TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching and Learning Update: 

A Whole-school Focus on Grammar and Punctuation

Hi everyone,

This year, we have introduced a Scope and Sequence of grammar and punctuation skills, in order to enable really explicit teaching of sentence structure. 

Our Scope and Sequence draws on the Victorian Curriculum and the evidence-based approach, The Writing Revolution (website here). One of the six foundational principles of writing instruction is that sentences are the building blocks of all writing. This is a focus across the school at the moment, as we teach our students the vocabulary and skills to construct a grammatically-correct sentence. It takes explicit teaching, multiple exposures and in-context practise for these skills to become evident in students’ writing.

In line with this whole-school focus, you may notice some commentary around grammar and punctuation in your child’s Semester 1 Report. In the ‘general comment’ section, the teachers will be specific about the next step for each student's understanding of sentence structure. 

Below is a snapshot of the teaching being delivered in our classrooms, so you can also pick up errors at home…

What makes a full sentence?

A full sentence needs a subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a predicate (what the subject is doing or being). 

Eg: Mrs Gorski ate the avocado.

This is an example of a full, simple sentence, as it only has one subject and one predicate. It is also known as an independent clause, as it can stand alone as a full sentence. 

Run-on sentences

A run-on sentence is when two clauses are joined without the appropriate punctuation. Examples we see a lot in our students’ writing include: 

• Two independent clauses without any punctuation between them (eg: Mrs Law is very kind and patient she is such a good teacher.)
• Two independent clauses joined with a comma (eg: Mrs Murdoch teaches us on Monday to Thursday, Mrs Free teaches us on Friday.)

These sentences can be fixed in a number of ways, including: 

1. Using a full stop to separate the two independent clauses into two full sentences
2. Adding a comma and a conjunction between the two clauses (eg: Mrs Law is very kind and patient, so she is such a good teacher.)
3. Adding a semicolon between the two independent clauses (eg: Mrs Murdoch teaches us on Monday to Thursday; Mrs Free teaches us on Friday.)

Compound and complex sentences

A compound sentence has at least two independent clauses, which are joined with a FANBOYS conjunction: 

Eg: Mr McMahon was out of milk, so he went to the shops. 

A complex sentence includes an independent clause and a subordinate / dependent clause (underlined below), linked with a subordinating conjunction: 

Eg: While Mrs Barton was out for a walk, she noticed the fog lifting.

We’ve noticed some really positive growth in the way our students express themselves when writing, so we look forward to seeing what they achieve throughout the year’s remainder.

If you’re really into this, feel free to send me an email with any grammatical errors I’ve made above! 

See you soon,

Louisa Di Pietro

Deputy Principal - Teaching, Learning and Diversity