Grammar, That is the Question

What is grammar? Grammar is what we as individuals use to convey meaning and express ourselves. Grammar is present in our daily lives. It begins when we are babies and our parents have us repeat words, statements, or sentences in a correct manner by modeling it for us.

According to Thornbury, "grammar is a description of rules that govern how a language's sentences are formed" (p. 1). With this said, I wonder how confusing this is for our students who come to us speaking a language other than English. Not only are they learning a new language they are also acquiring a new set of rules for grammar. An example I see of this in the classroom daily, are my Hispanic students use of pronouns. They always use the pronoun "he" whether they are discussing a boy or girl. For me, this can be confusing when trying to follow a conversation and grasp whom they are talking about in the conversations. So, if it is confusing for me as an adult, I can only imagine how confusing it can be for students.

So, the question is how do I teach my students grammar? Should it be done through drills and exercises or through modeling and repetition. I believe it is done through modeling and repetition by using stories, songs, journals, etc.

In my kindergarten classroom, I have four different languages being represented. So, my students are hearing English, Spanish, Arabic, and Uzbek/Russian. One of the challenges I face within my classroom, is grasping and understanding the meaning of words which they are attempting to convey and modeling by using correct form and sentence structure. Just as I struggle to understand them and their usage of grammar, they are attempting to understand me and model the examples which I provide them with daily.

For me, the best way to teach grammar to my students is through use of principled eclecticism which according to Beare(About.com) is, "about the use of various teaching styles in a discriminating manner as required by learners needs and styles." To me, this means differentiating our instruction to meet the needs of our students and this includes grammar. How many of our English Language Learners are going to learn grammar through drill exercises? If I had to guess, I would say a very limited number if any. Grammar, from my perspective and experience with my students in the classroom is best taught and learned through modeling and repetition which is experienced in the classroom through writing and daily conversations.

Thornbury, Scott. (1999). How to Teach Grammar. Charlbury, Oxfordshire, UK: Bluestone Press.