If you are a teacher of grades K-6, you might be asking, Shoud I teach grammar in my class on a daily basis? How would I go about doing this? And how can I teach grammar so it isn't boring to my kids? Grammar Matters, Lynne Dofman and Diane Dougherty answer these questions and more. Using mentor texts as the cornerstone for how best to teach grammar, this book provides teachers with almost everything they need to get kids not only engaged but excited about learning grammar. Divided into four parts--Narrative Writing, Informational Writing, Opinion Writing, and Grammar Conversations--this hand reference provides practical teaching tips, assessment ideas, grammar definitions, and specific mentor texts to help students learn about parts of speech, idoms, usage issues, and punctuation. Through Your Turn Lessons, conversations, conferences, and drafting, revising, and editing exercies, students will learn not only specific concepts but also how to reflect upon and transfer what they have learned to other writing tasks, no matter the subject. The Treasure Chest of Children's Books provides an extensive list of both fiction and nonfiction books that fit naturally into grammar instruction. Eight appendices provide even more resources, including information on homophones, using mentor texts to teach grammar and conventions, checklists, comma rules, help for ELL students, and a glossary of ramar terms.Grammar Matters links instruction to the Common Core State Standards and features quality, classroom-tested tools that help teachers provide their students with the gifts of grammar and literacy.
Dougherty, Diane: -
Diane Esolen Dougherty lives with her husband in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of West Chester University and received a Master of Arts degree from Villanova University. While working on her degree at Villanova, she was a research scholar working with professors of English. Her duties included writing summaries of articles, compiling statistics regarding then-current research on the teaching of writing, and aiding researchers in comparative studies.
Diane was a classroom teacher for 32 years as well as head of English/Language Arts for ten years before retirement. This is her first professional book; however, she has been published both in professional journals and online publications including PASCD, NWP, and PAWLP. Diane also has managed the twitter feed for the writing project and has also blogged on the PAWLP site. She has co-directed both the Writing Institute at her writing project site for eight years, and she also co-directed the Reading and Literature Institute for four years. She was the co-facilitator for NWPâ (TM)s Carnegie reading grant at the Pennsylvania site, and in that capacity had the opportunity to share best practice in the teaching of reading across the content areas with teachers from all over the country.
Diane has presented at numerous state, national, and international conferences including IRA, NCTE, KSRA, and PAWLP conferences on topics ranging from writing instruction to strategies for teaching reading.
Her eight grandchildren keep her occupied with fun activities and make her believe that aging is a figment of the imagination.
