Intended for practitioners, this study has three principal aims: (1) to reduce the breadth of formal grammar instruction by first locating those areas where grammar and writing overlap and then identifying those kinds of writing problems most amenable to treatment with a grammar-based approach; (2) to decrease the classroom hours spent on formal grammar instruction by showing how to capitalize on the already acquired yet unconscious knowledge that all native writers have of their language; and (3) to make this streamlined "writer's grammar" more productive by showing how to integrate it with style, content, and organization. The book is directed toward teachers of writing who, to varying degrees, struggle with the unwieldy partnership of grammar and writing. Chapters 1 and 2 serve to examine some probable reasons why grammar instruction has failed to improve writing quality, to delimit radically the scope of grammar instruction, and to identify specific areas where a knowledge of a minimal set of grammatical categories might be of help. Chapters 3 and 4 focus on the use of native-speaker abilities in place of formal grammar instruction to treat certain kinds of sentence-level writing problems. Chapter 5 suggests a promising way to integrate the diminished focus on grammar with style, content, and organization. Finally, chapter 6 summarizes several pragmatic paradoxes that currently beset grammar instruction in the schools. (MG)

How we frame grammar instruction matters. If you view it as "fixing incorrect sentences," you teach it that way. If you view it as "building strong, compelling sentences," you take a different approach. Using Grammar to Improve Writing explains a new way to teach grammar--systematically and purposefully--in order to strengthen student writing. It offers detailed guidance on which grammar standards to teach when and how to use grammatical forms to capture ideas. This new approach will enable students to write more efficiently and effectively.Using Grammar to Improve Writing answers these questions: -What should we STOP doing?-How can we teach grammar more effectively and integrate it with writing more systematically?-How can we help students who are not on grade level?-Which other factors affect how well we write?-What should we teach, grade by grade, in K-12 ELA?Though pitched as a grammar instructional manual, this is secretly a book about how to teach students how to write clearly. It should be useful not only to K-12 educators but also to college writing instructors and writers interested in strengthening their practice.

Engaging, explicit lessons using mini-excerpts from books and students’ writing show you how to teach grammar strategically. Zero in on the common grammar glitches, and model for students how to use nouns, verbs, and adjectives effectively, catch mismatched pronoun references; make prose lively with clauses and phrases, use the active voice, and more. From learning the parts of speech to the skill of paragraphing, this book covers it, and gives you what you need to teach grammar in the context of reading and writing. For use with Grades 4-8.

For decades, scholars have urged teachers to integrate grammar and writing, yet few have provided teachers with enough strategies and materials to do so. With this ground-breaking book, Harry Noden meets this need in a unique way.

The ideal springboard to teaching grammar, this book is designed to help teachers of grades four through twelve teach students to learn to recognize, and then consciously use in their writing, 16 essential grammatical elements: seven parts of speech, six phrases, and three clauses. The flexible approach lets teachers tailor lessons based on their students' particular needs. In this streamlined version of the first edition, author Keith Polette stresses the importance of teaching students "less" so that they learn "more." Rather than overwhelming students with too many structures, constructions, and rules, the book's goal is simplification: What are the essential elements of grammar that students need to learn to use to become better writers? English written language is composed of 16 elements-the foundational pieces of grammar-that students need to learn to use consciously so they can make writing work effectively for them. Teaching Grammar through Writing focuses on these 16 elements-seven parts of speech, six phrases, and three clauses-and shows teachers how to begin by helping students identify and use these elements in both the prewriting and revision stages of the writing process. The book begins with ideas about and writing activities for parts of speech, phrases, and clauses, followed by chapters on punctuation, kinds of sentences, and voice. The end of the book features 16 process-writing activities that invite students to use all they have learned about grammar in their own writing.

Some teachers love grammar and some hate it, but nearly all struggle to find ways of making the mechanics of English meaningful to kids. As a middle school teacher, Jeff Anderson also discovered that his students were not grasping the basics, and that it was preventing them from reaching their potential as writers. Jeff readily admits, “I am not a grammarian, nor am I punctilious about anything,” so he began researching and testing the ideas of scores of grammar experts in his classroom, gradually finding successful ways of integrating grammar instruction into writer's workshop. Mechanically Inclined is the culmination of years of experimentation that merges the best of writer's workshop elements with relevant theory about how and why skills should be taught. It connects theory about using grammar in context with practical instructional strategies, explains why kids often don't understand or apply grammar and mechanics correctly, focuses on attending to the “high payoff,” or most common errors in student writing, and shows how to carefully construct a workshop environment that can best support grammar and mechanics concepts. Jeff emphasizes four key elements in his teaching:short daily instruction in grammar and mechanics within writer's workshop;using high-quality mentor texts to teach grammar and mechanics in context;visual scaffolds, including wall charts, and visual cues that can be pasted into writer's notebooks;regular, short routines, like “express-lane edits,” that help students spot and correct errors automatically.Comprising an overview of the research-based context for grammar instruction, a series of over thirty detailed lessons, and an appendix of helpful forms and instructional tools, Mechanically Inclined is a boon to teachers regardless of their level of grammar-phobia. It shifts the negative, rule-plagued emphasis of much grammar instruction into one which celebrates the power and beauty these tools have in shaping all forms of writing.

In this book, the author looks at what's wrong with the way grammar has been taught traditionally, and outlines current theories, research, and principles underlying grammar instruction for writing, advocating that grammar instruction be incorporated throughout the writing process, not broken out into isolated units. She offers teaching ideas and lesson plans for primary and secondary students, and gathers practicing teachers to describe their methods for responding to student errors, helping English language learners, and supporting code switching among speakers of African American English. Exercises for students and examples of student work at all levels are included.

rant (rant) n. 1. Violent or extravagant speech or writing. 2. A speech or piece of writing that incites anger or violence. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language grammar rant (gramm?r rant) n. 1. A writer's or speaker's view that language is deteriorating, and with it, the world, the people in it, and their morals. Patricia A. Dunn and Ken Lindblom Is bad grammar not just wrong but morally wrong? Do comma splices and dangling participles signal a spiritual decline among our youth? Does a double negative signal the end of civilization as we know it? How outraged should we be at errors of punctuation, syntax, diction, and just plain clumsy phrasing? Patricia A. Dunn and Ken Lindblom take on the world of grammar ranters, showing you how to take your students on a backstage tour of the ranters' claims and denunciations, and their outraged complaints about other people's language. Offering multiple examples and insights about a wide range of grammar rants, they focus on: grammar and morality grammar and intelligence spelling, texting, splices, fragments, and other "grammar traps." Each chapter includes actual rants along with extensive editorial commentary, instructional activities, and classroom lessons that will energize student discussion and educate students about language and correctness, about what it really means to be a good writer. Using Grammar Rants in writing classes will: teach students the conventions of different genres raise students' awareness of real world grammatical issues strengthen students' textual analysis and critical thinking skills break that link between error and evil. Grammar Rants provides the background teachers need to speak with authority about punctuation, correctness, and other hot-button issues. Its practical activities, handouts, and lessons will promote savvy writing by empowering teachers and students to see for themselves how best to raise the quality of their written and spoken language without resorting to ranting.

Why you need a writing revolution in your classroom and how to lead it The Writing Revolution (TWR) provides a clear method of instruction that you can use no matter what subject or grade level you teach. The model, also known as The Hochman Method, has demonstrated, over and over, that it can turn weak writers into strong communicators by focusing on specific techniques that match their needs and by providing them with targeted feedback. Insurmountable as the challenges faced by many students may seem, The Writing Revolution can make a dramatic difference. And the method does more than improve writing skills. It also helps: Boost reading comprehension Improve organizational and study skills Enhance speaking abilities Develop analytical capabilities The Writing Revolution is as much a method of teaching content as it is a method of teaching writing. There's no separate writing block and no separate writing curriculum. Instead, teachers of all subjects adapt the TWR strategies and activities to their current curriculum and weave them into their content instruction. But perhaps what's most revolutionary about the TWR method is that it takes the mystery out of learning to write well. It breaks the writing process down into manageable chunks and then has students practice the chunks they need, repeatedly, while also learning content.

This book offers a whole school approach to the teaching of grammar and punctuation that is fully matched to the demands of the English grammar and punctuation test and the new curriculum. With the shift towards elegant, well-constructed sentences, it offers the busy teacher three simple steps to motivate and engage children, through: • explicit teaching and modelling; • over forty practical games and activities; • application and improvement within editing and proof reading. This book draws on recent research but also is based on many years of classroom practice and a number of case studies. Practical examples develop teachers' understanding of grammatical terms and progression and show how it is possible to have a significant impact on vocabulary, sentence structure and children's writing in general. A balance is found where skills are explicitly taught but within the context of an exciting and interesting curriculum.