The Policy Research Brief on English Language Learners published this month discusses the wide range of students who are learning English in U.S. schools. Despite the many ways that they are different, all English language learners (ELLs) can benefit from instruction that positions their native languages as resources -- even grammar instruction. These resources focus on strategies that demonstrate the point.

ELLs can benefit from instruction that starts where they are grammatically and that acknowledges the meanings they have constructed. Learn more in the Language Arts article "Analyzing the Writing of English Learners: A Functional Approach" (E), which discusses how to talk about language in the context of student's own writing.

Teachers hear about the importance of teaching grammar in context all the time, but what does it mean? The English Journal article "Zooming In and Zooming Out: Putting Grammar in Context into Context" (M) explores how powerful working with only a few sentences can be for a group of sixth graders.

Allow students to make their own context for grammar exploration with the English Journal article "Analyzing Grammar Rants: An Alternative to Traditional Grammar Instruction" (S-C). ELLs are sure to have been taught "good" and "proper" rules that they were later told they could break. Make their own language experience the focus by asking them to think about how such rules work (or don't).

Check out the Teaching English in the Two-Year College article "Why Our Students Need Instruction in Grammar, and How We Should Go about It" (C) for a research-based theoretical underpinning for effective grammar instruction as well as several specific strategies -- based on experience and research -- for addressing grammar productively.

Teacher educators can use the journaling technique demonstrated in the NCTE book Engaging Grammar: Practical Advice for Real Classrooms (TE), which focuses on how to move beyond fixing surface errors to teaching how grammar can be used as the building blocks of sentences to create meaning. The book's sample chapter chronicles how co-author Tom Oliva, an experienced teacher inexperienced in teaching grammar, applies the concepts in this book in a real classroom.


NOTE: Free access to journal articles mentioned in this INBOX is provided for 21 days. After this free access period expires, articles are available to journal subscribers only. This Inbox Idea was published 3-5-08.

Initials in annotations indicate academic level of the resource (E=Elementary, M=Middle, S=Secondary, C=College, TE=Teacher Education, G=General).

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