GED prep students often ask, "Does spelling count?"
The answer is sometimes no, sometimes yes.
No. If you make only make a few spelling mistakes, it will not affect your grade. After all, this is draft writing, and the essay readers don't expect your essay to be perfect given the limited time frame.
Yes. First, if you misspell many words in your essay, especially the most commonly misspelled words (see below), it will lower your grade. However, if your ideas are well organized, you may still pass the test.
Second, if your spelling errors prevent the essay reader from understanding what you meant to say, then yes, spelling errors will affect your results. In this second case, it is likely that you will not pass the essay test.
Some spelling mistakes are worse than other spelling mistakes. Try not to make spelling errors on words in these following categories.
1. Any words given in the prompt.
Some students begin their essay by restating key words from the essay prompt. If you do this, please be sure to spell these words correctly. Sometimes students hurry to write their essay and don't pay attention to the spelling of these words, and they end up making avoidable spelling mistakes.
2. Any commonly misspelled word--such as possessive pronouns and common homonyms. You may find some of these errors on the multiple choice part of the test. Be suspicious when you see them.
Notes:
a. Possessive pronouns never have an apostrophe (his, hers, ours, yours, theirs, its)
b. Always read contractions as two words--and you won't make a mistake.
its possessive pronoun The dog wagged its tail.
it's contraction- it is It's (it is) too late to go to the movies.
your possessive pronoun This is your notebook.
yours possessive pronoun Is this notebook yours?
you're contraction- you are You're (you are) going to get a good report.
there adverb-location Put the flowers here and there. (here hides in there)
there's contraction- there is There's (there is) never enough time to write an essay.
they're contraction- they are They're (they are) going to put the flowers here.
their possessive pronoun The heirs got their money from their rich uncle.
theirs possessive pronoun The money was theirs.
to location Henry went to the garden.
to with verb He went to pick flowers.
two number Sally bought two plants at the farmer's market.
too also Henry went to the farmer's market, too.
3. Any plurals and possessives (nouns that show ownership need an apostrophe)
When students learn about apostrophes in school, they commonly begin to use apostrophes on every word that needs an s. Gradually, though, they learn the difference between plurals and posssessives.
plural nouns (meaning more than one) horses, schools, students, bloggers
and possessive nouns (meaning ownership) Mary's horse Henry's school
Be careful: things can show ownership: the horse's tail the school's auditorium
4. Noun plurals While there are a number of rules for forming noun plurals, only the most common ones will be listed here. You will not likely need the others.
S rule- just add s chickens, computers, cellphones, televisions
Y rule- change Y to I and add ES puppy puppies
cherry cherries
candy candies
SS, SH, CH, and X Rule- add es
boss bosses
brush brushes
church churches
box boxes
5. Verb endings
Essay writers generally write in the past or present tenses. If you write your essay in the past tense, make sure that every verb has a past tense ending. If you write in the present tense, make sure that every verb has a present tense ending. Do not switch tenses in your essay.
The most important rule about adding verb endings is about when to double a consonant before adding the ending. Double the ending consonant if it follows a vowel (a, e, i, o, u).
plan planned get getting win winning hop hopping run running
6. Abbreviations
Remember, your GED essay is not a text message, a Facebook posting, or a blog posting, so do not use any abbreviations. Also spell out number words under ten.
While there are many more spelling rules, these are the most basic. If you master these, you should be okay on the essay test. Also, there are only a few spelling examples on the multiple choice part of the test, so don't try to memorize long lists of spelling words. That won't help. Just master these basic rules.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
GED Writer Worries
Many GED prep students are surprised to learn that the GED writing test has two parts: an essay and a multiple choice section on grammar, punctuation, organization, and spelling. The GED writing test is not an easy test, and I am certain that many high school graduates could not pass it.
GED prep students worry about taking this test and make such comments as:
"I don't know how to write an essay."
"I never paid attention in English class."
"I can't spell."
"I don't have anything to write about."
"My teacher did not teach me how to write an essay."
"I failed English class because the teacher didn't like me."
"I failed English class because the teacher didn't teach me anything."
"I failed English class because I was always causing trouble, so they kicked me out."
Some students write reasonable essays on their first try. With minor revising and editing, their essays would get passing grades--not exceptional grades--but passing grades. Another group has basic writing skills, and with coaching and practice, these students can learn to write passing essays. Other students fail miserably on their first attempts. They do not have a clue as to how to begin, carry through, and finish their essays. Some write a lot-but say nothing. Some write so little that an assessment of their skills is virtuallly impossible. Students in this group need a lot of coaching and practice...and encouragement.
Likewise, the subtest on grammar, organization, spelling, and punctuation causes trouble for some students, but not others. Parallel structure, commas in a series, subject-verb agreement, and paragraph organization seem to cause the largest stumbling blocks, but even basic spelling (there-their-they're), capitalization, and basic punctuation trip them up.
Some students have an intuitive sense of grammar--perhaps from extensive reading or from English class instruction. Even so, these students feel they are guessing on the grammar subtest. Twenty-four-year-old Cathy was so upset when she thought she had failed the practice test, that she wanted to quit the GED program--yet when we checked her practice test, she had done fairly well. In her case, we only had to show her what she already knew. By connecting the grammatical terms to the test examples and her answers, she gained confidence in responding to questions. She learned why her intuition was correct--and that she could rely on it during the final test. This single strategy boosted her confidence, and when she took the final test at the GED center, she passed with an excellent score.
We need different approaches for these two groups of students--and individuals within these groups. The essay group needs a simple structure that helps them organize their thinking--and please note that graphic organizers do not always help struggling writers. They also need practice responding to all kinds of prompts.
The grammar group needs a thorough review of basic principles of grammar--including most parts of speech; subject, predicates, objects; verb tenses; parallel structure; and paragraph organization. GED prep students can learn these terms!
Of course, both groups need practice in both areas. As we work through practice essays and practice tests, we review basic principles, and students begin to see error patterns. Once they see the patterns on the test, they feel more at ease.
Upcoming blogs: How much grammar do we need to teach?
One-Two-Three Essay Structure
GED prep students worry about taking this test and make such comments as:
"I don't know how to write an essay."
"I never paid attention in English class."
"I can't spell."
"I don't have anything to write about."
"My teacher did not teach me how to write an essay."
"I failed English class because the teacher didn't like me."
"I failed English class because the teacher didn't teach me anything."
"I failed English class because I was always causing trouble, so they kicked me out."
Some students write reasonable essays on their first try. With minor revising and editing, their essays would get passing grades--not exceptional grades--but passing grades. Another group has basic writing skills, and with coaching and practice, these students can learn to write passing essays. Other students fail miserably on their first attempts. They do not have a clue as to how to begin, carry through, and finish their essays. Some write a lot-but say nothing. Some write so little that an assessment of their skills is virtuallly impossible. Students in this group need a lot of coaching and practice...and encouragement.
Likewise, the subtest on grammar, organization, spelling, and punctuation causes trouble for some students, but not others. Parallel structure, commas in a series, subject-verb agreement, and paragraph organization seem to cause the largest stumbling blocks, but even basic spelling (there-their-they're), capitalization, and basic punctuation trip them up.
Some students have an intuitive sense of grammar--perhaps from extensive reading or from English class instruction. Even so, these students feel they are guessing on the grammar subtest. Twenty-four-year-old Cathy was so upset when she thought she had failed the practice test, that she wanted to quit the GED program--yet when we checked her practice test, she had done fairly well. In her case, we only had to show her what she already knew. By connecting the grammatical terms to the test examples and her answers, she gained confidence in responding to questions. She learned why her intuition was correct--and that she could rely on it during the final test. This single strategy boosted her confidence, and when she took the final test at the GED center, she passed with an excellent score.
We need different approaches for these two groups of students--and individuals within these groups. The essay group needs a simple structure that helps them organize their thinking--and please note that graphic organizers do not always help struggling writers. They also need practice responding to all kinds of prompts.
The grammar group needs a thorough review of basic principles of grammar--including most parts of speech; subject, predicates, objects; verb tenses; parallel structure; and paragraph organization. GED prep students can learn these terms!
Of course, both groups need practice in both areas. As we work through practice essays and practice tests, we review basic principles, and students begin to see error patterns. Once they see the patterns on the test, they feel more at ease.
Upcoming blogs: How much grammar do we need to teach?
One-Two-Three Essay Structure
Sunday, August 1, 2010
GED Students Carry a Patchwork of Misinformation
Personal problems. Health problems. Attendance problems. Motivation problems. Parent problems. Money problems. Boyfriend/girlfriend problems. Drug and alcohol problems. Even the dog-ate-my-homework problems. GED students have problems. All of these problems, and more, contribute to their lack of engagement in the educational process.
Whatever their reasons, struggling and unmotivated students slide through the educational system, miss critical instruction, and end up with a patchwork of misinformation. Twenty-year-old Charley spouted this rule when he misspelled "receive": "Use i before e except on words that end with y." This patchwork of misinformation becomes a handicap to academic success.
How does does a teacher work with these struggling and unmotivated students and their patchwork of misinformation?
First, and most important, recognize that behind the facade of that seemingly bored student sitting nonproductively in your classroom is a complex person who has a host of legitimate reasons (in his or her mind) for not doing class work or homework. Look beyond attitudes, and you will often find surprising interests that can be used to develop writing skills.
Second, look for signs of improvement and give positive reinforcement for ideas and writing attempts. Don't focus on every error. Many of these students have failed continually throughout their school years, and they are discouraged, and maybe even angry. Some may only be in your program now because they have been ordered to be there by the court system. These hard-to-reach and hard-to-teach students need mega doses of sincere encouragement.
Third, try to tailor your instruction to their immediate instructional needs. Analyze their writing and identify their most common errors and start there. Don't try to work through every error. Build a learning log as you go along and record what you do so you can do rapid reviews.
Helping struggling students improve their writing skills won't be easy. And it won't be fast. But it can be done. In the process, by helping them earn their GED, you will contribute to their life-long well-being. Pat yourself on the back for that. It is a worthy accomplishment.
Look for specific instructional strategies in future blogs.
(Note: Mina Shaughnessy used the term "fragments of misinformation" in her classic book Errors and Expectations: A Guide for the Teacher of Basic Writing, 1977.)
Whatever their reasons, struggling and unmotivated students slide through the educational system, miss critical instruction, and end up with a patchwork of misinformation. Twenty-year-old Charley spouted this rule when he misspelled "receive": "Use i before e except on words that end with y." This patchwork of misinformation becomes a handicap to academic success.
How does does a teacher work with these struggling and unmotivated students and their patchwork of misinformation?
First, and most important, recognize that behind the facade of that seemingly bored student sitting nonproductively in your classroom is a complex person who has a host of legitimate reasons (in his or her mind) for not doing class work or homework. Look beyond attitudes, and you will often find surprising interests that can be used to develop writing skills.
Second, look for signs of improvement and give positive reinforcement for ideas and writing attempts. Don't focus on every error. Many of these students have failed continually throughout their school years, and they are discouraged, and maybe even angry. Some may only be in your program now because they have been ordered to be there by the court system. These hard-to-reach and hard-to-teach students need mega doses of sincere encouragement.
Third, try to tailor your instruction to their immediate instructional needs. Analyze their writing and identify their most common errors and start there. Don't try to work through every error. Build a learning log as you go along and record what you do so you can do rapid reviews.
Helping struggling students improve their writing skills won't be easy. And it won't be fast. But it can be done. In the process, by helping them earn their GED, you will contribute to their life-long well-being. Pat yourself on the back for that. It is a worthy accomplishment.
Look for specific instructional strategies in future blogs.
(Note: Mina Shaughnessy used the term "fragments of misinformation" in her classic book Errors and Expectations: A Guide for the Teacher of Basic Writing, 1977.)
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