The power of the written word is strong. And the power of being able to easily write correct and grammatical sentences is powerful indeed.
“The ability to write correctly is actually the ability to communicate effectively,” according to Anne Scott, an English teacher with 28 years of experience who is the instructional director of Middle School Up Literacy.
“People respect and appreciate reading clear and well-written sentences. On the other hand, if your writing is filled with errors, this is distracting to readers. They might question your message and even question your competence,” Scott added. “Computer-driven grammar ‘checks’ and AI are not the answer and should be used as an occasional check but not an everyday crutch.”
The website of Middleschoolupliteracy.com contains clear and targeted lessons on common usage errors. The website is marketed for middle schoolers, but anyone of any age can access and use these lessons. The focus is not pure grammar, but actual everyday usage. The lessons have sold successfully on a national teacher website for several years and are now available to anyone.
Most lessons are under $5, and they can be bought in bundles as well. Scott says that relatively few lessons are required to master basic usage.
The site also has reading comprehension lessons aimed at the middle-school level. More than 100 of these lessons are available, mostly paired with a reading passage or joined with a short story or short novel. There are also advanced reading lessons for high-achieving students who want to advance even farther.
Scott, who retired last May, says that achieving high level reading skills is the first priority and the most important skill for success. However, writing skills are not given the level of concern that they need. She does not blame individual teachers, but she does criticize state and national curriculum leaders for minimizing the importance of English usage and discouraging teachers from teaching it effectively.
“We are talking about very basic skills, such as writing complete sentences and capitalizing correctly,” she said. “I have had good readers and high-achieving students – students that do well in other subjects – demonstrate a shocking inability to write a complete sentence without mistakes. These students will pay a price.”
Those who feel that they or their children were not taught correct English usage should seek remediation themselves, she said. Fortunately, it doesn’t actually take that long. “Once you know the basics, you have them forever. That is indeed powerful.”
The website address is middleschoolliteracyup.com. The site also contains extensive information on testing data in KISD and how parents can interpret it.
Disclaimer: This article was submitted by an external contributor. The views and opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Katy News.