Dear Mrs. Smith,
First of all, I would like to thank you for showing your concern regarding Junior’s education, and the
instruction in my English classroom. I understand why you would be worried that Junior is not being
taught grammar properly, but would like to present you some information about why I teach writing
and grammar the way I do.
I too, believe grammar is an important aspect of communication skills, and necessary to be a
distinguished writer. Studies have shown, though, that teaching writing as a process is the most
effective instruction. The gobbledy-gook that you heard as a response from other English teachers is
difficult to understand, as even I found it difficult when learning about grammar instruction. There has
been much research and debate about teaching grammar as of late, and traditional instruction that you
and I have had, does not look the same in today’s classrooms for a number of reasons.
First, research (nearly a century of studies) has shown that improvement in writing and use of language
does not occur after approaching grammar through textbooks and filling in worksheets decontextualized
from language in use. This is not to say that no students benefit from learning this way, but that it is a
less effective way to improve these skills. This also does not mean that I do not teach grammar.
I believe in teaching writing as a process. The assignment that you saw with my comments did not have
a grade on it yet. It was credit or no credit. I did not mark up Junior’s paper with grammatical errors
because correcting his mistakes and lowering his grade because of convention errors would not only
discourage Junior from becoming a good writer, but it would fail to teach him why his errors are errors,
and how to correct them. I also used this assignment to get a feel for the common mistakes students in
my class are making, so I can modify my instruction. When the students are given back papers, they see
the positive aspects of their writing, and where I think they can further develop their ideas. This helps
them see that there is some good in their writing, not just the grammatical errors. It also shows that I do
not want them to only be writing for a grade. It is often the case that teachers’ positive comments and
helpful feedback is ignored, as students generally flip to the back of the paper to see their grade. So, my
first writing assignments do not have a final grade on them, as I want students to know what went well
in their writing before addressing what did not.
I usually do a small grammar lesson each day, followed by having students looking at their own writing
samples to try to find similar errors in their own writing. I also set up conference and writing workshop
times, so that if students need individual help with writing, I can accommodate them, one-on-one.
I hope I have addressed your concerns sufficiently. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to
email or call me directly. I am always willing to meet with you, if you have concerns.
Many thanks,
Ms. Jackson
sjackson@oakland.edu
(586)557-2829