Meeting Pattern
Online
Description
Grammar worksheets and drills rarely show up in student writing. This online, self-paced course gives Grades 2–8 teachers a research-based alternative: Grammar Study, a three-phase approach in which students immerse themselves in mentor texts, explore and play with how sentences work, and transfer what they learn into their own drafts. Across six sessions, participants build a Grammar Study classroom, try inquiry lessons, hands-on grammar manipulatives, and playful practice routines, design anchor chart lessons, assess grammar in student writing, and plan a grammar scope and sequence for the year. Participants leave with lessons, tools, and a complete unit ready to teach.
Syllabus, Objectives, and Outcomes
Objectives:
You will be able to:
- Explain the research base for teaching grammar within writing and describe the three phases of Grammar Study (immersion, exploration, transfer).
- Design classroom structures for Grammar Study, including time, grammar notebooks, and student partnerships.
- Plan and teach an immersion or explore lesson that uses a mentor text and a hands-on grammar manipulative to help students notice and try a grammar concept.
- Create an explicit teaching lesson with an anchor chart for a grammar concept their students need.
- Analyze student writing samples to assess grammar knowledge and transfer, and use the results to plan next steps.
- Develop a year-long grammar scope and sequence and a complete Grammar Study unit for their grade level.
Textbook:
McGee, P., & Donohue, T. (2025). Not Your Granny's Grammar: An innovative approach to meaningful and engaging grammar instruction. Corwin. ISBN: 9781071941676 (paperback, 328 pages) Available from Corwin.com, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
Required Student Resources:
- Not Your Granny's Grammar (Corwin, 2025), ISBN 9781071941676.
- A computer with internet access, a webcam or phone for recording, and a word processor.
- Access to a Grade 2–8 classroom or group of students for the mentor text lesson and student writing analysis.
- Mentor texts (picture books, articles, or novels) from the participant's classroom or school library.
Registration Instructions
Online registration URL closes @ 5:00 p.m. on February 2, 2027.
You will receive an email when you have successfully registered. Allow 48 hours (2 business days) to process your registration. You will receive access information before course start date.