Why teach grammar?

25.2.16

The purpose of grammar

Understanding grammar helps children to produce writing that is:

• more coherent, cohesive and sustained

• more lucid and precise

• more varied, balanced and surprising

• more economical

Learning the language of writing

• Good writing uses the sentence construction, vocabulary and language patterns of books, not of speech.

• We need to help children to write as they read, not as they speak.

Learning how to write

Learning how to write involves:

• Getting the ‘feel of a sentence’ and how to write texts in sentences (including punctuation)

• Knowing how to include relevant detail (to fill in the background for your reader)

Teacher Assessment Key Stage 1

Performance descriptors

Writing • Working at greater depth within the expected

standard

• Working at the expected standard

• Working towards the expected standard

Teacher Assessment: Performance Descriptors

Profile of marks by content area

Paper Element of content domain

No. of marks Percentage of total marks

Paper 1: Questions

Grammar 25 - 35 36 - 50%

Punctuation 10 - 20 14 - 29%

Vocabulary 3 - 7 4 - 10%

Paper 2: Spelling

Spelling 20 29%

Total 70

Grammar terminology

Grammar and Punctuation Terminology

The 2014 curriculum sets out exactly which terminology children will be expected to be familiar with in each Year group.

This is important because …

the test setters can use any terminology that should have been introduced.

So the Key Stage 1 test will include terminology from Years 1 – 2.

Paper 2: Grammatical terms/word

classes

Terminology

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

Grammar Punctuation Grammar Punctuation Grammar Punctuation

letter punctuation noun apostrophe preposition speech marks

word capital letter noun phrase comma conjunction

singular full stop statement word family

plural question mark question prefix

sentence exclamation mark

exclamation clause

command subordinate clause

compound direct speech

suffix consonant

adjective consonant letter vowel

adverb vowel

verb

tense (past, present)

Key Stage 1

Paper 2: Grammar, Punctuation

and Vocabulary

KS1 Coverage

• nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs

• statements, questions, commands and exclamations

• coordinating conjunctions: or, and, but

• subordinating conjunctions: when, if, because, that

• combining words to form phrases, clauses and sentences

Who teaches …

• present and past tense of verbs (including present and past progressive tenses – is sitting/was sitting)

• standard English subject-verb agreement (e.g. we were as opposed to we was)

• that un- can change the meaning of some words (happy/unhappy)

• nouns and adjectives e.g. small/smaller/smallest and read/reader

Who teaches …

• Regular plural noun suffixes –s or –es including the effect

of these suffixes on the meaning of the noun

• Suffixes that can be added to verbs where no change is

needed to the spelling of the root word

• Suffixes added to words ending in ‘y’ or ‘e’

• Formation of nouns using suffixes such as –ness, -er and

by compounding

• Formation of adjectives using suffixes such as –ful, -less

Who teaches …

• full stop, question mark and exclamation mark

• capital letter to start a sentence, for names and for the personal pronoun ‘I’

• commas in a list of single words

• apostrophe to show where a letter is missing e.g. (don’t)

• apostrophe to show something belongs to someone e.g. (Jamal’s coat)

• Teachers may choose to read the questions aloud with a pupil, small group of pupils or the whole class.

Paper 2: Grammar, Punctuation and Vocabulary

Brush up your grammar:

Word Classes

Word Classes

Noun (Y2) Adjective (Y2)

Verb (Y2) Adverb (Y2)

bigdog

Rover

barked slowly

then

away

and

when

because

Conjunction (Y2/3)

Parts of Speech: Nouns (Y2 terminology)

• Nouns name people, places and things: Jim/Crufts/dog.

• Nouns are the subject of verbs: The dog slept.

• You can put ‘the’ in front of a noun (you don’t have to,

but you can): The dog slept.

• Nouns can be singular or plural: dog/dogs.

• A noun may be in a noun phrase with other words that

help to modify the noun: A big, friendly dog can make a

good pet.

Y2 Sample Question:Nouns

Circle the three nouns in the sentence below.

A whale has an enormous heart that can weigh as much as a small car.

A whale has an enormous heart that can weigh as much as a small car.

Y2 Sample Question:Nouns

Why do the underlined words start with a capital letter?

King Fred had a party at Greystone Palace on Sundayafternoon.

Y2 Sample Question:Adjectives

What type of word is brave in the sentence below?

The brave mouse marched up to the lion.

an adverb

an adjective

a verb

a noun

Verbs

Parts of Speech: Verbs (Y2 terminology)

• Verbs indicate an action or a state of being: The dog barked.

• Verbs have tenses: present/past: The dog barks/The dog barked/.

• There are many other tenses of the verb. These consist of two or more words which make a verb phrase: was barking/is barking. The ‘extra’ words are called ‘auxiliary’ verbs.

• Suffixes ‘ing’ and ‘ed’ are added to verbs to change the tense.

Y2 Sample Question:Verbs

Circle the verbs in the sentence below.

Yesterday was the school sports day and Jo wore her new running shoes.

Yesterday was the school sports day and Jo wore her new running shoes.

Y2 Sample Question:Verb Tense

Tick to show whether each sentence is the past tense or the present tense.

Sentence Past tense Present tense

Becky was thinking.

I am reading my book.

Jo is going for a walk.

Adverbs

Adverbs

Adverbs tell us more about verbs.

They describe how actions are done or how things happen.

She ran fast.

The car swerved dangerously.

Y2 Sample Question:Adverbs

What type of word is underlined in the sentence below?

Poppy held the baby rabbit gently in her arms.

Tick one

an adjective

an adverb

a noun

a verb

Conjunctions

Conjunctions (Y3 terminology - but Y2 comprehension)

A conjunction connects sentences or clauses.

Co-ordinating conjunctions connect:

words: dogs and cats;

phrases: the rescue dogs or the homeless cats;

sentences: The dogs escaped but the cats were caught.

(When two equal sentences are joined by a conjunction they become a compound sentence.)

Conjunctions

N.B. Children in Years 1 and 2 are not expected to know the term: conjunction.

But they are expected to understand how conjunctions are used in sentences.

Function of sentences

Y2 Sample Question: Function of Sentences

Read the sentences below.

Growing BeansPlace some damp cotton wool in a jar.Push a bean seed down against the side of the jar.Wait for the bean seed to sprout.

Tick the word that best describes these sentences.Tick one

statements

questions

commands

exclamations

Y2 Sample Question:Function of Sentences

Tick the sentence that is a statement.

What an interesting painting!

Can you collect the crayons, please?

James washed the paintbrushes.

Check that your tables are clean.

Punctuation

Y2 Sample Question:Contractions to Show Omission

Draw lines to match the groups of words that have the same meaning.

One has been done for you.

I will

You have

it is

did not

it’s

I’ll

didn’t

you’ve

Y2 Sample Question:Punctuation

Look at where the arrow is pointing.

The children went home Josh had enjoyed his party.

Which punctuation mark is missing?

comma

question mark

apostrophe

full stop

Y2 Sample Question:Commas in a List

Tick one box to show where a comma should go in the sentence below.

Tick one.

Aisha found some red blue and purple beads in the box.

Y2 Sample Question:Apostrophe

Write the words I am as one word, using an apostrophe.

_________________ going to the shops soon.

Y2 Sample Question: Question/Punctuation

Joe wanted to buy a present. He asked his mum if Gran

would like flowers.

Write Joe’s question to his mum in the speech bubble.

Remember to use correct punctuation.

____________________________________________________________

Apostrophes

Apostrophes have two roles in grammar:

1. To indication omission - contractions

2. To indicate possession

Apostrophes to indicate omission (contractions)

Missing ‘o’ Missing ‘a’ Missing ‘wi’

Missing ‘i’ Missing ‘ha’

Missing ‘u’

didn’t I’m he’ll who’s I’ve let’s

aren’t you’re she’ll where’s you’ve

couldn’t they’re we’ll what’s they’ve

shouldn’t we’re they’ll it’s we’ve

wouldn’t you’ll she’s who’d

isn’t I’ll he’s you’d

doesn’t that’s he’d

hasn’t there’s she’d

haven’t I’d

mustn’t we’d

weren’t

Summary for KS1

Bad News: The tests are definitely coming!

Good News: The requirements are very little beyond what we would automatically cover in KS1.

o Slightly more emphasis on sentence accuracy

o A bit more fussy about written Standard English

o Slight raising of the bar in spelling

Summary

oGrammar is FUN!

oRepeat after me: Grammar is FUN!

oChildren are not daunted by terminology

http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/literacy2.htm#nouns

http://www.funenglishgames.com/grammargames/conjunction.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/literacy/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2016-key-stage-1-english-grammar-punctuation-and-spelling-sample-test-materials-mark-scheme-and-test-administration-instructions