Getting the GIST of the English Language
Getting the Gist of the English Language: Using Systematic Grammar Instruction to Improve Academic Writing Ability aims to address two main objectives. Initially, the book explores the historical context of grammar teaching, shedding light on the resistance against it. It outlines five significant problems caused by the anti-grammar movement, including polarized viewpoints among educational leaders, flawed research, declining literacy, dwindling academic writing skills, and a reduction in the English Language Arts curriculum's complexity. The book will transition from a historical analysis of grammar teaching to an analysis of present-day practices and then finally to future recommendations advocating for a return to systematic instruction in grammar.
The book proposes a solution using the GIST model, emphasizing inquiry-based learning, instruction in grammar as a complex system comprised of four interworking levels—the parts of speech, the parts of the sentence, phrases, and clauses, and immediate application of grammar to writing. The goal is to help students truly get the “gist” of the English language as they inquire, learn, and apply daily. This book advocates for high expectations for all students regardless of background and provides practical guidance for teachers, including how to utilize four-level sentence analysis, plan grammar instruction in units, modernize instruction beyond skill-and-drill worksheets to include online resources and artificial intelligence tools, and how to weave grammar instruction into writing instruction. Teachers will receive not only practical advice about how to teach narrative writing, informative/explanatory writing, argumentative writing, and literary analysis writing, but also invaluable resources such as a glossary of grammatical terms, a vertical alignment plan, and sample lesson plans. It also gives some advice for how to use AI to your advantage in the ELA classroom.