“Always link
a grammar
feature to its
effect on writing.
Use grammatical terms, but
explain them through examples.
Encourage high-quality discussion
about language and effects.
Use authentic examples from authentic texts.
Use model patterns for children to imitate.
Support children to design their writing
by making deliberate language choices.
Encourage language play, experimentation
and risk-taking.”
Myhill et al (2016)
Adopting this pedagogy enables teachers
to teach children the concepts, terms
and conventions which will enable them to
be successful in tests, but more importantly
also requires them to apply their growing
knowledge of grammar to enhance
their writing.
the curriculum and outlined progression
within each strand to support teachers.
These progression charts can be downloaded
from
/
literacy, and can help teachers to identify
the core foundations of understanding
within each strand.
Securingunderstanding
Children now need to understand the key
grammatical concepts at a depth beyond
previous expectations. This is in line with
the aims of the new national curriculum. An
example of this can be seen in the following
question from the sample SATs for Y6:
Tick all the sentences that contain
a
preposition -
■
Ali locked the door before he left.
■
The shops are beyond the main road.
■
My brother is behind me in the race.
■
Barry is below Andrew in the register.
In order to answer this question, pupils have
to understand the function of the preposition
in each sentence and recognise that in the
first sentence, the word ‘before’ is acting as
a conjunction to join two clauses; they need
to recognise that there are two verbs in this
sentence therefore there must be two clauses.
Questions like this are daunting but also
encouraging – it’s important that children
should understand grammar at a functional
level and be able to explain how language is
working in context. However, if teaching has
focused on identifying words – e.g. underline
the preposition – rather than function,
learners will struggle.
Much of the useful research into effective
teaching of grammar has been undertaken
by Debra Myhill and her team at Exeter
University. Our work at Babcock LDP is
underpinned by the key principles that they
have identified. These have been summarised in
their excellent new book,
Essential
Primary Grammar
(2016), which I would whole
heartedly recommend to all teachers, as follows:
66
TEACH READING & WRITING
REBECCA COSGRAVE
is the Lead Primary English Adviser with Babcock LDP
Teaching grammar well means giving children a functional,
flexible set of instruments for lifelong effective
communication, says
Rebecca Cosgrave...
Toolsof the trade
“Rules of usage are
well worth mastering,
but they pale in
importance behind
principles of clarity,
style, coherence and
consideration for
the reader.”
–
Steven Pinker
I
t wasn’t long ago that the average primary
teacher would not have been able to
distinguish a progressive from a perfect
and a subjunctive from a subordinate;
in fact, to be fair, most of us might still
struggle with it! The expectations of the
National Curriculum for grammar are
challenging for both children and teachers;
and perhaps the toughest aspect of all is
being able to teach it in a way that is
meaningful, engaging and manageable.
Unlike many aspects of the curriculum,
grammar is assessed in two ways: through
a stand-alone test and through teacher
assessment of writing. This is because
fundamentally, grammar provides the toolkit
we use to communicate clearly in writing –
and in order to achieve that outcome, we
have to understand how each of the tools
within it can work.
So what are the key challenges for teachers?
Subjectknowledge
Most teachers I work with have areas of their
own grammatical knowledge that are not
secure. In order to teach concepts effectively,
we have to understand them thoroughly
enough to explain and exemplify clearly.
Teachers cannot avoid this challenge and
need subject knowledge guidance, which goes
beyond the expectations of the curriculum in
order to be one step ahead. Within schools,
we need to continue grappling with the
intricacies of subject knowledge, and
support each other as we do so.
Progressionand
filling thegaps
The National Curriculum has clear
progression but depends on all teachers
understanding and revisiting what has come
before. This is a particular challenge as we
implement a new curriculum: children in KS2
have not had the grounding of KS1 grammar
teaching so there is a lot of ‘catch-up’ required.
In No Nonsense Grammar we have stranded
