I just realized I didn't leave a question. My question for you all is how do you plan to grade grammar and punctuation as a teacher? I am curious to see what other people's though process on this is. Thanks!
Hey Kim, Byron here, telling you how I would grade grammar and punctuation. My pet peeve is spelling, which I classify as bad grammar. I always feel that grammar shouldn't distract from the objective or message a student is trying to impart, so I would never make grammar the entire grade. Rather, like we talked about in class, I would have grammar as simply one of many components students will learn via the process of writing and editing. I will certainly grade grammar, but I think grammar grades are always part of grading, but not necessarily the main thing to look at (unless it distracts from reading their paper or essay). Hope you had a great weekend!
I know that hyperactive correction is discouraging to students. Nothing gets a student down more than turning in a paper they put time and effort into, only to see it come back as a blur of red ink. Many if not all of us have been there, and I think the it discouraged people like us--future English majors--the most because it was a field of study that we cared about. Critique falls harder on students that take pride in the work they did. for this reason, grammar and punctuation grading is delicate territory. If I felt that i needed to say something regarding a student's grammar, in a way I'd prefer to talk to them in person about it rather than scribble all over their work, although I'm not sure how feasible this is in a school setting.
Remember what Cordeira says: Never mark punctuation errors in a student's absence. As for how to grade this component of writing, there are several options. We'll develop a list of them by the end of the semester (remind me if we don't!). But to give some ideas (or principles) here and now: Prioritize the list of the most stigmatized errors that your students are doing. Notice our list on the sideboard: apostrophes, fanboys, (so far.) Stick to those concepts for a semester, and have writing tables/groups check for them before they turn in final drafts. By the end of the semester, give them a separate grade based on their improvement in these selected areas. That's just one grade policy regarding grammar.
Hey Kim, Byron here, telling you how I would grade grammar and punctuation.
ReplyDeleteMy pet peeve is spelling, which I classify as bad grammar. I always feel that grammar shouldn't distract from the objective or message a student is trying to impart, so I would never make grammar the entire grade. Rather, like we talked about in class, I would have grammar as simply one of many components students will learn via the process of writing and editing. I will certainly grade grammar, but I think grammar grades are always part of grading, but not necessarily the main thing to look at (unless it distracts from reading their paper or essay). Hope you had a great weekend!
I know that hyperactive correction is discouraging to students. Nothing gets a student down more than turning in a paper they put time and effort into, only to see it come back as a blur of red ink. Many if not all of us have been there, and I think the it discouraged people like us--future English majors--the most because it was a field of study that we cared about. Critique falls harder on students that take pride in the work they did. for this reason, grammar and punctuation grading is delicate territory. If I felt that i needed to say something regarding a student's grammar, in a way I'd prefer to talk to them in person about it rather than scribble all over their work, although I'm not sure how feasible this is in a school setting.
ReplyDeleteRemember what Cordeira says: Never mark punctuation errors in a student's absence.
ReplyDeleteAs for how to grade this component of writing, there are several options. We'll develop a list of them by the end of the semester (remind me if we don't!). But to give some ideas (or principles) here and now:
Prioritize the list of the most stigmatized errors that your students are doing. Notice our list on the sideboard: apostrophes, fanboys, (so far.) Stick to those concepts for a semester, and have writing tables/groups check for them before they turn in final drafts. By the end of the semester, give them a separate grade based on their improvement in these selected areas.
That's just one grade policy regarding grammar.