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 controversy 200 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? 0 What to teach 0 And how to teach it

Spell-checkers won't catch You're mistaken homophones Scattered hear and their -- Gord RobertsGord Roberts

Approaches 0 Four approaches, and what research says

What to teach 0 Round robin- what to teach 0 Share most commonly missed rules

1.Missing comma after an introductory elementMissing comma after an introductory element 2.Vague pronoun referenceVague pronoun reference 3.Missing comma in a compound sentenceMissing comma in a compound sentence 4.Wrong wordWrong word 5.Missing comma(s) with a nonrestrictive elementMissing comma(s) with a nonrestrictive element 6.Wrong or missing verb endingWrong or missing verb ending 7.Wrong or missing prepositionWrong or missing preposition 8.Comma spliceComma splice 9.Missing or misplaced possessive apostropheMissing or misplaced possessive apostrophe 10.Unnecessary shift in tenseUnnecessary shift in tense 11.Unnecessary shift in pronounUnnecessary shift in pronoun 12.Sentence fragmentSentence fragment 13.Wrong tense or verb formWrong tense or verb form 14.Lack of subject-verb agreementLack of subject-verb agreement 15.Missing comma in a seriesMissing comma in a series 16.Lack of agreement between pronoun and antecedentLack of agreement between pronoun and antecedent 17.Unnecessary comma(s) with a restrictive elementUnnecessary comma(s) with a restrictive element 18.Fused sentenceFused sentence 19.Misplaced or dangling modifierMisplaced or dangling modifier 20.Its/It's confusionIts/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.

Strategies 0 Apprentice sentence 0 Jigsaw 0 Scavenger hunt 0 Grammar rant 0 Poem about grammar rule

Apprentice sentence 0 Standards covered 0 Research 0 Steps 0 Student examples 0 Model with one 0 Everyone write one or two

How to choose good sentences Invite student contributions 0 If it wows you

Call the Periods Call the Commas By Kalli Dakos Call the doctors Call the nurses Give me a breath of air I’ve been reading all your stories but the periods aren’t there Call the policemen Call the traffic guards Give me a STOP sign quick Your sentences are running when they need a walking stick Call the commas Call the question marks Give me a single clue Tell me where to breathe with a punctuation mark or two

Jigsaw the rules 0 Standards 0 Research 0 Applications (great in content area) 0 Handouts 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 growth  Children learn through observation, experimentation and generalization  Learners do not usually master a new structure right away  Errors 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 conferences Use a checklist But they miss it If they knew it, they wouldn’t miss it Pseudo-rules

Responding constructively to errors 0 Teach final revision an editing/proofreading

Image Bibliography Gravestone- ages/2008/09/14/gravestone.jpg ages/2008/09/14/gravestone.jpg Linemen- Magnifying glass: ying%20Glass%20Check.gif ying%20Glass%20Check.gif