Teaching and Testing Grammar in English 101

Although most students have had an introduction to traditional grammar prior to English 101, few are able to discuss sentences in a manner that indicates a clear understanding of the grammar of English. These students may find it difficult to discuss their reasons for constructing sentences as they do and may thus have difficulty developing their stylistic options. Departmental policy does not stipulate the formal teaching of grammar in English 101, and each teacher does what is right in his or her own eyes: some exhort their students to review grammar but do not use class time to teach it, others conduct more or less extensive reviews of grammar, and still others review only selected grammatical concepts or problems. Tutors from the Rhetoric Center offer review sessions on grammar throughout the semester.

Regardless of which approach the individual instructor chooses, all students should be taught to recognize (1) that there is a close relationship between grammar and style and (2) that formal writing must be carefully edited and polished. To those ends the committee recommends the following:

1. When the Director of English 101 has determined and communicated which sections of the handbook are to be covered on the grammar exam, the teacher should pass along such information to the students. The instructor could also help to organize a process by which this material may be profitably reviewed; one could, for example, establish a review schedule or give review quizzes.
2. The students and the instructor should bring to the attention of the class effective sentences from a variety of sources (including students' writing) and try to account for their power or felicity by referring to the grammar, rhetoric, and sense of such sentences in their contexts.
3. The instructor should make use of opportunities to apply grammatical structures to the composition of sentences. Exercises in sentence combining, practice in cumulative and periodic sentences, and imitation of model sentences are some ways to make the connection between grammar and style.
4. Some part of revision work could well be spent on the consideration of the rhetoric of the sentence and on the rhetorical role played by particular sentences. An instructor who directs the revision of sentences could make it clear when, for instance, a cumulative sentence or a sentence in balanced construction would do the best work in the context of a paragraph or essay, or when an absolute phrase or a series of phrases would lend strength or grace to a sentence.
5. Instructors should make it clear to students that any writing submitted as a formal, final product should conform to the standards of usage, punctuation, mechanics explained in the course handbook.

All students in English 101 take a 100-item grammar exam (the exam covers grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and usage) during the final exam for English 101.

The examination is prepared by the Director of English 101. Early in the semester, the Director informs teachers about the sections of the handbook to be covered on the examination. After composing a first draft of the examination, the Director asks several members of the department, most of whom are usually on the English 101 Committee, to help revise and edit the test. Once their corrections and suggestions are incorporated into the test, the secretary sees to it that sufficient copies of the test are available.

Answer sheets for the examination are scored by computer and assigned a grade based on a grading scheme created by the English 101 Committee. By departmental decision, the grade that students receive on the grammar examination must affect their final grade in English 101. Within the range of five and fifteen percent of the final grade, individual instructors may decide how much to weight the grade for the grammar exam.

Teacher Resources:

Crafting a Syllabus

Assigning Writing

Conferring With Students

Teaching Research in English 101

RIT-Research Information Technology Course

Supporting English 101 Students

Responding to Student Writing

Grading Essays in English 101

Teaching and Testing Grammar in English 101

Encouraging Inclusive Language

Minnaar Awards for Writing in English 101

Handling Plagiarism

Teaching in FAC 221

Resource Links:

Textbook Supplements

Teaching Writing to ESL Students

Research on the Teaching of College Writing

Conversations about the Teaching of Writing

Teaching in a Computer Classroom

Teaching Tips

Background on Classical Rhetoric