I am looking for a creative idea to teach students about the rules of irregular plurals and also writing introductions to stories. Any ideas?
writing ideas Dear teacher, The rules for irregular plurals such as woman and women, are not actually stated. This is why they are listed as irregular. There is no one rule to explain the vagaries and history of developmental language. The only way I have ever been able to pass on this information is through engaging exposure. They are supplied with a list or with examples of the words to be learned. They create imaginative sentences of their own using the singular nouns. They exchange papers with a classmate who then writes the smae sentence using the plural form of the noun, making any adjustments for grammar(verb agreement.) They can also do any editing if you are teaching them formal editing notation. Another way to reinforce the changes or lack of changes in spelling the plural forms of the nouns would be to have them create flash cards. One side: a sheep and the word. The other side: several sheep and the same word. Or, a goose on one side with a drawing and several geese on the other side. It is funny just thinking of the picture possibilities. As for the introductions. The Snoopy cartoon where he is typing on his dog house using the words: "It was a dark and stormy night," shows an effective way of beginning a story. The concept is to have the writer bring the reader into the story by placing them in a seting where they are seeing, feeling the emotions, or experiencing physically, the setting. The author can use the magic of words to make the reader see things, feel emotions, touch objects. When the story begins, put the reader in a place or time or experience that will make the reader become a part of the story. Harry Potter waves a wand and uses and incantation to change things. An author can write words as a magic spell to change the world of the reader. They can be in a dark and stormy night, a dank and smelly dungeon, a breezy and bright cloud, or a sticky sweet chocolate bar. It's magic! Have fun. maxine
Regarding beginning stories: Look at what authors do! Find several examples of different kinds of leads. "Start with dialog", "jumping right into the story", "painting a picture", are different ways my students have labeled leads that we have looked at. Have the students try their story leads two different ways - then they should pick which one sems to work best with the story.
