What Works in Grammar Instruction

by Deborah Dean

Overview

A friendly and practical guide for teaching English grammar in the context of real, lived language.

As most teachers of English now know, research shows that teaching grammar in the traditional way—through worksheets, memorizing definitions, and diagramming sentences—doesn’t work, and that teaching grammar in the context of reading and writing is a better approach.

People who understand language can make things happen. That is the point of grammar/language teaching. Not definitions. Not terminology. Language.

Veteran teacher educator Deborah Dean addresses the realities and challenges of grammar instruction with practical examples and experiences, including:

• Vignettes of classroom conversations to show what teaching in context can look like in action
• Classroom practices to help teachers try out the ideas with their own students 
• Issues such as helping English language learners and native speakers navigate formal, academic English, especially in the context of testing

Dean’s straightforward approach uncomplicates the task of teaching grammar in context, allowing her—and us—to share the excitement and wonder to be found in the study of language.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814156834
Publisher:	National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Publication date:	02/14/2022
Pages:	177
Sales rank:	372,789
Product dimensions:	7.38(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Deborah Dean is fascinated with language. She regularly brings humor to others’ lives by commenting on some felicity of language that catches her fancy: they laugh, roll their eyes, and move on. But that doesn’t stop her from noticing and thinking about the whys and the hows of language as it is used by the world around her. She used to teach junior high and high school students about language, hoping to ignite within them the curiosity about language she thinks it deserves—after all, we are surrounded by language in a variety of forms every waking minute. Now she teaches preservice teachers and tries to do the same thing—help them develop their interest and curiosity about language and how it works. Deborah is the author of numerous articles, some quick-reference guides, and several books, including Strategic Writing (2nd ed.), Genre Theory, and What Works in Writing Instruction (2nd ed.), and, with Jeff Anderson, Revision Decisions. When she’s not writing or teaching, she likes to bake cookies and spend time with her family.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Author's Note xi

Chapter 1 What Is Grammar? 1

Chapter 2 Writing and Language 28

Chapter 3 Reading and Language 59

Chapter 4 English Language Learners and Testing 93

Chapter 5 Putting It All Together: Building a Language-Rich Classroom 132

Appendix A Annotated Resources 149

Appendix B A Brief Note about Foundational Grammar Knowledge 155

Works Cited 159

Index 171

Author 177