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The authors consider what grammatical concepts and correctness issues are most worth teaching andhow to teach those concepts and issues deeply.They explain how to understand the causes of students' errors, how to address those causes through authentic and engaging activities, and how teachers can work together to increase their effectiveness.They provide both guiding principles and plenty of examples that readers will be able to employ immediately For use with Grades 4 & Up. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Classroom Tool
I bought this book for my daughter who is a high school Language Arts teacher.She said that she would definitely use it in her classroom.

Excellent theory / less useful for practice
I find the authors' opinions and the research they use to back them up very persuasive.I liked the practical classroom examples as well.I would have appreciated more of the latter.For example, I read the book through during my semester break, and then returned to it recently as I prepped for a class, hoping to find specific ideas for handling run-on sentences.I couldn't find much beyond some sentence combining examples that were not appropriate to my class, and I couldn't even find "run on" (or "comma splice" or "fused sentences") in the index.That's fine -- I'm designing my own, and there are plenty to be found online too -- but I would have enjoyed having some more practical help at hand. So I'm glad I read it, and I have adjusted my approach to grammar instruction at least partly as a result of that reading, but I'm not sure I really need to keep it on my shelf for future reference.By the way, I'm teaching at the college level now after teaching at the high school level before, and I think the book is applicable to both settings.

A Must-Have Resource for English Teachers
This is, without question, the best resource I've ever found for teaching grammar.After years of trying to find the right way to help my students "get it," I have finally found my answer.They take every idea I have ever had about teaching grammar and effectively created PRACTICAL and backed-by-research strategies for the English classroom. They also question what constitutes proper English -- and who says so.I read it all the way through, then started over with my highlighter!

Buy it now-- you will use this grammar guide!
These guys are amazing.When I first reviewed this book, I found myself taking notes in the margins, underlining a ton, and then thinking about how I could use all that they suggest.This is the one "How to teach grammar" guide I have actually kept on my desk year-long.They narrow the 200+ "rules" down to the essentials and then show models of how best to teach grammar in the context of student writing.You will find yourself dog-earring and then dog-earring the dog-ears.

Grammar?All Errors Are Not Created Equal
Each year teachers are amazed at how little their students know about grammar, usage, and correctness."Why don't you know this?" they ask their students."Didn't your teacher TEACH you this last year?"Blank expressions on their faces, the kids shake their heads "no," but a visit to last year's teacher brings indignation."I certainly DID teach them (fill in the blank with your favorite grammar term)!" she says testily -- or quizzically, depending on her mood.

Sound familiar?It does to me, which is why I bought GETTING IT RIGHT.After years of frustration with "Teflon Grammatical Memory Syndrome" and with correcting a gazillion errors on a gajillion student papers, I looked to two familiar names -- Michael Smith and Jeffrey Wilhelm -- for answers.I wasn't disappointed.

Smith and Wilhelm start with conclusive research that the teaching of grammar in isolation does not work.Then they roll up their sleeves to show us what DOES work.Essentially they argue that it is a depth vs. breadth issue when it comes to grammar.Rather than trying to teach everything, teachers should focus on what's important and most likely to benefit the students in the long run.Their two justifications for teaching a term? "1. The term is so commonly used that teachers, texts, and tests presume that students know it.2.The term is essential to being able to explain an important issue of style or correctness."

Boiling the vast world of grammar minutiae down to 16 basic terms/concepts, Smith and Wilhelm demonstrate creative ways to teach them based on their own experiences as well as those of student teachers who have worked under their tutelage.The practical ideas will be invaluable to teachers looking for new methods of reaching their kids in this most challenging of tasks.Prompts and handout examples are provided, along with samples of typical student errors and ways to help students learn from them.

Teachers will especially appreciate the section called "A Model Sequence: Learning to Proofread."Here the authors have mercy by telling teachers to free themselves of their shackles.Circling every error on every paper is NOT productive (unless improving your own editing skills while your kids learn nothing counts as "productive").Instead, teachers should model proofreading and provide practice on carefully selected concepts, then serve as mentors by teaching specific skills and having students serve as their own editors by focusing on errors related to those skills only.Also, peer proofreading ideas that work are spelled out -- one in particular that involves creative use of the TV series CSI.Here it means "Correct Sentence Investigators" -- and yes, the proofreaders are "agents" and the errors are the "crime" (meaning you're about to witness the unlikely marriage of "fun" and "editing").

Buy it.Read it.Use it.Most importantly, it will help your students become better writers and self-editors; less importantly (but still worthy of your consideration!) YOU will feel a little more sane and a lot more effective when you send your kids off to the next grade where they might just surprise their new teacher by saying, "Participles?Yeah, we actually DID learn how to use THEM last year!"

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Product Description
ENGLISH 2200, ENGLISH 2600, and ENGLISH 3200 are the original programmed courses in grammar, usage, sentence-building, capitalization, and punctuation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Essential Writing Tool
English 2600 is a wonderful tool to help refresh the thing you learned years ago. The technique used to teach is a repetitive sequence that after awhile the information stays with you. I will hang on to this book to help refresh my children's teaching as they get older. Authors could benefit from having this book in their possession.

Great Buy
This was a great price.It took awhile to arive but still a ggod deal.

English 2600 with Writing Applications
Complicated textbook to follow page by page. Yet, a terrific book when it comes to learning the fundamentals of english.

English 2600
I have used an older version of this book for years.It takes a subject and explains it in the most simple form, and gradually moves to a more advanced level so that the reader fully comprehends the subject matter.The format for the book is unique from any other book that I have used.This is without a doubt the best book that I have ever used for students who need English, grammar, and sentence structure starting at the basic level.

Teaching English as a Second Language
As a teacher in Japan, for students who have a fairly large vocabulary, this is an excellent book. Sometimes we need to go to the dictionary to learn a new word, but the explainations of why and how these elements areused is very helpful. My students feel like winners when they complete achapter.However, I am using the older edition without the writingapplication from my own highschool days. ... Read more

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This English grammar and usage primer is ideal for non-native speakers and those wishing to improve basic skills. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on the actual writing and speaking styles of leading business executives worldwide, this book features easy-to-follow instructions and techniques for preparing polished written documents and writing and speaking in an articulate manner. Focusing on how leading business professionals really communicate, the basics of writing and speaking, including traditional grammar and speaking dos and don'ts, are covered. Examined are the particular styles in which business professionals communicate with each other and how to develop a personal professional style. Featured are special sections on writing memos, offer letters, e-mails, and other business documents that business professionals need to master. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Fantastic service!
My package came promply and was packed nice and tight. I'm very happy with the level service.

The Service
I was very pleased with the shipping service of this item. This book was shipped beforeanother book that I had ordered by expedited shipping. I am very pleased with the service. Thank you.

Influential communication
The contents of this book will assist all who use it to eliminate the common errors associated with daily communication. Great advice on e-mail brevity, selecting the proper word etc. Well worth reading.

Great Book for Business Professionals
This is the one book every business professional should have on (or near) their desk. It's concise nature lends itself to a perfect reference for writing and speaking in a very polished manner. Also especially helpful are the "do's and don'ts" of business grammar. ... Read more

Product Description
Freelance editor Kathy Ide highlights the most common mistakes writers make in the areas of Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling-"PUGS"-using the industry-standard resources for book and article manuscripts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent reference book!
I use this book all the time when I am revising and editing my writing. Kathy has broken down the chapters into very user-friendly formats. A definite buy for every writer.

Lifesaver!
Polishing the PUGS is an absolute lifesaver for quick reference, and it's far easier to use than most style books.

But keep in mind: It's not as comprehensive as the style books, either.

Use it as intended. Quick reference.

Great resource for writers!
This is a fabulous resource for writers--sort of a "best of" everything The Chicago Manual of Style, Strunk's Elements of Style and other standard manuals on writing, all compiled into one easy reference spot. My favorite feature is the blank space at the end of each section for you to make notes about your own pet PUG peeves. I just got my copy and I've already added several spelling words to the blank space in the "commonly misspelled words" section: squat, squash, parallel, peeve, prejudice, weirdand misspelled, for starters. Those words always seem to trick me to the point I can't even find them in the dictionary. With this book, everything is at your fingertips in a well-organized fashion. I predict I'll wear out this copy within the year. ... Read more

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The Right Handbook: demonstrates the complexity of grammar and usage issues and shows how to solve problems by using real writing demystifies the rules of "rightness" in a pragmatic, humorous way allows for quick reference with an easy-to-read format. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

The first guide I grab when a question arises
I have a shelf full of style and usage guides (I'm a writer and translator by profession), and this is the first one I reach for when I have a question. The explanations are clear, reasonable, and cover both UK and US usage. The author strikes a fine balance between prescriptive and descriptive standards, and in some cases explains the arguments in favor of competing norms. I recommend this book highly. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (18)

Great Resourse
I wish I could use this better in my classroom.Unfortunately, I have little control over what I teach.

Children Learn from Quality Examples
Mechanically Inclined is a MUST HAVE RESOURCE for any teachers of writing from kindergarten through college.Here's the gist:children learn to write from analyzing quality examples of published writing.Students learn the mechanics of our written language by "trying on" skills they see authors use.

The Skills Side of Writing Workshop
So many teachers new to Writing Workshop (aka Writers Workshop) think that it's just a free-for-all time of creative, non-directed writing. So far from the truth! The best teachers infuse mini-lessons which develop the writer's craft and skill set, and bring about real improvements in grammar, usage, and editing skills. For the teacher seeking to do this, Mechanically Inclined is highly recommended. You'll find yourself amazed that langauage arts skills can integrate so easily into your writing program, without sacrificing student creativity.

Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage, and Style into Writer's Workshop
A must have book if you are teaching writing.It provides a novel approach to teaching grammar in context with rich literature. It is a book of great examples and wonderfully rich excerpts from literature. It is a book that may be used with fourth graders as well as students in junior high and high school. My students love his cleverness.We laugh as we learn together. Great!

Best Buy
I'm a glutton for books on education, and I can comfortably say that this is hands-down the most practical, entertaining, and useful book I read in 2008.While I was still reading the book I was able to implement some of Anderson's ideas in my own classroom.He's a middle school teacher but I adapt many of his lesson ideas for my third grade class.He answered every question and eased my discomfort about teaching structure in a fluidly structured environment like writer's workshop.Well done in striking the balance between squelching student ideas and squeaking by with any old slop. ... Read more

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180 activities - one for each school day Introduces different parts of speech, good sentence structure, and other grammar essentials Makes even complicated concepts accessible Encourages students to remember and use grammar elements correctly ... Read more

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Guided Practice in Grammer, Usage, Mechanics. ... Read more

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This is a reference grammar for teachers and learners of English. The material in the book is presented alphabetically in a dictionary-like format. It contains over 600 entries, which are of three kinds: common words which have a grammatical function, such as more, the, what, do, by, can; terms used in talking about grammar, such as indirect object, pronoun, tag question; and language areas not normally included in a grammar, for example, greetings, introductions, punctuations, letter writing. The book is cross-referenced and includes notes on register, intonation and British and US usage. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good book, isn't it?
I'm a learner of English as a second language, so this book is very good for me to find out what I need when I have problems with my English. The explaination of each entry is very easy to understand and it is easy tolook up... So, this is the book I need for my better English. ... Read more

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Dozens and dozens of fun, attention-getting practice pages help students in grades 3-6 along the path to becoming more confident writers and readers. This book provides exactly the repeated practice students need to hone essential grammar, usage, and mechanics skills. Topics include parts of speech, punctuation, overused words, and much more. Flexible and easy to use-for homework or in school. Also a great way to boost vocabularies! For use with Grades 3-6. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The "AIN'T Book"?
This book is out of print, and no images exist on Amazon, but just in case someone is looking for it: I believe this is the book with A I N T in blocks on the cover.(Reference to Robert Indiana's L O V E sculpture?)This particular grammar/spelling/usage book is convenient because one can look up actual examples, e.g. looking in the W's for "was/were" instead of having to know that you ought to look up "subjunctive".Wikipedia and the Internet are great, but sooo malleable.When looking for rules, about what is really nothing more than convention, there's nothing so conventional as a 30-year-old reference book!This one isn't comprehensive, but it's easy-to-use: I turn to it first. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful!
I have boys that struggle with language arts in school so what I've done is pick questions out of this book and make my boys answer them.It's a quick review and it has helped them tremendously when it comes down to testing for the state test. ... Read more