Archive
Tag: Mark Pennington
Grammar in the Writing Context
For years teachers have heard that grammar must be taught in the writing context. Or replace grammar with writing skills, vocabulary, spelling, or even reading. I would argue that reinforced or practiced or applied might be…
Writing Feedback Research
Since the burden (and privilege) of teaching writing falls so exclusively on the teacher or workplace supervisor, it makes sense to learn what works from the…
High School Teaching Grammar and Mechanics
Preview the most comprehensive, standards-based grammar program for high school: Cornell Notes, links, mentor texts, worksheets, sentence diagrams, and tests.
Reading Fluency Placement and Practice
Animal Fluency Articles are available as YouTube videos for individualized fluency instruction. Each article has been recorded at three different reading speeds (Level A at 95-115 words…
Should We Teach High Frequency Words?
My take is that teaching (or more likely practicing and testing) long lists of high frequency reading words (the sight words or tricky words depending upon one's side of the Atlantic) or…
Vague Pronoun References
A vague pronoun does not clearly identify its antecedent. An antecedent is the noun or pronoun that the pronoun refers to or re-names. Vague pronouns usually…
Double Negatives
One form of Non-standard English is the double negative. In Non-standard English the double negative is used to emphasize the negative; however, in Standard English the…
Formulaic Phrases
In both formulaic phrases and idioms, the individual words may not mean exactly what they say. Both types of expressions often suggest, but do not state,…