Dean's Desk: Teaching Grammar

At Regents School, one of our goals is to graduate students who communicate well both as eloquent speakers and skilled writers. Competent writing begins with a solid foundation in English grammar, and English grammar is one of the students’ favorite subjects in Grammar School! Students love to incorporate rhythm, rhyme, and movement by chanting grammar rules. Jingles are a great way to memorize the attributes of a noun, the characteristics of a sentence, and recall 49 prepositions as our third graders demonstrate below.

Students not only sing jingles; they also learn to identify and label the parts of a sentence by analyzing the function of each word. The question and answer flow, as shown by our fourth graders below, helps grow the students’ understanding of grammar mechanics, equipping them to write better sentences, develop strong paragraphs, and compose beautiful essays.  -Johnnie-Ann Campbell, Grammar School Academic Dean