Grammar Worksheets

In this day and age of the process-based writing approach, essentials of composition can often get lost in the shuffle. Of course we want to teach kids the basics of writing mechanics grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. Yet so often these days, the emphasis on fluency and mastering the writing process comes at the expense of those boring fundamentals. Grammar worksheets are considered to be too repetitive, too detached from any context, too dull to impose upon children already intimidated by the empty page.

Yet in my teaching practice, I see children every year who have no challenges with fluency. Oh, sure, there are the reluctant writers here and there those who just wont churn out more than a couple sentences at a time. But they are the truly rare exception to the rule. The truth is that fluency is everywhere you look. Ever confiscate a note being passed in class? Ever catch a student furtively text-messaging his friends? Ever listen to the jump-rope rhymes and clever insults of the playground? Children are constantly writing, in various formats. Fluency isnt really their problem. Mechanics are. And the only solution I can see is the old school one, the one I was raised on: grammar worksheets.

When I was a child in school, we did not have grammar worksheets often, but we did have grammar workbooks in the lower grades. I remember clearly performing specific exercises: circle the subject, underline the predicate, add the correct punctuation, etc. By middle school we had graduated to grammar textbooks, and the exercises were, naturally, more advanced. I recall diagramming sentences endlessly, and memorizing every single preposition in the English language! I suppose that would be considered bad pedagogy now, but my understanding of the language benefited from it greatly and my writing fluency certainly never suffered.

Unfortunately for teachers struggling with the issue of bad writing mechanics, most schools dont use grammar workbooks or textbooks as part of their regular curricula. Thats why grammar worksheets can be an especially valuable tool.

Ive found that grammar worksheets are available on a variety of websites, some for free and some by subscription. A quick web search will reveal a wealth of useful resources. If you find a site which seems to meet your needs, consider combining resources with some of your colleagues. If you pool together funds, you should easily be able to afford the subscription fees. It will be well worth it.

Students love to work on grammar worksheets. They seem to appreciate assignments which are straightforward and not open-ended. They appreciate learning a basic skill, and they are always gratified when they can receive immediate and simple feedback; the answer they gave is either right or wrong. This is good pedagogy at its core. Without the fundamentals of good writing, students work will not be understood. Build your palace of fluency on the foundation of good mechanics, and dont be afraid of your most powerful tool, grammar worksheets.

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