Written by Chistina El-Ahmar

Beginning and Ending Punctuation
Paragraphing
The Parts of Speech
The Sentence and the Fragment
Subject, Verb, and Object Forms
Verb Tense
Punctuating Dialogue
Rules and Uses for Commas
The Apostrophe & The Dash
The Semicolon and the Colon

Suggested Reading and Resources:

Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynn Truss
The Power of Grammar by Mary Ehrenworth
The Elements of Style by E.B White and William Shrunk
Sentence Composing for Middle School by Don Killgallon
Discovering Voice by Nancy Dean

When it comes to writing kids need to care about what they are saying. They need to feel a sense of purpose that sharing their stories matters. Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone’s voice is important. The sooner they understand this, the sooner they will take pride in becoming writers. Grammar should be taught not as a list of rules, but as a means to make writing meaningful and powerful. Therefore, Grammar should be taught to children through Story-telling and Narrative. Explain to kids the “Why” of Grammar and then demonstrate its power in writing through examples.

Ex. Why is Harry Potter a World Favorite? How does the author use her writing? Explore the structure of writing in favorite novels.