LITERACY IMPACT! The 20 most important bits of grammatical knowledge needed by effective teachers

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The 20 most important bits of grammatical

knowledge needed by effective teachers



WRITING

Teaching sequenceKey conventions

Connectives Sentence variety



READING

Subject-specific vocabulary

Approaches to reading

Active research process, not FOFO Using DARTs



SPELLING

Having 4 approaches Mnemonics

Word webs

Rules

Starters



GRAMMAR

Essentials for fiction

Essentials for non-fiction



WRITING

Teaching sequenceKey conventions

Connectives Sentence variety



1

Know the writing sequence:1. Establish clear aims

2. Provide examples

3. Explore conventions of the text

4. Define the conventions

5. Demonstrate how it is written

6. Compose together

7. Scaffold first attempts

8. Independent writing

9. Draw out key learning



2Know the dominant text-types for your subject:

Purpose: What is its purpose? Who is it for? How will it be used?



3

Text level: Layout? Structure? Sequence?



4

Sentence level: Viewpoint? Prevailing tense? Active/passive? Sentence types and length? Cohesion devices?



5

Word level: Stock words and phrases? Specialist vocabulary? Elaborate or plain vocabulary choices?



6Know your connectives

Adding: and, also, as well as, moreover, too

Cause & effect: because, so, therefore, thus, consequently

Sequencing: next, then, first, finally, meanwhile, before, after

Qualifying: however, although, unless, except, if, as long as, apart from, yet

Emphasising: above all, in particular, especially, significantly, indeed, notably

Illustrating: for example, such as, for instance, as revealed by, in the case of

Comparing: equally, in the same way, similarly, likewise, as with, like

Contrasting: whereas, instead of, alternatively, otherwise, unlike, on the other hand



7Encourage sentence variety

1. Start with an -ing verb (Reaching 60 these days is ..)

2. Start with an -ed verb (Frustrated by ….)

3. Start with an adverb (Well-done chicken leads to …)

4. Start with a preposition (Within the city limits you will …)



8

Students must see you writing





So …

What have you done?

What are you going to do?



READING

Subject-specific vocabulary

Approaches to reading

Active research process, not FOFO Using DARTs



Subject-specific vocabulary:

•Identifying

•Playing with context

•Actively exploring

•Linking to spelling

9



Approaches to reading:

•Scanning

•Skimming

•Continuous reading

•Close reading

10



Research skills, inc:

•Prior knowledge

•Purposes

•Locating information

•Interacting with the text

•Making a record

•Evaluating information

•Assisting memory

•Communicating information

11



Using DARTs:

•Cloze

•Diagram completion

•Disordered text

•Prediction

12



So …

What have you done?




SPELLING

Having 4 approaches Mnemonics

Word webs

Rules

Starters

Literacy Across the Curriculum

Spelling approaches:

RULES (etymology, family of words [muscle/muscular])

PRACTICAL STRATEGIES (mnemonics, key word triggers, spelling logs)

VISUALS (words within words, word webs)

SOUNDS (break into syllables/sounds, spellspeak)

13


Mnemonics Fun

Necessary = never eat chips eat sausage sandwiches and raspberry yoghurt

Words within wordsenviRONment

buSINess

deFINitely

sePARAte

Got any others?

14


Sign

Consign

Consignment

Consigned

DesignDesignerDesigningDesignedDesignationDesignateRedesign

Resign

Resignation

Resigning

Resigned

Signature

Signatory

Assign

Assignment

Assignation

Reassign

Signal

Signalling

15



16

RULES:

I before e

Effect of final ‘e’: hop - hope



17

Kick-start learning

Don’t aim for false links with main lesson content

Do aim for coherence across starters

Avoid writing

Emphasise collaboration & problem-solving

Avoid the temptation to extend the activity

No Blue Peter badges

www.geoffbarton.co.uk

Mr B’s New Year Spelling Frolics

-our words -re endings -able / -ibleendings

-ous endings Single/doubleconsonants

colourhumourrumourarmourf lavour

humorous

centimetrecentretheatre

Availablelikeablesociableconsiderablelaughablesensibleincredibleterriblepossibleresponsible

t rem end ous

enor mouspoisonous

myst eri ous

cont inuousprec ious

f ero cious

del icious

ca ut ious

ambit ious

beginning

ups e t t ing

f org ot t en

commit t eepermittedoccurred

visit ed

reg r e t f ul

developing


-ible -able


Homophones

Sound of Music Kylie Beethoven

their there they’re

too two to

pray prey


Homophones

Freeze Stand

advice advise

practice practise

effect affect

It’s its

Hard


Activity

I’ll say some sentences containing homophones. You tell me whether it’s list A or list B.

Make up sentences – eg “The pilot of the aircraft was really rather plain”)

A – stand up B – under tableplain Planeweak Weeksteal Steelmain Manerows Rowsfare Fairbreak Brakesew Sodue Jewwhether whether



So …

What have you done?




GRAMMAR

Essentials for fiction

Essentials for non-fiction



18GRAMMAR ESSENTIALS (fiction):

•Sentence variety for effect: simple, compound, complex•Multiple narration•Plot - dialogue - description•Location of the speech verb•Direct / indirect speech•Figurative language•Descriptive detail•Point of view



19GRAMMAR ESSENTIALS (Non-fiction):

•Topic sentences•Headlines / subheadings / puns•Paragraph organisation - main point … illustration … contrast•Connectives •Tense•Sentence functions: statement, command, question, exclamation•Formality / impersonal tones•Layout features•Building an argument: generalisation, supporting points, statistics, facts, quotation



20

George Sampson, 1922:

“Every teacher IN English is a teacher OF English”



So …

What have you done?




The 20 most important bits of grammatical

knowledge needed by effective teachers





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LITERACY IMPACT! The 20 most important bits of grammatical knowledge needed by effective teachers