Using Mentor Text to Teach Grammar in Context Ben Bailey Lake Michigan Writing Project 2013

Who I am Sixth-grade teacher going into my 8th year with my own classroom Teach Science, Reading and ELA Spent several years as a reporter/editor Went back to school for certification Masters in Education

Why this is important to me Noticed a need with my last class Something I get excited about Want to teach it correctly

What would you name this punctuation mark?

Invitation to write In the next few minutes, write about a time that you really understood how grammar is supposed to be used (either in a lesson, something you read, individual instruction, or some other way)

What doesn’t work Spent a lot of reading time Constance Weaver Her meta-analysis shows that having grammar lessons doesn't work Worksheets not tied in to writing DOL correct-alls

Studies show no correlation In 1936, the Curriculum Commission of the National Council of Teachers of English recommended that "all teaching of grammar separate from the manipulation of sentences be discontinued... since every scientific attempt to prove that knowledge of grammar is useful has failed." Macauley, 1947 DeBoer, 1959 Elley, 1976 McQuade, 1980

Mechanically Inclined Gives lessons and strategies for teaching grammar in context Ties in with writing workshop Handbook in back so teachers can understand what is going on There are lots of pictures, charts, and visuals.

Philosophy Normally writers' craft and mechanics taught independently Combine the two to create Grammar is really part of the author's craft, so teach it that way

First time Always told "teach grammar in context" Didn't know what that looked like Jeff Anderson helped me "get it!" Went to class the next day and applied what I learned at conference Kids loved it!

Instructional filters How is the mechanics issue also a craft issue? How can I look at it in the context of literature? Can I quickly turn kids back to their writing, so they can be on their way to becoming independent revisers, crafters, and editors? -- Jeff Anderson, Mechanically Inclined

Teach, not mention. Teach, not correct. What have I done to teach the pattern? Have I immersed students in correct models? Visually and orally? Did I post an example? Have I demonstrated how to use the pattern in my own writing? Have I modeled how to correct this error? Is the item on the class's editor's checklist? Is the error important enough to warrant doing all the work to teach it?

Image Grammar While Anderson focuses on grammar, Image Grammar by Noden follows a similar pattern for all aspects of writing Genres, voice, rhythm, organization, as well as grammar, and much more Offers concepts and many strategies to help students gain/show understanding. Noticed some links for sources no longer around, but does come with a disk

Show vs. Tell He stared at the bag, then at the idol in his hand. Then he was aware of a strange, distant noise, a rumbling like that of a great machine set in motion, a sound of things waking from a long sleep, roaring, and tearing and creaking through the spaces of the temple. For a split second nothing happened. And then there was a faint whirring noise, a creaking sound, and the walls of the chamber seemed to break open as giant metal spikes, like the jaws of some impossible shark, slammed together in the center of the chamber.

Painting pictures Text from Raiders of the Lost Ark by Robert Campbell

Overview of each Writing is noticing Invitation to imitate Author's word and phrase palette Becoming intentional Reinforce Editing Writing as seeing Painting with basic brush strokes Combining strokes Create an Artist's Palette Copyedit

My synthesis What do you notice? Invitation to imitate Scavenger hunt Creating Editing

Major differences Anderson thinks it’s OK to talk about grammar: to mention, define, discuss, organize, and chart. Noden thinks it’s OK to look at the concepts, see what is happening, and use them. Not a great need to give everything a name

What do you notice?

20 Most Common Errors 1. No comma after introductory element 2. Vague pronoun reference 3. No comma in compound sentence 4. Wrong word 5. No comma in nonrestrictive element 6. Wrong/missing inflected endings 7. Wrong or missing prepositions 8. Comma splice 9. Possessive apostrophe error 10. Tense shift

20 Most Common Errors 11. Unnecessary shift in person 12. Sentence Fragments 13. Wrong tense or verb form 14. Subject-verb agreement 15. Lack of comma in a series 16. Pronoun agreement error 17. Unnecessary comma with restrictive element 18. Run-on or fused sentence (comma splice) 19. Dangling or misplaced modifier 20. It's versus its error

What’s important to you? Highlight or star the items on the list, created by Connors and Lundsford, 1988), that are important to your students. What is an area that you see needs improvement in your students' writing? Jot down some of the strategies that you use in these areas.

What it looks like Almost like an enriched vocabulary lesson Presentation slide on board when students walk in Chart nearby where teacher and students add examples Sentence strips around the classroom from each student.

What do you notice? His room smelled of cooked grease, Lysol, and age. - Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Take a few minutes to write down what you notice.

Invitation to imitate Jim's truck smelled of McDonald's, coffee, and dirt. Take a minute to write your own sentences modeled after this one. Write your favorite on a sentence strip or post at

What do you notice? Black sheep, Black sheep, what do you see? Brown Bear, What do You See? -Bill Martin Jr./Eric Carle Our family went to Orlando, Florida, on April 5, 2012.

Daily Dose Get students to look at good writing Looking at whole text or skimming is not intentional enough Connect to patterns Think about its effects Suppose author's intent Play with it and see what happens

How would you punctuate this sentence? Kai and Amel go to the store with Mary Jane Beth Ann and Billy Bob

It is not DOL DOL and correct-alls put bad examples in front of students No focus, too many things to find Do continue the discussions, dig deeper Compare to previous examples Correct pseudo-concepts or over generalizations What happens if we (take comma out, change word, change order)?

Some ideas for mentor texts Eats, Shoots, and Leaves Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? Boy by Roald Dahl The class novel Create your personal sentences Any books the students are reading! Noden has many strategies for using mentor texts in his book. Web sites

Creating during freewriting There are some guidelines Keep writing Experiment with spelling, punctuation, and grammar Go where the writing takes you Be specific As Goldberg says,"You are free to write the worst junk in America." Allow things to emerge.

Data Pool

Author’s palette Examples of mentor texts –Great sentences –Great grammar –Vivid verbs –phrases Their own collection Intentional collection (Scavenger Hunt in own reading, world)

Example of work from today His room smelled of cooked grease, Lysol, and age. Notice His locker smelled of, bubble gum, Axe, and gym. Imitate Jim’s truck, smelled of coffee, McDonald’s, and dirt. Daily Dose He enjoyed camping in a tent, riding his bike on the trails, and sleeping in until noon. Scavenger Hunt Example of Author’s Palette

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Active Verbs Peeking Claws sparkled Smart Similes …a face like a Chinese doll chiseled from hardwood… (page 3) Naming Names Receiver Golden Gate Park chandelier Awesome Adjectives Frigid Meaty Sprawling house Example of Author’s Palette

Editing Checklist is organic Creates independent editors Needs modeling “Express Lane” editing

Express Lane Edit After creating, make it quick/easy Add to Editor’s Checklist Think about shopping –Few items –Express Lane –Quick –Receipt

Express lane checkout Could be the day’s writing Could be from earlier in notebook Could be from a friend Focused Check out: Receipt: How do we own it?

How do I know it worked for me?

What do you notice? Permann, a 24-year-old optometry student at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, was selected for one of those popular shooting contests; make a layup, free throw, 3-pointer and half-court shot in the allotted time to win a prize – 24 seconds, in Sunday's case, and $50, USA Today

What do you notice? In order to walk away with $50,000, which holds as much value as a million dollars to a struggling college student, Permann had to make a layup, free throw, 3-pointer and half- court shot in 24 seconds to win the prize. -- Blacksportsonline.com

Bibliography Anderson, Jeff. Mechanically inclined. Stenhouse, Portland, Maine Dorfman, Lynne R. and Rose Cappelli. Mentor texts: teaching writing through children’s literature, K-6. Stenhouse, Portland, Maine Noden, Harry R. Image grammar: using grammatical structures to teach writing. Heineman, Portsmouth, New Hampshire Weaver, Constance. Teaching grammar in context. Heinaman, Porthsmouth, New Hampshire Weaver, Constance. Lessons to share: on teaching grammar in context. Heinaman, Porthsmouth, New Hampshire