D.O.L. is D.O.A.Reviving Grammar for the Student Centered Classroom

Who am I?

Kelly De La Cruz

Catholic school and public school

educated

writer

Middle school

teacher

Montessori Trained

I’ve taught pre-school, special

education, elementary school,

and college.

Harry Noden, author of Image Grammar, said, “Discussing grammar in the teacher’s lounge is a little like….___________.”

Fill in the blank

Harry Noden (Image Grammar) quote:

“Discussing grammar in the teacher’s lounge is a little like…

stepping between two opposing 350-pound NFL lineman just after the ball is snapped (Vii).”

The controversy200 B.C. first grammar text

defines grammar until

the Middle Ages

After the FCAT writing scores, you’re about to be assualted with the need to teach grammar. Let’s do it the right way….Um, now what’s the right way?

0What to teach0And how to teach it

Spell-checkers won't catchYou're

mistaken homophonesScattered

hear and their-- Gord Roberts

Approaches0Four approaches, and what research says

What to teach0Round robin- what to teach0Share most commonly missed rules

1. Missing comma after an introductory element2. Vague pronoun reference3. Missing comma in a compound sentence4. Wrong word5. Missing comma(s) with a nonrestrictive element6. Wrong or missing verb ending7. Wrong or missing preposition8. Comma splice9. Missing or misplaced possessive apostrophe10.Unnecessary shift in tense11.Unnecessary shift in pronoun12.Sentence fragment13.Wrong tense or verb form14.Lack of subject-verb agreement15.Missing comma in a series16.Lack of agreement between pronoun and antecedent17.Unnecessary comma(s) with a restrictive element18.Fused sentence19.Misplaced or dangling modifier20.Its/It's confusion

20 Most Common Mistakes Andrea Lunsford, Stanford University

Leila Christenbury, former editor of English journal, claims that grammar • cannot be taught effectively in discrete,

unconnected units; • cannot be taught effectively in massive

doses;• cannot be taught divorced from student

writing;• cannot be taught effectively if students see

no real need for it and if teachers cannot persuade them to see a need.

Strategies0Apprentice sentence0 Jigsaw0Scavenger hunt0Grammar rant0Poem about grammar rule

Apprentice sentence0Standards covered0Research0Steps0Student examples0Model with one0Everyone write one or two

How to choose good sentences

0http://www.greatsentences.blogspot.com/0 Invite student contributions0 If it wows you

Call the Periods Call the Commas

By Kalli DakosCall the doctors Call the nurses Give me a breath ofair I’ve been reading all your stories but the periodsaren’t there Call the policemen Call the traffic guardsGive me a STOP sign quick Your sentences are runningwhen they need a walking stick Call the commas Callthe question marks Give me a single clue Tell mewhere to breathe with a punctuation mark or two

Jigsaw the rules0Standards0Research0Applications (great in content area)0Handouts with rules- in a small group, learn a

rule, practice…go to another group. Create a paragraph in on topic using at least each of the rules in a sentence.

Scavenger hunt for sentences with commas

combining and uncombining sentences

"This picture has a dollop of peanut butter on one edge, a smear of grape jelly on the other, and an X across the whole thing. I cut it out of a magazine for homework when I was six years old. 'Look for words that begin with W,' my teacher, Mrs. Evans, had said.She was the one who marked in the X, spoiling my picture. She pointed. ' This is a picture of a family, Hollis. A mother, M, a father, F, a brother, B, a sister, S. They're standing in front of their house, H. I don't see one W word here, young lady.’I opened my mouth to say: How about W for wish, or W for want, or W for 'Wouldn't it be loverly,' like the song the music teacher had taught us?But Mrs. Evans was at the next table by that time, shushing me over her shoulder.”

From Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

How do you look at errors?

Errors are a natural step in growthChildren learn through observation,

experimentation and generalizationLearners do not usually master a new

structure right awayErrors become more sophisticated as

learning occurs “Something we teachers need to learn, then, is how to recognize and deal

effectively with “errors” that are actually evidence of the writer’s thinking and, in some cases, clear indicators of the writer’s growth in mastering the structures and conventions of written English (Weaver, 59).”

Writing workshop/writer’s notebook

Polishing in peer conferencesUse a checklistBut they miss itIf they knew it, they wouldn’t miss itPseudo-rules

Responding constructively to errors

0Teach final revision an editing/proofreading

Image BibliographyGravestone- http://tonova.typepad.com/thesuddencurve/images/2008/09/14/gravestone.jpg

Linemen- http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources

Magnifying glass: http://www.gwoltal.myfastmail.com/files/Magnifying%20Glass%20Check.gif