false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178694857m/823089.jpg 823089 1 <DIV><p>Some teachers love grammar and some hate it, but nearly all struggle to find ways of making the mechanics of English meaningful to kids. As a middle school teacher, Jeff Anderson also discovered that his students were not grasping the basics, and that it was preventing them from reaching their potential as writers. Jeff readily admits, “I am not a grammarian, nor am I punctilious about anything,” so he began researching and testing the ideas of scores of grammar experts in his classroom, gradually finding successful ways of integrating grammar instruction into writer's workshop.</p><p><I>Mechanically Inclined</I> is the culmination of years of experimentation that merges the best of writer's workshop elements with relevant theory about how and why skills should be taught. It connects theory about using grammar in context with practical instructional strategies, explains why kids often don't understand or apply grammar and mechanics correctly, focuses on attending to the “high payoff,” or most common errors in student writing, and shows how to carefully construct a workshop environment that can best support grammar and mechanics concepts. Jeff emphasizes four key elements in his teaching:<ul><li>short daily instruction in grammar and mechanics within writer's workshop;</li><li>using high-quality mentor texts to teach grammar and mechanics in context;</li><li>visual scaffolds, including wall charts, and visual cues that can be pasted into writer's notebooks;</li><li>regular, short routines, like “express-lane edits,” that help students spot and correct errors automatically.</li></ul><p>Comprising an overview of the research-based context for grammar instruction, a series of over thirty detailed lessons, and an appendix of helpful forms and instructional tools, <I>Mechanically Inclined</I> is a boon to teachers regardless of their level of grammar-phobia. It shifts the negative, rule-plagued emphasis of much grammar instruction into one which celebrates the power and beauty these tools have in shaping all forms of writing.</p></DIV> 808887 1 11 2005 Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage, And Style into Writer's Workshop total:47|5:21|4:18|3:7|2:1|1:0| 47 200 96 19 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Oct 24 07:59:31 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 24 08:00:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 11 11:05:52 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 11 11:15:36 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 02 15:30:51 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 02 15:35:05 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Oct 26 18:29:45 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 18:33:51 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 19:30:59 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 19:32:11 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Mar 21 19:16:06 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 21 19:16:47 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 23 18:27:31 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 23 18:31:44 -0700 2007 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Jul 22 15:19:19 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 15:19:34 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Tue Sep 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 12:04:41 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 12:31:06 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 13 17:47:19 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 23 10:33:20 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon May 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Nov 28 11:30:26 -0800 2008 Mon May 04 17:11:13 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Feb 23 14:18:52 -0800 2009 Fri Oct 03 18:10:20 -0700 2008 Mon Feb 23 14:18:52 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu May 08 10:21:37 -0700 2008 Tue May 20 08:52:19 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Aug 02 21:33:39 -0700 2007 Tue Apr 22 12:33:31 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Fri Sep 04 04:15:23 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 05 13:41:42 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 04 04:15:23 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jul 03 07:44:35 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 03 07:44:56 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri May 30 20:37:16 -0700 2008 Fri May 30 20:38:39 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 15 17:30:37 -0800 2007 Thu Jun 19 16:54:48 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon Sep 24 15:05:00 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 24 15:21:55 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Wed Nov 18 07:13:14 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 07:13:14 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=823089