1st Edition

Creative Approaches to Teaching Grammar Developing your students as writers and readers

By Martin Illingworth, Nick Hall Copyright 2016
    150 Pages 7 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    150 Pages 7 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Creative Approaches to Teaching Grammar is an easily accessible, practical guide full of ideas to support teachers in making the learning of grammar a natural part of developing their students as writers and as readers. Written for those teaching years 5,6,7 and 8, the authors’ approach concentrates on the individual needs of students rather than of a year group as a whole.

    Split into two main sections, the first looks at creative ways of exploring grammar and includes more than forty ideas that can be implemented into the classroom. This section can be used as a quick resource or the whole sequence can be followed to ensure students are investigating, exploring and having fun with grammar.

    The second section includes an extensive glossary of terms to develop a full understanding of grammar which can be used to audit your own competences and highlight areas for further development. 

    Creative ideas explored include:

      • Being silly with grammar
      • Favourite words
      • Exploding sentences
      • Writing for real audiences
      • New punctuation marks and emoticons
      • Sorting out confusing words
      • Broadening active vocabulary
      • Top ten spelling tips
      • Flexing your vocabulary brain
      • Redundancy in language

    Creative Approaches to Teaching Grammar is a truly practical guide that is a must read for anyone teaching grammar to years 5,6,7 and 8. With plenty of ideas to implement into the classroom it encourages students to take ownership of their own learning and progress.

    Teachers of Key Stage Two

    Teachers of Key Stage Three

    The problem with transition

    Auditing your knowledge

    Levels of understanding in testing

    Relevance

    Ideas for teaching grammar

    1. Questioning
    2. Sentences
    3. Marginal commentaries
    4. Collecting signs
    5. Guiding the reader
    6. The grammar of speech
    7. Being silly with grammar
    8. Your attitude towards grammar
    9. Favourite words
    10. Syntax
    11. Dictionaries
    12. Stop pee-ing!
    13. Significance and value
    14. Exploding sentences
    15. Grammar working wall
    16. Finding your voice – Auto/ biography
    17. Handwriting
    18. Writing for real audiences
    19. Chasing the dream
    20. Telling stories
    21. Twitter stories
    22. Just because it is
    23. New punctuation marks and emoticons
    24. Grammar t-shirts
    25. Sorting out confusing words
    26. High frequency language
    27. Broadening active vocabulary
    28. Re/drafting
    29. Patterns and exceptions
    30. Top ten spelling tips
    31. Big, deep and wide questions
    32. Making up new words
    33. Difficult words/ punctuation
    34. Cut and paste fun
    35. Dramatic readings
    36. The grammar of photography
    37. Innate competence
    38. Word classes
    39. Explicit modelling of writing
    40. Ask the author
    41. Flexing your vocabulary brain
    42. Redundancy in language

    A glossary of terms

    Biography

    Martin Illingworth is Senior Lecturer in English Education at Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

    Nick Hall is the Director of Teach First East Midlands, UK.

    "This book – part of a series co-published with the National Association for the Teaching of English – takes into account the latest standards and expectations, but thoughtfully contextualises them within the bigger picture of what students genuinely need to know, and why, before suggesting creative and relevant ways to improve learners’ language skills across the curriculum. It’s positive, inspiring and enormously sensible – if you only read one book about teaching grammar this year, make it this one. And if you weren’t planning on reading any; change your mind." Teach Secondary