Teaching & Assessing
Grammar
in the
Writing Classroom
Assessing Grammar Effectively
This presentation will cover:
• Ways to address grammar in the writing
classroom
• Methods of marking grammatical errors in
student papers
• Grammar resources for students outside
the classroom
Students and Grammar
Students’ relationship with grammar is often an
antagonistic one. They may believe that…
• Grammar isn’t as important as expression
• If they’re bad at grammar, then they’re bad
writers
• Writing is only a matter of grammar
Grammar in the Classroom
Arguments for the importance of addressing
grammar:
• Grammar mistakes can distract the reader from
their ideas/expression.
• Grammar affects a writer’s ethos:
– Did the writer seem educated?
– Did s/he appear to take the work seriously?
• Tools like spell check aren’t always accurate
Bad Grammar Exercise
Try the following short lesson in class:
• Give students a sample text
– Find one with obvious grammatical problems or
add several errors yourself
• Put students in the position of reader/audience
• What assumptions do they make about the
writer based solely on this text?
Grammar in the Classroom
Methods of including grammar instruction:
• Weekly “mini” lessons
• Student grammar presentations
• Conference “tutorials”
• Independent study guide and test
Choose an approach that both agrees with your
teaching philosophy and highlights your
strengths as an instructor.
Weekly Mini Lessons
If your strength is lecture:
• Choose a common error you’ve noticed in
students’ papers that week
• Illustrate the error in context
– Bring photocopies of a paper excerpt
– Work on an overhead copy
• Offer methods of recognizing the error
• Have students work in pairs on a sample text
Weekly Mini Lessons
What to keep in mind with this approach:
• Inform students early on that their papers will
be used as sample texts
• Don’t identify the writers of sample papers
– Nobody wants to be the “bad example”
• Give students a chance to identify/fix the error
before you give it away
– Let students do the work
Student Grammar Presentations
If you’re a fan of group work:
Have students pair up and draw a grammar topic
from a hat. Each pair will…
• give a 10-minute presentation on their
scheduled day
• create an accompanying handout for the class
Encourage students to make presentations fun
(quiz shows with prizes, role playing, etc.).
Student Grammar Presentations
What to keep in mind with this approach:
• Point students to resources like the OWL or a
writing handbook
• Make sure students understand the
grammatical jargon they encounter/use
– Will their audience understand it?
• Meet with pairs during conferences to preview
their presentations
Conference Tutorials
If you need to use conference time:
Address grammar one-on-one in context. Using
the student’s recent writing…
• Focus on one pattern of error at a time
• Have the student identify and correct the errors
in his/her own paper
• Model revision techniques/alternatives
Conference Tutorials
What to keep in mind with this approach:
• Don’t overwhelm the student
– Focus on only one or two errors per conference
• Give the student a mini-assignment or goal for
next time
– Eliminate comma splices in your next paper
– Be able to summarize the rules for semi-colon
use
Independent Study Guide
If you’re a proponent of individual study:
Hand out a packet of grammar study materials at
the beginning of the semester.
• Use a sample text each week to illustrate a
grammar rule from the packet
• Hold a class review session
• Schedule a test or quizzes over the materials
Independent Study Guide
What to keep in mind with this approach:
• Give students opportunities to see the grammar
rules/concepts in context
– Review rules/concepts in conferences
– Have students work on sample texts in class
Marking Grammatical Errors
When you’re grading papers:
• Focus on a pattern of error
• Correct only the first instance of an error
• Place a check mark in the margin beside the
line where the error occurs
• Discuss patterns during conferences
Resist the urge to edit—let the student do the
work!
Grading Follow-up
Encourage students to review and work on their
errors:
• Discuss errors during conferences
• Have each student review and summarize
comments on his/her paper
– How will s/he recognize and correct this error
from now on?
Proofreading
Discuss proofreading strategies in class.
Encourage students to…
• Read their papers out loud
• Have a friend/roommate read out loud while
they look on
• Read backwards (from last sentence to first)
– Focus the brain on sentence-level error
• Print a paper copy and edit by hand
– Give students a handout of editorial symbols
More Grammar Resources
Free resources for you and your students:
• The Purdue OWL
– http://owl.english.purdue.edu
• “Ten Most Common Writing Errors”
– St. Martin’s Handbook online
• The Writing Lab
– Heavilon Hall 226
– (765) 494-3723
The End
