Tell me how to explain the concept of conjugation to a bunch of 8-10yo...

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I speak French. Conjugation is ingrained in my brain. My kids speak French. It's the same with them.

However, this year, I teach French to a group of English-speaking kids. Some of them (quite a few !) don't seem to grasp the concept of conjugation at all! I don't know how to convey it to them!

[newlifemom]

I would write out the sentences with a verb that changes. i.e.

 

I am happy we are happy

you are happy you (pl) are happy

he/she/it is happy they are happy

 

One thing. I almost would want them to memorize what a verb is, as well as an infinitive, present participle, past part. etc. They need to understand how verbs are used then they can understand what they are doing. Finally, I personally understood it best when I learned another language. HTH

 

 

ETA: sorry, didn't see that they were learning a new language.

[CalicoKat]

I speak French. Conjugation is ingrained in my brain. My kids speak French. It's the same with them.

However, this year, I teach French to a group of English-speaking kids. Some of them (quite a few !) don't seem to grasp the concept of conjugation at all! I don't know how to convey it to them!

First of all do they know what a verb is?

 

I struggled with this too because in English there isn't the same drill that there is with foreign languages in general. I mean I didn't sit down and figure out what the past, present, and future tenses of the English verb To Be was until I was in French class.

 

But it helps to establish the concept on conguating verbs with an English verb first so they "get it." Learning a new language isn't osmosis like English was when they were babies--this new language has to be more structured.

 

We're learning Spanish and Latin now. AND doing English grammar--helps a ton.

[JoyfulMama]

Don't know if this will be helpful or not, but I didn't understand it in English until I learned it in a foreign language, since I don't think it is really taught in English.

I started with Latin in 6th grade, then did intros to French and Spanish in 7th grade in my PS. Conjugated in all three, and it was presented as simply: "This is how you say......"

I have presented to my DD8 the concept of 1st, 2nd, 3rd person, singular and plural, as it was mentioned with pronouns in our grammer lessons, and I am hoping this will hold when we do more with spanish (of which I am no longer near fluent!)

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I would write out the sentences with a verb that changes. i.e.

 

I am happy we are happy

you are happy you (pl) are happy

he/she/it is happy they are happy

 

That was my first approach. It didn't work.

They still tell me stuff like "Anne lire" instead of "Anne lit".

[Suzanne in ABQ]

To introduce the concept, I'd tell them I was going to say a few sentences in English, and I'd ask them to please correct my mistakes. Then say things like,

 

I is happy.

You am funny.

He are going to the movies.

We is not going.

They am singing.

 

They will undoubtedly roar with laughter as they correct each of your mistakes.

 

Then, tell them that your are going to talk about something called "conjugation", and that they will have no trouble with it because they obviously understand it already. Then, draw your chart with the conjugated English "to be" words. When they get the idea, move forward to French.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

To introduce the concept, I'd tell them I was going to say a few sentences in English, and I'd ask them to please correct my mistakes. Then say things like,

 

I is happy.

You am funny.

He are going to the movies.

We is not going.

They am singing.

 

They will undoubtedly roar with laughter as they correct each of your mistakes.

 

Then, tell them that your are going to talk about something called "conjugation", and that they will have no trouble with it because they obviously understand it already. Then, draw your chart with the conjugated English "to be" words. When they get the idea, move forward to French.

 

Well, I did try something similar, but not with the game. Laughter can make a big difference in learning a concept. I've had these kids for a session during the fall, and every week, I tried to explain this concept, and at least half of the class still isn't getting it.

"First person, second person and third person" that concept completely flies over their head!

 

These are normal kids. No major learning difficulties that I know of . Nothing that showed, anyway, except for this concept. I tried colour-coding some conjugation, didn't work either.

[amsunshine]

I've taken about 8 years of French altogether, both in hs and in college. I think one of the things that sticks out in my mind most is my high school teacher making us chant all the verb conjugations whenever we learned a new verb/verb tense, etc., ie:

 

je suis

tu es

il est, elle est

nous sommes

vous etes

ils sont. elles sont

 

She made it mostly rote memorization -- and I swear, I can automatically conjugate french verbs now because I hear that chanting in my head to this day. :tongue_smilie:

 

Anyway, I don't know if you've tried this approach, i.e., just lots of chanting. Boring, maybe, but it was very effective for me!

[klmama]

Well, I did try something similar, but not with the game. Laughter can make a big difference in learning a concept. I've had these kids for a session during the fall, and every week, I tried to explain this concept, and at least half of the class still isn't getting it.

"First person, second person and third person" that concept completely flies over their head!

 

These are normal kids. No major learning difficulties that I know of . Nothing that showed, anyway, except for this concept. I tried colour-coding some conjugation, didn't work either.

 

Here's what I would do to teach 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person. It will help set the foundation for learning how to conjugate:

 

First, just write up the 1, 2, and 3 in a vertical column on the left side of the board.

 

Explain that when we were little babies, the first person we knew anything about was ourselves. We knew we were cold, we knew we were hungry, etc. Wave your hands like an infant and say, "I am cold. I am hungry." (They'll laugh.) Have them point to themselves, and say, "I. 1st person." Write "I" next to the 1.

 

Then, explain we became aware of someone else. We looked up at that person and thought, "YOU are here. Do something about it! Waaaa!" (They'll laugh again. ) That person is the 2nd person we were aware of. Write "You" next to the 2.

 

Then, explain we became more aware of our surroundings and noticed someone else in the room. He or she was over there (point across room). That was the 3rd person we noticed. Write "he" and "she" next to the 3.

 

Run through all of this with them and have them point at themselves, at you, and at some boy across the room, then a girl across the room, saying as they do so, "I, you, he, she." Then do it again and say, "First person, second person, third person" as they point.

 

If French has an "it" subject pronoun, teach it, too, if needed (in English). Otherwise, go back to the board and review it from there.

 

Then, go on to introduce the French pronouns. Be sure to put the informal and formal "you" together next to the 2, informal above formal, even if the formal uses the same verb forms as the 3rd person (I'm not sure if French works like Spanish in this) Later, when you teach verb endings, you can draw a line between the informal and formal pronouns to separate the endings, but keep it clear that the tu is informal and the vous is formal.

 

Use this same chart every class to review, and add French pronouns next to the English ones for a class or two until they get the English part. Then, use the same chart, but just with French pronouns. Teach infinitives and how to conjugate with verb endings. Write up the appropriate endings next to the prounouns so they know which one to use. That visual helps tremendously.

 

When you start introducing plurals, draw lines across. Go back to your original explanation about 1st, 2nd, 3rd person in English. Explain that when I am doing something and someone joins me, now WE are doing it. Write WE across from I.

 

Explain when YOU are doing something and someone joins you, now both of YOU are doing it. Write YOU across from YOU.

 

Explain that when HE or SHE is doing something and someone joins him or her, now THEY are doing it. Write THEY across from HE and SHE.

 

Practice again to be sure they understand this.

 

Then add French.

 

HTH!

 

Oops! Just remembered this is for 8-10 year olds. You'll need to put this on the board every week, and keep the English up longer than a week or two. For most of them, this is probably the only real exposure they have to the concept of 1st, 2nd, 3rd person. Warming up with the pronouns each time, and writing or having them write the verb endings on the board is a good review to start the class.

Edited February 5, 2009 by klmama

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Try this simple memory device. Have the kids do it with you.

 

For 1st person, hold up one finger -- your thumb. Notice that it points at you, the speaker, the First Person.

 

For 2nd person, keep the thumb up, and also open your pointer finger. You now have 2 fingers up, but you are pointing at the person to whom you are speaking (like a gun), the Second Person.

 

For 3rd person, open your middle finger along with the other two, and turn your hand so that the palm points upward. Now, you have 3 fingers up, and you'll see that your thumb is pointing to the side, to that person "over there", the Third Person.

 

I made this up in a rare moment of creativity, out of desperation, when I was trying to explain this to my kids, and it worked! Maybe it will help it "click" for your students.

[Laura Corin]

I agree with the others - work on an English verb first. What I did with my boys was to work on first, second, third person first, pointing with their fingers:

 

I: (point at self)

You: (point at teacher)

He, she or it: (point off to the left or right)

We: (point at self but wiggle finger to indicate more than one)

You: (point at teacher but wiggle finger to indicate more than one)

They: (point of to left or right, wiggling finger)

 

Once they can chant all that with the hand gestures (they are silly, but really work) then work through an English verb. The verb 'to be' works well, because the infinitive is so different, showing them that verbs change. So they chant the verb, including hand gestures:

 

To be

I am

You are

He, she or it is

We are

You are

They are

 

Try a few other English verbs (to go, to eat, to take, etc.) until they get the idea in English, then go on to French.

 

Good luck!

 

Laura

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Explain that when we were little babies, the first person we knew anything about was ourselves. We knew we were cold, we knew we were hungry, etc. Wave your hands like an infant and say, "I am cold. I am hungry." (They'll laugh.) Have them point to themselves, and say, "I. 1st person." Write "I" next to the 1.

 

Then, explain we became aware of someone else. We looked up at that person and thought, "YOU are here. Do something about it! Waaaa!" (They'll laugh again. ) That person is the 2nd person we were aware of. Write "You" next to the 2.

 

Then, explain we became more aware of our surroundings and noticed someone else in the room. He or she was over there (point across room). That was the 3rd person we noticed. Write "he" and "she" next to the 3.

...

 

For 1st person, hold up one finger -- your thumb. Notice that it points at you, the speaker, the First Person.

 

For 2nd person, keep the thumb up, and also open your pointer finger. You now have 2 fingers up, but you are pointing at the person to whom you are speaking (like a gun), the Second Person.

 

For 3rd person, open your middle finger along with the other two, and turn your hand so that the palm points upward. Now, you have 3 fingers up, and you'll see that your thumb is pointing to the side, to that person "over there", the Third Person.

 

 

 

Ooh thank you! I used this approach - which I adapted to my group - yesterday, and I saw the lightbulb go on in quite a few faces! What an extraordinary feeling that is.

 

Thank you everyone for working with me on this hurdle!

[klmama]

I'm glad it helped! :)