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This law came from Puritans who said that Satan, "the old deluder," wanted to keep people from reading scripture. To combat this issue, the law was set that towns with 100 or more families must establish a grammar school. Education and grammar was seen as a spiritual defense against Satan. This law mandated a formal education at the secondary level that would help prepare students for college. Establishing the first mandatory education law, grammar instruction became a required part of education.

Lily Pottinger-Moore

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The earliest formal secondary schools in the colonies were Latin grammar schools. Most students attending were wealthy boys preparing for college, ministry, or law. The grammar instruction focused on Latin and Greek, not English. Hornbooks were used, which were wooden paddles with printed lessons covered by a transparent horn displaying the alphabet, the Lord's Prayer, and basic phonics. - Addy C.

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The New England Primer was a textbook for children that had an alphabet, poetry, and the Ten Commandments. It was printed in Boston and it had a lot of success across America for teaching citizens. It was important for teaching students about literacy and education, as well as shaping the basis for education taught in schools. (Carl W)

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Making a transition from rigid Latin-based frameworks to a more practical, English-centered approach. English-centered rules about grammar were still heavily influenced by Latin roots but there was still a distinct difference between the different types of grammar. There was also an explosion of textbooks during this time due to the economic growth and rising literacy. - Anna G.

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Expanded upon simple reading to include critical thinking and analysis. It also added public speaking to the curriculum. They used graded lessons on grammar, vocab, elocution, and composition. Using these lessons, they were able to reach millions of students across the United States; therefore, their goal to standardize the English language usage was complete.

Bree & Clara

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1877 – Reed & Kellogg → Sentence diagramming 

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1877 – Reed & Kellogg → Sentence diagramming 

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The 1877 textbook Higher Lessons in English by Alonzo Reed and Brainerd Kellogg introduced and popularized sentence diagramming. This diagramming approach, known as the Reed-Kellog system, was widely used/taught in American schools for over a century. The system provided a visual representation of grammatical structure, using a horizontal base along with lines and symbols to convey parts of speech. This specific method is no longer widely used; however, many modern Sentence Diagramming methods directly stem from the Reed-kellog system.

-Gracey Klughart

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Late 1890's and Early 1900s: Progressive Education

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Late 1890's and Early 1900s: Progressive Education

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During the late 1890's and Early 1900's, progressive educators strongly believed that children "learned by doing". Therefore for a lot of educators stopped teaching the "traditional" way, and taught students grammar within their own work and writing. Students started to learn and write more about topics that they were interested in, which then allowed them to add in grammar concepts.

-Liz Flemmings

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Education was heavily influenced by John Dewy’s progressive education philosophy. His philosophy placed strong emphasis on learning, communication, and language as a social tool rather than a set of rigid rules. Because of this philosophy traditional rule based grammar teaching (diagramming sentences) began to be questioned. This led to teachers encouraging students to write about their own experiences and reading authentic texts. Which in turn would later be called “whole world language.” Ultimately, grammar was no longer the central subject of English instruction and was treated as a social activity that was connected to culture and community.

Paige Moehrman

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Why Johnny can’t Read/Impact on grammar instruction 

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Why Johnny can’t Read/Impact on grammar instruction 

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This was a book by Rudolph Flesch and it sparked the debate that the “look-say” or “whole word” method was failing children because it prioritized memorizing whole words rather than on systematic letter-sound relationships. Flesch advocated for more phonics to be taught because it focused on teaching the sounds of letters and their connection to decoding words. He argued that this approach enabled children to read unfamiliar words independently.

-McKenna Encalado

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1957 – Chomsky’s Linguistics (Note: He is one the speakers in the Grammar Revolution video)

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1957 – Chomsky’s Linguistics (Note: He is one the speakers in the Grammar Revolution video)

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Lydia L:

Noam Chomsky was a theoretical linguist. He studied psychology and human development in relation to language. He believed that language is an innate quality all humans are born with. He introduced the idea of the Language Acquisition Device, a mental structure allowing young children to rapidly learn langauge with minimal exposure. He also explored the idea of Universal Grammar, which is the idea that all human langauge shares a common structure.

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Teagan F- This research report had a major impact on how grammar was specifically taught in schools. It was found that teaching grammar in isolation did not improve students writing and actually made it worse. To fix this, educators moved away from the traditional teaching and focused more on developing their writing through practicing and revising. This overall created more importance on writing instruction rather than formal grammar.

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Before the 1970s, the emphasis was on grammar and spelling. However, beginning in the 1970s, theorists pushed towards the Process Writing Movement. This was created to build more confidence through prewriting, writing, and post-writing activities. The process included thesis development, brainstorming, research, and the creation of maps or graphs. The process can be broken down into three different steps: planning, drafting, revising, and publishing.

-Emma Foltz

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1977: Errors and Expectations is published

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1977: Errors and Expectations is published

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Mina Shaugnessy wrote Errors and Expectations in 1977, arguing that teachers should view writing errors as mistakes made by "basic writers" trying to follow the conventions they were taught. For example, a student learning how to form the past tense may mistake "swum" with "swimmed". In this example, the student was following the rule they were taught but made a mistake in its application because they were not aware that "swim" was irregular. Shaugnessy believed that we should view these mistakes more kindly, so we may help writers expand their learning of grammar. Source: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/the-systematicity-of-student-writing-errors/

-Cassidy Kroggel

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Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

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The “Systematicity” of Student Writing Errors

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One of the more interesting things I’ve noticed over my years of teaching is the “systematicity” of developmental writers’ errors.

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Balanced Literacy = Instructional Approach

A theory of teaching using reading and writing of the English Language

A balance between whole language + phonics (a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with symbols in an alphabetic writing system)

uses different strategies

comprehension

reading/writing

oral language

vocab

phonics

literature

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Teaching Grammar in Context by Constance Weaver (1995) shifted how grammar was taught in schools. Rather than having isolated lessons on grammar that focused on memorizing grammar. Weaver offered up the idea of teaching grammar in the context of writing, this means that students would learn grammar while they are writing. This allows them to make improvements to the clarity and meaning of their writing and to apply the skills they are being taught. (Jake Capel)

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Code Switching is the practice of alternating between different languages or dialects within the same conversation. It was a huge point of discussion in the early 2000s, especially in classrooms with bilingual students. Instead of recognizing code-switching as "bad grammar," educators' grammar lessons are now focused more on helping students understand when to use different types of language (such as casual conversation vs. formal writing).

Alyssa Knudsen.

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The 2010 Common Core Standards had a significant impact on grammar instruction. Schools went from more traditional teacher, such as worksheets, drills, and isolated lessons, to a more integrated style with writing, reading, and speaking. There became a stronger emphasis on "standard English", students were expected to demonstrate grammar skills through essays, analyzing text, and more. Grammar instruction was integrated into writing assignments and oral communications. The overall teaching style became more focused on applied, contextual, and progressive learning.

Anna Spohler

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phones and tablets started to become widespread

schools started to add digital literacy into the curriculum skills framework

workplaces started to require employees that were skilled with technology

misinformation started to highlight the need for critical thinking about digital content

social media platforms became a central line of communication

Lydia Howell

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Mentor sentences are sentences taken from a published work that contain certain characteristics to improve the understanding of grammar. This allows students to analyze and comprehend grammar skills in an engaging, hands-on style. Mentor sentences are typically seen in middle school grammar instruction. This is the same form of learning we will be doing in class with our mentor authors!

- Desi Dunkle

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Mentor Sentences: Grammar, Word Choice & More - Buzzing with Ms. B

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Learn about my weekly process for teaching mentor sentences to students so they can succeed at reading and writing.

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Paige Alber

Who did it affect? All public schools. They were required to use reading curricula that were from a state approved list. The list does align with evidence based practices.

How did this affect teachers? All teachers were required to complete professional development in the Science of Reading.

Was there any additional help? Yes! 84 reading coaches went out to help teachers in 115 schools and districts. This was a much larger amount than in years past.

Why did Ohio adopt this? The state had a low reading proficiency level and was inspired by other states. There was a lot of research that had strong evidence showing that the Science of Reading helps students.

Final Note: It is still too early to see if the Science of Reading is helping students, and there are even some concerns.

Microsoft Copilot. "Response to user query about Ohio’s adoption of the Science of Reading." Copilot, 2 Sept. 2025, https://copilot.microsoft.com..

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Future Directions: AI & Grammar Instruction

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Future Directions: AI & Grammar Instruction

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Nina Baker

Much like most topics surrounding AI, grammar instruction has mix opinions. On one hand, grammar has the potential to provide instant feedback to students and correct grammatical errors. AI could be a valuable tool in allowing students to preview their own work and understand their errors. On the other hand, AI could continue to widen the gap in literacy skills by allowing students to become overly dependent on AI to write for them rather than developing the technical skills to write and make corrections on their own.

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Expanding Translanguaging Research

Longitudinal studies: More research tracking students’ language development over the years to see the long-term effects of translanguaging on literacy, academic achievement, and identity formation.

Cross-context studies: Examining how translanguaging functions in different educational contexts (STEM vs. humanities, online vs. in-person learning).

Multilingual comparisons: Research comparing translanguaging practices across multiple language pairs to understand universal patterns versus context-specific strategies.

Cognitive and neurological studies: Investigating how translanguaging impacts cognitive processing, working memory, and bilingual brain development.

The future of translanguaging points toward more holistic, research-backed, and equity-oriented approaches—recognizing multilingual students as full participants in learning, assessment, and identity formation. The key trends are integration, innovation, and validation of linguistic diversity across classrooms, communities, and policy.

- Alexa Quinones