Explicit Grammar Instruction with Authentic Childrens Literature

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Explicit Grammar Instruction with Authentic
Childrens Literature

• Presenters
• Elke Schneider Ellen Richardson
• Winthrop University, SC

2
Outline

• Terminology What is grammar and what is
  explicit grammar instruction?
• Rationale
• Procedure for selecting childrens literature
• Procedure for teaching grammar explicitly with
  children s literature
• Presentation and discussion of examples for
  elementary and secondary students
• Selected research references

3
Terminology

• What is GRAMMAR?
• There are many definitions, many include
  punctuation, capitalization, and spelling
• Historically 2 main groups
• traditional descriptive grammar how grammar IS
  USED
• Traditional prescriptive grammar what is
  incorrect and what is correct
• HERE Grammar is everything that describes HOW
  THE LANGUAGE IS USED (what patterns) in PRINT (
  authentic literature of different genre) to
  reach a set goal ( function, purpose convince,
  shock, make you laugh, think) (adapted from
  Birsh, 2005, p. 47)

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Terminology

• What is EXPLICIT GRAMMAR INSTRUCTION?
• The teacher explains and models the purpose of
  the grammatical pattern explicitly and directly
  explained FIRST before any other practice occurs
  students are not left to discover patterns on
  their own initially but are led by the teacher
  through explicit practice towards independent
  application (reading and writing).
• gt integrates functional grammar, descriptive,
  and lexical grammar components, is not a
  traditional prescriptive model with rote
  memorization

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Rationale

• (1) Negative feedback about traditional explicit
  grammar instruction from SPED and non-SPED
  students
• dry, boring, just learning rules-no fun
• filling out worksheets has nothing to do with
  my reading or writing
• (2) SPED student needs factor They require
  highly repetitive, explicit instruction of
  grammar patterns that engage them interactively
  with all learning channels hands-on to succeed.
  Worksheet should be the last resort! (Birsh, J.,
  2005)

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Rationale

• (3) Motivation- relevance factor Students need
  to see how authors use specific grammar patterns
  in action to get readers attention,
  perspective where intended.
• (4) Economic Factor Teachers can use their own
  and their schools literature resources.
• (5) Pedagogical factor literature integration
  allows different reading levels and interest
  areas to be considered.(English Language Learners
  included)

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Rationale

• (6) multi-dimentional ELA integration factor
• Integrating literature allows group work,
  cooperative learning.
• Integrating literature provides authentic link to
  real-life writing contexts in which grammar needs
  to be applied.
• Integrating literature demonstrates authentically
  how written and oral language differ.

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Rationale

• (7) Interdisciplinary factor Use of different
• genre allow integration of science,
  history,
• math, literature information in natural
• setting.
• (8) High stakes testing factor Current tests
• require students to apply their grammar
• knowledge in writing
• (9) Balanced ELA instruction students need to
• understand grammar terms in application
  to make use of feedback on their writing
  (Ferris, 1999).
• This can be achieved through explicit
  instruction
• FIRST.

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Procedure for selecting childrens literature

• (1) What kind of childrens literature?
• picture books with not too much text to make
  tasks manageable, esp. for struggling readers
  writers
• poems with complete sentences
• Other brief genre short magazine clip, short
  report, short newspaper clip
• Reading level must be easy independent level

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Procedure for selecting childrens literature
Analysis

• Analysis procedure recording of results
• Look for repeating patterns in the text.
• To be recorded, a pattern must appear at least 4
  times with different vocabulary words.
• Fill patterns into chart. Use more than 1 chart
  if you find more than 2 frequent patterns
• GRAM Patter 1, GRAM Pattern 2, non-phonetic
  words, special vocabulary

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Procedure for selecting childrens literature
Analysis

• Record non-phonetic words or any other special
  vocabulary that might cause reading comprehension
  difficulties.
• For the long term Find 3 books with 3 different
  reading levels for same grammar pattern
  emphasized to meet different student needs.

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Procedure for selecting literature Re-occurring
grammar patterns

• (1) Sentence patterns with simple or complex
  patterns
• (2) Tense patterns (present, past, future)
• (3) Mood patterns (hypotheses if, progressive
  patterns)
• (4) Comparison patterns (-er/-est, more/most,
  as..as, like)
• (5) Plural patterns (-s, -es, other)
• (6) Apostrophe patterns (s, s)
• (7) Prepositional phrases
• (8) Contractions (positive-negative)

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Procedure for teaching grammar explicitly with
childrens literature

• Select clear, basic unambiguous example(s) from
  the book for explicit explanation
• Model 1-3 example(s) with same, simple language
  using sentences on color-coded laminated sentence
  strips so that students can use your language and
  action in following think-aloud
• Provide linguistic reasons or invent a story that
  helps students remember pattern and function
  (e.g., ZOOM camera for progressive forms)

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Procedure for teaching grammar explicitly with
childrens literature

• Pair students in teams to work hands-on through
  examples from piece of literature.
• Encourage students to verbalize their thinking
  and reasoning why the author used the grammar
  pattern
• Encourage students to think about the effect of
  the grammar pattern vs. another one. Why might
  the author have used it?

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Procedure for teaching grammar explicitly with
childrens literature

• Read the story with patterns to the students (1)
  for pleasure, (2) to listen for the grammar
  patterns, (3) each student has a pattern in hand
  and will put it out on a towel when s/he hears
  it.
• Students discuss what the purpose of these
  patterns are in the story.
• THEN, a worksheet can help summarize new grammar
  information with graphic organizers and visual
  cues as mnemonic devices (e.g., a camera lens for
  -ing progressive)

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Procedure for teaching grammar explicitly with
childrens literature

• Students read other literature for pleasure and
  when they discover the newly learned pattern,
  they write it on a card It will be used for
  special points, integrated in a game etc. to
  validate the importance of understanding grammar
  patterns, their function and their terminology
• Students use the new pattern when writing a
  short simple poem that repeats the new pattern.
  The student is stimulated by 1 or 2 pictures or
  the cover or title of a new book, or magazine
  pictures.

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Presentation Discussion of Selected Examples

• Bunting, E. (1994) A Days work. New York, NY
  Clarion Books.
• Burleigh, R. (1997). Hoops. New York, NY Voyager
  Books.
• Barrett, J. (1998). Things that are most in the
  world. New York, NY Aladdin Paperbooks.
• Duncan Edwards, P. (1999). The worrywarts. New
  York, NY HarperCollins.
• Joose, B. (1996). I love you the purplest.
  Vancouver, B.C. Raincast Books.

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Presentation Discussion of Selected Examples

• Schuch, S. (1999). A symphony of whales. New
  York, NY Voyager Books.
• Sheldon, D. (1990). The whales song. New York,
  NY Dial Books for Young readers.
• Siebert, D. (1981). Train song. New York, NY
  Harper Collins.
• Wise Brown, M. (1977). The important book. New
  York, NY Trophy Picture Book.
• Wood, A. (1982). Quick as a cricket. Childs Play.

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Selected Research References

• Biber, D. Johansson, S., Leech, G. Conrad, S.,
  Finegan, E. (1999). Longman grammar of spoken and
  written English. London Pearson Education.
• Birch, B. (2005). Learning and teaching English
  Grammar K-12. Columbus, OH Pearson.
• Nation, K., Snowling, M. (2000). Factors
  influencing syntactic awareness skills in normal
  readers and poor comprehenders. Applied
  Psycholinguistics, 2 (20), 229-241.
• Noguchi, R. (1991). Grammar and the teaching of
  writing Limits and possibilities. Urbana, Ill.
  National Council for Teachers of English.