The Common Core Grammar Toolkit ― Using Mentor Texts to Teach the Language Standards in Grades 6-8

The Common Core’s language standards can seem overwhelming—students need to learn specific, complex grammar rules at each grade level. The Common Core Grammar Toolkit to the rescue! This comprehensive guide makes grammar instruction fun and meaningful.

You will learn how to…

‧ Teach the Common Core’s language standards for grades 6–8 by presenting each grammar rule as a useful writing tool.
‧ Use mentor texts—excerpts from great literature—to help students understand grammar in action.
‧ Promote metacognition along the way, so that students become responsible for their own learning.

The book thoroughly covers how to teach the Common Core’s language standards for grades 6-8, on topics such as understanding intensive pronouns, using commas to set off nonrestrictive clauses, maintaining consistency in style and tone, forming verbs in different moods, and much, much more. You’ll learn how to present each of these grammar rules to your students as tools that will help them improve their writing. You’ll also find classroom snapshots that show the tools in action, and handy, reproducible charts that you can use with your own students.

Bonus! The book includes a free annotated bibliography, which is offered as a Supplemental Download on our website. The bibliography lists high-quality young adult literature and gives examples of key grammatical concepts found in each work, so you can use additional mentor texts with your students.

Sean Ruday is an assistant professor of English Education at Longwood University and a former classroom teacher. He frequently writes and presents on innovative ways to improve students' literacy learning.