Grammar for real life

I often find myself torn between competing forces as a high school English teacher. I want students to learn to use the grammar of their own language as part of their daily life; to know the rules is to be able to break the rules. Yet I also recognize that students who do not receive formal instruction in the rules of grammar do not implicitly learn the codes of formal language that are so prized in middle class society.

Ah, what is one to do?

I've taken the time to cull some interesting ideas from the Internet which I hope will help if you, too, are uncertain about what grammar instruction should constitute for the 21st century learner.

The excerpts that follow asks questions that allow each of us to figure out what grammar is and why we should find it important. It is taken from a website called Learning Space at http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=195327

The importance of grammar
We want you to start thinking about what exactly we mean by a term like ‘grammar’ and how and why grammar differs in speech and writing. For some of you this will revise and build on your knowledge of previous study. Activity 1 is a way of raising questions in your mind and you will find some answers or explanations in the rest of the unit.

Activity 1
You should allow 0 hour(s), 10 minute(s).
Write down a few sentences which explain what you think grammar is about and why it is important. What do you expect to learn by studying English grammar? We shall come back to this activity again at the end of the unit.

I started off many years ago as a teacher of English in various countries around the world, using a form of grammatical description which highlighted ‘correct’ usage such as knowing when to say I have gone and when to say I went. More recently, in analysing academic writing, I have applied a different model of grammar, one which foregrounds the idea of grammar as choosing forms to express different types of meaning. I have discovered other grammatical systems and applications. You might be surprised to realise how many different areas of life utilise an understanding of grammar. Computer scientists involved in creating voice-recognition software need to understand grammar and the frequency of the likely patterns of the language; police experts need to trace typical language patterns used by individuals if they are to detect lies and forged documents; doctors and specialists in language disorders in children or in patients with head injuries need to know the typical grammar associated with particular contexts in order to understand where disruption or dysfunction is taking place. Of course, knowing grammar is a basic part of language learning and teaching and is also necessary in professions such as translating and lexicography (compiling dictionaries).

Many of the uses to which a knowledge of grammar is put are also starting to rely on the application of computer technology to language analysis.

Many linguists are exploring ways of grounding their description of language in cultural, geographical, social and economic conditions. These factors are seen as influencing how language is used in context; that is, how variations in what we are doing, who we are communicating with, whether we are face to face or separated in time and space from our listener/reader and so on affect the grammatical and other language choices we make. This is a wide definition of context, and is sometimes called sociocultural context.

The following excerpt is taken from "Effective Grammar Instruction" at yourdictionary.com. It seemed to make sense because it offered its audience of parents and guardians a balance of rules, positive reinforcement, and real-world applications.

A Change in Teaching Philosophies
The way grammar is typically taught in schools today is most likely very different from how you learned basic grammar rules. Although declarative knowledge was once the primary goal of grammar instruction, today's teachers now place a greater importance on helping students develop procedural knowledge.
Traditionally, English grammar was viewed as a separate part of the educational experience. Teachers helped students learn by requiring regular substitution or pattern practice drills and diagramming sentences. Memorization was a key part of grammar instruction, with frequent quizzes and worksheets available to test a student's mastery of grammar rules. This philosophy is sometimes referred to as prescriptive grammar instruction.

Today, grammar is viewed as an essential communication tool. Instead of viewing grammar as a separate area of study, teachers often strive to integrate grammar instruction into other subject areas. Drills are minimal, often replaced by a practical discussion of how grammar can be used to aid in effective communication or how grammar is used in a particular piece of literature. This philosophy is sometimes referred to as descriptive grammar instruction.

Even though the hands-on knowledge students gain from descriptive grammar instruction can be quite valuable, it is interesting to note that this modern approach to teaching English grammar is not without its critics. In fact, many people believe the current pedagogical approach has led to an overall loosening of grammar standards. However, this has yet to be conclusively proven.

Tips for Teaching Grammar
If you're interested in helping your child develop a better understanding of English grammar, remember the following tips:

Don't use worksheets to measure knowledge. Grammar worksheets are fine for practicing basic concepts, but worksheets place too much emphasis on simple memorization. They fail to help students develop the critical thinking skills necessary for applying the rules of grammar to real life situations.

Teach grammar in the context of good writing. Encourage your child to write stories and poems, using his work as a starting point for grammar instruction. Relating grammar to a subject that interests your child will help him see grammatical rules as both practical and relevant.

Stress communicative competence. If you are reading a story with your child, use the text as an opportunity to discuss irregular verbs, proper pronunciation, and any other related grammar concepts. Reading also provides a chance to reinforce that good grammar is a building block writers use to effectively communicate their ideas.

Use error correction to support language acquisition. If your child is discussing his day at school and makes a grammatical error, respond by using the correct grammar form and providing a brief explanation if necessary. However, it's best to avoid overstressing minor mistakes that don't interfere with communication. You don't want your child to view learning grammar as something to be reprimanded.

Some people take grammar very seriously! Here's a cute article found on http://www.poormojo.org/pmjadaily/archives/021548.php

Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson have not wasted their lives.

They fight a losing battle, an unyielding tide of misplaced apostrophes and poor spelling. But still, they fight. Why, you ask. Because, they say. Because, they must.

For the last three months, they have circled the nation in search of awkward grammar construction. They have ferreted out bad subject-verb agreements, and they have faced stone-faced opposition everywhere. They have shone a light on typos in public places, and they have traveled by a GPS-guided '97 Nissan Sentra, sleeping on the couches of college friends and sticking around just long enough to do right by the English language. Then it's on the road again, off to a new town with new typos.

Picture a pair of Kerouacs armed with Sharpies and erasers and righteous indignation—holding back a flood of mixed metaphors and spelling mistakes and extraneous punctuation so commonplace we rarely notice it anymore. But they are 28 and idealistic. Graduates of Dartmouth College, they are old friends with a schoolmarm's irritation at conspicuous errors, and despite their mild and somewhat nerdy exteriors, they have serious nerve. Deck lives outside Boston; Herson lives outside Washington. And together, they are TEAL—the Typo Eradication Advancement League—and they are between jobs.

Even President Obama, who is known for good grammar, cannot evade the grammar police: See the article at ...

http://translation-blog.trustedtranslations.com/obama-and-the-grammar-police-2009-02-27.html.

Happy grammar day to you!

Writers' Workshop

Composing is thinking; thinking is composing. One of the best ways to figure what we know is to write about it. Even in the 21st century, with so many new modalities for publication and so many new ways of representing our ideas, humans engage in a process to create meaning.

When humans confront new ideas through new experiences, we engage in a cognitive process in order to make those new experiences meaningful. While all composers do not engage in the same steps in the same sequence, essence within the composition process emerges when composer/ writers work from an experience to a final product through a process of conceptualization, reflection, and renewal. As teachers, we can assist our students --- our co-learners --- to engage in a process workshop through which ideas become meaning.

The outline of the writers’ workshop looks like this:
1. Mini-Lesson (5-10 min.): model how to think of an idea, punctuation, or anything that will help students on their writing; teachers often shares own writing of similar project(s) to that of the students
2. Status of the Class (2-3 min.): students report in on their current step in their writing; teacher records note of progress
3. Writing (20-40 min.) & Conferencing: individual ideas about topics; motivation and innovation; revision and editing; hear works in progress; peer editing
4. Sharing (10 min.)

Teacher's Role in the Writing Process
Prewriting: Provide background experiences so students will have the prerequisite knowledge to write about the topic; allow students to participate in decisions about topic, function, audience, and form; define the writing project clearly; specify how the writing will eventually be assessed; information about writing genre; provides opportunities for students to participate in idea gathering and organizing activities; write a class collaboration with students.

Drafting: Provides support, encouragement, and feedback; emphasize ideas first, then wording; teach students how to draft; encourage students to cycle back to prewriting to gather more ideas or ahead to revise when needed.

Revising: Organize writing groups; teach how to function in writing groups; participates in a writing group as any listener and reactor would; provides feedback about the content of the writing and makes suggestions for revision; insists that students make revisions; encourages students to cycle back to prewriting or drafting when necessary.

Editing: Teach students how to edit with partners; prepare editing checklists for students; assists students in locating and correcting mechanical errors; diagnoses students errors and provides appropriate instruction; corrects remaining errors that students cannot correct; shares.

Publishing: Arranges for genuine audiences for student writing; does not serve only as a judge when receiving student writing; creates celebration session for students’ writing release.

Students’ Roles in the Writing Process
Prewriting: Writes on topics based on own experiences; engages in reversal activities before writing (teacher/ student = co-learner); identify the audience; identify the purpose of the writing activity; choose appropriate genre and modality for their compositions based on audience and purpose.

Drafting: Writes a rough draft; focuses on ideas and voice.

Revising: Shares writing in writing groups; expresses thoughts about areas of confusion; participates constructively in discussions about classmates’ writing; makes changes to reflect the reactions and comments of both teacher and peers. More information about sharing/ revising with adults is available at http://www.cs.wustl.edu/~schmidt/writersworkshop.html

Editing: Proofreads own compositions; helps to proofread peers’ compositions; identifies and corrects own mechanical errors. Tools to assist in editing are available at http://www.teenlit.com/workshop/default.htm

Sharing: publishes own writing in a form appropriate to genre and modality; shares finished writing with an appropriate audience; reviews celebration session response; reflects on final composition as beginning point for next composition.

Sample Writing Prompts
http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource_topic/writing_prompts

Foundational theorists of the Writing Process:
Donald Murray, Read to Write
Nanci Atwell, In the Middle
Donald Graves, Lucy Calkins
National Writing Project, where teachers can participate in a Summer Institute and become Fellows
http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource_topic/teaching_writing?gclid=CNqftMPNgZkCFSHyDAodIDmwmg

Resources
Morris, J. “How to start a writers’ workshop.” Teachers.net. Nov. 1, 1998. http://teachers.net/lessonplans/posts/681.html
National Writing Project. www.NWP.org
Schmit, D. “How to hold a writers’ workshop.” September, 2006. http://www.cs.wustl.edu/~schmidt/writersworkshop.html
TeenLit.com. “Writers Workshop.” http://www.teenlit.com/workshop/default.htm

To Kill a Mockingbird Learning Event Ideas

Recently, I met with my protegee, who was about to teach Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. To offer him a helping hand, I surfed the web and culled out a series of learning events that I felt had real possibilities. I thought I would share this list with you all. I place the url first and an annotated description afterward.

:) Carolyn

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=265

While this lesson plan uses the quotation from To Kill a Mockingbird as a springboard and ties nicely to discussions of the novel, it can be completed even if students are not currently reading the book.

http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/98/mock/intro.html
Students gain a sense of the living history that surrounds the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Through studying primary source materials from American Memory and other online resources, students of all backgrounds may better grasp how historical events and human forces have shaped relationships between black and white, and rich and poor cultures of our country.

http://www.aresearchguide.com/mock.html
This unit guides students on a journey through the Depression Era in the 1930s. Activities familiarize the students with Southern experiences through the study of the novel and African American experiences through the examination of primary sources.

http://www.lessonplanspage.com/printables/PLAKillAMockingbird89.htm
This is a database of all types of information regarding the text.

http://clem.mscd.edu/~pekarekr/greatbks/gtkmunit1.html
Included in this book are a lot of racial issues and sexuality issues. To teach lessons throughout the book, the teacher must be prepared to deal with the thoughts of a society that is different than what we are used to right now.

The objective of this first lesson is to introduce the unit and motivate careful reading of To Kill a Mockingbird. The objective of the anticipation guide is to introduce the themes of the novel via implications of the mockingbird imagery. The Elements of Fiction chart introduces the literary tools an author can employ to convey profound truth about human nature. Thus, this lesson invites discussion of book awards and "classic" literature.

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=525
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=526
How does To Kill A Mockingbird frame issues of courage and cowardice against the backdrop of the American South in the 1930s? Includes templates from the text of character traits of courage and cowardice.
Learning Objectives: To expose the students to the history and cultural milieu of the deep South in 1935 America; To demonstrate close textual reading; To gain an awareness of how one’s society might force its citizens to take unpopular, but moral, stances in order to promote change.

http://tewt.org/tokillamockingbird.html
A 9th grade English teacher put together a website with many resources: chapter guides, quote quizzes, chapter quizzes, plot & character worksheets, vocabulary flashcards, vocabulary quizzes, internet resources, and more. Most are in Word or PDF Format. Project ideas may interest you as well as Internet resources: Novel, Historical Context, Great Depression, Harper Lee, and other topics.

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/icp/lessonplan/TKAM/tkam_home.html
This is an integrated curriculum project with each of several phases explicitly outlined. It seems an excellent route to take for a first time of teaching the novel.

http://www.pbs.org/theblues/classroom/intidentity.html
OverviewAfrican American history during the Jim Crow era includes encounters with poverty, racism, disrespect, and protest. Harper Lee develops all four of these themes in her famous 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. To help students understand these ideas, this lesson incorporates the blues and other literature of the time. Ultimately, students will be asked to consider both African American oppression and activism through a variety of lenses.

Learning ObjectivesBy completing this lesson, the student will:
Explore life for African Americans during the Jim Crow era
Consider terms of respect and disrespect
Analyze the effectiveness of different forms of cultural protest