How to keep kids from hating grammar

We think of grammar as dusty books filled with parched rules and moldy conventions about commas, semicolons, and (heaven forbid) soporific arguments regarding the impropriety of prepositions at the ends of sentences. Unfortunately, to some extent, this is true. But grammar is much more than dead, dogmatic rules. When taught with passion and explained as the means to creating beautiful, concise, creative, and coherent expressions, grammar becomes a collection of powerful, transformational tools instead of a series of dry, book-bound rules.

As David Crystal puts it:

"Grammar is the structural foundation of our ability to express ourselves. The more we are aware of how it works, the more we can monitor the meaning and effectiveness of the way we and others use language. It can help foster precision, detect ambiguity, and exploit the richness of expression available in English. And it can help everyone--not only teachers of English, but teachers of anything, for all teaching is ultimately a matter of getting to grips with meaning." (David Crystal, "In Word and Deed." TES Teacher, April 30, 2004)

Full disclosure: I grew up despising grammar books. After faltering in first-year English 101, I spent a summer trying to devour the Little Brown Handbook, only to gag on indigestible, irrational, irrelevant conventions, and linguistic jargon like adjectival prepositional phrases.

Fifteen years later, still full of despair and seeking professional help for a serious case of grammar-phobia, I resolved to write my own grammar book. The goal was simple: I wanted to make grammar accessible, fun, and useful for students of all ages. The result was Sentence Smart Grammar®️—a simple book and companion video series with interactive, lively, song-filled explanations that make grammar a treat by getting kids on their feet. Check it out here. Now I can show educators how to use simple language and multisensory, color-coded tools to teach ELA in an exciting way. My journey from grammar-phobia to grammar-philia is now complete. Join me.

Sentence Smart: Teaching ELA in an exciting way