Grammar where do we begin?

Resources ACT Scores http://datacenter.courier-

journal.com/schools/kentucky/tests/act/ Response to Intervention Kentucky Core Content New Kentucky Standards (KCAS) Daniels, H. Zemelman S., & Steinede, N.

(2007) Content Area Writing- Every Teacher’s Guide. Heinemann. Portsmouth NH.

Gotthelf, A & Allyn, P. (2008) The Complete Year in Reading and Writing. Scholastic . New

York, NY. Daniels, H & Steineke,N (2004) Mini-Lessons For Literature Circles. Heinemann. Portsmouth NH.

More resources

Kentucky seniors are lacking in grammar and mechanics on the ACT

Kentucky seniors are not college ready Kentucky now has a strand that focuses just on

English grammar and usage when writing and speaking

Academic expectations have always included grammar, however, now Kentucky has broken grammar down into standards

I was sure that I would discover that grammar needed to be the primary focus of the early primary grades

What I Discovered

Research says that grammar needs to be taught along side of writing and not independent of it.

Students should not stress over editing until their thoughts are complete on paper

Wrong!

News Flash! Kids Hate to self edit!

Most children simply do not get the whole editing thing.They like what they wrote and can’t understand why you would want them to –oh no!- look for ways to improve it!

How can we encourage students

to self edit?

1) Tell students not to worry about self-editing during the first draft. The important thing is just to get the words down on paper.

2) Let them edit a photocopied version of their paper. This is especially effective with elementary-age kids who feel anxious about marking up the original.

3) Explain that it’s easier to proofread his/her writing after it has had a chance to rest, and recommend that  wait a day or two rather than try to self-edit right away. Stepping back can help them distance themselves from the words, characters, or story details they have chosen so carefully.

Strategies to help with self-editing

Special needs students will be given a reference sheet

Shorter passages Middle/High School

Have them read the paper backward, from the end to the beginning. Reading one word at a time will help them proofread for repeated words and misspellings. Reading one sentence at a time encourages general editing.

Modifications

Feedback-positive and often

Before a negative word rolls off your tongue, affirm your writer by searching for things you can praise. Next time you look over your students paper, why not try making a few of these positive and encouraging comments?

You’re off to a great start! I love your ideas. You are so creative. What a descriptive story! You shared some interesting facts. Wow! You remembered all your capitalization rules. Thank you for trying so hard. I can see that you’ve put a lot of thought into your story. I like your title. It gives me a good clue about your story. This is my favorite sentence. Fantastic! Look how your punctuation has improved. You are becoming a great writer.

Teacher will give a short mini lesson on what she has found to be lacking in the students writing

Students will focus on that particular item when editing their piece for the day

As students are introduced to new ways to edit they may correct their work in these areas.

One step at a time

Teacher explains why it matters 

Students brainstorm solutions

Define the

skill/strategy

Teacher adds ideas Practice with

textStudents choose a solution Share

Responses

Students and apply mini lessons

 

Debrief

I have noticed a problem that we are havingLet’s try something new

C…Capitalization~first word in a

sentence~proper nouns

C…Capitalization~first word in a sentence~proper nouns

U….Understanding~makes sense~beginning, middle, end~interesting detail~indent where needed

P……Punctuation~periods, question marks, exclamation points, ~ commas, quotation marks

S……Spelling~check with online dictionary~word wall~regular dictionary

CUPS Revise /Edit Checklist

As students come in they will begin by working on some type of mini lessons

Capitalization Punctuation Verb usage Noun Subject/Predicate These will be practice for lessons already

taught

Bell Ringer

Why focus on editing/grammar?

• Students are expected to master the new Kentucky Standards .

• Rigorous grammar instruction has been added to the primary grades.

• High School Seniors are lacking in writing mechanics.

Sounds easy enough, right?

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So why do kids have such a hard time identifying errors in their own writing?

• They really don’t see their mistakes. When we read, we think we see every word and punctuation mark, but in truth, most of us read in chunks.

• They fail to see self-editing as an essential part of the writing task. They consider it unnecessary or as punishment.

• They feel attached to their writing. To most kids, it really is personal.

• They attempt writing and self-editing in the same day.Writers—and not just kids—often don’t put enough space and distance between themselves and their writing piece before beginning the self-editing process.