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Teaching and Assessing Grammar in The Writing Classroom

This presentation discusses various methods for teaching and assessing grammar in the writing classroom. It begins by noting that students often have an antagonistic relationship with grammar and believe it is not important or that being bad at grammar means they are bad writers. However, grammar mistakes can distract readers from the writer's ideas. The presentation then outlines several approaches teachers can take, such as giving weekly mini-lessons on common errors, having students do grammar presentations, addressing errors one-on-one in conferences, providing independent study guides, and teaching proofreading strategies when marking papers. It emphasizes focusing on patterns of errors and discussing errors in conferences to help students improve.

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DaisyADenial
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415 views

Teaching and Assessing Grammar in The Writing Classroom

This presentation discusses various methods for teaching and assessing grammar in the writing classroom. It begins by noting that students often have an antagonistic relationship with grammar and believe it is not important or that being bad at grammar means they are bad writers. However, grammar mistakes can distract readers from the writer's ideas. The presentation then outlines several approaches teachers can take, such as giving weekly mini-lessons on common errors, having students do grammar presentations, addressing errors one-on-one in conferences, providing independent study guides, and teaching proofreading strategies when marking papers. It emphasizes focusing on patterns of errors and discussing errors in conferences to help students improve.

Uploaded by

DaisyADenial
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Teaching and Assessing Grammar

In the Writing Classroom

Purdue OWL staff


Brought to you in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab
Assessing Grammar
Effectively

This presentation will cover:

Ways to address grammar in the writing classroom.

Methods of marking grammatical errors in student papers.

Grammar resources for students outside the classroom.


Students and Grammar

Students’ relationship with grammar is often an antagonistic one.


They may believe that…

Grammar isn’t as
important as expression.

If they’re bad at grammar,


then they’re bad writers.

Writing is only a matter


of grammar.
Grammar in the
Classroom

However…

Grammar mistakes can distract the reader from their


ideas/expression.

Grammar affects a writer’s ethos:

• Did the writer seem educated?

• Did s/he appear to take the work seriously?

 Tools like spell check aren’t always accurate.


Grammar in the
Classroom

Methods of including grammar instruction:


Weekly Mini-Lessons

If your strength is lecture:

Choose a common error you’ve noticed in students’ papers that


week.

Illustrate the error in context.

• Bring photocopies of a paper excerpt.

• Work on an overhead copy.

Offer methods of recognizing the error.

Have students work in pairs on a sample text


Weekly Mini-Lessons

What to keep in mind with this approach:

Inform students early on that their papers will be used as sample


texts.

Don’t identify the writers of sample papers.

Nobody wants to be the “bad example.”

Give students a chance to identify/fix the error before you give it


away.

Let students do the work


Student Grammar
Presentations

If you’re a fan of group work:

Have students pair up and draw grammar topic from a hat.

On their scheduled day, each pair will:

• Give a 10-minute presentation.

• Create an accompanying handout for the class.

Encourage students to make presentations fun (quiz shows with


prizes, role playing, etc.).
Student Grammar
Presentations

What to keep in mind with this approach:

Point students to resources like the OWL or a writing handbook.

Make sure students understand the grammatical jargon they


encounter/use. Will their audience understand it?

Meet with pairs during conferences to preview their presentations.


Student Grammar
Presentations

If you need to use conference time:

Address grammar one-on-one in context.

Using the student’s recent writing:

• Focus on one pattern of error at a time

• Have the student identify and correct the errors in his/her


own paper

• Model revision techniques/alternatives


Student Grammar
Presentations

What to keep in mind with this approach:

Don’t overwhelm the student. Focus on only one or two errors


per conference.

Give students a mini-assignment or goal for next time:

• Example: Eliminate comma splices in your next


paper.

• Example: Be able to summarize the rules for semi-


colon use.
Independent Study
Guide

If you’re a proponent of individual study:

Hand out a packet of grammar study materials at the beginning


of the semester.

Use a sample text each week to illustrate a grammar rule from


the packet.

Hold a class review session.

Schedule a test or quizzes over the materials


Independent Study
Guide

What to keep in mind with this approach:

Give students opportunities to see the grammar rules and


concepts in context.

Review rules and concepts in conferences.

Have students work on sample texts in class.


Marking Grammatical
Errors

When you’re grading papers:

Focus on a pattern of error.

Correct only the first instance of an error.

Place a check mark in the margin beside the line where the
error occurs.

Discuss patterns during conferences.

Resist the urge to edit—let the student do the work!


Proofreading Strategies

Discuss proofreading strategies in class and encourage students


to:

1.Read their papers out loud.

2.Have a friend or roommate read it out loud while they look


on.
Proofreading Strategies

3. Read backwards (from last sentence to first) in order to


focus the brain on sentence-level error.

4. Print a paper copy and edit by hand. Give students a


handout of editorial symbols to help them.
Grading Follow-up

Tips:

1.Encourage students to review and work on their errors:

2.Discuss errors during conferences.

3.Have each student review and summarize comments on


his/her paper.

4.How will s/he recognize and correct this error from now on?
Where to Go for More
Help

Purdue University Writing Lab, Heavilon 226

Check our web site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu

Email brief questions to OWL Mail:


https://owl.english.purdue.edu/contact/owlmailtutors
The End

TEACHING AND ASSESSING GRAMMAR


IN THE WRITING CLASSROOM
Purdue OWL staff
Brought to you in cooperation with the Purdue Online Writing Lab

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