Grammar

GRAMMAR GOALS

• improve student writing
• play with practices
• visit colleagues
• collaborate during professional time
• monitor progress
• develop expertise

"The teaching of conventions is about what punctuation can do to enhance the writer's message. Wouldn't it be cool if students through of grammar and mechanics as play? If they had a 'Let's see what this does' attitude?"

-Jeff Anderson, Mechanically Inclined (p. 14)

PRINCIPLES

• Teach principles vs. rules.
• Encourage power through the use of grammar.
• Expose students to the link between grammar and craft often.
• Worksheets and DOL do not transfer to daily writing.
• Grammar should be playful.

PRINCIPLES (-)

• Teach students to read like writers.
• Grammar is incorporated throughout the entire writing process.
• Gradual release model should guide instruction.
• Correct only the principles you have taught.
• Allow writers to make choices and take the inquiry stance.

PRACTICES

• Use mentor texts.
• Use think-alouds.
• Teach one thing at a time.
• Post anchor charts.
• Build an editor's checklist.

PRACTICES (-)

• Keep a writer's notebook.
• Model edits and encourage peer/individual editing.
• Don't let the technical terms jump in front of understanding.
• Use formative assessments.

GRAMMAR VS. MECHANICS

• Grammar- all the principles that guide the structure of sentences and paragraphs
• Mechanics- the ways we punctuate what we are trying to say in our writing.

THE WRITER'S NOTEBOOK

• A place for students to play with language.
• They can keep a list of writing that moves them.
• A repository for great language to inspire them all year long.
• A journal to show their progress.
• A space to make these "writer moves" their own.

STRUCTURE OF NOTEBOOK

• Freewrite
• Craft/mechanic lessons
• Word and phrase palette
• Gems
• Sentence patterns
• Guidelines: number pages, write on right hand page

SAMPLE SCHEDULE

CURRICULUM PLANNING

• Constantly reinforce grammar topic.
• Reinforce at different stages of writing process.
• Mini lessons/mid workshop (10-15 min)

QUESTIONS?