Notes

Outline

Grammar: Meaning and Contexts Presented for the Red Cedar Writing Project Homecoming Day, June 28, 2001 Nancy Patterson

The question is not “Should we teach grammar?” The question is “How should we teach grammar?”

First, a look at the research

The Harris Study Compared two groups One studied traditional grammar; the other used the time to work on extended pieces of writing.  This group approached errors through meaning.

Harris Study Conclusion

Braddock, Lloyd-Jones, and Schoer Study Meta-study that examined previous pieces of research

Conclusion

Elley, Barham, Lamb, and Wyllie Study Studied 248 students in 8 classes over 3 years One group studied transformational grammar One group studied rhetoric and literature and also creative writing with writing conventions and spelling as the need arose Another group studied heavy doses of traditional grammar.

Conclusions

Hillocks Study Another meta-study, commissioned by NCTE

Conclusions

Mina Shaughnessy’s Study Focused on adult basic writers Study looks at the cause of error in student writing

Conclusions

Looking at the theory

Janet Emig

Patrick Hartwell believes there are 4 grammars Grammar 1: The formal arrangement of words in patterns that convey meaning Grammar 2: The descriptive analysis that linguists engage in Grammar 3: “Linguistic Etiquette,” the rules of correctness Grammar 4: School grammar, something Hartwell warns bears little relationship to Grammar 2

Geneva Smitherman writes that all dialects are valid Dialects of English are as rule-bound as the dialect we refer to as Standard English Teachers need to understand the rules of the dialects students in their rooms speak in order to help them code switch back and forth between dialects

Smitherman writes:

Rei Noguchi recommends That teachers focus on most frequent errors in student writing These usually involve run-on sentences, comma splices, fragments, and the boundaries between clauses They also include subject/verb agreement

Noguchi urges

Ok. So how do you do that?

"Skills lists where students keep..." Skills lists where students keep track of their errors Visual reminders in the form of posters or banners Departmental agreements about which  writing conventions students need to focus on Focused, meaning-based writing invitations

Here’s a writing invitation

Slide 24

Slide 25

Hay for the Horses by Gary Snyder

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Slide 28

Or, use this picture as a prompt

Remember