Thinking Thursday: Grammar and Spelling

I am in a "just wondering" frame of mind today. I would really be curious to hear comments from other language arts instructors from all levels of education on the topic of the changing curricular focus over the last few decades in reading, writing, spelling and grammar. What truly concerns me is the de-emphasis on spelling and grammar as directly taught topics. I remember receiving (and giving, as a classroom teacher) grades in Spelling and English on the quarterly report card. (GASP! I said "grades". That's right. We don't want to do THAT anymore, either. I think I'll save comments on the grading system in today's school for another Thinking Thursday. Otherwise, this will become an incredibly long post.)

I do see the value in combining reading, writing, listening and speaking into a single curricular heading. However, it feels like direct instruction in spelling and grammar got pushed WAY to the back, and this discourages me. The point of combining the language arts is to give the individual topics more relevance (i.e. learn to spell words from the books/topics that you are currently reading),. To think that you are "covered" when these areas are glossed over, however, seems naive. We may not have the curricular minutes to drill and skill the parts of speech or spelling lists that a teacher in the 1950s had, but to eliminate them almost entirely is a disservice to the learning community at large. Do you know how many times intermediate students I teach cannot instantly tell me the difference between a noun and a verb when asked? Are they able to give a definition or example of either? I am concerned. How can they read, write and communicate more effectively if the terms and tools of the trade are not firmly in place by these years?

Mechanics, doctors, astronauts, lawyers, athletes and every other profession that you can name has its jargon -- words particular to being able to "talk the talk" and perform the work. In the early years of education, I firmly believe that there is a need for direct, explicit instruction in spelling patterns, parts of speech, punctuation usage and other language arts topics. Yes, I am talking "worksheets" here. You can be modern about it all. Save the paper. Increase the interest. Convert them to webpages and SmartBoard activities. Just do it. We certainly do not communicate less than we used to in this connected 21st century world. Let's cut those minutes somewhere else, like from the glut of PSSA testing preparation minutes. Whoops! Did I say that out loud?

You bet that I did. That IS definitely a topic for another Thursday, however.