teaching with writing

grammar & mechanics

Many instructors perceive that they should spend considerable time teaching correct grammar and usage. Studies tell us, however, that spending lots of time on explicit grammar instruction is less effective than brief and focused work on "surface" issues in the writing in which students are currently engaged and at an appropriate time in the process.

In this section, we provide resources on how to teach grammar and mechanics in courses across the curriculum.

approaches to teaching grammar & mechanics

What's Grammar Got to Do with It?: The Whys & Hows of Working with Issues of Correctness in Writing

Prioritization of Common Sentence-Level Errors

Responding to Non-Native Speakers of English

Quick Suggestions for Helping Non-Native Writers

High Order Concerns and Low Order Concerns (OWL Purdue)

Overcoming Writing Errors (University of Hawaii, Mānoa)

samples of grammar & mechanics teaching handouts

Twelve Common Errors: An Editing Checklist

Humorous Reminders of Common Writing Mistakes

Quicktips: Student Writing Support

Proofreading Strategies (OWL Purdue)

Proofreading Your Work (OWL Purdue)

support

for teaching
Schedule individual consultations and attend our workshops and seminars.

for student writers
Students can schedule one-to-one consultations and download handouts about style and grammar, punctuation, the writing process, and documentation.