The Art of Grammar – Painting With Adjectives

1
The Art Of Grammar Painting With Adjectives

• BY
• http//isaacsonseries.com/

2
For generations, students have regarded lessons
in grammar as a joyless activity.  The release of
a class-wide groan often accompanies a teachers
announcement, Lets work on diagraming
sentences.  As renowned writing authority Beth
Olshavnsky contends, such exercises can take the
vitality out of writing instruction.  Rather than
solely relying on repetitions of the linear and
fragmented alignment of sentence diagraming,
Olshavnsky reminds educators that the inspiration
for writing evolved from the need to convey
informative and persuasive images, painting
meaning through words. While sentence diagraming
has an important place, an image-based approach
can infuse writing curriculum with an expressive
energy that should quell the groans that meet the
announcement of sentence diagramming drills. 
Additionally, developing a grammar lesson by
merging picture and word offers a host of
techniques that cultivate aesthetic
sophistication, visual literacy, and the skill to
transport readers with vividly composed language.
3
To illustrate the potential of creating pathways
to literacy through artful imagery, lets begin
with a foundational learning unit, the
descriptive power of adjectives to breathe life
into nouns. A childs language development
begins with nouns, the ability to name things. 
Words that identify mother, father and family are
typically followed by words for food items, toys
and central figures and objects in a childs
immediate environment.  In progressive stages
comes the ability to add descriptive dimension,
quality and scale to language. A grammar lesson
based on sentence diagraming has limited ability
to unlock the expressive value and range of
adjectives.  In contrast, I will describe an
approach that employs fine art imagery to drive
developmental writing skills and a consequent
love for language. To illustrate, picture a
5th-grade teacher accessing the Internet to
project van Goghs, The Starry Night.  I
reintroduce this dazzling work from an earlier
blog because of its familiarity to a broad
audience.  I encourage you to access the image on
the Internet to accompany the following exercise.
4
Part 1 The Adjective Exercise Elementary school
students learn that a noun names a person, place,
or thing, like key, canyon, or doctor.  However,
a single noun often does not fully express ones
thoughts.  Enter the adjective (e.g., a dry
canyon, a rusty key and a skilful doctor).  These
words change or modify the meaning of associated
nouns.  A bicycle may be fast, new, or
broken. After projecting van Goghs The Starry
Night, have students work in groups to first
cooperatively list nouns that they can identify
in the painting.  Among the nouns chosen may
besky, village, cypress tree, hills, heavens,
light, stars, moon, crescents, church, etc. 
Next, have groups develop adjectives that
describe or limit the chosen nouns.
5
There are two kinds of adjectives descriptive
and limiting adjectives.   Descriptive adjectives
illustrate a noun (e.g., soggy grass, a shallow
river).  Limiting adjectives set a numerical
limit to a noun (e.g., several girls, few
robins), or identify which one (e.g., this
newspaper, both roads). Provide groups with
large poster paper and colored marking pens. 
Group members should develop sentences describing
The Starry Night, first selecting at least ten
nouns and then adding an adjective for each to
add description.  In Part 1, groups should focus
just on descriptive adjectives.  Using colored
marking pens, groups should write chosen nouns in
blue and the descriptive adjective in redsuch as
the following example A sleepy village lies
beneath the nightscape.
6
Part 2 Group members should next compose
sentences with two or even three adjectives
inspired by The Starry Night.  One of the
adjectives may be a limiting adjective.  Again
write nouns in blue and adjectives in red. For
example Several lighted homes display soft
light. A single, twisted Cypress stands in the
foreground. We store much of our information and
memory in image form.  Juxtaposing parts of
speech with compelling artful images provides a
form of reinforcement lacking in the more
straightforward diagraming model.  The art and
image-based model cultivates a love of expressive
language, sensitive observation of detail, and
aesthetic sophistication.
7
The Magic Museum, The Isaacson Series in Youth
Literature - An enchanting children's book that
tells the story of a 12-year old skateboarder
(Jack) and a ballerina (Jacqueline) who whispers
to him from an Edgar Degas painting in a fine
arts museum. A wonderful way for parents to
introduce fine art and engage children (ages 8 to
12 years old) in the art of visual storytelling
and imagination. For More Information on The
Magic Museum Book, visit - http//www.isaacsonseri
es.com