Tag: grammar
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Thoughts on Ending the Year Strong
Three weeks ago I discussed how conclusions are often an afterthought in writing instruction. The unwritten rule I’ve observed—and often followed—is that the conclusion is a sort of cherry on top of an essay sundae. Like with the cherry, instruction concerning conclusions is a nice touch if you happen to have the time and space,…
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Do We Really Need to Teach Grammar Terms?
I will be on Jennifer Gonzalez’s Cult of Pedagogy this week to talk about my book Good Grammar, and when we recorded our discussion, Gonzalez asked me an important question that I didn’t have time to answer fully in the moment, so I want to speak to it here: When we teach about grammar and…
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Making the Point (or Comma or Dash) : A Fun and Powerful Punctuation Lesson to End the Year
With Good Grammar only two months away (you can pre-order it now for 25% off and free shipping by using the code RAVEN25) and the end of the school year days away, I thought I would share one of my favorite end-of-the-year grammar and language lessons—one that is both really fun and also really useful…
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Where My Grammar and Language Lessons Begin: Tools for Emphasis
In my last post I discussed the first of five lessons I’m sharing this spring from my new book Good Grammar: Joyful and Affirming Language Lessons That Work for More Students (due out this summer). The concept I shared, while simple, has been powerful in my classes: I’ve found students learn language lessons (encompassing grammar,…
Matthew M. Johnson 