Grammar
"All native speakers of a language have more grammar in their heads than any grammar book will ever contain." Part of the teacher's job is to help students discover this knowledge. This observation comes from "Some Questions and Answers about Grammar," a document produced by NCTE's Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar. (The Linguistic Society of America has endorsed this document.)
NCTE believes that knowing about grammar is important for numerous reasons. Some are:
- it's the language that lets us talk about language;
- it names the type of words and word groups that comprise sentences in English and other languages;
- it helps with understanding what makes sentences and paragraphs clear, interesting, and precise;
- it can be part of literature discussions as we examine the sentences in poetry and stories; and
- it lets us understand that all languages and all dialects follow grammatical patterns.
NCTE recognizes that a full experience of literacy requires a wide use of language and the use of multiple texts--including magazines, newspapers, books, videos, online documents, and students' own writing.
NCTE supports the learning of language structure and agrees with research that shows such learning is best done in the context of reading, writing, and speaking. Four of the 12 Standards for the English Language Arts (produced by NCTE and the International Reading Association, IRA) address the understanding of language and sentence structure--see Standards 3, 4, 6, and 9, below.
NCTE encourages teachers to experiment with various approaches to teaching grammar in order to find what works best for them and their students. Whatever strategies for teaching grammar that they employ, NCTE encourages teachers to show students how to apply the lessons not only to their writing but also to their reading and speaking.
As "Some Questions and Answers about Grammar" also observes: "Teaching grammar will not make writing errors go away. Students make errors in the process of learning, and as they learn about writing, they often make new errors, not necessarily fewer ones. But knowing basic grammatical terminology does provide students with a tool for thinking about and discussing sentences."
NCTE Position Statements
NCTE Guidelines
See especially:
3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.
9. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
SLATE Starter Sheets
(Support for the Learning and Teaching of English)
NCTE Assemblies
Browse the NCTE Catalog
Grammar Alive! A Guide for Teachers. Author(s): Brock Haussamen, Amy Benjamin, Martha Kolln, and Rebecca S. Wheeler.
Grammar has been characterized as “the skunk at the garden party of the language arts.” Should teachers ignore it and hope it disappears? Cautiously engage with it? In this informal and inviting book, Brock Haussamen and other members of NCTE’s Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar offer a much-needed resource for the myriad K–12 teachers who wonder what to do about grammar—how to teach it, how to apply it, how to learn what they themselves were never taught.
Grammar and the Teaching of Writing: Limits and Possibilities. Rei R. Noguchi. For many students, Noguchi believes, formal study of grammar seems far removed from the daily use of language. He believes that grammar can help students—but only with style, not with content or organization—and he suggests presenting students with a "writer’s grammar" that specifically addresses the problems that crop up most often or those that society deems most serious.
Grammar for Teachers: Perspectives and Definitions. Constance Weaver. Is there a connection between a teacher's knowledge of grammar and students' growth in language skills? Author Weaver examines that question as she provides specific examples of how teachers can put their knowledge of grammar to use without intimidating or overwhelming students. She also presents a basic grammar text for teachers that covers all three systematic grammars: traditional, structural, and transformational.
Guide to Home Language Repair, Dennis Baron. In this humorous and educational book, Dennis Baron—a.k.a. Dr. Grammar—answers the questions that he is most frequently asked about what is right and what is wrong with English. His answers will convince you that English is as lively and elastic as ever and that reading about language can delight as well as instruct. This book won't tell you whether to use that or which, but after reading it, you won't want to know that anyway. Instead, it addresses timely topics: Is there a language police? Is there a politically correct term for the president's spouse? Can a doll write like a person? Is "Make my day" a cliché?
NCTE Journals
(Full text available to members only)
Haddox, Gretchen. “Rainbow Teachers Rainbow Students: Billy’s Story: Grammar in Context.” English Journal, Vol. 87, No. 2 (Feb. 1998): 90-93.
Kolln, Martha. “Rhetorical Grammar: A Modification Lesson.” English Journal, Vol. 87, No. 7 (Nov. 1996): 25-31.
Schleppegrell, Mary J. “Grammar as a Resource: Writing a Description.” Research in the Teaching of English, Vol. 32, No. 2 (May 1998): 182-222.
"Contextualizing Grammar." Voices from the Middle, Vol. 8, No. 3 (March 2001) (Themed issue)
"Revitalizing Grammar." English Journal, Vol. 92, No. 3 (January 2003) (Themed issue)
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