Not Your Granny’s Grammar
An Innovative Approach to Meaningful and Engaging Grammar Instruction
Grades 2–8
Let's make grammar instruction exciting, relevant, and accessible for all learners!
Grammar is the forgotten foundational skill! It plays a critical role in helping students become skilled readers and writers. Yet, traditional approaches to teaching grammar, through drills and memorization, no longer resonate with students.
In today's fast-paced world, students need a more engaging and meaningful way to learn grammar that connects to their real-world experiences. That's where Not Your Granny's Grammar comes in—offering an innovative approach to teaching grammar that is both efficient and effective.
In this book, authors Patty McGee and Tim Donohue introduce Grammar Study, their classroom-tested approach that blends explicit instruction and inquiry to address the challenges and gaps in traditional grammar lessons. The book includes 40+ engaging and innovative, research-based lessons that are organized in flexible lesson progressions to provide teachers with easy-to-implement, fun, and learning-rich experiences for students in Grades 2-8.
Guiding educators step-by-step in nurturing grammar knowledge and usage for both themselves and their students, this book
- Offers lessons and strategies that allow students to study grammar in the context of everyday reading and writing
- Emphasizes that grammar is not a static set of rules but an ever-evolving system that differs from community to community
- Provides time management principles for teachers to creatively integrate meaningful grammar instruction into their literacy or ELA block
- Highlights the importance of grammar in writing and clarifies the difference between spoken and written grammar
- Includes a robust grammar refresher to help teachers feel more confident in their grammar knowledge as well as an appendix showing alignment with Common Core Standards
Drawing from the science of writing, Not Your Granny's Grammar revolutionizes grammar instruction so teachers can help students build actionable and detailed grammar knowledge and skills that enrich their academic writing for years to come.
For teachers who are grammar nerds—or who are searching for engaging ways to study grammar with their children—Patty McGee and Timothy Donahue’s Not Your Granny’s Grammar supports grammar instruction in a fresh, inquiry-based way that will help students become fascinated by a subject that has traditionally been dry and yawn-producing. I think even my granny would have enjoyed their approach!
Grammar matters! Readers judge your written ideas more harshly when grammar miscues are evident. Not Your Granny’s Grammar provides an antidote to this problem by presenting powerful ideas for effectively teaching grammar.
Patty and Tim’s approach to teaching grammar is a game-changer! Flexible and adaptable, it seamlessly integrates into any subject, transforming grammar instruction into an engaging and effective experience. Teachers in our district have seen firsthand how it boosts student engagement, deepens understanding, and streamlines instruction into a dynamic process that fosters curiosity, creativity, and a love for language.
FANBOYS, sentence destroyers, and dangling modifiers, oh my! If teaching grammar conjures up images of worksheets, perplexing rules, and sleepy students seated at their desks, renew or discover your love of language with this book that unlocks the treasure everyday grammarians possess. Get everything you need to solve the mysteries of grammar. Ready to meet each teacher where they are now on their grammar journey with humility and ease, Not Your Granny’s Grammar is a rich tapestry of critical research, suggested curricular and lesson sequence, and approachable hands-on authentic grammar immersion, promising gains as you interact with your students in discovery and play. Patty and Tim partner up to warmly welcome each of us into a very real, practical, and sustainable relationship with grammar. Easily work grammar into instruction with minimal time commitment and a reverence for teaching as an art, and marvel with students as their playful grammarian moves emerge in their writing.
McGee and Donohue's approach to grammar study cultivates deep engagement with language. It invites us to reimagine grammar instruction—punctuated with playfulness and inquiry. Grounded in research and designed for real classrooms, Not Your Granny’s Grammar is the essential playbook for instructional transformation.
Grammar is ready for her classroom spotlight! Patty and Tim’s refreshing guide reimagines grammar instruction with humor, research-backed strategies, and real classroom wisdom. Equally valuable as a cover-to-cover read or curricular resource, it offers both veteran and new teachers a practical, learner-led approach to teaching grammar that actually works to engage students.
Put away your red pens and save your students from the drudgery of out-of-context worksheets. Not Your Granny’s Grammar delivers a roadmap for teachers to provide plenty of playful practice as they work with their students to become powerful writers for the widest possible audience.
Teaching grammar requires a delicate balance between being explicit and allowing space for exploration. This resource beautifully achieves that balance, providing authentic, meaningful, and easy-to-implement strategies. McGee and Donahue’s intentionality in clarifying the “why” behind grammar instruction is immensely valuable and empowering. This is an essential tool for educators dedicated to helping all students thrive!
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