"Underfunded Schools Forced To Cut Past Tense From Language Programs"

In this article from The Onion, the first layer gives off an informative tone that is delivering unfortunate news. But the second layer satirizes the priorities of schools while also making fun of students' grasps of grammar and history. Try to figure out the tones and tenses of the words in this list.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 8 Unit 4's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Made You Laugh, Brothers, Pet Peeves, Underfunded Schools Forced to Cut, The Open Window, A Day's Work, They Have Yarns, Mooses, Is Traffic Jam Delectable?, The Power of Pets, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Fear Busters
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. transpire
    come about, happen, or occur
    Faced with ongoing budget crises, underfunded schools nationwide are increasingly left with no option but to cut the past tense--a grammatical construction traditionally used to relate all actions and states that have transpired at an earlier point in time--from their standard English and language arts programs.
  2. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
    A part of American school curricula for more than 200 years, the past tense was deemed by school administrators to be too expensive to keep in primary and secondary education.
  3. luxury
    something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity
    "This was by no means an easy decision, but teaching our students how to conjugate verbs in a way that would allow them to describe events that have already occurred is a luxury that we can no longer afford"
  4. dramatic
    sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
    In the most dramatic display of the new trend yet, the Tennessee Department of Education decided Monday to remove "-ed" endings from all of the state's English classrooms, saving struggling schools an estimated $3 million each year.
  5. phase
    arrange in stages
    Officials say they plan to slowly phase out the tense by first eliminating the past perfect; once students have adjusted to the change, the past progressive, the past continuous, the past perfect progressive, and the simple past will be cut.
  6. outmoded
    no longer in fashion
    Nevertheless, a number of educators are coming out against the cuts, claiming that the embattled verb tense, while outmoded, still plays an important role in the development of today's youth.
  7. consistent
    the same throughout in structure or composition
    "Much like art and music, the past tense provides students with a unique and consistent outlet for self-expression"
  8. effectively
    in a manner producing an intended result
    Despite concerns that cutting the past tense will prevent graduates from communicating effectively in the workplace, the home, the grocery store, church, and various other public spaces, a number of lawmakers, such as Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, have welcomed the cuts as proof that the American school system is taking a more forward-thinking approach to education.
  9. reduce
    lessen in scope while retaining essential elements
    School districts in California have been forced to cut addition and subtraction from their math departments, while nearly all high schools have reduced foreign language courses to only the most basic phrases, including "May I please use the bathroom?" and "No, I do not want to go to the beach with Maria and Juan."
  10. upheaval
    disturbance usually in protest
    Regardless of the recent upheaval, students throughout the country are learning to accept, and even embrace, the change to their curriculum.
Created on Tue Sep 15 15:57:49 EDT 2015 (updated Wed Sep 16 02:24:15 EDT 2015)

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