I can’t imagine too many people disagreeing with this statement. We teach grammar and punctuation so students can write clearly. Well-formed sentences are keys to unlocking ideas and meaning for readers.
That being said, when most teachers complain about student writing, usually their biggest gripe centers around students’ ability to apply grammatical principles to their writing. “You should see some of the sentences these kids produce,” they say. “It’s almost like they don’t understand language at all.”
The immediate reaction to complaints such as these is to return to explicit grammar instruction. There’s a temptation to start planning EDI lessons for parts of speech, semi-colon use, and active voice; we want to start prepping editing worksheets and Daily Oral Language sponge activities. It’s natural to want to get back to basics, even if every bit of research tells us otherwise.
Since the 1970s, research has been showing that grammar instruction done in isolation is ineffective. Professor Beverly Ann Chin of the University of Montana cites the work of Calkins (1980), DiStefano and Killion (1984), and Harris (1962) in her work “The Role of Grammar in Improving Student Writing” (2000). This research has been echoed by the NCTE, and the Atlantic Monthly. Constance Weaver, in her book Grammar for Teachers: Perspectives and Definitions, said:
“Research suggests that we not return to emphasizing the parts of speech and the analysis of grammatical construction and sentence types in order to improve writing. This is a waste of valuable class time.” (1979)
So, let’s not get hasty and jump back into ineffective, albeit comfortable, instructional practices. Instead, let’s identify where the problems are and seek out some helpful solutions.
There are four major grammatical issues our students are facing that give us the biggest headaches:
1. Sentence construction, otherwise known as syntax.
2. Punctuation problems.
3. Use of the passive voice instead of the active voice.
4. Writing dull, repetitive, boring sentences.
Before we look at specific instructional strategies, it is important to get the most important strategy out of the way. This provides the framework for all instruction in grammar (and writing in general):
Teach all grammar lessons in context of the students’ writing.
This means we should avoid giving lessons on parts of speech separate from the work they’ve already written. All the research shows that when a student learns grammatical principles separately from their own writing, it has the following consequences: antipathy towards writing, a tendency to associate good writing with correctness, and discouragement as it relates to writing. (Navarre Clearly, 2014) Besides, when grammar is taught in isolation, how is the student supposed to connect the changes they make on a worksheet with the work they’ve written? Improving their own writing is more important to them than completing a Daily Oral Language activity.
So, that being said, let’s consider some strategies to help our kids.
1. Reading aloud
Generating language verbally is pretty easy for most people to do; generating language through writing, on the other hand, is a real challenge. It accesses a different center of the brain. Reading writing aloud forces the writer to hear what is being written. An engaged student will immediately recognize problems in syntax, voice, punctuation, and repetition. If a verb and subject do not agree, the writer is bound to hear it, and just as they do during a conversation, they are likely to correct it. The same is true for the repetition of words at the beginning of sentences, frequent use of the same words, or the lack of active verbs. This can be done in three ways: the writer can read to themselves, to another, or have another read it to them.
2. Sentence combining
Want to get rid of monotonous sentences? Want your kids to stop writing basic, simple sentences? Sentence combining is a great strategy to teach students. Start by using your own writing sample, and model the process of combining through the use of conjunctions, or commas. Or, select a student’s work and share it as an example. Students can practice on their own work, or have them practice using another student’s assignment.
3. Sentence unscrambling
It is very challenging to get students to understand how the parts of a sentence work together. We teach about subject, verb, object, prepositional phrase, gerund, appositive, etc., but they remember very little, and are even less capable of applying the knowledge they do remember. Fortunately the brain loves puzzles and patterns. Use student sentences from their samples and scramble them up. Have students try to find the pattern that sounds the closest to understandable language. You can also use sentences from the readings you are doing with your class, putting student focus on model examples.
4. Sentence imitation
In his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King wrote about how he, as a precocious kid, used to sit at his kitchen table, copying the text from his favorite books into notebooks as if he were the one writing them. Sure, it’s plagiarism, but what it did was cause him to recognize how different writers constructed their sentences and stories. Eventually he moved away from this and created his own sentences as he had something original to say; yet, the structure and sound of the language influenced him greatly. We can also use sentence imitation in our classes, by having students take sentences from the readings we are teaching and employ the reading’s specific style while using the student’s own words. Imitation leads to competency.
5. Editing groups
Late in the writing process, it is important to have students edit their work for errors in punctuation and spelling. Breaking students into editing groups in which they take turns reading each other’s work and marking up specific errors will help them take ownership for improving their writing. When doing this activity, it is valuable to have students looking for very specific issues. If they are being asked to check papers for capitalization, spelling, period use, comma use, semi-colon use, etc., the number of variables might result in poor results. Instead, try having multiple groups that focus on one specific area of improvement, and get all student writings being passed around the room.
Grammar is obviously essential to good writing, and there are some excellent strategies available to support student improvement. Yet, as Dennis Baron writes, “You can fix grammar and still have an unsatisfying essay.” (NCTE, 2008) Grammar and punctuation is the most controllable, and safest, element of writing. And because it rests right on the surface of a text, it is easy to critique. That does not mean that having all these conventions ironed smoothly will result in great work. Writing is about the effective organization of insightful ideas tailored to a specific audience. Tightening up the use of grammar and punctuation should result in revealing the strength or weaknesses in those other areas, but it should not be seen as the totality of our experience as writers.
Sources:
Peha, Steve. "Teaching Grammar: There Has to Be a Better Way."Edutopia. George Lucas Educational Foundation, 23 May 2011. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Scribner, 2000. Print.
Navarre Clearly, Michelle. "The Wrong Way to Teach Grammar." The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group, 25 Feb. 2014. Web. 5 Nov. 2015.
"NCTE Authors Weigh-in on Teaching Grammar and Writing." NCTE.org. National Council of the Teachers of English, 4 Nov. 2008. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.
Chin, Beverly Ann. "The Role of Grammar in Improving Student Writing."Sadlier-Oxford. William H. Sadlier, 2000. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment