Southside students put their grammar skills to the test

Southside Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Taunya Fogleman transformed her classroom into an operating room March 25. Fogleman’s students dressed up as doctors for an unconventional grammar test, in which the test papers were pretend patients. Armed with scalpels (red pens) and scrubs donated by Sarasota Memorial Hospital, students used their knowledge of grammar and punctuation to help treat their patients.

Ansley Morris, 10
Have you enjoyed learning about grammar?
It has been fun. We’ve been doing fun activities for a while now.

Would you consider becoming a doctor when you’re older?
Maybe … I’d be a grammar doctor.

How did your operation go?
Good. I got a little close to losing the head, which is correcting punctuation.

Grace Hutchens, 10
What was the hardest part of the operation?
The head was the hardest.

What was your least favorite part?
The arms, because I had to identify different parts of speech.

How do you feel about your patient’s recovery?
I feel pretty confident that he’ll make it.

Would you like to be a doctor when you’re older?
I don’t know yet.

Colby Byrd, 10
How do you feel about today?
It was a lot of fun — better than a plain old grammar test. I think we concentrated more.

What did you think of being a doctor?
It was cool to be a doctor. We had to wash our hands and wear scrubs and call each other “doctor.”

What was the hardest part of your operation?
Definitely the head.