agree with the subject of the sentence, not with the object of the preposition. Ok. Got it.

Contd…



Tutor: Sure. Please take a look at the list of the topics on the board.

Tutor: Which topic would you like to discuss today?

Tutor: Ok. Let me give you a small exercise to identify your areas of improvement.

Student: ok. i’ve done it.

Tutor: Good job, Jordan! I see that you need help with Agreement rules and Tense usage. Let’s begin with subject verb agreement.

Student: ok

Tutor: Let’s consider the first sentence. Who is the sentence talking about?

Student: two policemen??

Tutor: Good. Is “policemen” singular or plural?

Student: plural

Tutor: yes. Therefore it should take the plural verb.


Jordan _____ (has/have) been studying the solar system.

1.Singular subjects followed by words and phrases such as in addition to, as along with, as well as, together with, or with require singular verb.

Your theory, as well as his ideas, ____ (lack, lacks) support

2.Compound subjects joined by and usually take a plural verb. (An exception is a compound subject that names one person, thing, or idea.)

Fishing tackle and a life jacket ___ (was, were) stowed in the boat.

Macaroni and cheese ____ (is, are) an easy dish to make.

3.Singular subject joined by or or nor take a singular verb. If one subject is singular and the other is plural, the verb should agree with the nearer subject..

Salad or dessert _____ (is, are) included with the dinner.

Neither onions nor pepper ____ (improve, improves) the taste of this meatloaf.

Contd…

Tutor: What is the subject of the sentence? Is it singular or plural? Let’s take a look at another example.

Student: Ok

Tutor: To find the subject of the sentence, ask ‘Who or What?’

Student: Jordan– singular.

Tutor: Good job. Can you choose the singular verb?

Tutor: Great going! Now, let’s look at some special situation.

Student: k k

Tutor: There are two basic rules of subject verb agreement: A singular subject must have a singular verb, and a plural subject must have a plural verb.

Student: lack? theory I gues and it’s singular.

Tutor: Exactly! A phrase or clause that comes between a subject and its verb does not affect the subject-verb agreement. ‘Theory’ is the subject of the sentence, and it is singular. So, it should take the singular verb ‘lacks.’

Tutor: verb + s = singular. Is that clear to you?

Student: oh ok

Tutor: When the parts of the compound subject equal one thing, it requires a singular verb. Macaroni and cheese – one dish.

Student: is??

Tutor: Yes, you got it right. Can you underline both the subjects? Excellent! Now, look at the subject that is closest to the verb. Is it singular or plural?

Student: pepper – singular.


4. If a subject comes after the verb, you must still make sure the subject and verb agree in number.

There ______ (is, are) a model of the solar system on the table.

The noun “solar system” follows the preposition “of.” The words after a preposition are said to be the 'object of the preposition'.

A model of the solar system ______ on the table.

Good job!

is

Tutor: Let’s look at the next rule.

Tutor: Jordan, have you heard of inverted subject?

Student: yes. it comes after the verb, right?

Tutor: Excellent! The words here and there at the beginning of a sentence often signal an inverted sentence.

Student: Ok.

Tutor: Can you underline the subject in the given sentence?

Tutor: Are you sure?

Student: yeah I remember now . model?

Tutor: yes. To make it more clear, let me rewrite the sentence.

Student: I got it now.

Tutor: Good! Shall we work on the next rule?

Student: I would like to, but something came up and I have to leave.

Tutor: It’s ok. Let’s discuss the other rules in the next session.

Tutor: It was pleasure working with you. Please feel free to take more sessions.

Student: same here. Thanks for your time. c u soon.

Tutor: Bye

When Student Specifies The Topic

Specific Topic

Check Prior Knowledge

Explain the concept

Share examples

Confirm Understandin

g

Summary

Very rarely, students specify the topic (subject-verb agreement / misplaced modifiers / comma usage/ verbals) or share the worksheets /exercises, in which they need help.

When a student specifies the topic

Check his/her prior knowledge on the topic.

Begin with an example and then explain the concept.

Use show-share-see method to help student understand the concept.

Share an exercise to confirm student’s understanding.

Encourage student to provide a summary of the session.


Tutor: Hello Adam

Tutor: I am Ms. Martha, your English tutor for the day.

Student: Hello. I need help with adjectives.

Tutor: Okay. Please take a look at the sentences on the board.

Student: What should I do?

Tutor: Underline the correct adjectives.

Student: ok

Tutor: Adjectives describe or modify nouns or pronouns.

Student: ok. the words in the brackets are adjectives?

Tutor: Yes. Choose the one that best fits the blank.

Tutor: first one is wrong.

Student: more??

Tutor: yes.

Tutor: Please complete all the sentences.

Tutor: use the comparative form to compare two persons, places, or things.

Student: I’m a ESL student and this is too difficult for me.

Student: __END__SESSION__


Underline the nouns (names of person, place, animal, thing, or idea) in each sentence. There can be more than one noun in each sentence.

1. Laura is a successful writer.

2. I went back to visit my old school.

3. Jessie owns three houses in Florida.

Now, to identify adjectives in the given sentences, ask the following questions: What kind? Which one? How many?

What kind of writer?

Which school?

How many houses?

Adam is a good student.

Which word in the sentence does it modify? student

It is placed before the noun it modifies. Did you get it? Yes

What kind?

Tutor: Hello Adam ! I am Ms. Martha, your English tutor for the day.

Student: Hi Martha

Tutor: How may I help you?

Student: I need help with adjectives.

Tutor: May I know which grade you are in?

Student: I am an ESL student.

Tutor: Ok. Do you have any idea on adjectives?

Student: describing words

Tutor: Good! Which words do they describe?

Student: nouns

Tutor: Exactly! They modify nouns and pronouns.

Tutor: To identify an adjective in a sentence, you should first identify the noun. Please take a look at the sentences on the board.

Student: Ok.

Tutor: Good try, Adam! There is one more noun in the first sentence. Can you identify it?

Student: writer??

Tutor: Good.

Student: I didn’t know that it is so simple. thank you

Tutor: You’re welcome. Let’s now learn more interesting facts about adjectives.

Tutor: Adjectives usually come right before the word they modify. Can you underline the adjective in that sentence?

Contd…


The animals are hungry.

subject adjective

When an adjective comes after a linking verb, it is called as predicate adjective.

Is that clear to you? yes

The cheeseburger smells delicious.

subject adjective

Underline the adjective and circle the word it modifies.

1. Above the table hung an arresting picture.

2. Jerry’s Chicken Kiev was spectacular.

3. The child on the seesaw looked ecstatically happy..

4. The flowers smelled good. adverb

Tutor: An adjective can also come after a linking verb (am, is, was, are, were) and describe the subject of the sentence. Other linking verbs include appear, become, feel, grow, look, remain, seem, sound, smell, stay, taste.

Student: what is subject

Tutor: The part of the sentence that tells what the sentence is about.Please look at the example on the whiteboard. What/Who is the sentence talking about?

Student: animals

Tutor: Good! The word ‘hungry modifies the subject ‘animals,’ and it comes after the linking verb ‘are.’

Tutor: Let me give you another example.

Tutor: Well done!

Tutor: Let’s work on a small exercise before we discuss the three forms of adjectives.

Student: Ok.

Student: third one is confusing.

Tutor: Not to worry. First, identify the subject of the sentence.

Student: seesaw

Tutor: Who looked ecstatically happy? The child or the seesaw?

Student: oh my bad! it’s child.

Tutor: Good! How did the child look?

Student: happy

Tutor: Excellent! The word ‘happy’ tells more about the noun ‘child.’ So it is an adjective.

Student: Got it

Contd…

When Student Specifies The TopicTutor: Let’s now look at three degrees, or forms of adjectives.

Student: Ok.

Tutor: Adam, are you aware of the three degrees of comparisons?

Student: positive, compartive, suprlative.

Tutor: Good! Adam, please underline the adjectives in those sentences.

Tutor: Fantastic! The positive degree describes a noun or a pronoun without comparing it to anyone or anything else.

Student: Ok

Tutor: Comparative degree is used to compare two persons, places, or things. Which two persons are compared in the second sentence?

Student: Jane and Rosie.

Tutor: Great job! Superlative degree is used to compare three or more persons, places, or things. Compared to all the girls in the class, Jane is beautiful.

Student: ok, I got it.

Tutor: Adam, in the chart, did you notice the three different ways the words change form: -er and –est, more and most, & with entirely different words.

Student: Yes.

Tutor: Let me explain how the number of syllables in a word determines its degree form.

Student: g2g

Tutor: Ok. It was pleasure working with you. Please feel free to take more sessions. We will continue this topic in the next session.

Student: Sure. It was fun working with you. Bye

When Student Shares a Worksheet or Specific Assignment

When student shares a specific assignment / exercise, ensure that you

• Do not provide direct answers.

• Use show-share-see method to help student arrive at his/her own answer.

• Guide the student if he/she goes wrong.

• Confirm student’s understanding if he/she comes up with the correct answer.

• Allow the student to participate in the session.

• Encourage the student to take another session if you are not able to complete the entire exercise.

Specific Worksheet / ExerciseWorksheet

/Assignmen

t

Share an Example

Confirm Understandi

ng

Next Question

Student will learn & apply the

concept

Ask him to choose

the answer

Explain the concept

Wrong Option

Use show-share-see method

Correct Option

Correct Answer

Share an Example


Tutor: Hello. Welcome. How can I help you today?

Student: hello.

Student: Can I please give you the directions for my assignment?

Tutor: yes.

Student: Each sentence contains one gerund phrase. Identify the gerund phrase and its use. Here are the choices for its uses: Subject, Direct object, Subject Complement or Object of the Preposition.

Student: here’s the first one.

Tutor: Ok

Student: I have always enjoyed reading books on technical subjects. Gerund phrase: enjoyed reading books.

Tutor: good

Student: thanks and its use is.. Subject complement

Tutor: no. direct object

Student: ok great. the next one: After the fire is extinguished, salvaging property becomes the main focus of the firefighters.

Student: gerund phrase: salvaging property

Tutor: what is your choice?

Student: object of preposition is my choice

Tutor: no.

Student: sorry I am lost on this one. I don’t understand how salvaging property is used as a S, DO, SC, or OP

Tutor: which is subject in this sentence?

Contd…


Student: so it is used as the subject then?

Tutor: let us get it together. First tell me what is the subject in the sentence.

Student: fire

Tutor: no

Student: I’m not sure please explain this one.

Tutor: I think it’s the subject of the sentence.

Student: okay. next one

Student: I would not know so much about technology without reading all those articles in the library.

Student: Gerund phrase: reading all those articles

Tutor: what is your choice?

Student: object of preposition

Tutor: good job.

Student: thanks. Next one:

Tutor: The session is coming to an end. Please book another session.

Student: I have 9 more quizzes to take by Sunday

Tutor: no issues

Tutor: Bye

Student: talk to you tomorrow

When Student Shares a Worksheet or Specific AssignmentTutor: Hi Sara. Welcome to TutorVista.

Student: hello. Nice to meet you Jane.

Tutor: I’m Ms. Jane, your English tutor for the day.

Tutor: Nice to meet you too. How may I help you?

Student: Can I please give you the directions for my assignment?

Tutor: yes. Please paste it on the board.

Tutor: Ok. It’s an interesting topic.

Student: yeah, but I’m having a tough time with it.

Tutor: Not to worry. Let’s work together.

Student: ok. Here’s the first one.

Tutor: Sara, before we work on the exercise, let’s see what gerund phrase, subject, object, subject complement, and obj of prep are.

Student: ok. they are action verbs ending in “ing”

Tutor: Excellent! A gerund phrase is a gerund with modifiers or a complement. Can you underline the gerund and gerund phrase in those sentences?

Tutor: Good! Direct objects can be identified by asking “Whom” or “What?”

Student: Ok.

Tutor: What must a successful firefighter enjoy? What is the sentence talking about?

Student: hobby

Contd…

When Student Shares a Worksheet or Specific AssignmentTutor: Is that clear to you, Sara?

Student: yes.

Tutor: Now, please share your sentences on the whiteboard. Let’s work on them one by one.

Student: Ok. Here’s the first one. Gerund phrase: reading books and its use is

Tutor: Sara, A gerund phrase will begin with a gerund, an ing word, and will include other modifiers and/or objects.

Student: I got it now, it is Subject complement.

Tutor: Does the phrase follow a linking verb (am, is, are, was, were)?

Student: no.

Tutor: Is that clear you?

Student: yes. the next one. gerund phrase: salvaging property

Tutor: Excellent job!

Student: object of preposition is my choice

Tutor: Let me explain.

Student: interesting…next one:

Tutor: which is subject in this sentence? You’re doing a great job, Sara.

Student: Thank you. 9 more quizzes to take by Sunday

Tutor: Not to worry. Let’s work on them in the next session. Please feel free to book as many sessions as possible to get complete help.

Student: thank you. I will.

Points To RememberIn Grammar sessions, ensure that you

Determine the student’s requirement .

Ask open-ended questions or provide a small exercise (2 or 3 sentences) to find out what the student already knows about the topic.

Explain the concept and use Show-Share-See method to guide the student.

Encourage the student’s participation rather than providing direct answers.

Help student understand why his/her answer is right or wrong.

Provide practice test to confirm his/her understanding.

Encourage the student to book more sessions with you for complete guidance.

Utilize the whiteboard for definitions, explanation, and examples; and chat box for greeting and other conversations.

If you get the same student on a regular basis,

Identify his/her areas of improvement and guide him in those areas.

Focus on one topic in each session rather than covering too many topics in the same session.

Summarize what is covered in the session and provide a gist of what you will cover in the next session.

Provide some worksheets and ask the student to work on his/her own and share the answers in the next session.

List of Grammar Topics1. Parts of Speech

2. Parts of Sentence

• Subject (Simple & Complete)

• Predicate (Simple & Complete)

• Complement

Subject Complement – Predicate Nominative & Predicate Adjective

Object Complement – Direct Object, Indirect Object, & Object

Complement

3. Phrase – Gerund, Infinitive, Participial, Prepositional, Appositive

4. Clauses and Types of Clauses

5. Types of Sentences – Simple, Compound, Complex, Compound-Complex

6. Modifiers – Misplaced and Dangling

7. Parallel Structure

8. Verb Tense

9. Pronoun Usage

10. Agreement – Subject-Verb and Pronoun-Antecedent

11. Capitalization

12. Punctuation

13. Varying Sentence Beginning

Thank You

5.applying socrates method in grammar sessions

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