A Call for Strengthening Grammar in Our Classrooms

Grammar is not the sexiest thing to teach,” said English teacher Kirsten Pike when discussing students’ grammar and writing literacy performance over the past few years.

 Given the difficulty of incorporating them into the secondary curriculum, grammar and writing literacy have not been of high priority in the classroom setting. As a result, educators have noticed a decline in the quality of student writing and writing literacy over the past few years. This deficiency is also having negative consequences for students.

 There are some setbacks that come with teaching grammar skills. One is that teachers generally face a disparity in student skills in their classes, as each student comes in with a different knowledge of writing literacy and grammar. Additionally, because class sizes have generally increased through the years–especially after the recent budget–the chance of this fluctuation is greater. English department leader, Lauren Norkus described, “We have students that already know [a wide range of grammar techniques], and can do [them], and we have students who don’t know the definition of a noun, all in the same class.” Norkus described how this variation impacts how she structures her limited in-class instruction.

 Additionally, to ensure that students are capable of performing skills at the state level, teachers structure their curricula based on skills tested in the New York English Language Arts Regents Examination. The English department is currently trying to align various components of the Regents standards with grammar education, however, grammar is not a main focus of the Regents exam and is not as necessary of a skill when it comes to passing it. Therefore, these outlines are limited in their ability to provide a proper range of grammatical techniques to students. Students should also not be limited by the curriculum from being able to produce high-quality writing that is concise and grammatical.

 Another possible reason for the limited amount of grammar instruction may be a disconnect between the English curricula between middle schools and high schools. The English department at IHS plans to mend this gap and meet with members of the middle school English department in March to get a better sense of what aspects of grammar are being taught. Many English teachers simply assume students have learned grammar in middle school or will learn it in high school, thus eradicating their need to teach it. English department leader, Rebecca Gergely, stated, “Traditionally, there hasn’t been that much collaboration between what happens in the middle school and high schools […] I think that aligning with the middle schools will help so there’s a more intentional and clear process.”

 An adequate grammar and writing literacy education has both short-term and long-term implications for students. Many students are now taking standardized tests such as the SAT since they are being reimplemented in college applications. The grammar sections on these exams require knowledge of skills such as punctuation and sentence structure. Not all students are able to learn these rules outside of the classroom or have time to dedicate to studying for these tests. IHS should provide more resources both within and outside of the classroom to ensure all students have access to the materials needed for success on these exams.

 Additionally, knowing how to compose a formal and cohesive piece of writing is also critical when completing college and job applications. Mattias Keresztes, an eleventh-grade student at IHS, highlights this struggle, saying, “My almost nonexistent grammar education has an effect on my ability to write formal papers because I don’t know the exact rules on how to place punctuation.” To enable an equitable environment where all students will be able to flourish in higher education or in the workplace, a more comprehensive grammar education is needed.

 While there are difficulties in teaching grammar, the benefits of teaching grammar overshadow these challenges. Thus, grammar must become more of a focus in classes. One crucial change that must be made is the creation of a uniform grammar education. Ideally, this would start at the middle school level, with clear benchmarks for what students should know. However, due to the students from the various middle schools and students from outside of Ithaca coming to IHS, organized grammar instruction is still needed at the high school, even if it is review material for some. For example, if a concrete grammar curriculum is introduced in ninth grade, all high school students will receive the same grammar instruction and can carry that knowledge throughout the rest of high school.

Small changes could also be made in English classes at the secondary level. One could be an increased incorporation of reading into the curriculum. For example, all classes could dedicate just five to ten minutes a class period to closely reading a text, familiarizing students with examples of quality writing. Furthermore, the utilization of IXL or Khan Academy could help students practice grammar and writing literacy skills at their own pace. While these resources are generally given to students to utilize outside of the classroom, the accountability of having just one short assignment for homework will ensure students actually learn the material. These two sites easily make a large difference in a student’s grammar knowledge, and create a more uniform knowledge of grammar in classes, without taking significant time away from in-class instruction. 

 Grammar guidance and instruction is essential for students in high school. It is important that students are taught grammar and given support as they learn it to allow for retention and utilization of these concepts. Teachers should utilize educational sites to expose students to the topic and emphasize grammar in their curriculums. Without proper grammar instruction, students will continue to disregard grammatical mistakes, which could have negative implications in the future. Having a fundamental understanding of grammar is a vital skill that students will appreciate and be able to use long after they have graduated from high school.