English Journal - Volume 95, Issue 5, 2006

Members of the Secondary Section Steering Committee comment on topics of importance to English language arts educators.

“Teacher to Teacher” provides a forum for teachers to share ideas, materials, and activities.

High school teacher Bonnie Mary Warne had to find a way to address the language items on the state test without sacrificing a successful writing program. She used literature to help students understand and create powerful writing. In the process, students also learned the conventions they needed to know for the test.

Jeff Anderson’s lessons involve shifting focus between writing or reading and specific grammar problems inner-city middle school students encounter. Lessons or discussions on a topic are then applied to a larger context so that students see “the story of grammar’s power to communicate meaning and beauty.”

Although debate over grammar instruction continues, Dennis Sjolie asserts that a solid foundation in sentence construction is particularly necessary for English language learners. He shows how sentence-combining activities can lead to comprehension of different types of phrases and clauses as well as improved student writing.

The authors describe a districtwide revision of grammar teaching practices. Using a curriculum based largely on the work of Martha Kolln, the authors show how they applied rhetorical tools in a variety of high school classrooms to improve student writing and reading comprehension.

By analyzing student responses to their reading of The Odyssey, high school teacher Eileen Simmons realized that problems with comprehension stemmed from not understanding the grammar. She identified specific grammar problems and then developed ways to help students understand the functions of words and the relationships among them.

Joan Berger describes a two-year approach to grammar instruction in a middle school. Each month is devoted to a specific sentence variation with a small amount of daily class time for drills and writing assignments. The timeframe allows students to assimilate the concepts and apply them to their writing.

Barbara Stanford observed that difficulties with comprehension were often caused by complex grammatical structures. Working with secondary school students who were reading several years below grade level, she identified specific problems and developed lessons to help struggling readers become proficient readers.

Cornelia Paraskevas builds students’ grammar knowledge through analysis of grammatical structures in touchstone texts. Students create style sheets to evaluate these “mentor” texts and learn the powerful effects writers create by varying sentence length and construction.

Kenneth Lindblom and Patricia A. Dunn teach language awareness and use through published complaints about the teaching of grammar. Students are able to recognize issues of race and class that determine acceptable usage and learn the importance of audience in their own language use.

Challenging the idea that students should be taught to avoid all sentence fragments, Edgar H. Schuster investigated the abundant use of fragments in two volumes of The Best American Essays. He suggests ways students might learn to use fragments effectively.

“Research Matters” provides teachers with review and application of research that illuminates the daily concerns and activities of English language arts teachers and classrooms.

“New Voices” raises questions, offers insights, and provides a forum for novice teachers to engage in the professional conversation surrounding the teaching of English.

“Teaching English in the World” examines the teaching of English in a global context.

“Taking Time” addresses challenges in teaching and curriculum that affect middle level education through focusing on the middle child in urban, rural, and suburban settings.

“Tools for Teaching” "Tools for Teaching" helps you find the best print and electronic resources for teaching English language arts