The Grammar Boxes or Parsing Trays (5+)

Quite small children enjoy taking out the cards, each with one word on; placing them by the sentence matching them and then afterwards putting them back in their color matching compartment – the noun in the noun compartment, the verb in the verb compartment, etc.. There are a seri

 

es of boxes (they look like trays) in which all but one of the compartments vary.  This variation of one and only one part of speech helps the child to learn the significance of that part of speech.  All the words in a particular compartment containing a particular part of speech are the same color.  These colors are listed below.

• Article – grey
• Noun – black
• Adjective – blue
• Pronoun – pink (pale)
• Verb – bright red
• Adverb – orange
• Conjunction – mauve
• Preposition – green
• Interjection – yellow

At this stage it is just a reading exercise and he does not have to know all the word functions.  He will gradually get to know them without consciously learning them.

The Adjective Box

Material

• • • • The adjective box has 4 compartments. The one along the back contains the key phrase written on blue card. The 3 front compartments are labeled: 1) The Article 2) The Noun 3) Adjective. Each part of speech is on a card of a different color. These colors are kept the same throughout the language teaching.

The adjective box contains:

1. Several cards each with one adjective (on blue)
2. One card with the article (on gray)
3. One card with the noun (on black)
4. And behind these, one card with the phrase.

Aim

To show the importance of the adjective.

Exercise 1

1. The child takes out the first long phrase card and makes the first phrase with the small card.
2. He has only one card for each of the words except for the adjectives.
3. He finds that he can alter the meaning to the second phrase card by just changing the adjective!

Exercise 2

He can illustrate each of the phrases: E.g. the green mat, the red mat, the untidy mat, the long mat, the dirty mat

In this way he sees the importance of the adjective.

Control of error

The long phrase card.

Continue with the other boxes in the same way

1. The adverb box: Lined in orange and 5 compartments
2. The pronoun box: Lined in pink and 6 compartments.
3. The conjunction box: Lined in yellow and 8 compartments.
4. The verb box: 3 compartments and the long card. The box is lined with red.
5. The preposition box: 4 compartments and the long card.

Examples

Adverb
	The	tall	boy	walked	slowly
					happily
					quickly

Pronoun

• • he
  • she
  • it
  • we
  • you
  • they

Conjunction

• • and
  • but
  • because

Interjection

• • Oh!
  • Ah!
  • Ow!
  • O.K.!
  • etc.

Verb

     speak a word

     whisper

     shout

Prepositions

	Put	the	box	with	the	red	book
	↑	↑	↑	↑	↑	↑	↑
	(verb)	(article)	(noun)	(preposition)	(article)	(adjective)	(noun)

The child puts out the long card with the sentence. Then he takes each word out of its correct compartment to make it. 

He changes the preposition and makes new sentences: e.g.:

	Put	the	box	with	the	red	book
				on
				beside
				under
				inside

Then after checking, he has to replace in the correct compartment.

Control of error

The color of the card helps the child to correct, as each part of speech is on its matching colored card.

N.B. It is helpful to have the colors but always concentrate on the function of the word. Don’t let a child think that a verb is red!

Children of 5 love to put the cards out and read them.