ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS RESOURCES
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS RESOURCESSTEP BY STEP: TEACHING GRAMMAR AND LANGUAGE USAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF WRITING
Assign Writing Task and Gather Diagnostic Information
The first step in grammar instruction is to assign students a non-threatening writing task that does
not require them to struggle to generate content. The students need to focus on writing well. The teacher will analyze errors in this writing sample, compiling a list of common class-wide errors as well as those of each student. This information will help the teacher decide which methods of instruction would be appropriate for a particular class and student.
SCENARIO:
At the beginning of the school year, Mrs. Smith, who teaches an academic 10th
grade class, asks students to write an expressive "getting-to-know-you"
paper. They are supposed to finish the
statement: I am like a _________ and
then explain their comparison. Mrs. Smith uses the paper to learn more about
her students and to see what they know about grammar. After reading the papers,
she uses Checklist #1 to record those errors shared by the majority of her students:
comma usage, fragments, pronoun antecedents, spelling, and no variation in sentence
structure.
Mrs. Smith then uses Checklist #2 to record information about each student's writing sample. After grading John's paper, she highlights three areas of concern: varied sentence structure, semi-colons, and parallelism. She also records three of his strengths: few spelling errors, no fragments, good
| Checklist # 1 |
Checklist #2 |
| Class-Wide Targeted Areas for English II |
___________________'s Targeted Areas for English II |
| _X_ Varied sentence structure __ Parallel structure __ Subject-verb agreement __ Verb tense __ Pronoun usage _X_ Antecedents __ Case __ Punctuation _X_ Commas __ Semi-colons __ Apostrophes __ Quotation marks _X_ Spelling _X_ Other: fragments __ Other |
_X_ Varied sentence structure _X_ Parallel structure ___ Subject-verb agreement ___ Verb tense ___ Pronoun usage ___ Antecedents ___ Case ___ Punctuation ___ Commas _X_ Semi-colons ___ Apostrophes ___ Quotation marks ___ Spelling ___ Other: no fragments ___ Other: good vocabulary |
The following chart, which is based on the NC ELA SCS for high school and the Writing Assessment Rubric, can be used to track and analyze errors. The teacher's goal is to look for patterns of errors, rather than penalize all mistakes. Then, she can make informed instructional decisions that focus on individual and class-wide needs.
Class Log: Grammar and Language Usage Analysis
|
| Sentience Formation | Usage | Mechanics | Word Choice |
Sent. Var | Other | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student |
Frag |
R/O |
Verb Agr. |
Verb Tense |
Pronouns |
Cap. |
Punc. |
Sp. |
|||
Instructional Strategies and Assessment
After gathering diagnostic class-wide and individual student information, the
teacher can make informed decisions about instruction. Five strategies to teach
and assess grammar in context include conferences, mini-lessons, daily oral
practice, peer coaching, and rubrics.
Conferences
Conferences are used for individualized instruction and are used to help students
with grammar needs specific to their own writing. At each conference, the teacher
can help each student set goals for his or her next writing assignment. Halfway
through the class, students can complete a self-evaluation of the progress they
have made and state one or two goals they want to accomplish before the end
of the course.
To make conferences effective the teacher and the student need a way of recording what is discussed. Nancy Atwell recommends using the forms below which are suitable for all types of writing. (In the Middle, 1987) The first form is for teacher use - the title and date of the piece go in the first column, what the student has done well in the next, and areas for improvement in the last. The other form is for student use. During or after the conference, the student uses the form to record the skills she is learning as a writer.
SCENARIO:
Ms. Simms, a ninth grade teacher, has a conference with Jeff three times during
first semester. The first meeting is about a literary paragraph he has written
on Atticus from To Kill A Mockingbird; the second is an argumentative speech
Juliet might give to a group of parents raising teenagers; the third is an informational
piece on How to Give a Facial. During each conference Ms. Simms uses the form
below to record what they discuss.
Teachers Conference Record for:______Jeff______-
| Title of Piece & Date (Comments) | Skills Used Correctly Focus | Skills to Learn (No more than 2) |
|---|---|---|
| 9/20 Atticus's Wisdom (paragraph/literary) |
|
|
| 11/1 Juliet Speaks to Teens' Parents (speech/ argumentative) |
|
|
| 12/7 How to Give A Facial (informational) |
|
|
SCENARIO
Karen is a 12th grade Honors English student. During the writing conferences
she has had throughout the school year, she has recorded the skills she has
learned. These are specific to the papers she has written and do not necessarily
reflect the skill level of her classmates.
Skills List
Things that Karen Can Do As A Writer
- Use a metaphor in the introduction and then continue it in the conclusion.
- Check all "to be" verbs to see if I've used passive voice.
- Remember that effect is a noun and affect is a verb.
- Use single quotes when quoting inside a quote.
- When using MLA format, the period goes outside the page number in parenthesis.
- When I proofread look for unnecessary words and phrases.
- Check for too may compound or compound-complex sentences. Break these up with simple sentences.
- Poetry doesn't have to rhyme.
- When describing watch for cliches.
- Stream of consciousness is when I write like I am thinking. It may not be logical and may be interrupted by fleeting thoughts.
- Don't overuse a semicolon.
- A person can lie down, but a hen lays an egg.
- "in lieu of" means "in the place of"
- An isolated quotation is a quotation that is by itself without any of my words with it.
Mini-Lessons
Mini-Lessons are used for whole-group instruction on a periodic, as needed basis. They are often used in the following situations:
- before the students use the concept in writing;
- before students are to peer or self edit;
- when a classroom set of essays indicates a need for individuals, small groups or the entire class;
- during a literature lesson as students examine a paragraph or excerpt for author's style.
- Before starting a new writing task, for example, a teacher might take 15 minutes of class time to discuss one comma rule, such as a comma to separate two independent clauses joined by a conjunction. Students record the grammatical rule and several examples of how it is used. The teacher then gives guided and independent practice.
Several times during the stages of the writing task, the teacher reviews the grammatical rule. No new rules are introduced although the teacher could "sneak in" mini-lessons the class had already covered. For example, if the class had already learned two other comma rules before this one a sample sentence might test one or more of the rules. When it is time to peer or self edit, the editing guidelines focus on the grammatical skill introduced in the mini-lesson.
SCENARIO:
Mr. Griffin, who works with struggling writers, has asked his students to write
a paragraph on the following prompt: Use one adjective to describe a character
in ______________and then give examples to support your choice.
Mr. Griffin's grammatical class-wide focus since the beginning of
the year has been commas. So far
he has covered two rules: commas are used to
separate items in a series and a comma is used after introductory material,
such as a dependent clause or prepositional phrase. When the class began prewriting
for their prompt on _______, Mr. Griffin added the third comma rule - use
a comma to separate
two independent clauses joined by a conjunction. In the
first lesson at the beginning of the week, he gave the grammatical rule, examples,
and practice sentences. During the second lesson, two days later, he had the
lyrics to a popular song printed on a piece of paper, but he had taken out the
commas. As students listened to the song, they were asked to find three places
where a comma should go, based on their lesson earlier in the week. During the
third lesson at the end of the week, the teacher had sentences written on large
strips of paper and posted in the corners of the room; most of the sentences
tested understanding of the three comma rules the class had studied although
some were error free. Students were divided into four groups. Each group was
given six laminated, ready-to-stick commas and told they wouldn't necessarily
use all of them. After each group was finished and seated, the teacher-with
the aid of the class-assessed the sentences.
Daily Language Practice
Daily language practice, often called Daily Oral Language (DOL), is similar
to the grammar mini-lesson in its focus on a specific skill, such as varying
sentences, but it is a daily part of the class structure often done at the beginning
of the period.
General Guidelines
* Create your own DOLs rather than using published ones which often include more than one grammatical error in each example. This is the only way each lesson can be tailored to fit the needs of a particular group of students.
* Have each lesson focus on the same grammatical concept until students have mastered it. This might mean two weeks of subject-verb agreement, but it is better for students to learn a few concepts rather than cover ten they do not understand and cannot apply to their own writing.
* Avoid presenting DOLs the same way each day; instead, look for opportunities to use manipulatives, let students work in pairs or groups, have students get up and move, or try unexpected text sources.
* Look for ways to assess learning on a regular basis. Rather than give a traditional grammar test, ask students to write a sentence on an index card that shows a specific skill or let students work in groups to edit a sample paragraph. Ultimately, their writing is the only real test of what they have learned.
When planning a DOL, try-
- a spontaneous lesson; ask students questions that will generate sentences that demonstrate a grammatical focus. For example, "Jessie, what is your favorite food? Sam, what is your least favorite." In constructing the responses the teacher can write one sentence about Jessie and one about Sam, connected by the conjunction "but." From there, she can discuss compound sentences.
- a magazine ad
- art
- sentence or paragraph from the literature being read
- song lyrics
- cartoons
- errors in print--either from students or the teacher, look for grammatical errors on bill boards, in handouts, on signs, etc.
- candy or other objects--have students write a sentence about the object showing their knowledge of a specific skill
- "Exit Pass"-rather than completing the DOL at the beginning of class, have students show a particular skill in a sentence or sentences they have written. When the teacher says it is correct, they are free to "pack up." Students could also exchange cards. If the peer thinks the other person's work is okay, he can show the teacher. If it isn't, he can offer corrective feedback.
- Multiple-choice items. Students can identify and explain the correct answer or explain why one of the wrong choices is incorrect.
SCENARIO:
Day 1
Mr. Dunbar, a 12th grade academic English teacher, has been focusing on varying
sentence structure with his students. When his students enter the classroom,
they see the following sentences which have been "pulled from" one
original sentence in Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path:"
She wore a rag on her head.
Her hair came down on her neck.
It was in the frailest of ringlets.
It was still black.
It had the odor of copper.
Students are told to combine the sentences-the number and the way it's done is up to them. After students share their examples, the teacher posts the original sentence:
Under the rag her hair came down on her neck in the frailest of ringlets, still black, and with an odor like copper.
The teacher guides the students in a discussion of why their sentences
and Ms. Welty's are an improvement over the five sentences they were given.
The teacher asks students what pattern had to be eliminated from most of the
sentences (the students will probably note, it was, it was, it had = subject/verb)
and helps them identify the main subject and verb in Welty's sentence.
The teacher
then asks students to look at their own sample sentence(s). He writes
a few examples from those who avoided starting with a subject and verb.
Mr. Dunbar would continue to focus on sentence variety in his daily language
practice while students began working on a writing task. He would reinforce
this focus at different points in the writing
process, including peer editing
and his assessment of the final draft.
Day 2
Wanting to vary the way he presents DOLs, Mr. Dunbar decides to put a different
kind of candy on
each of the three desks in a row. The student in desk one writes
one sentence describing his candy while the students in desks two and three
do the same. After each one is finished, they decide as a group how they can
combine all three sentences, attempting to eliminate unnecessary words and show
variety. Mr. Dunbar asks for volunteers to share their work.
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