2009 ESU#3 Writing Extravaganza```` Identify the two most significant influences on how you teach grammar. Place your dots on the charts accordingly. Chart

2009 ESU#3 Writing Extravaganza````

Identify the two most significant influences on how you teach grammar. Place your dots on the charts accordingly.

Chart Headings:o The way I was taught and learned

grammaro The textbook o Student writingo District/Parent expectation

MORE Unconventional Approaches to Grammar Conventions

Tracey Bressman ~ Teacher, PLVMarilou Jasnoch ~ Consultant, ESU #3

2009 ESU#3 Writing Extravaganza

Our Time Together:

IntroductionsGoalsLensesLensesWhy – the BrainWhy – the BrainWhat and How – the StrategiesWhat and How – the StrategiesAction – Your PlanAction – Your Plan


What might be influencing our What might be influencing our decisions about grammar instruction?decisions about grammar instruction?

The belief that we learned practical things about sentence structure, style, and editing from doing exercises and worksheets

The tendency to teach the way we were taughtPre-service teacher training limited to traditional

grammar instructionExpectations from parents and/or administratorsLack of support & resources to move away from

the traditional approach, and toward best practice


TheThe ResearchResearchOverall, the findings on grammar instruction suggest that, although teaching grammar is important, alternative procedures, such as sentence combining, are more effective than traditional approaches for improving the quality of students’ writing.

Graham & Perin, 2007


TheThe ResearchResearchIt [traditional grammar instruction] does not improve reading, speaking, writing, or even editing, for the majority of students – nor does the teaching of English grammar necessarily make it easier for student to learn the structure of a foreign language (indeed, many students who have studied English grammar learn the structure of English consciously for the first time when studying a foreign language).

Weaver, 1998


How students often perceive

grammar studyGrammar is a “gotcha”

Mechanics are mistakes paraded with red streamers

Conventions (grammar, usage, mechanics, spelling)…are a “stump the student” experience for many learners 2009 ESU#3 Writing Extravaganza

Grammar

•Grammatical concepts are very complex

WHY do so WHY do so

many strugglemany struggle??

•Traditional approaches for teaching grammatical concepts are not “learner friendly”


on the brain

Putting Grammar into Perspective

Man has been speaking for well over 700,000 years. Man has been practicing alphabetic writing only for about 3450 years. Man has punctuated, in the modern sense, for less than 250 years.

Whitehall, 1963


Stages of Learning Discovery Trial and Error Implementation Improvisation


Instruction Designed for Learning Grammar


Traditional Instruction Non-Traditional Instruction• Behavioral Psychology • Cognitive Psychology

• Creates Habits • Enables Hypotheses

• Practice in isolation • Practice in context

• Anchored in RULES : Teach – Practice – Use

• Based on RULES: Minilesson – Model – Apply

• Decontextualized assessment; often summative

• In context of student writing; formative and summative


There are no miracles here. …teaching grammar in the context of writing will not automatically mean that once taught, the concepts will be learned and applied forever after.

On the contrary, grammatical concepts must often be taught and retaught, to individuals as well as to groups or classes,

and students may long afterward continue to need guidance in actually applying what they have, in some sense or to some degree, already learned.

There is no quick fix.

Constance Weaver, 1998

What? When? How?Relevant concepts

Review student samples for errors Identify the concepts most appropriate for

your students

Timely ~ teaching grammar does NOT require a sequence

Use the Framework


What do you notice?What do you notice?


Where Will You Start?Where Will You Start?

Does it make sense to wait ‘til

the chapter on sentence structure?

Framework for Teaching a Concept Awareness: SHARE A MODEL

Good examples Non examples Explicit teaching with student friendly words “What do you notice?”

First Attempts: CREATE ANOTHER MODEL Teacher & students Partners Small groups Independent practice Minilessons

Rehearsal Strategies Contextual with feedback/conferencing Checkpoints

Implementation Student writing Varied in-context opportunities


Making sure the pieces Making sure the pieces of the plan are there…of the plan are there…


Let’s look at a few

lesson ideas …

Grammar Lessons Grammar Lessons in Actionin Action


Punctuating Dialogue

• Research shows that anchoring new learning in associative thinking increases retention so that the student can implement the learning independently.

• From Heads or Tails: Stories from the Sixth Grade by Jack Gantos.


Planning for Learning…


Sample Dialogue


Sample Dialogue



Too Good Not to Revisit…Too Good Not to Revisit…

Last year’s lesson ideasLast year’s lesson ideas


Sentence WritingInfusing grammar instruction with

writing activities

Two-word sentences (Mechanically Inclined)

Fragment Fun Sentence Copying (Grammar for

Middle School)

Student samples2009 ESU#3 Writing Extravaganza

From students

• She sat.• She sat for three hours.• She sat for three hours in the

airport.• In the airport, she sat for three

hours until her plane was finally ready to board.

- By Molly


• Adam waited.• Adam patiently waited.• Adam patiently waited to hear the

news.• Adam patiently waited to hear the

weather forecast on the news. • Hoping for a snow day, Adam

patiently waited to hear the weather forecast on the news.

- By Marshall


• Fragment: “perfect skin”Sentence: Perfect skin comes from using

Clearasil. (Nick) • Fragment: “keeping us connected”Sentence: “Cox Communications is

keeping us connected.” (Nico)• Fragment: “Vick’s apology”Sentence: “Vick’s apology offended dog

lovers. (Tiana)• Fragment: “television’s toughest tough

guys”Sentence: “Television’s toughest tough

guys are on ABC.” 2009 ESU#3 Writing Extravaganza

Parts of speechInfusing grammar instruction with writing

activities

• Verbs – “How do you come into a room?” (from Breakthroughs)Word choiceSubject/verb agreementVerb tense

Student samples2009 ESU#3 Writing Extravaganza

From students:“Alex crashed into the room.”“Nyabuom tore noisily into the room.”“Dustin cart-wheeled in to the room.”“Kevin picked the lock, broke the security chain,

shoved open the door, and illegally let himself into the room.”

“Darrian G-walked into the room much to the pleasure of the girls and to the dismay of the teacher.”


Parts of speech Infusing grammar instruction with writing

activities

• Preposition stringsSubject/object pronounsTransitions

Student samples


From students:

“David traveled to Australia on a plane with snakes and Samuel L. Jackson in the morning on the most important day of his life.”

“Brian tip-toed through the tulips, over the rainbow, into the woods, with his best friend, without any shoes, until twilight settled in the August sky.”

“Emily went to the ball park with her team early in the morning before the big game versus their arch rivals.”


From Students:

“In the midmorning sunlight, the puppy scrambled after its ball.” (Peyton)

“Until he met the teacher in person, Nick thought she might be the sister of Satan.”

“Under the darkness of night, the thief climbed the trellis to the balcony and broke into the master bedroom.” (Kayla)


What do you notice?What do you notice?


Where Will You Start?Where Will You Start?

Making sure the pieces Making sure the pieces of the plan are there…of the plan are there…


Partners or Table Groups:Partners or Table Groups:1.1.Identify a “hot spot” for learningIdentify a “hot spot” for learning2.2.Generate a Lesson Planner for the Generate a Lesson Planner for the learning topiclearning topic3.3.Be prepared to shareBe prepared to share

A Final Thought to ShareA Final Thought to Share

Children learn to write by frequent writing. The value and knowledge of writing is as much caught as taught by teachers who value writing in their own lives.

C. Brennan (1988)



Thank youFor trying an unconventional

approach to teaching conventions

Documents

2009 ESU#3 Writing Extravaganza```` Identify the two most significant influences on how you teach grammar. Place your dots on the charts accordingly. Chart