Grammar Alive! Foreword

Grammar Alive! A Guide For Teachers

Grammar is something that is slowly making it’s way out of our classrooms, and if it is in our classrooms, it comes in the form of monotanous worksheets and daily exercises that have no connection to our lives. We need to find a way to bring it back into our classrooms and make applicable to your lives and that’s what this book does.
It is one of the most important life skills to have, to be able to write and speak in correct, full sentences. It is a skill that is used on a daily basis throughout one’s life, which is why it is so crucial to learn.
I don’t think that grammar is something that should be talked about for just a couple weeks and then forgot about. Grammar should find its way into every lesson. Grammar should be a year long, on-going conversation in our classrooms. The problem is that it needs to be fun. When I was learning grammar, we learned it by doing what teachers called "Daily Oral Language." Boring! In this book, teachers and students will find fun, new, creative ways to learn grammar that have nothing to do with worksheets.
Another reason many teachers are shying away from grammar these days is because of the diversity of native languages spoken in the classroom. Learning proper standard English does not diminish the value of any other language. If any thing, it will help ESL students when learning this second language if they are familiar with the rules and structure of the language.
This book covers many different aspects of grammar, including code switching. Code switching applies to the way people speak depending on the context of their conversation. This is something that students do on a daily basis without even knowing it. Code switching is just a sample of what is covered.
This book should not be one of those that collects dust on a bookshelf or is shoved in the back of your desk. It needs to be looked at and discussed daily. Teachers can use it as a tool for helping incorporate more grammar learning and students can use it as a guide when practicing grammar (thanks to the grammar glossary in the back).However the book is used, bottom line is that grammar is a necessity in everyday life and we, teachers and students, together need to make sure it finds its way back into the classroom and our lives! Learn it and love it!