Grammar 2.0.

This week's readings made me think about grammar instruction in the English classroom that I am currently observing in. I observe in a twelfth grade classroom in which grammar is rarely, if ever, taught. I agree with Anderson, in his "Zooming In and Zooming Out" article, that grammar should be reinforced throughout an English course. Anderson suggests that grammar should be woven into context in ways like "teach[ing] one thing at a time and apply[ing] it to our daily writing," and encouraging "rich experiences in the writer's notebook" (32). Just as most teachers approach reading instruction, I believe that they must, too, focus on a small example of a grammatical rule and lead their students out to a larger context. I liked Anderson's idea of utilizing books that are already present inside of the classroom to help students connect grammar lessons with real writing. Schuster also revealed that examples taken from professional writing (essays) can be used to reinforce particular lessons. He discussed the appropriateness of sentence fragments, an important lesson that may prove difficult for new teachers.

The usage chapter that our class read this week brought a few thoughts to mind. Will I be ready for the grammar questions that my students will ask me? What will my students know about grammar before they enter my classroom? How will I acquaint myself with the dialect and language features used in the area that I teach in? I found this selection to be very helpful because it included sections on how to approach different types of grammatical issues in the classroom. Double negatives and split infinitives are common errors that students in my English classes have been making. Activity 3-5 (tracking a public figure's speech habits) revealed one way that I can engage my students in discovering standard English rules by making students aware of the relevance that grammar has in today's society. More than anything, my goal as a grammar teacher will be to prepare my students to use standard English "when the occasion demands it" (64).