Tips for 4th Grade English: Declarative vs. Interrogative

Like most parents, my daughter is participating in virtual learning. I’m not sure if she doesn’t ask questions, or if she’s forgotten what her teacher said by the time she goes to do her classwork, but I must admit that I get excited when she asks me questions about her work… especially math and English. Those were my best subjects in school.

Last week, she had a question about declarative sentences vs interrogative sentences. I was super stoked! This was my time to show out. I switched from Mommy to Mommy Teacher so fast!

Mommy Teacher: Ok, the first thing you need to do is look at the base words. The base word of declarative is declare. Do you know what that means?

Jireh: Is it like the Declaration of Independence?

Mommy Teacher: Great observation! (Yes, I have the Mommy Teacher role all the way down.) Declaration also derived from “declare.” To declare is to make a statement, usually a bold statement. Now, an interrogative sentence…. When we’re watching murder mysteries and the police bring the suspect into the interrogation room, what do they do?

Jireh: They ask a lot of questions.

Mommy Teacher: EXACTLY!!! So, an interrogative sentence asks a question. Here’s how you can tell the difference… If it asks a question, then the interrogative sentence ends in….

Jireh: A question mark!

Mommy Teacher: Yes! And a declarative sentence ends…

Jireh: With a period or exclamation mark!

Mommy Teacher: Yes! You got it, girl!

*We high-fived*

Jireh (with the biggest smile): Why couldn’t YOU be the teacher for this? The way you just taught me, I really get it!

Honey, you could have given me $1,000, and I wouldn’t have been happier than I was in that moment.

Now, when she needs help with math, she's going to be one of the sharpest; and she'll always have the right answer, but the way she gets to it will be far different from what's taught in schools. As long as she's able to count her money, that's all that matters to me.

If you need help with anything else related to English or math, feel free to send me a message or send one through your WTUG app.