Teaching+Grammar+in+Context+-+RM

Teaching grammar is a little concerning to me (in a healthy way) not only because I realize that it is not one of my strong points, but also because my past experiences with grammar in the classroom have been boring and dry. Coming up with creative and engaging grammar lessons will definitely require some brainstorming on my part. I remember in 7th and 9th grade, I had teachers who focused on diagramming and correcting errors in sentences. It's impossible to keep my students engaged when they are simply copying sentences down and going through the motions of correcting them.

When reading Peterson's article, "Teaching Grammar in Context," one of the main ideas that jumped out to me was the fact that students produce higher quality work when they are personally involved and invested in their writing. Student choice keeps them active in the writing process. Something else that I want to remember when I begin teaching is that best way to improve student writing is to let them write. This is why I believe informal writing, such as journals and freewrites are so important in the classroom. I definitely want to have my students keep journals. Not only will this get them writing, but also give me more insight to their writing style, concerns, and personal life. Something I hope to use is the online tool Penzu. I used it it Dr. Pope's class last spring and think it's a great alternative to lugging thirty composition books home every weekend to respond to students.

The idea of teaching grammar in the context of writing seems so obvious to me. Instead of focusing an entire unit on grammar skills that students will not remember or use in the future, I can get them writing and teach the basics and important aspects through examples. I think the list of suggestions that Weaver gives is the bare minimum, but definitely the most important aspects of grammar.