Teaching Grammar Through Writing: Activities to Develop Writer's Craft in ALL Students in Grades 4-12

The ideal springboard to teaching grammar, this book is designed to help teachers of grades four through twelve teach students to learn to recognize, and then consciously use in their writing, 16 essential grammatical elements: seven parts of speech, six phrases, and three clauses. The flexible approach lets teachers tailor lessons based on their students' particular needs.


In this streamlined version of the first edition, author Keith Polette stresses the importance of teaching students "less" so that they learn "more." Rather than overwhelming students with too many structures, constructions, and rules, the book's goal is simplification: What are the essential elements of grammar that students need to learn to use to become better writers?

English written language is composed of 16 elements-the foundational pieces of grammar-that students need to learn to use consciously so they can make writing work effectively for them. Teaching Grammar through Writing focuses on these 16 elements-seven parts of speech, six phrases, and three clauses-and shows teachers how to begin by helping students identify and use these elements in both the prewriting and revision stages of the writing process.

The book begins with ideas about and writing activities for parts of speech, phrases, and clauses, followed by chapters on punctuation, kinds of sentences, and voice. The end of the book features 16 process-writing activities that invite students to use all they have learned about grammar in their own writing.

List of contents

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1      

Word Works I: Nouns

Word Works II: Verbs

Word Works III: Pronouns

Word Works IV: Adjectives

Word Works V: Adverbs

Word Works VI: Prepositions

Word Works VII: Conjunctions

Chapter 2      

Sentence Works I: Absolute Phrases

Sentence Works II: Gerund Phrases

Sentence Works III: Infinitive Phrases

Sentence Works IV: Prepositional Phrases

Sentence Works V: Participial Phrases

Sentence Works VI: Appositive Phrases

Sentence Works VII: Adjective Clauses

Sentence Works VIII: Adverbial Clauses

Sentence Works IX: Noun Clauses

Sentence Expanding

Sentence Combining

Sentence Matching

Sentence Sense

Chapter 3      

Punctuation Points

The Comma

The Apostrophe

The Colon

The Exclamation Point

Quotation Marks

The Semicolon

Special Focus: The Comma Splice

The Hyphen

The Dash

What Is a Sentence?

Sentence Subjects

Sentence Predicates

Compound Subjects and Predicates

Direct Object

Indirect Object

Predicate Noun

Predicate Adjective

Parallel Structure in Sentences

Sentence Structures

Ten Sentence Patterns to Imitate

Sixteen Kinds of Sentences: Different Constructions for Different Purposes

Figurative Language

A Note on Voice

 

Chapter 4      

Passages to Edit

Reading Closely and Carefully to Find and Fix Errors

Chapter 5      

Poetry Patterns

Build-a-Name Poetry

Diamante

Wishing upon a Poem

Bio-Poem

Night Poem

Alliterative Poem

Alliterative Character Poem

Parts of Speech Poem

Adverb Poem

Another Parts of Speech Poem

Prepositional Phrase Poem

Participial Phrase Poem

Sentence Pattern Poems

Syllable Poems

Syllable Question Poem

Text Message Poem

Chapter 6      

Acts of Writing: Putting It All Together with Process Writing

Five Recursive Steps in the Writing Process

Activities and Ideas to Support Poetry Writing

Writing Extensions

Appendix A   

Ideas for Writing in the Content Areas

Writing about a Nonfiction Topic Using an Alliterative Pattern

Writing about Frogs (or a person, animal, object, or place): Alternative Acrostic Poems

Writing about Two Animals with a Contrast Pattern

Writing about People, Things, or Animals: So You Want to Be

The Five Good Things Pattern

Writing about a Nonfiction Topic Using an Informational Paragraph

The Contrast Paragraph

Writing a Character Analysis/Personality Trait Paragraph

Multi-Modal Character/Person Analysis Paragraph

Biographical Writing: Who Is the Real Walter Frederick Morrison?

Appendix B   

Writing in Response to a Prompt: What Is a Hero?

Appendix C   

Reproducible Masters

Works Cited 

About the author

Dr. Keith Polette is a Professor of English at the University of Texas at El Paso. Dr. Polette received the UTEP College of Liberal Arts Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research, the UT System Chancellor’s Council Award for Excellence in Teaching, and was recognized by the Texas State Reading Association as an Outstanding Texas Author. Prior to moving to El Paso in 1995, Dr. Polette was a Mentor Teacher and an English/Language Arts teacher for both remedial and gifted students in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Polette has published over thirty articles in professional journals, eight books on teaching, and two books for children. His most recent publications are Read and Write It Out Loud: Guided Oral Literacy Strategies, Isabel and the Hungry Coyote, Paco and the Giant Chile Plant, and Moon Over The Mountain (Raven Tree Press). For the past twenty years, Dr. Polette has given keynote addresses and been a featured speaker at national, regional, and state literacy conferences, and at schools throughout the United States and Canada.

 

Summary

Teaching Grammar through Writing is the ideal springboard to teaching grammar to students in grades four through twelve. In a flexible, adaptable approach filled with ready to use activities, author Keith Polette shows teachers how to teach students to learn to recognize, and then consciously use in their writing, 16 essential grammatical elements.

 

Rather than overwhelming students with too many structures, constructions, and rules, the book’s goal is simplification, showing teachers what the essential elements of grammar are that students need to learn to use to become better writers.

Product details

• Authors: Keith Polette
• Publisher: Pearson Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 05.09.2024
• EAN: 9780132565998
• ISBN: 978-0-13-256599-8
• No. of pages: 192
• Dimensions: 213 mm x 272 mm x 10 mm
• Weight: 460 g
• Series: Allyn & Bacon; Allyn & Bacon
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Education > School education, didactics, methodology