Making Grammar Relevant Again

I began to think about how I could turn this observation into a language-specific learning opportunity with purpose. One advantage that NYS ESOL teachers have with the new integrated model is that we’re able to see whether foundational skills are continuous from grade to grade. In my experience grammar lessons, particularly those that teach parts of speech, are left by the wayside after second grade. Consequently, when students get to 6th grade they can barely tell someone what a verb is.  Secondary teachers often complain that students are not cognizant of grammatical patterns, and their writing shows it. Therefore, I could not let my co-teacher overlook the parts of speech section on the vocabulary workbook pages and focus solely on the definitions.  I’ve observed over the years that this is the usual practice in many mainstream classrooms. This was our opportunity to reintroduce and reteach grammar to the class as a whole while reinforcing it for the multilingual learners (MLLs), as it is a perfect fit for their curriculum.  

I would lead these lessons, and the introductory language objective to the students looked like this:

• • I AM improving my grammar skills

  • SO THAT I CAN fully understand new vocabulary words and correct sentence structure

  • I’LL KNOW I’VE GOT IT WHEN my new words and sentences are academically correct in my writing and speaking

           I let students know that this would be a recurring objective; then I followed it up by giving them the reason why this skill should be important to them. I shared what I had  learned in my Linguistics 100 class-that it may not be the exact language they use in their home and everyday  life, but it is the language of academic and social success in our American culture.Teachers are in the business of preparing students for just that kind of success.

I targeted new vocabulary first.  My main point to them was that knowing the definition of a new word is like knowing only half a story.  I demonstrated how placing words in the wrong position of a sentence affected verbal and written sentences.  This happens often when the definition of a word is the only focus.  I used categorical activities to help redefine the parts of speech. The students viewed the characteristics of each in context. Afterward, they practiced these words by independently creating sentences and verbalizing them first with a partner and then with the whole group.  We discussed what topics we would be able to use each word for as well. During these lessons, the co-teacher moved around the room to identify those who were showing lack of understanding, and she partnered up with them.  

When we were confident that the class had a good grasp of the parts of speech, I moved on to sentence structure. I became VERY repetitive by verbalizing the rule that every sentence must have a subject (noun) and a predicate (verb).  To validate the first languages of my MLLs in some of my lessons, I used quick Spanish lessons with the whole class to hold their interest.  I explained the adjective placement in Spanish sentences, asked the students to compare with English and to then give an opinion of which is better. This actually started a friendly debate among the students regarding which pattern made more sense to them. To follow, I presented one of the most used verbs in our language, from the infinitive to be, in a simple sentence like, “I am happy”. I told them it was a complete sentence and asked them to identify the verb. They had difficulty, with the exception of my MLLS.  In this way, I demonstrated that the simple definition that verbs were action verbs was seriously lacking. I continued on to  subject/verb agreement which highlighted the importance of  pronouns.  As I went down the list of pronouns, I placed the conjugation chart for the infinitive, to be, in English and its equivalent in Spanish, estar, side by side so students could better see the comparison I was making.  Their eyes were glued to the board, because for the native speakers, not only were they learning a new language, but they were also realizing how their first language worked in patterns as well.

The more I went through these lessons weekly, the more my co-teacher commented on how important grammar skills were.  She noted that the lack of these skills was the reason why their writing was weak.  The clarity of their sentence structure was not up to par because of it.  All students need to know the role of a word to help them understand the sentence that it’s in and how to analyze it through sentence structure to create the opportunity to make it a part of  their own linguistic repertoire.  

As an ESOL teacher, I know we cannot teach our students effectively, particularly our older ones, without initially implementing the parts of speech as their linguistic foundation on which their language learning can successfully grow.  It is the jumping off platform for them. We have to also share that although language is characteristically innate, it  doesn’t mean that its branches of reading and writing are innate as well. Although this is often the perception mainstream teachers subliminally have, I believe it is the ESOL teacher’s job to falsify that belief for them as we strive to become quality co-teachers together!

Resources:

Why K-12 Teachers Need to Know About ESL Grammar Issues

Is Grammar Really Important for Second Language Learners?

Why Teaching Grammar IS Important

Studying Sentence Patterns to Improve Your Writing

Everyday Grammar TV

Larry Ferlazzo: Four Strategies for Grammar Instruction

How to Teach Grammar Like a Pro

Ten Grammar Mistakes and Ten Lessons to Fix Them

How to Teach Possessive Adjectives 

Laura Stevens, an ESL teacher for the Oswego City School District in New York State, has been educating ELLs/MLLs for more than 16 years. She co-founded the Northern Region ENL PLC in 2012, a group of over 120 ENL professionals in upstate New York. Laura has written articles and spoken in both college classrooms and at the 2009 NYS Migrant Education Conference about PLCs and advocating for ELL success. In the summer of 2015, Laura participated in an ENL panel discussion as  part of a regional ENL conference at Indian River High School. In 2017, Laura presented at the NYSTESOL Conference in Syracuse, NY. Laura received a B.A. in both K-12 TESOL and English from SUNY Oswego and holds an M.A. in TESOL from Le Moyne College.<lstevens@oswego.org>