Let me guess…
You open up your grammar standards and think:
“I have to teach modal auxiliaries? Correlative conjunctions? Perfect verb tenses?!”
You barely even remember learning these concepts yourself, and now you’re supposed to teach them to a room full of kids who are still writing things like:
“Me and my mom went to the store and I got chips and my brother was mad and then we went home and I saw a dog and he was cute.”
And you’re sitting there thinking…
“They can’t even write a complete sentence, and I’m supposed to teach them subordinating conjunctions?”
You want to teach real grammar that actually helps your students write better, but instead, you’re stuck in this impossible situation where:
✅ The grammar standards are way beyond where your students are.
✅ Their writing is nowhere near ready for the skills you’re required to teach.
✅ You’ve tried integrating grammar into writing, but nothing is transferring.
And you’re not alone—this is exactly why so many 4th and 5th grade teachers feel like teaching grammar just… doesn’t work.
Why Does Teaching Grammar Feel Like This?
Because grammar instruction stops aligning with writing ability in upper elementary.
In 1st and 2nd grade, grammar lessons make sense—they match where students are as writers. They’re learning to capitalize, use punctuation, and form basic sentences.
Then something shifts.
By 4th and 5th grade, the standards say students should be learning about abstract and advanced grammar skills such as subordinating conjunctions and creating complex sentences.
Meanwhile, their writing is still full of:
❌ Run-ons – “We went to the park it was fun we played soccer.”
❌ Fragments – “Because we were late to school.”
❌ Verb tense shifts – “Yesterday, we go to the store and buy snacks.”
❌ Basic pronoun mistakes – “Me and him went to the game.”
So we’re expected to teach them how to use dependent clauses, vary their sentence structure, and manipulate verb tenses for effect (looking at you, standard L.5.1c)…
…but they’re still out here writing three-page paragraphs with no punctuation.
If you’ve ever thought, “How am I supposed to teach correlative conjunctions when my students don’t even recognize a run-on?”…
You’re right. That’s exactly the problem.
The 2-Part Grammar Solution: Finally Teaching Grammar in a Way That Works
The solution isn’t to abandon grammar instruction.
The solution isn’t to force students to apply advanced skills they aren’t ready for.
The solution is to separate grammar instruction into two parts:
1️⃣ Explicitly teach grade-level grammar skills so students don’t fall further behind.
2️⃣ Address the actual grammar mistakes in their writing so they develop the foundational skills they need.
Part 1: The Grammar & Language Block (15 Minutes of Explicit Instruction)
Purpose: Teach required grade-level grammar concepts in a structured, efficient way.
✔ Short, focused, and explicit high-impact lessons (15 minutes)
✔ Covers standards-based grammar (AKA – what your state tells you to teach)
✔ Quick practice (sentence corrections, drills, games)
✔ Occasional engaging activities (movement-based, interactive learning)
✔ Separate from writing instruction to ensure clear, structured learning.
Part 2: Writing-Based Grammar Instruction (Fixing Real Errors in Writing)
Purpose: Bridge the gap between grade-level grammar expectations and students’ actual writing ability.
✔ Happens a few days a week during writing instruction
✔ Focuses on the grammar skills students actually need in their writing. This can look like:
- Mini-lessons on common writing mistakes (run-ons, fragments, missing punctuation)
- Sentence combining and revision activities to improve fluency.
- Mentor text lessons where students analyze how authors use grammar effectively.
- Mentor sentence lessons where students practice strong sentence structure.
How to Get Started (Without Overhauling Everything You Do)
This doesn’t mean you have to rewrite your entire grammar curriculum or throw away your writing lessons. It just means shifting how you teach grammar.
Step 1: Add a 15-minute Grammar & Language Block into your daily schedule.
Step 2: Identify the biggest grammar mistakes in student writing and plan mini-lessons around them.
Step 3: During writing time, focus on grammar instruction that directly applies to writing.
- This could be a revision lesson where students learn to correct run-ons or sentence fragments in their drafts.
- It could be a mentor text lesson where students analyze how an author uses commas or sentence variety and then apply it to their own writing.
- It could be a mentor sentence lesson where students notice strong sentence structure and practice using it themselves.
- The key is that grammar during writing time should focus on the skills students actually need to improve their writing.
Step 4: Watch students finally start using grammar in their writing!
Want the Full Framework?
I’ve put everything together in a downloadable guide so you can see exactly how to implement this in your classroom.
Click below to grab The 2-Part Grammar Solution Framework and start teaching grammar in a way that actually works.
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