The Essential Guide to SPaG in the Primary Classroom

David Waugh,Kate Allott,Eve English,Rosemary Waugh,Elizabeth Bulmer

• Publisher: Learning Matters
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781529721713
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Didattica
• Subtopic: Formazione dei docenti

Do you know your ?determiners? from your ?prepositions?? Are you struggling with word classes, phrases and clauses? This book is here to help by: Telling you what you need to know to teach all areas of primary grammar
Explaining what?s good to know to support more able children
Outlining what good teaching of each part of grammar looks like in the classroom
Suggesting classroom activities for all areas of the SPaG curriculum Also included is a section on the new SPaG test.

1 What is grammar?

What do I need to know?

Why do we need to know terminology?

If we understand some basic terminology associated with our language, we have a shortcut for description, just as we do in other subjects such as maths. We don’t have to describe the concept each time we refer to an aspect of grammar. So, for example, when teachers used to talk about using ‘describing words’ rather than using the term ‘adjectives’, they were avoiding a term that would have been easy to remember, and were also being imprecise, given that adverbs are also describing words: adjectives describe or qualify nouns, while adverbs describe or modify verbs. Thus, in the sentence below, the adjective ‘dark’ describes the woods, while the adverb ‘slowly’ tells us how Tim walked by modifying the verb.

Tim walked slowly through the dark woods.

What do we need to know about grammar?

We all know lots about English grammar, even if we cannot always use terminology to describe we know what. For example, you probably noticed that the last three words of the previous sentence were in the wrong order. You may have paused and read them again, perhaps thinking there had been a misprint. Or you may have subconsciously changed the order of the words because you read quickly and expect what you read to make sense.

David Crystal (2004, pp12–13) suggests six reasons why we should learn about language:

1. ‘Because it’s there’. We are curious about the world and wish to understand it, and grammar is ‘no different from any other domain of knowledge in this respect’.
2. Because language ‘is involved with almost everything we do as human beings’ and ‘grammar is the fundamental organising principle of language’.
3. Because we already have an extraordinary grammatical ability and it may be helpful to describe the rules that govern grammar.
4. Because we need to be aware of what went wrong when we make grammatical errors in speech or writing.
5. Because ‘learning about grammar provides a basis for learning other languages’.
6. Because after studying grammar, we should be ‘more alert to the strength, flexibility and variety of our language, and thus be in a better position to use it and to evaluate others’ use of it’. Crystal sounds a cautionary note here: ‘Even after a course on car mechanics, we can still drive carelessly’.

The National Curriculum for English states the following:

Throughout the programmes of study, teachers should teach pupils the vocabulary they need to discuss their reading, writing and spoken language. It is important that pupils learn the correct grammatical terms in English and that these terms are integrated within teaching.

(DfE, 2013, p15)

However, a focus on grammatical terms is not exclusive to England, and an exploration of the curricula of other English-speaking countries shows that this emphasis occurs all over the world. Follow the link to the Australian National Curriculum to see how grammar is approached in another country: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Rationale

What is it useful to know?

Grammar, syntax, punctuation and usage

In this section, you will discover the meanings of some of the keywords used when we discuss grammar.

Grammar

Grammar refers to a set of rules about how we use language. It covers such things as how to form words, adding prefixes or suffixes to refine the meaning or to change the job a word is doing in a sentence, and how to arrange words to convey clear meaning.

Syntax

Syntax means the rules that define the ordering and arrangement of words within a phrase or sentence to ensure that the reader or listener understands clearly what the user meant. Syntax is a subset of grammar, and the two words are often used interchangeably.

Punctuation

Punctuation is the study of the different ways in which a passage of language can be broken up into shorter units (e.g. by using commas or full stops) and the ways in which effects of speech such as surprise or doubt can be indicated in written language. Punctuation marks are the non-alphabetical symbols we use when writing, to help make meaning clear.

Usage

Usage, as the name suggests, refers to the customary or common way that language is used, rather than to strict definitions that are sometimes out of date. We might say that ‘usage is divided’ over the pronunciation of the word ‘economics’, or that a word such as ‘Eurosceptic’ has ‘passed into common usage’.

Key knowledge summary

We are all involved as teachers in the use of grammar – it is important to understand the theory and terminology of it so that we can explain what we teach and answer children’s questions helpfully. Children can be helped to use language better and more creatively if they have the vocabulary to understand the process.

In the classroom

The English National Curriculum (DfE, 2013) sets out the grammatical terminology that pupils should know and understand:

How effective is grammar teaching? Myhill et al. (2011) studied teaching strategies for developing children’s writing. They found that teaching grammar as a separate topic was less effective than actively engaging children with grammar through writing. Where children learned grammar outside the context of texts, they were less likely to see its purpose.

Although the English National Curriculum has a strong emphasis upon grammar and grammatical terminology, it is interesting to note the emphasis upon learning through speaking, reading and writing:

The grammar of our first language is learnt naturally and implicitly through interactions with other speakers and from reading. Explicit knowledge of grammar is, however, very important, as it gives us more conscious control and choice in our language. Building this knowledge is best achieved through a focus on grammar within the teaching of reading, writing and speaking. Once pupils are familiar with a grammatical concept (for example ‘modal verb’), they should be encouraged to apply and explore this concept in the grammar of their own speech and writing and to note where it is used by others. Young pupils, in particular, use more complex language in speech than in writing, and teachers should build on this, aiming for a smooth transition to sophisticated writing.

(DfE, 2013, p66)

Of course, we need to remember that spoken language generally differs in some ways from written language. When we speak, we can use facial expression, voice variation and gesture to help us convey meaning. As a result, we may not need to use words and phrases that would be essential in writing.

When we speak, we also adjust our language to suit the occasion. For example, we may be more mindful of grammatical accuracy and clarity when attending an interview than when talking with our friends over a drink. This applies to writing too, and it is important that children understand that they need to vary their written style according to their audience and the text type. So, texts will differ from emails, and letters to friends will be different from formal letters.

Classroom activities

Creating sentences using cards with words and punct...