Grammar for Language Arts Teachers: Chapter 1

In "Grammar for Language Arts Teachers", Chapter 1 discusses how dialects are formed from the same language, depending on different regions. How does this relate to grammar? Do you think this has an effect on how teachers need to teach grammar to their students?

The book states that every human being is born into a specific dialect, based on those living in his or her surroundings. One example was given that demonstrated how some people say "soda" while others say "pop". I feel that this has a huge effect on how teachers must teach their students grammar. The book mentions "Traditional" grammar, which is the formal method of applying rules to language. However, the majority of people do not use formal language when conversing with peers, family, and friends. The traditional method is used primarily in conversations with people in authoritative positions.

I feel like this is one of the main reasons why students struggle so much with grammar. They are unable to relate it to their daily lives. If we, as teachers, want to engage the students, it is imperative that we are able to relate to them. While doing this with grammar may seem hard, it is possible. I agree with the method of teaching grammar in context. I do not think that students need to sit down and be drilled with grammar exercises. I do, however, believe that grammar should be taught in context with what the teacher's lesson is for the day. The book gives the example of teaching about the participle phrase when a student is struggling with sentence fragments, because by knowing the grammatical rules, he or she will better understand why his or her sentence is wrong.

Ultimately, dialect relates to grammar almost directly. A prominent example that I can think of is "southern" dialect. For example, many people who have southern dialects use the words "ain't" and "ya'll". While these words are familiar, they should not be taught or used in formal writing. Teachers need to make this clear to their students because in context of the professional world, words and grammar like that will not suffice.