In this week’s podcast, Episode 304, Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker discuss grammar and its role in the writing process. Relating the findings of research, Andrew shares that teaching grammar explicitly was not determined to significantly improve a student’s writing skills. If that is true, what can we as educators do to help our students develop strong writing skills if it’s not to be found by working out sentence diagrams or completing grammar worksheets? That is the question up for consideration in the episode.
Andrew asserts that there is a right way to teach grammar that does lead to writing skill improvement. It comprises two parts:
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Students need to be taught grammar in the right way.
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Students need to be taught grammar at the right time.
Uncovering the answers to these two questions encompasses the remaining conversation. What results from examining these two questions is a fascinating discourse about the topics of grammar instruction, written expression, and the important link between the two. To learn more about these matters and the role that Fix It! Grammar plays within this framework, be sure to listen to this week’s episode.
