We all want our children to use correct grammar, to be able to write complete sentences, to avoid run-on sentences, and to use correct capitalization and punctuation. The best way to do this is to teach the concepts, beginning with the basics, in a systematic way. Grammar, much like math, continuously builds on previously learned concepts, and constant review is required for students to really master the material. When I taught middle school in private and public schools, despite the fact that grammar had been “covered” every year, students came to me with very little knowledge of the concepts they had supposedly learned every year. I believe this is because grammar is often taught out of a textbook with a page or two spent on each concept and not much built in review. Another problem with many grammar programs is that students are never asked to put the concepts into practice. The Grammar and Usage Workshop includes frequent review, and when students begin completing editing exercises, students will put their knowledge into practice by editing for errors in all usage concepts learned so far. This means that they will be constantly reviewing previous concepts. Students will also be held accountable for correct grammar and usage in the essays they complete in this class.

Some people believe that grammar and usage should be taught with “mini-lessons” when a problem arises. This is a nice idea, but I believe it is ineffective. Imagine that you have a student who has trouble writing complete sentences. You tell that student that a sentence needs a subject and a predicate and needs to be a complete thought, but this doesn’t help because the student doesn’t know how to identify a subject or a predicate. Then, you tell the student that a simple predicate is made up of the verb or verb phrase, but the student doesn’t know what a verb is. Back to the beginning you go to teach the basics! Now imagine a student who has trouble with pronoun usage and is confused about when to use “I” and when to use “me.” To know when to use “me” instead of “I,” a student must understand that “me” is an object pronoun and that object pronouns are used as the object of the preposition, the direct object, or the indirect object. To understand the object of the preposition, the student must understand nouns and prepositions. To understand direct and indirect objects, the student must understand nouns and action verbs. You can see how difficult it is to teach grammar and usage concepts in an isolated, “as-needed” way! This is why my grammar program teaches grammar in a systematic way, beginning with and building upon the basics.