GRAMMAR That nasty little part of writing…..

What is it? Grammar is the study of the structure of language including its: Syntactic structures Patterns and rules

Two kinds of grammatical knowledge: The unconscious ability that children develop as they learn to talk. The conscious understanding of sentence structure and text that can help students improve their reading and writing. (The second builds on the first if the child is working in his native tongue.)

Modern vs traditional grammar Modern grammar focuses on the language students use. It is the way a native language or dialect is actually applied. Traditional grammar focuses on identifying and labeling parts of a sentence for students to see the “correct” prescription for standard English sentences.

Both have similar goals: 1. To help students communicate in a workplace, public or academic location that require English proficiency. 2. To teach students how to manipulate and control the English language.

What we know works: Teaching grammar in isolation is detrimental to increasing writing skills. Teaching grammar in context of writer’s craft is productive to increasing writing skills. Grammar instruction is the most productive in the drafting and revising phases of the writing process.