A recurring theme in my research that's been resonating with me regarding my basic writing students is getting them to "play" with the language. This means coming up with their own sample sentences, using grammar in context and using real-world examples to ultimately mine their own innate knowledge as native English speakers to figure out the rules. This seems simply more fun to me than what I have been doing (skill and drill out of the book).
In that vein, I'm going to take a look at some online sources about grammar and see what might assist in this guided playing with grammar. To make my life easier, I'm going to be looking for sources that address sentence errors specifically: run-ons, comma splices, and fragments.
The Classics
The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL):
For those of you who have used the OWL before (if you haven't, I suggest you head over and check it out: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/), you know that it has a whole lot of information about a range of writing concerns. That information tends to be in a worksheet format, such as this page on independent and dependent clauses: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/598/01/
This information is similar to what you might find in a textbook, so that's not helpful in terms of getting students to play with grammar in the sense I mean here. They do, however, have some useful PowerPoints, such as this one called "Conquering the Comma:" http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/692/01/
PowerPoints are only as useful as the instructor makes them, but the alternative format could be interesting for students.
Literacy Education Online (LEO):
LEO (http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/) is a resource through St. Cloud State University that is similar to the OWL in that it has a variety of resources that are similar to what might be found in a textbook, like this source on comma splices, fused sentences, and run-ons: http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/punct/csfsro.html
The last time LEO was updated was in 2004, but what's nice about the site is that it presents the website information based on questions the writer may have, like, "I want to make sure my ideas are logical." The "ideas are logical" part of the sentence is a link to a resource on logical fallacies. Again, though this source may be a good enhancement to or replacement of a textbook, it doesn't directly support playing with grammar.
Grammar Girl:
I like the conversational tone this website (http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/) takes on, making grammar more accessible and interesting for the readers. It offers a listing of the most recent tips and a search box for particular issues. I typed "run on sentences" into the search box, and several intriguing results came up, including this explanation of run-ons, written in the Grammar Girl’s signature quirky and fun style. Students might enjoy reading this source more than a textbook because it is conversational: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/run-on-sentences.aspx
Something else that tells me this is a good source for playing with grammar, though, and is that the source talks specifically about “Run-On Sentences and Your Writing Style.” Under this heading, the Grammar Girl talks about the effect on the reader of making two short, complete sentences set apart by a period and how that sounds versus adding a semicolon, conjunctive adverb or comma. Though this section is short, it goes beyond the rule and options and delves into the effect those options have on the meaning the writer is trying to convey, which is a sure sign of a resource that understands the value of playing with language.
I also found a link to audio, video, and quiz files: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/staticcontent/teaching-with-technology.aspx
I listened to the audio about fragments, and after a 50-second commercial, Mignon Fogarty (she's the Grammar Girl, by the way), reads what is written below...kind of a buzzkill. It is, however, nice to hear the Grammar Girl's voice, and I can see the value of having students listen to the audio while following along with the webpage.
Grammar Bytes:
...specifically, exercises at Grammar Bytes: http://www.chompchomp.com/exercises.htm This website has a simple, easy-to-use format and presents the concepts in a clear, readable way. I'm looking at the link for comma splices and fused sentences, and it gives a set of directions along with a quick review of the concept. There are also links to a more extensive explanation of the rule and a handout that the students can use to keep track of their answers in a print format.
Once the student reviews the rules, it's time to do the activity. The first question asks the student to read a sentence and determine if there is a comma splice or a fused sentence within it. Picking a door leads to either a cool prize or a lame prize. I chose the wrong answer (on purpose, of course), and got the message "You lose! The sentence did not contain a comma splice" with a picture of a cow. The "You lose" part stung, but the cow made me laugh, so I guess things balanced out. Underneath the cow is an option to get an explanation or to go on to the next sentence. The explanation not only gives the correct answer (the sentence contained a fused sentence), but why and how to fix it. (By the way, by answering a question correctly, I got a picture of a wad of twenty dollar bills held together by a rubber band. Too bad they're only virtual!)
This is a fun way to get the students engaging with the rules, and I think it would definitely hold their attention. I'm not entirely sure, however, that these activities, though playful, would get at the more hands-on version of play that I'm talking about here.
The Videos
Ahh, YouTube. What do you have that will help me get students to play with grammar? I did a search for "comma splices" and I have to say, the results that popped up didn't look all that interesting. I found several that were clearly projects done by students for their English classes. These aren't useful sources, really, but they do show students who are having fun with the concept. One video that I loved was by an English teacher, called the "Comma Splice Rap:" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jfSE7y31ig&feature=related
What's great about this is not necessarily its hard educational value, but that it shows that grammar isn't some boring, annoying thing. It's playfulness demonstrated not by students (who WANT to be playful), but by the same teachers who have the power to address the concepts in ways that might be more boring for the students. I mean, honestly. What student wouldn't want this lady as their teacher? She's so cool!
I also dig this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Rzt37kO-Qg&feature=related because it gives the rule and shows several real-world examples of comma splices and how they might be fixed.
There are also a variety of videos like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIwYeNnmcuQ, called "How to Fix a Comma Splice." These videos are explanations of the rule, very much in the same way I would explain the rule in my class. On first blush, I want to dismiss these videos because they do what I already do. On second thought, though, for those students who find value in hearing the rules explained to them, these videos give the opportunity to hear the rules after the class is over.
YouTube shouldn't be underestimated. I can see pulling up fun videos to get the students thinking and perhaps even asking students who struggle with grammatical issues to check out some of the videos for further practice.
The Blogs
I'm not convinced that sending students to grammar blogs (like the gorgeously-titled "Throw Grammar from the Train" at http://throwgrammarfromthetrain.blogspot.com/) is the wisest choice, given the often-cerebral musings of some of the blogs that don't arrive at the down-and-dirty usage information that we're trying to deliver to our students. If we're talking about playing with language, though, these sources certainly do look at language from different angles which could be useful to the right student. A caveat is that the writing tends to be at a high level, and basic writers may struggle with that.
Some blogs, like "The Grammarphobia Blog" (http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/) have search boxes that make the job of finding the topic you're looking for easier.
The best way to go about searching for blog postings about grammar issues is to head over to the Google blog search (http://www.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en) and type in what you want to find. A search for comma splices yielded a factual, yet somewhat condescending blog posting called "The #$%@! Comma Splice" by a college student addressed to other students. A friendlier explanation is the posting "What a Comma Splice is and How to Fix It," found here: http://blog.writeathome.com/index.php/2012/02/what-a-comma-splice-is-and-how-to-fix-it/.
The Bottom Line: The internet is a beautiful thing, and resources abound to assist with the teaching of these concepts. Though I know I can explain concepts, I would much rather spend my time in the classroom getting students to play around with those concepts. If someone else can explain it on the web, why not let 'em do it? If nothing else, it's another source reinforcing the ideas we're talking about, and reinforcement is valuable. Students being able to view sources repeatedly if necessary is also good--I can't be there to answer questions all the time, especially when some students do their homework at wacky hours. Finally, the conversational (read: fun) tone of some of these sources may inspire students to pay closer attention to material they may otherwise find dull. It's a win-win--it helps out with instruction and certainly cannot hurt the students.
Ultimately, if we're talking about getting students to play with language, I may need to rely on my own powers as a teacher to make that happen in my classroom.
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