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Downunder Literature |
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Punctuation and Grammar
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Providing homeschool resources of enduring value |
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Until the 18th century, punctuation was closely related to spoken delivery, but in more recent times it has been based mainly on grammatical structure. There are two styles of punctuation in practice, open punctuation (light), and close punctuation (heavy). The close style is favoured in America. In Australian schools open punctuation is taught. This has less punctuation than the closed style and uses only the punctuation that is necessary to prevent misreading. Some of the rules that apply when using a closed style of punctuation are not applicable when using the open punctuation style. In open punctuation, addresses and contractions, such as ‘Mr’, are stripped of punctuation. The number of commas is reduced in the body of the text and paragraph indents are replaced by double ‘carriage returns’ (or line spaces). With open punctuation it is often a matter of good judgment and ease of reading that helps determine if a passage is correct. When preparing the dictation passage examine the punctuation used and ask your students questions about specific punctuation marks. Have them read aloud the passage, paying attention to pause when the punctuation indicates. Remind them that they need to study not only the spelling of words, but also the punctuation used. The way you read a passage will help them work out the natural pauses for commas and full stops. You should work towards giving no punctuation prompts during dictation. There are many punctuation rules to learn, some are very complex, and of course there are always the exceptions. Focus on the basics and make sure you have a good reference. Grammar is the way we describe our language. It gives us the infrastructure for creative writing and for learning a second language. In the 1970s, grammar was removed from the Australian and New Zealand curriculums because, it was believed, too much emphasis was being placed on the formal aspects of the language and not enough on creativity. Some believe falling literacy standards are a direct result of this decision. Whether or not this is the case —grammar is back on the curriculum for Australian and New Zealand primary children. To teach grammar in the midst of quality literature is an effective way of approaching this topic. An essential in teaching this area is a good grammar reference. Familiarising your student with this grammar reference will be a valuable skill, which will help you and your student find out definitions and correct grammar usage. Many intensive grammar programs exist to help consolidate this subject.
This is an excerpt taken from Downunder Dictation and Teacher’s Guide |
