Benjamin, A., & Berger, J. (2010). Teaching grammar: What really works. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education. 174 pp.

Teaching Grammar: What Really Works provides a rich resource of grammar tips and innovative teaching techniques for teachers who have struggled with teaching grammar using traditional, worksheet-based pedagogies no longer suited for students today. Though this book is written for teachers working with students who are native speakers of English, there are ample explanations and strategies for grammar instruction that can easily be adapted to serve the ESL student population. The authors, Amy Benjamin and Joan Berger, are veteran middle and high school teachers with more than 30 years of combined teaching experience.

Over the years, many teachers have continued to express a desire for more practical pedagogical training to teach grammar to students, often believing that grammar is a daunting subject that cannot elicit enthusiasm and excitement from students. Coursework in teacher education programs may have provided some knowledge of the various segments of grammar but perhaps not enough practical tools to help teachers integrate it into their curriculum. As a result, teachers often succumb to what they know—the methodology of teaching grammar through “drill and kill.” However, research over the past 40 years has shown that rote memorization of grammar does not improve student writing.

Benjamin and Berger provide an alternative approach to grammar instruction that moves from decontextualized instruction and “worksheeting” to student-centered practice and application opportunities infused throughout the curriculum. Learning is scaffolded in the gradual release model, where responsibility for learning begins with the teacher and is gradually shifted to students. Rich in resources, this book also provides free access to charts, lesson descriptions and procedures, and handouts that can be downloaded from the publisher’s website.

The book is divided into two major sections. Part I (The Fundamental Things Apply) covers concepts in grammar related mainly to developing sentence variety in student writing. This section elaborates on the fundamental concepts of grammar, including the basic structure of sentences, functions of the different parts of speech, and phrasal and clausal structures. The authors aim to link these grammatical structures to academic writing, which is the main focus of this book. In Part II (Embedding Grammar in Writing Instruction), classroom vignettes of these ideas are presented where teachers and students voices can be heard as the authors describe the structured day-by-day progression of lessons at the middle and high school levels. The authors interweave their commentary with the lessons as they relate to the concepts covered in this book. This section takes the grammatical concepts described in the book and demonstrates how these ideas can be applied in the classroom in meaningful and authentic ways.

A strength of Benjamin and Berger’s book is the paradigm shift in grammar instruction from the traditional teacher-directed model to a student-centered model, where students are gently guided toward understanding grammatical concepts through an inductive process. In this model, the teacher first draws on students’ existing knowledge of grammar before providing the metalanguage to describe what they already know. The authors’ terminology is important as students begin to use this metalanguage to discuss authentic written work in the literature being studied and their own writing. By modeling and collecting ample student-driven examples, the teacher teaches grammatical concepts, which are then manipulated by the students through hands-on activities, group work, and editing of their own writing. The activities presented consider the varied learning styles and strategies of students, and learning grammar in context provides relevance and authenticity for the students.

This book provides an important contribution to the field by making grammar concepts and practical instructional opportunities accessible to teachers and their students. However, one minor limitation to the book is its organization. Some sections of the text may be hard to for readers to follow because headings and stylistic elements are not consistent throughout. Nonetheless, Benjamin and Berger’s book is an invaluable resource for teachers who would like to make grammar instruction more meaningful and engaging for students.

Dr. Sarina Chugani Molina is a faculty member in the Department of Learning and Teaching at the University of San Diego. She teaches courses in linguistics and second language acquisition and supervises practica for teachers of speakers of other languages. Her research interests lie in teacher training and development, working with culturally and linguistically diverse students, and forging connections between theoretical concepts of linguistics to practical application of this knowledge in the classroom.