Grammar
A Writer’s Tool
Chapter 13
Components of Grammar Instruction
Parts of speech
Parts of sentences
Types of sentences
Capitalization & punctuation
Usage
The 8 Parts of Speech
 Noun
 Pronoun
 Adjective
 Verb
 Adverb
 Preposition
 Conjunction
 Interjection
Research on Teaching
Grammar Separately Will NOT Do
Will not improve quality or accuracy of
writing
Will not help form or promote “mental
discipline”
Will not help students score better on
standardized tests that include grammar,
usage, and punctuation
Will not help people learn the grammar of
another language more readily
Will not help people master conventional
spoken or written language
Will not help people become better users
of language—more effective listeners,
speakers, readers, or writers
So How Do We Teach Grammar?
Within the Context of Literature Studies
Within the Context of Children’s Own
Writing
During the Editing Stage of Writing
Teaching Grammar
Minilessons – followed by application
to the child’s own writing
Examine / make concept books
Sentence collection / searches in
books
Sentence manipulation
Teaching Grammar
New versions of books (innovations)
Grammar posters
Write and proofread- Editing
Expands language options - not to
replace home language
Killgallon’s 4 Types of Sentence
Manipulation (Figure 13-5 – p. 445)
Sentence Unscrambling
Reassemble phrases
Sentence Imitating
Imitate the structure of a chosen sentence
Sentence Combining
Combine and rearrange words
Sentence Expanding
Abridged sentence is expanded
Assessing Grammar
Tests
Arrangement of words in sentences in
writing projects
Note errors and teach minilessons