Table of Contents - Richbaub's Introduction to Middle School Grammar

Scope and Sequence of Richbaub's Introduction to Middle School Grammar

Chapter 1 – Prepositions & Prepositional Phrases

Introduction to Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases
The Basic Structure of a Prepositional Phrase
Study of the Objects of Prepositions
Multiple Objects of Prepositions and Coordinating Conjunctions
**Rather than beginning as most grammar programs do with subjects and predicates, Richbaub's opens with an in-depth study of prepositional phrases.

Students at the middle school level have already been introduced to a few grammar concepts in elementary school, and although they may have heard of prepositions and prepositional phrases, they haven't really dissected them yet.

Understanding the prepositional phrase and its parts not only immediately opens the door to commas, coordinating conjunctions, and personal pronoun usage, but recognizing prepositional phrases makes breaking down and analyzing sentences easier by way of being able to eliminate the words in prepositional phrases when hunting for subjects and verbs.

Chapter 2 – Nouns & Pronouns

Introduction to Nouns
Study of Pronouns
Personal Pronoun Usage in Prepositional Phrases
Indefinite, Demonstrative, and Reflexive Pronouns
Study of Comma Usage with Prepositional Phrases
**Rather than having a separate chapter for the various parts of speech, another for pronouns, one for punctuation rules and another for usage, whenever possible Richbaub's weaves together concepts where they naturally intersect.

Also, relative and interrogative pronouns are dropped. Relative pronouns have to do with subordinate clauses, an advanced grammar concept, and there aren't enough usage issues regarding interrogative pronouns to warrant spending time on them.

Chapter 3 – Verbs

Introduction to Verbs
Verbs in the Infinitive Form
Study of Helping and Main Verbs, a.k.a. Verb Phrases
How to Find the Verb in a Sentence
“Polluted” Verb Phrases
Study of Action and Linking Verbs
How to Tell the Difference Between Linking and Action Verbs
**This chapter features a nice collection of unique terms and strategies, and, most importantly, concepts from previous chapters are not forgotten. In addition to the new information about verbs, concepts from previous chapters continue to be incorporated into practice exercises.

Chapter 4 – Verbs & Writing

Introduction to Verbs & Writing
Limiting the Use of Helping Verbs
Using Action Verbs Rather Than Linking Verbs
Using the Active Voice in Your Writing
**Why study grammar? This chapter helps students discover their own answers to this question by relating the grammar studied in chapters one through three to the more tangible world of actual writing. In chapter four students evaluate and improve writing samples as well experiment with verb choice.

Chapter 5 – Subjects

Introduction to Subjects
The Relationship Between Subjects and Verbs
Analyzing Locations of Subjects in Sentences
Personal Pronouns and Subjects
Multiple Subjects, Multiple Verbs, and Compound Sentences
Punctuating Compound Sentences
**The focus on sentence patterns, the inclusion of personal pronoun usage, and the material devoted to punctuation all help separate this chapter from traditional grammar texts' "subject" chapters.

Chapter 6 – Punctuating Dialogue

Introduction to Punctuating Dialogue
Quotation Marks in Dialogue
Commas, Periods, and Other End Marks in Dialogue
Capital and Lower-case Letters in Dialogue
Interrupted Quotations
Multiple Speakers and Paragraph Breaks
**Rather than grouping the punctuation chapters in a separate section of the program away from the grammar chapters, Richbaub's keeps grammar and punctuation together whenever possible.

Here, the "Punctuating Dialogue" chapter not only provides a nice break from the study of grammatical forms at this point, but it also comes in the middle of the school year when writing assignments are rolling in and students are well into the literature--places where students can practice punctuating dialogue concepts as well as see them in action.

Chapter 7 – Adjectives

Introduction to Adjectives
The Locations of Adjectives
Predicate Adjectives vs. Predicate Nominatives
A Trick for Finding Predicate Adjectives and Predicate Nominatives
Predicate Nominatives and Personal Pronouns
**What's most unique about Chapter Seven is the grouping of adjectives with both predicate adjectives and predicate nominatives. As middle school students see it, these three things all function the same way--they all describe nouns and pronouns--and so it makes a lot of sense to relate them.

Programs that segregate predicate adjectives and predicate nominatives from plain old adjectives are wrongly appealing to grammarians. One of the driving ideas behind the development of Richbaub's Introduction to Middle School Grammar is "what makes the most sense to middle school kids." Chapter Seven is a testament to this important belief.

Chapter 8 – Adverbs

Introduction to the Study of Adverbs
The Questions Adverbs Answer
The Hunt for Adverbs
Getting into “The Routine"
Some Adverb Clues
**What's most important about Chapter Eight is where it comes in the program. Adverbs are NOT just another part of speech! To middle school students adverbs are the most abstract and complex of the eight parts of speech. As such, adverbs should never be lumped in with adjectives in the beginning of a grammar program, as is often the case.

With the level of understanding students have reached by this point in the program, adverbs are digestible. Richbaub's also streamlines the presentation of adverbs with excellent clues and simplified strategies for identifying them.

Chapter 9 – Sentence Diagramming

How to Diagram Sentences
Adjective and Adverb Phrases
Adjective and Adverb Phrases and Sentence Diagramming
The Bottom Line About Placing Prepositional Phrases in a Sentence Diagram
**Sentence diagramming in Richbaub's Introduction to Middle School Grammar has three important functions: 1.) to provide a change of pace for students, a graphical approach to sentence analysis, 2.) to allow for a thorough review of the concepts covered to date, and 3.) to introduce the concept of classifying prepositional phrases as adjective and adverb phrases.

Chapter 10 – Complements

Introduction to Complements
Complements in Linking Verb Sentences: Predicate Adjectives and Predicate Nominatives
Predicate Nominatives and Personal Pronoun Usage
Complements in Action Verb Sentences: Direct and Indirect Objects
Complements Review
Objects and Personal Pronoun Usage
Diagramming Sentences That Have Direct and Indirect Objects
**The study of complements is the culminating chapter in Richbaub's Introduction to Middle School Grammar because it brings together so many of the concepts of the program, plus it allows for the completion of the study of personal pronoun case usage.

Guess what? It's June and Richbaub's Introduction to Middle School Grammar has allowed you to work a terrific grammar strand into your English or language arts course.

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