Grammar Study

Author Katie Wood Ray encourages teachers to approach grammar study through language study, using grammar terms to describe what we can observe other authors doing successfully. In order to do so, teachers may need to refresh their understanding of grammar terminology. Other leading language experts, including Constance Weaver, Jeff Anderson and Stephen Krashen, caution against the study of grammar in isolation as there are no studies which demonstrate a correlation between isolated grammar drill and improvements in writing.

Online Resources:

Suggested Reading:
-------------------------------------------------------------
Teaching Grammar in Context

Constance Weaver

“With Teaching Grammar in Context, Weaver extends her philosophy by offering teachers a rationale and practical ideas for teaching grammar not in isolation but in the context of writing. She begins by introducing some common meanings of "grammar" and provides a historical overview of traditional reasons for teaching grammar as a school subject. After examining those reasons, she questions them, citing decades of research which suggests that grammar taught in isolation has little, if any, effect on most students' writing.”
--Amazon.com

-------------------------------------------------------------
Lessons to Share on Teaching Grammar in Context

Constance Weaver

“The first section of the book addresses the learning and teaching of grammar, setting the stage for subsequent sections. The purpose behind the article on how language is learned is to help readers understand that babies and preschoolers acquire the grammar of their language without direct instruction and that language continues to develop indirectly during children's school years. Connie's article on teaching grammar in the context of writing articulates other aspects of the rationale that underlies this book: teaching grammar in the context of its use.
The second and major section deals with teaching grammar through writing, across the grades. The authors address punctuation, parts of speech, effective word choice and syntax, and conferencing with students to teach revision and editing. The next section focuses on style, with emphasis on sentence composing, "image grammar," and "breaking the rules" for stylistic effect. There is also a discussion of the power of dialects and the dialects of power. The last section deals with teaching the English language and its grammar to ESL students in kindergarten through college. The section and book conclude with an article on using grammar checking computer software”
---Amazon.com
-------------------------------------------------------------
Mechanically Inclined:
Building Grammar, Usage and Style into Writer’s Workshop

Jeff Anderson

This straight forward book makes the case for contextualized instruction and then takes the next step, with well described lesson descriptions organized around grammar, usage and style.