This online professional development is designed to enhance teachers' knowledge and skill so they can effectively teach grammar in context. Teaching grammar in context involves showing powerful models like sentences within mentor texts, rather than marking errors and correcting weak or wrong examples. Using model sentences from mentor texts teaches students to focus on what is effective in a piece of writing and then to give it a try in their own writing.
Using models to teach written conventions in context is closely linked to teaching students to notice author's style or craft. Students begin to notice how different authors use language and conventions to make their writing "work" and come alive for the reader. Teaching written conventions does not involve "hunting" for errors. It does facilitate student thinking and their own development as writers. Students learn to experiment in their own writing--to try what they notice other authors doing with language and conventions.
The series begins with an overview of how to teach conventions in context and is followed by topic-specific resources.
The following instructional practices for teaching written conventions in context use model or mentor sentences to help students learn how conventions are used by authors to clarify and convey meaning in their writing.
- Notice
- Imitate
- Share
- Collect
- Write/Revise
- Break Apart/Combine