Getting it Right: Fresh Approaches to Teaching Grammar, Usage, and Correctness by Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey D. Wilhelm
Review written by Carm, RRVWP Teacher Consultant
While Getting It Right is far from being an in-depth look into how to teach grammar, I think it offers some interesting philosophies and perspectives that would be a great place for a group of educators to begin exploring their own theories and working together to come up with a plan for tackling the scope and sequence and method to the madness which is grammar in the secondary classroom.
Wilhelm and Smith are more known for writing about reading and yet their treatment of this subject works for me. They explore the different definitions of common terms tossed around in discussions on grammar and reveal how many of us are actually discussing different things and not realizing it. Wilhelm and Smith argue that errors matter but not all errors matter equally. In one section they include a hierarchy of errors and they also explore how to understand the causes of students' errors, and how to address those causes through authentic and engaging activities. I'd recommend this book for a professional book study group or for personal reading on the notion of how to approach grammar. It seems like a good springboard for discussion.
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