So often, grammar instruction focuses on getting students to follow the rules. But one of the most powerful ways to scaffold writing is helping students use grammar to make meaningful authorial choices.
That might mean deciding:
• which verb is most powerful in a persuasive sentence
• which sentence structure best creates tension in a creative piece
• or how punctuation changes the rhythm and impact of a paragraph
Here’s another simple idea: sentence study.
In this activity (see attached image), students are given a short creative paragraph with the punctuation removed. Their task isn’t to find one “correct” answer — it’s to make choices about how the writing should sound and feel.
Where punctuation is missing, students can choose between:
• Full stop — creates a short, punchy sentence and forces the reader to pause. However, too many can make writing feel choppy.
• Comma — keeps ideas flowing and pulls the reader forward. However, it can sometimes blur ideas together that would hit harder separately.
• “And” — links ideas together as equally important. However, overused, it can make writing feel repetitive or list-like.
Once students have made their choices, we discuss them as a class:
Why did you choose that structure?
What effect does it create?
How would the feeling change if the punctuation changed?
Activities like this help students become more conscious of grammar as a tool for shaping meaning — not just a set of rules to follow.
For lots more activities like this, come along to our PD on Scaffolding grammar and punctuation in the secondary English classroom (via Zoom).
