I have been on the lookout for books, websites, and other materials to help me teach grammar. If you have some good ideas for resources, please leave them in the comments. A couple of things I have been trying with my students seem to be working fairly well. I used the Sentence Opening Strategy activity [...]
Entries Tagged as 'grammar'
Image Grammar
December 21st, 2009 · 4 Comments · Professional Development, Teaching Grammar, Teaching Writing
Tags: grammar·henry noden·image grammar·professional reading·writing
Unclear Pronoun Reference
September 13th, 2009 · 11 Comments · Teaching Grammar, Teaching Writing
I spent today at Barnes and Noble grading student essays, and by far the most common usage issue I noticed was unclear pronoun reference. I plan to do a minilesson on unclear pronoun reference when I hand back the papers. If your students have the same issue, you might find this lesson helpful. First, students [...]
Grammar Girl
July 17th, 2008 · 11 Comments · Teaching Grammar, Technology
Last night I met up with Megan to see Mignon Fogarty, aka Grammar Girl, at the Decatur Library in an event sponsored by the Georgia Center for the Book. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived, there were no more books left, so I was unable to get a signed copy of her new book, Grammar [...]
A Sticky Problem: Teachers and Grammar
July 4th, 2008 · 9 Comments · Issues
Laura Diamond at the AJC’s education blog Get Schooled discusses a sticky problem: teachers who use poor grammar in communication with parents. Many of us admit we have poor grammar and horrible spelling skills. So why do so many of us get concerned when we see these same faults in teachers? Can you respect a [...]
Tags: communication·grammar·teaching
Week in Reflection, April 14-17
April 17th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Movies in English Class, Reflection, Teaching Grammar, Technology
This time of year, I find that I’m not blogging as much as I would like because I’m so exhausted. You know, people talk about what a perk it is for teachers to have breaks in the winter and spring and a longer one in the summer — usually people who don’t teach, by the [...]
Tags: commas·grammar·powerpoint·reflection·streetcar named desire
Week in Reflection: March 24-28, 2008
March 29th, 2008 · Comments Off · Reflection, Teaching Grammar, Teaching Literature
The end of this week leaves me feeling somewhat exhausted. I was rear-ended last weekend, and I have been dealing with the problems that entails — reporting the accident, waiting for the police report so I can file a claim with the other guy’s insurance, getting an estimate for damage (nearly $1300), and worrying about [...]
Tags: death of a salesman·grammar·reflection·research·world is flat
A Usage PSA
March 26th, 2008 · 8 Comments · Teaching Grammar
OK, I can’t hold it in anymore. The time has come for a public service announcement regarding some alarming usage problems I see in the blogosphere. The past tense of the verb lead is led, not lead. I know why you’re confused. The past tense of read is read, so it is natural to assume [...]
