How to Teach Grammar Through Differentiated Instruction

Educators must meet students where they are instead of covering them in a one-size-fits-all lesson, hoping they catch on. In reality, the most effective teachers are the ones who recognize and cater to students' different learning styles. This includes incorporating lessons with varying levels of difficulty and contexts in which students work. Since all students are expected to master the basics of English grammar, teachers need to incorporate differentiated instruction into grammar lessons.

Instructions

Recognize Sentence Fragments

1. Begin with a class demonstration to illustrate the idea of fragments. Using items that can be easily broken (crackers, bread, a mirror, paper), show students the whole item and then, after breaking the item, show them the fragments. Once students understand that a fragment is a part of the whole, they will be better equipped to recognize a sentence fragment as a part of a whole sentence.

2. Write complete sentences on large strips of paper or poster board. Show the students the entire sentence, and then cut the sentence into several parts in front of the students. Show them the cut parts of the sentence and explain that when these parts are alone, they are called sentence fragments.

3. Give each student a sentence typed on a piece of paper. (Use large font so that it is easy for the students to cut.) Tell them to cut the sentence into three parts. Ask students to read their sentence fragments aloud.

4. Give students a handout with several fragments on it. Tell them to turn the fragments into complete sentences. Run through an example with the class and then give students time to work on their own. Share as a class when enough time has passed.

5. Present students with a paragraph containing both complete sentences and sentence fragments. Ask them to identify the sentence fragments by underlining them and then have them rewrite the fragments so they become complete sentences.

Teach Students the Eight Parts of Speech

1. Draw a stop sign and write one part of speech on each of the sides of the octagon. Instead of "Stop" in the middle of the sign, write "Parts of Speech" and, depending upon grade level, give students time to create and decorate their own Parts of Speech sign.

2. Create an acronym for the parts of speech as a whole class.

3. Create a life-sizes word diagram on a classroom wall where students come up with their own examples of each part of speech and post to the wall.

Correct Subject-Verb Agreement

1. Draw a chart on the board showing possible subjects (he, she, I, you, it, they, us, we) and the corresponding verbs. Then, separate students into groups of four to five, based upon skill level. Create the groups ahead of time so class time is not wasted putting groups together.

   Provide each group with a handout of sentences to be corrected. The difficulty of the sentences should depend upon the specific group. Allow the students to work together to come up with the answers. Encourage the students to discuss their thoughts with one another. Pay special attention to the groups with lower skill levels as they may require more teacher guidance.

   Examples of subject-verb agreement sentences with varying difficulty levels:

   a. Beginner group: The cat smell funny.

   b. Moderate group: The little cat smell funny to me.

   c. Advanced group: The little cat smell funny and sleep all day.

2. Complete the same chart as in the example in Step 1 as whole class. Then, separate into groups of four to five based upon perceived interests.

   For example, if some of your students are sports enthusiasts, provide a handout with sports-centered sentences. If some students enjoy a particular type of music or a particular TV show, cater the sentences to these topics. Students are more engaged with the lesson if they are interested in the topic.

3. Complete the same chart as in the examples in Steps 1 and 2. Then, separate into groups of four to five based upon learning style. That is, place the students who prefer to learn visually together and place together those who prefer to learn kinesthetically. Design the exercise to benefit each learning style.

   For example, the exercise for visual learners incorporates pictures; the exercise for kinesthetic learners incorporates moving cut up words into the correct order.

References

• "Exceptionality"; Learning Styles in the Age of Differentiated Instruction; J. Landrum and K. McDuffie; January 2010