Explains how teachers can use the approach that proper grammar is powerful to help their students understand English grammar rules and uses.

Grammar is the basic structure of our language and is difficult to teach creatively in any language -- especially English. And yet beautiful, artistic work requires structure and grammar is essential for powerful, clear writing.Anne Greer, an experienced language arts teacher, here offers a wonderful survey of English-language grammar teaching, drawn from a colloquium of Waldorf language arts teachers. Her lively interchanges with the teachers, sharing their experiences in their classrooms, demonstrate ways to make any language truly living.Teachers and parents will appreciate the numerous examples, depth of investigation and creative approaches this book presents.

Correct English usage as it's never been taught before: lucidly, memorably, and humorously -- for all ages.

Beyond Grammar: Language, Power, and the Classroom asks readers to think about the power of words, the power of language attitudes, and the power of language policies as they play out in communities, in educational institutions, and in their own lives as individuals, teachers, and participants in the larger community. Each chapter provides extended discussion of a set of critical language issues that directly affect students in classrooms: the political nature of language, the power of words, hate language and bullying, gender and language, dialects, and language policies. Written for pre-service and practicing teachers, this text addresses how teachers can alert students to the realities of language and power--removing language study from a “neutral” corner to situate it within the context of political, social, and cultural issues. Developing a critical pedagogy about language instruction can help educators understand that classrooms can either maintain existing inequity or address and diminish inequity through critical language study. A common framework structures the chapters of the text: * Each chapter begins with an overview of the language issue in question, and includes references for further research and for classroom use, and provides applications for classroom teachers. * Numerous references to the popular press and the breadth of language issues found therein foreground current thought on socio-cultural language issues, attitudes, standards, and policies found in the culture(s) at large. * References to current and recent events illustrate the language issue’s importance, cartoons address the issue, and brief “For Thought” activities illustrate the point being discussed and extend the reader’s knowledge and awareness. * “Personal Explorations” ask readers to go beyond the text to develop further understanding; “Teaching Explorations” ask teachers to apply chapter content to teaching situations. Beyond Grammar: Language, Power, and the Classroom is intended for undergraduate and master’s level courses that address literacy education, linguistics, and issues of language and culture.

Jeff Anderson and literacy coach Whitney La Rocca take you into primary and intermediate classrooms where students are curious about language, engage with the world around them, and notice and experiment with the conventions all writers use. Instead of chanting grammar rules or completing countless convention worksheets, we invite young writers to explore conventions as special effects devices that activate meaning. Our students study authentic texts and come to recognize these "patterns of power"--the essential grammar conventions that readers and writers require to make meaning. The first part of the book introduces a vibrant approach to grammar instruction and sets up what you need to immerse yourself in the Patterns of Power process, inviting students to experiment and play with language. The second part of the book offers over seventy practical, ready-to-use lessons, including: Extensive support materials Over 100 mentor sentences, curated for grades 1-5 Student work samples Tips and power notes to facilitate your own knowledge and learning Examples for application In Patterns of Power Jeff and Whitney suggest that taking just five minutes from your reading workshop and five minutes from your writing workshop to focus on how the conventions connect reading and writing will miraculously affect your students' understanding of how language works for readers and writers.

In [this book] you will learn all about the parts of grammar, but more importantly how to put them together - work words, glue words, chunks of words, helpers, and trouble-makers. [The book] will teach you to communicate with clarity and precision. As you learn the logic behind the rules of grammar, you'll find it easy to obey them. You'll become the master of: perfect progressives; gender concealers; word substitutes; working words and helping words; joiners and gluers; phrases and clauses; points of punctuation; avoiding common mistakes; how to put all your words together in the clearest, most powerful way. -Dust jacket.

Think grammar is difficult? You just need someone to save you from it!The best learning tools for a young mind are word association, visual aids, and superpowers! In SUPER GRAMMAR, all of the major elements of grammar will be personified with superhero or super villain identities. You won't just learn about the part-of-speech called an adverb. Instead you'll meet the vibrant super heroine The Adverb, and you'll learn about her awesome ability to modify verbs and other adverbs. You won't simply be told that you shouldn't use a double negative in a sentence. Instead you'll actually meet the sinister twin brothers, Double Negative, and you'll learn how to avoid being tricked into falling for their double talk. The book's fun, full-color design looks like a mix between a reference book and a comic book. With SUPER GRAMMAR you'll learn to save yourself!