Teaching Grammar in Context

1. Teaching Grammar in Context September 4, 2013 Vincent Segalini Director of English Language Arts

3. Key Points in Grammar Instruction • Students must USE grammar skills in writing and speaking; no more grammar in isolation. • Teachers should use good mentor texts to teach grammar skills. • Teach grammar through what students are reading. • Use student’s writing to help teach grammar. • Students need to know the rules AND how to apply those rules.

4. Common Core State Standardsfor Language Conventions of Standard • Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

5. Common Core State Standardsfor Language First Grade • Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Capitalize dates and names of people. b. Use end punctuation for sentences. c. Use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series. d. Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words. e. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions.

6. Jeff Anderson’s “Capitalization Rules!” • Proper nouns (Mississippi Middle School, Jackson, Vinnie) 2. Proper adjectives (Italian food, American history, Norse myths) 3. Title with a last name (Coach Miles, Governor Bryant) 4. First word in a direct quotation (Lindsey said, “This Oxford comma is wicked awesome.”) Adapted from Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson

7. Jeff Anderson’s “Capitalization Rules!” 5. Titles (New Orleans Saints, Good Will Hunting) 6. Letter Opening (Dear Mrs. Segalini,) 7. First word of letter closing (Sincerely yours,) Adapted from Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson

8. Using Mentor Text September 4, 2013 Dear Mr. Shannon, My class just read No, David!I thought the book was funny. I like the picture of David eating with his mouth open. My mom tells me to eat with my mouth closed. Is the David in the book you? I think the book is about you as a boy. Joe Bob, my friend, says it is not because it is fiction. Can you write back and tell me if the book is about you? Thanks. Your fan, Sally May

9. Using Mentor Text • Utilize the mentor text to show students punctuation rules in letter writing. • Ask students to write an informative letter (W.CCR.2), based on texts used in the classroom. • Ensure they use the correct rules for punctuation in a letter (L.CCR.1 and L.CCR.2)

10. Common Core State Standardsfor Language Seventh Grade • English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. b. Choose among simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas. c. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers.

11. Sentence Structure • When teaching sentence structure, it is important we use the language of the Standards. • Are they dependent or subordinate clauses? • Are they coordinating or subordinating conjunctions? • Note that the Standards tell us WHAT kinds of sentences students should be able to PRODUCE.

12. Imitating Sentences • Use sentences from the text you are reading to model correct sentence construction. • For example, in 7th grade we are reading Across Five Aprils. Select acompound-complex sentence to model correct construction. “Inside the house, she helped him pull on two pairs of heavy knitted socks, which helped to fill out the pair of Tom’s old shoes he was wearing, and she buttoned a heavy sheepskin coat around him, tying the collar up around his ears with her own red woolen scarf.” Taken from Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

13. Imitating Sentences L.7.1c - Place phrases and clauses within a sentence, recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers. • Looking back on our sentence, what if the author omittedcertain commas? “Inside the house she helped him pull on two pairs of heavy knitted socks, which helped to fill out the pair of Tom’s old shoes he was wearing, and she buttoned a heavy sheepskin coat around him tying the collar up around his ears with her own red woolen scarf.”

14. Imitating Sentences • The sentence becomes a run-on because of dangling modifiers. • With students, identify the error. • Explain the error with the prepositional phrase and participle phrase. • Note, the standard does not use the terms prepositional and participle. However, in order for the student to correctly use commas correctly in creating this sentence, the student needs to understand these terms.

15. Imitating Sentences • Correct the sentence with the students, asking for an explanation of why the commas are needed. • Jeff Anderson provides visuals to help students remember the rules regarding comma usage and additional phrases. Opener , , closer. , interrupter, sentence Sent Sentence ence. Taken from Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson

16. Imitating Sentences • Don and Jenny Killgallon provide a similar activity using mentor texts. Model: Clapping and stepping in unison, our group moved away from the swarms, which thrummed deeply and followed. -Michael Crichton, Prey • Students note the use of the participle phrase as an opener. • Killgallon provides sentences, and asks students to match the participle phrase with the sentence. Taken from Grammar for Middle School: A Sentence-Composing Approach by Don and Jenny Killgallon

17. Imitating Sentences Sentences Participle Phrases mounted on high stepping horses fighting his way through one of the wildest races of the season • ____, Pollard, the Jockey, swung Seabiscuit clear of a set of chain reaction collisions on the far turn. (Lauren Hillenbrand, Seabiscuit: An American Legend) • The penguins, ____, looked curiously at Mr. Greenbaum. (Richard and Florence Atwater, Mr. Popper’s Penguins) Taken from Grammar for Middle School: A Sentence-Composing Approach by Don and Jenny Killgallon

18. Using Student Writing • Utilizing student writing to work on grammar skills is a highly effective teaching technique. • Looking at this sample from Appendix C of the CCSS, we can help students understand construction of compound sentences, use of commas, and editing dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers.

19. Subject Verb Agreement • Read this excerpt from The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy. “I tried to talk to some of the children, but they simply gazed at me with shy amusement, then buried their faces in their hands. The children were subdued, passive, and exceedingly polite. They had risen in unison when we walked into the room. They chanted ‘good morning’ on cue from Mrs. Brown. They folded their hands and sat up straight at their desks. In an effort to achieve the common touch, Bennington walked among the children and cracked a few jokes.” Adapted from Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson

20. Subject Verb Agreement • With students, read through the excerpt and highlight the verbs. • As a group, rewrite the excerpt in present tense. • Better yet, choose an excerpt from something the class is reading. Adapted from Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson

21. Subject Verb Agreement • Next, ask students to write, preferably about what they are reading, a narrative paragraph. • They should write in first-person, present tense. • Next, with a partner, rewrite the paragraph in third person. • Discuss how the verbs have changed. Adapted from Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson

22. Resources Anderson, J. (2005). Mechanically Inclined. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishing. Conroy, P. (1972). The Water is Wide. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Hunt, I. (1964). Across Five Aprils. New York: Berkley Publishing Group. Killgallon D. and J. (2006). Grammar for Middle School: A Sentence-Composing Approach. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishing. Killgallon D. (1997). Sentence Composing for Middle School. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishing. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/.

23. Resources Common Core Website www.corestandards.org MDE Curriculum and Instruction Website www.mde.k12.ms.us/ci MDE Common Core Website www.mde.k12.ms.us/ccss MDE SharePoint Website https://districtaccess.mde.k12.ms.us PARCC Website www.parcconline.org

24. Contact Information Nathan Oakley -Director of Curriculum and Instruction noakley@mde.k12.ms.us Vincent Segalini -English/Language Arts vsegalini@mde.k12.ms.us Robin Lemonis - Early Literacy/RtI/Dyslexia rlemonis@mde.k12.ms.us