Helping Students Get Comfortable with Grammar

Mary Ann Goetzel
Graduate student, University of Northern Colorado
E-mail: mgoetzel@hotmail.com

Years ago I taught sixth grade English in a small Virginia school, and I have to admit I used the old methods: "drill and kill" exercises, memorization of rules of grammar and punctuation, and dull, unimaginative writing assignments. I just didn't know how to spark interest or to get across to my students the importance of the subject matter. Since then, as a substitute teacher in Colorado for the past seventeen years, I have been responsible for carrying out the lesson plans of other teachers. I haven't had to concern myself with what works or does not work in the classroom; I have simply presented the lessons as they were laid out for me. However, that experience afforded me the unique opportunity of observing first hand a variety of different teaching methods.

Although I am very often requested for middle or high school English classes, I also have substituted for math, science, social studies, foreign language, history, physical education, and other classes. In all of these disciplines, it is necessary for students to use written expression. They may use it to convey ideas, present factual information, express opinions, make requests, or document research, but the fact remains that written expression is an integral part of education. Having substituted extensively in the special education department of every grade level, I have gone into various classes and assisted students with assignments. Special education students have such a wide range of abilities and disabilities that I found I had to modify and simplify much of their work. In doing so, I realized the need for teaching techniques that not only make the subject matter understandable, but also promote usable skills. After all, being able to communicate our ideas clearly, competently, and effectively is important, not just for educational purposes, but for life. These experiences, as well as a class on punctuation and grammar I recently took, required me to rethink grading practices as well as to reexamine the effectiveness of different teaching methods. I expect to be substitute teaching again in the coming school year, but as I am working toward Colorado certification in English, I hope someday to have my own classroom. Therefore, I am writing this paper from the standpoint of a sixth or seventh grade "armchair" English teacher. Since grammar seems to be the source of so much confusion and anxiety, the focus of my paper is to highlight some practices and teaching methods that teachers can use to help students feel comfortable with traditional grammar. These strategies are meant to assist students in learning and internalizing rules and principles of grammar and in developing that knowledge into writing skills.

First of all, I strongly agree with professor Dave Mulroy, who is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He stated that we "need a curriculum that extends from grade school through middle school and teaches and reinforces the underlying concepts year after year" (8 July 2002). A strong foundation in the basic rules of grammar can only enhance students' writing skills. The question is what is the most effective way to provide this good foundation? The first hurdle in establishing a "learning friendly" atmosphere is motivation. Students often ask me, "Why do we have to learn this stuff anyway?" I could answer by giving them the standard lecture about how grammar helps them to organize their thoughts and to express them in understandable, powerful language and that knowing "this stuff" helps to make them well-rounded, educated people. I know such a lecture would go in one ear and out the other, as it always has. I could also proclaim how grammar empowers; I could tell them the story of Frederick Douglas and his deliverance from slavery via the power of grammar (Olson 31). Instead, I think a demonstration would be a more effective route. I would choose a student to read a story written on a topic of interest to the age group of the class. However, the story would contain incorrect spelling, grammar, subject/verb agreement, syntax, and would have no punctuation or capitalization. I would then ask students to tell me what the story was about. This should lead to a discussion about how adding "the stuff" to a jumble of words changes it so that we can extract meaning.

I find that students are more accepting of learning material if they understand the reasoning behind it. In "Some Questions and Answers About Grammar from ATEG, the NCTE's Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar," Brock Haussamen explains, "Grammar is important because it is the language that makes it possible for us to talk about language. Grammar names the types of words and word groups that make up sentences not only in English but in any language" (1). He also says, "People associate grammar with errors and correctness. But knowing about grammar also helps us understand what makes sentences and paragraphs clear and interesting and precise" (1). R. Baird Shuman, in "Grammar for Writers: How Much Is Enough?" agrees. He states, "Teachers and students cannot discuss writing effectively or efficiently unless they share a common vocabulary that relates to language" (117). At the middle school level, the study of the eight parts of speech and sentence parts should be a review, but an in-depth review might be in order.

Now that we've established the importance of knowing the vocabulary of grammar, the next question is what is the best way to teach this vocabulary? In "Teaching Grammar Affectively: Learning to Like Grammar," Brosnahan and Neuleib described a study by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi which "concluded that humans experience stress when the demands of a task exceed their skills and boredom when their skills exceed the demands of the task" (207). What this means to me is that if I can present material--vocabulary, rules of grammar, and rules of punctuation--in an understandable, meaningful, and effective manner, students will be able to process and internalize that information more easily. It seems plausible that the more confidence a student has in his knowledge and skills in the fundamentals of grammar, the less stress and anxiety he will feel when he is required to apply this background knowledge to his writing. Getting back to the original dilemma--what is the best way to get information across to students? How can we as teachers "turn kids on" to language arts?

Many techniques of teaching have been discussed by linguists and authors, and I can see both good points and flaws in most of them. As a substitute teacher, I've seen most of these approaches applied, but the ones that seemed to be the most effective were those that "engaged" students in the learning process. The Csikszentmihalyi study mentioned earlier concluded "that humans need more than anything else to be engaged with significant tasks; when schools ignore this need or set up circumstances that will occupy rather than engage, learning as well as meaningful experience declines" (Brosnahan, Neuleib 207). In reviewing the eight parts of speech, I would attempt to insure that my students had a good understanding of the meaning and purpose served by each type of word. When my son was in the fifth grade, his teacher required the students to memorize a long list of prepositions. After lots of "drill time," my son was able to write the list from memory. Two weeks after the test, I don't think my son could have recounted even four of the words on the list. What is worse, he had no idea what prepositions do or why they are important. This activity involved "occupying" instead of "engaging" students. Another elementary school teacher of third graders had a unique way of introducing prepositions. She had the students color and cut out pictures of dogs and doghouses. Each dog was attached to a doghouse with a piece of yarn. Then she had the students volunteer sentences and demonstrate them using the dog as the subject and the doghouse as the object of a preposition. Some sentences they came up with were: "The dog jumped over the doghouse," "The dog stood near the doghouse," and "The dog ran around the doghouse." While this type of presentation would be too childish for middle school students, this method served as a good visual aid in helping students see how prepositional phrases add descriptive information to sentences. My niece said her sixth grade teacher explained that prepositions can be found "any place a frog can hop or a rat can run." Of course there are a few exceptions to this "blanket" definition, but it certainly makes prepositions seem "friendlier" and easier to understand. I once did a PowerPoint presentation as a college assignment that would be useful for seventh graders. It included definitions and explanations, examples, quiz questions, and information meant to spark class discussion of verbals. Class work that would complement such a presentation would be to have students make up sentences with "dangling participles" and draw cartoons to illustrate them. An example would be: "Slithering through the pile of leaves, the little girl was frightened by the snake." The accompanying cartoon would show a little girl slithering through a pile of leaves. This would serve as a lead-in to a discussion of how participial phrases can be used to add rich descriptive detail to sentences. We know that children learn in many different ways. Some are visual learners, while some are auditory learners. Some students learn better from the kinesthetic or hands-on approach, and some learn better from a combination of methods. If we as teachers can present material in a variety of ways, our students are more likely to "catch on." When the light bulb goes on, anxiety decreases. "Drill and kill" exercises offer another venue of instruction. Although they have been given lots of negative press, if they aren't overdone, they can be immensely beneficial. Once a part of speech has been introduced and meaning has been enhanced through constructive learning activities, "decontextualized" workbook drills are both appropriate and helpful in determining students' understanding and the possible need for remedial work.

As Dr. Edward Vavra explained in his "Introduction to KISS Grammar," "Words stand for ideas, and sentences hold words within a specific context. If the sentences are crumbly (like bad bricks), then the sentences--and the ideas in them--fall apart" (4). In reviewing the parts of speech, the different kinds or categories of words that make up language, it's important to emphasize that a word's part of speech can change depending on its function in a sentence. Diagramming sentences, I believe, is an excellent visual and "hands on" tool that "engages" students in meaningful reinforcement of the concept of how words work together to give meaning to sentences. In recalling my own learning experiences in middle school English, the instructional technique that had the most impact on my understanding of this concept was sentence diagramming. At first, we diagrammed simple sentences, then complex and compound sentences. The more we learned about modifiers, clauses, and phrases, the more complicated our diagrams became. Sometimes my teacher would write a particularly long, involved sentence on the board for us to try to diagram. We saw this as a challenge, a game. We would tape sheets of paper together to make more space for our "creations"! Since we weren't working for a grade, we didn't have that dark cloud of "What if I don't do this right!" hanging over our heads. As we were exploring and building structures, we were fully "engaged" in the learning experience. Through diagramming, I learned (or I should say "discovered") how words relate to each other in sentences; that insight was internalized and stayed with me. In 1974, when I returned to the same school as a sixth grade language arts teacher, I was told that diagramming had been taken out of the curriculum. I had to resort to other ways of teaching the parts of speech and how they are used in sentences, but I always felt I was "floundering." I never knew if my students were leaving my classroom with a substantial understanding of those concepts. Linda Chavez, in her February 5, 2002, TownHall.com column, wrote:

Maybe I was just an odd kid, but one of my favorite childhood pastimes was diagramming sentences. I hadn't thought about diagramming in years, until I read recently about a teacher in Gaithersburg, Md., who has re-introduced the lost art into her Advanced Placement English classes in the high school where she teaches. ... Progressive teachers and their professional associations, especially the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), believe that diagramming sentences is make-work that bores students and turns them off to writing. So they banished diagramming from the classroom years ago, along with most grammar instruction. ...But when we eliminate the basics, we shouldn't wonder why students can't express themselves well. ...As my writing teacher, Sister Marie Florence, used to say, 'If you can't diagram it, don't write it.' (1, 2)

 I'm happy to see that diagramming sentences is making a comeback and I would definitely use it in my classroom. I recently asked Professor Mulroy his opinion of using diagramming as an instructional tool for teaching the relationships of words in sentences, and he validated my position. I have great respect for the opinions of Dr. Mulroy, and it was encouraging to find he shares my views. Dr. Vavra's KISS program also utilizes a form of diagramming; however, his method is different from the original method. Instead of breaking the sentences apart, sentences are kept intact and brackets are placed around certain parts. Maybe I'm "old fashioned," but I prefer breaking the sentences so that students can readily identify the parts and see how they relate to each other.

There are so many ways to help students understand usage, but a particularly enjoyable approach that allows kids to have fun and "get comfortable" with grammar is the use of games. In response to an on-line question, Dr. Vavra responded, "I agree that 'fun activities' improve learning. That is one reason for my using jokes for some of the texts that students analyze" (22 July 2002). A game that I devised is called "Gramo" and is played like the game Bingo. The words on the cards are ordinary words like "horse," "playing," "our," "wishing," "New York," "them," "behind" "fish," and "is." The words on the caller's list are the eight parts of speech plus proper nouns, infinitives, participles, gerunds, and possessive pronouns. The twist is that some words fit into more than one category, so the students have extra chances to win. When doing spelling assignments, students have to divide the words into syllables and learn definitions, but I've never seen an English teacher require students to include the parts of speech of the words. Because they have no concept of how a word is used, students often turn in sentences like, "Concentrate is good if you take a test." or "I am concentration on my work." Understanding how a word is used is just as important as knowing the meaning. A student cannot competently use a word, claim it as his own, or put it into his vocabulary without an understanding of its place in the context of written or spoken language.

There are a wide variety of games and fun activities available, but there is one fairly new pedagogical resource for helping kids "get comfortable" with grammar. Computer games are coming into vogue now and can be valuable tools in helping students learn the vocabulary of language. While there is some very helpful pedagogical CAI software available on the middle school level for teaching parts of speech, sentence parts, and rules of grammar and punctuation, I haven't seen any programs yet that I like for assisting students in editing written work. Spell checkers and grammar checkers are wonderful at "red flagging" or calling attention to errors, but they aren't always equipped to "fix" those errors. This is why it is important that students be "literate" in writing mechanics so that they can be their own best editors. As Eric Hobson states, "The primary educational limitation for computerized grammar checkers and for drill-based grammatical exercises is that they only perform finite operations within tightly-bounded parameters" (215). Only the writer fully understands the message he wants to get across. A computer is only a tool, a machine that can point out some (not all) errors; therefore, the student is in control and must take responsibility for correcting and altering the text so that it doesn't lose his meaning. As Linda Chavez said, "[E]ffective communication always entails understanding the rules. There are no short-cuts to good writing" (1).

There's a big difference in knowing the vocabulary of grammar and understanding the rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation. Brock Haussamen (representing members of ATEG) suggests that teachers should be selective in what we choose to stress. He says, "Students benefit much more from learning a few grammar keys thoroughly than from trying to remember many terms and rules" (2). Rei Noguchi, in Grammar and the Teaching of Writing: Limits and Possibilities, lists the twenty most frequent errors identified by Connors and Lunsford (1988) along with "Status Marking" errors, "Very Serious" errors, and "Serious" writing errors identified by Hairston (1981) (20, 25). I would use these lists as a basis or springboard for instruction in the application of rules of grammar and punctuation. Because practice in writing is essential to development and improvement, I would have my students keep a daily journal. As a warm-up exercise at the beginning of each class, I would require them to answer a question, expound on a statement, or comment on a quotation. At the end of each week, I would review these journal entries to see what areas needed attention or extra instruction.

Even though students have a natural internal understanding of linguistic grammar, they still need aid in expressing themselves in written language. Nancy Patterson exhorts teachers to foster growth "through meaningful language-rich classroom activities" (12). I agree that this is important and would use a variety of texts, such as newspapers, the students' own writing, and literary models such as works by Mark Twain or Charlotte Bronte in writing exercises. I would use writing as process on one or two assignments, but for sixth and seventh graders with short attention spans, repeated revising can be frustrating. Instead, I prefer to use shorter activities that give students varied writing experience.

One such exercise is sentence combining which aids students in the development of sentence flexibility. We have used this technique in the school where I substitute; it works well in helping students organize information and use phrases and clauses to enrich sentences. R. Baird Shuman wrote, "People working individually or in groups can gain valuable experience in composition by working with sets of individual facts that they are asked to combine into a single sentence without distorting any of the information provided" (125). "Deconstruction" of text is also a stimulating activity for students. A meaningful exercise in deconstruction would be "to have students read an article and then write a fifty-word abstract of it," as Shuman suggests (127).

Another constructive learning exercise integrates "reading skill, writing practice, and grammatical understanding" (Haussamen 2, 3) This exercise involves imitating model passages. Students are given a model paragraph to read and then they are asked to write their own version of what the passage means. This gives students practice in extracting meaning from text and in expressing the meaning in their own words.

"Cubing," is a worthwhile prewriting activity. As Melanie Dawson explained in "Prewriting: Cubing,": "This exercise challenges you to examine various perspectives of an object or idea" (1). In cubing, each student chooses a small geometrically shaped object and places it in front of him. He examines it from that perspective and then writes for two minutes describing it. When the time is up, he turns the object to the next side and repeats the procedure. He is asked to push himself to discover as much about the object and his own "descriptive abilities" as possible. Observing and describing objects from all sides helps give students insight as to the best ways to approach writing assignments. Students could then perform the cubing process on a topic or idea for a writing assignment. This is a great way to help students discover new angles or viewpoints to include in their writing. Afterwards, I would require students to build a "web" to use with their writing. In a web, the topic or theme is placed in the center and different ideas or "angles" are branched off around it. Webbing provides visual representation of the different aspects the student wants to present in his paper.

Once a paper is completed, it must be edited. Peer editing is very popular now, but I would hesitate to use this method. There is a wide range of levels of literacy and language competency in classes. I just don't think students are qualified to do a good job of editing a classmate's paper. Those students who personally struggle with rules of grammar would especially be inept at helping others. As an alternative, I would suggest that students have a parent, teacher, or someone knowledgeable in language arts, read their papers and make suggestions for improvement. A fresh pair of eyes might see mistakes that the writer overlooked. I would also require students to read their papers aloud to check for fluency. This is also a great way for students to "catch" their own mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and syntax. My goal as a teacher would be to have students become self-reliant and learn to edit their own work. Joan Mullin reads her students' papers into a tape recorder and comments on her impressions as she reads (109). This also might be a good technique to have students use.

I believe the eclectic approach of teaching language arts helps students gain competency and confidence. However, while students may learn to be comfortable with grammar and writing, they must also learn to face criticism, albeit "constructive" criticism. Many teens and pre-teens especially do not like to be told they've made mistakes or done something incorrectly. While it is not my intent to hurt egos or destroy self-esteem, I wouldn't be doing my job as a teacher if I didn't point out errors and require corrections. In TownHall.com, Chavez wrote, "For years now, schools have been teaching students to 'express' themselves, without worrying about transmitting the finer points of grammar and syntax. The latest fads in education theory discouraged teachers from placing too much emphasis on correcting students' work, encouraging them to praise creativity instead" (1). What caught my attention in this passage was that the trend seems to be for teachers to ignore most mechanical errors if papers contain good, creative ideas. I think this is counterproductive. If students don't have their errors called to their attention, how will they know what they need to improve or correct? As Neil Daniel and Christina Murphy explained, "The truth is that writing is a developmental skill, a part of learning (Russell, Vygotsky, Bruner). We acquire our ability to write the same way we acquire spoken language, by exposure and long practice, by error and repeated correction" (226). I do advocate marking errors, but returning a "bleeding" paper could only have a negative impact on the writer. To make corrections as painless as possible, I would not use a red pen, and I would be specific in pointing out well-written passages. Because unclear comments cause confusion, I would be precise in my notations. I think circling errors so that students can figure out for themselves what is wrong is a good technique to use sometimes. This directs the student's attention to the area in need of "repair" but gives him the opportunity to self-edit. Also, I would always allow students to correct errors within a reasonable timeframe and resubmit their papers for full credit. After all, my purpose is not to see how many mistakes I can catch. I want my students to know that I care about their future success in writing. When I require them to correct errors, it is to help them learn. Learning is the real goal.

Perhaps because I have been in the field of education for so long--almost twenty years--I am painfully conscious of the gradual decline in good writing skills. What is worse, I am appalled at what is deemed acceptable by teachers and students. I'm so tired of hearing, "It's fine the way it is. My teacher is not that picky!" I don't know how to make the study of grammar "exciting," but I don't feel it is my job as a teacher to "entertain" my students. My job is to instruct in a manner that promotes understanding and the desire to learn, and to stimulate self-pride in my students. I am convinced that helping students into a "comfort zone" of learning will inspire them to enjoy and not dread language arts classes. Through proper guidance and motivation, meaningful instruction, and assistance in writing skills, students should see grammar and punctuation as useful tools instead of sources of confusion and anxiety. When young people feel confident and knowledgeable in any area, they are more likely to rise above the level of average or mediocre and really take pride in their work.

Works Cited

Brosnahan, Irene and Janice Neuleib. "Teaching Grammar Effectively: Learning to Like Grammar." The Place of Grammar in Writing Instruction. Ed. Susan Hunter and Ray Wallace. Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1995.

Chavez, Linda. TownHall.com: Conservative Columnists: Linda Chavez. "If you can't diagram it, don't write it." 5 Feb. 2002. [Accessed: 5 Aug. 2002 URL - http://www.townhall.com/columnists/lindachavez/printlc20020205.shtml].

Dawson, Melanie. Writer's Web. Prewriting: Cubing. [Accessed: 5 Aug. 2002. URL - http://writing.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/cubing.html].

Haussamen, Brock and members of ATEG. "Some Questions and Answers About Grammar from ATEG, the NCTE's Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar." [Accessed: 8 July 2002. URL - http://www.ateg.org/grammar/q&a.htm].

Hobson, Eric H. "Taking Computer-Assisted Grammar Instruction to New Frontiers." The Place of Grammar in Writing Instruction. Ed. Susan Hunter and Ray Wallace. Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1995.

Mullin, Joan. "The Use of Grammar Texts: A Call for Pedagogical Inquiry." The Place of Grammar in Writing Instruction. Ed. Susan Hunter and Ray Wallace. Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1995.

Noguchi, Rei R. Grammar and the Teaching of Writing: Limits and Possibilities. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 1991

Olson, Jon. "A Question of Power: Why Frederick Douglass Stole Grammar." The Place of Grammar in Writing Instruction. Ed. Susan Hunter and Ray Wallace. Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1995.

Patterson, Nancy G. "The Role of Grammar in the Language Arts Curriculum" 16 March 1999 [Accessed: 10 July 2002. URL - http://www.msu.edu/user/patter90/grammar.htm].

Shuman, R. Baird. "Grammar for Writers: How Much is Enough?" The Place of Grammar in Writing Instruction. Ed. Susan Hunter and Ray Wallace. Portsmouth: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1995.

Vavra, Dr. Edward. "An Introduction to KISS Grammar." Updated 25 July 2000. [Accessed: 19 July 2002. URL - http://curie.pct.edu/courses/evavra/KISS_Int.htm].

Academic Exchange Extra invites reader responses to any writings in this issue--especially articles advancing the scholarly debate of issues raised.

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