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Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives. - Grammar Instruction Your Students Will Actually Like
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Grammar Instruction Your Students Will Actually Like

Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.

10/20/25

36m

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Featured In

In this S5E8 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies conversation, join me with literacy consultant Patty McGee as she reveals how 10-minute daily grammar studies can revolutionize student engagement and writing power. Transform grammar instruction from worksheet dread to engaged discovery!
📚 GET THE BOOK: Not Your Granny's Grammar by Patty McGee & Tim Donohue
In this episode, discover:
• Why traditional grammar worksheets fail and what actually works for student success
• The revolutionary 10-minute grammar study approach that builds thriving students
• How conversational partnerships transform student participation and active learning
• Evidence-based instructional strategies that make grammar meaningful
• Why grammar gives students power to affect change in their lives
🎯 KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Replace worksheets with hands-on grammar manipulatives
- Build conversationally compatible partnerships for student engagement
- Use inquiry-based learning over direct instruction alone
- Create grammar notebooks for authentic learning
- Implement surface, deep, and transfer learning phases
Episode Mentions:
💫Steve Graham & Karen Harris
💫Jeff Anderson: Mechanically Inclined
💫Whitney La Rocca
💫John Hattie
💫Dr. Rebecca Winthrop - Winthrop's World of Education
This innovative teaching approach addresses low engagement, transforms classroom behavior, and creates inclusive classrooms where every student thrives. Learn effective teaching strategies that honor the whole child while building essential communication skills.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction: Making Grammar Fun & Engaging
01:00 Why Traditional Grammar Instruction Fails
02:00 Meet Patty McGee: Transforming Grammar Education
03:00 The Research Behind Grammar Study
05:00 What's Wrong with "Granny's Grammar"?
07:00 Defining Grammar Study vs Traditional Instruction
09:00 The Power of Comparison in Learning
11:00 Teachers as Facilitators, Not Experts
13:00 The Explorer Mode: Student Agency in Learning
14:00 Immersion Phase: Surface Learning
16:00 Deep Learning: Hypothesis & Discovery
18:00 Play & Experimentation in Grammar
19:00 Grammar Notebooks: Capturing Student Thinking
21:00 Why Worksheets Don't Work
23:00 Grammar Learning Partners vs Peer Editing
25:00 Fitting Grammar Study into Your Day
27:00 Tackling Sentence Construction Challenges
29:00 Communicating with Parents About Grammar Study
31:00 Why Grammar Matters for Student Power
33:00 Resources & Video Tutorials Available

Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Previous Episode

In this S5E7 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I'm unpacking 3 game-changing insights from my conversation with Stuart Yates about his creation, My Sport Diary.
These ideas apply way beyond sports—we're transforming how we approach education, feedback, student engagement, and what we choose to remember. Because what if we're teaching kids to measure success by all the wrong things? We celebrate the A on the test, the trophy on the shelf—but what about the student who showed up even when struggling, asked for help, or cheered for teammates without playing time?
The 3 Mindset Shifts:
1️⃣ The Process is the Prize – Moving from outcome obsession to celebrating growth
2️⃣ Reflection Before Interrogation – Why students need processing time before feedback
3️⃣ Memory Keepers vs Record Keepers – Documenting what actually matters
What You'll Learn:
✅ How to apply John Hattie's feedback research in practical ways (student success, effective teaching)
✅ Why "the car ride home" conversation needs to change (parent communication, family partnerships, caregiver support)
✅ Innovative teaching strategies that boost student motivation, student participation, and active learning
✅ How to create a classroom culture that values process over outcome (classroom belonging, student engagement, inclusive teaching)
✅ Practical lesson planning tips for reflection-based learning (instructional strategies, teaching tips)
✅ Why documenting the "human stuff" transforms student discipline and classroom behavior
✅ How sports diaries translate to classroom success (whole child, thriving students, pro-kid mindset)
Key Takeaways:
→ Celebrate the process as much as the outcome with your students
→ Build in reflection time before feedback conversations (coaching strategies, teacher coaching)
→ Create memory keepers, not just record keepers
→ Focus on student empowerment over compliance (managing students, classroom control)
→ Document relationships, growth, and joy—not just grades (inspiring students, attention in class)
This isn't just about sports. It's about raising humans who can reflect on experiences, articulate what they need, take ownership of growth, find value in the journey, and build meaningful relationships.
Your Next Step:
Pick ONE area—your classroom, your team, or your family—and try ONE shift this week:
• Add a reflection question to your routine
• Build in 5 minutes of think time before discussions
• Start a "silly awards" or memory-keeping tradition
CHAPTERS:
0:00 – Introduction: Are We Celebrating the Wrong Things?
1:00 – The Problem with Outcome-Based Success
2:00 – Meet Stuart Yates & My Sport Diary
3:00 – The Quote That Changed Everything
4:00 – Mindset Shift #1: The Process is the Prize
5:00 – John Hattie's 3 Essential Feedback Questions
6:00 – Celebrating the "How" Not Just the "What"
7:00 – Mindset Shift #2: Reflection Before Interrogation
8:00 – The Car Ride Home Problem
9:00 – Why Students Need Processing Time
10:00 – Creating the Protective Bubble
11:00 – Mindset Shift #3: Memory Keepers vs Record Keepers
12:00 – What Are We Really Recording?
13:00 – Your Action Steps This Week
14:00 – Final Thoughts & Next Episode Preview
🚀📚 Watch the full S5E7 @schoolutionspodcast interview here (https://youtu.be/a7npy42tJw0)
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
#StudentEngagement #Schoolutions #SchoolutionsTeachingStrategies

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Next Episode

In this S5E8 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies BONUS, I break down my conversation with Patty McGee about revolutionary grammar instruction that replaces shame with curiosity and memorization with discovery. If you've been struggling with student engagement in grammar lessons or wondering how to make grammar instruction actually stick, this episode will transform your approach..
Stop teaching grammar the way we were taught—there's a better way that takes just 10 minutes a day.
What You'll Learn:
✨ Why treating grammar like math (with manipulatives and exploration) changes everything
✨ The power of "conversationally compatible" grammar partnerships for student participation and classroom belonging
✨ How to implement effective 10-minute daily grammar study sessions that boost student motivation
✨ Why we need to stop expecting mastery after one lesson (active learning strategies that actually work)
✨ How to replace grammar shame with student empowerment and student success
Perfect for: teachers, education coaches, new teachers, mentor teachers, instructional leaders, school administrators, homeschoolers, and anyone passionate about effective teaching and inclusive teaching practices.
This approach supports culturally responsive teaching, equity in education, pro-kid mindset, and whole child education while improving classroom behavior, attention in class, and overall student engagement.
Chapters
0:00 - Welcome & Introduction to Grammar Revolution
1:00 - The Problem with Traditional Grammar Instruction
2:00 - Revelation #1: Treat Grammar Like Math, Not Memorization
4:00 - Grammar Manipulatives: Making Grammar Tangible
5:00 - Revelation #2: Conversationally Compatible Grammar Partners
7:00 - Rethinking Partnerships for Student Success
8:00 - Revelation #3: The 10-Minute Daily Grammar Study Method
9:00 - What 10 Minutes Actually Looks Like in Practice
10:00 - Your Monday Morning Challenge
11:00 - Replacing Shame with Curiosity in Grammar Learning
12:00 - The Gift of Discovery Over Memorization
13:00 - Final Thoughts: Grammar as Power, Not Rules
14:00 - Coming Up Next & Closing
💫Check out linked episode mentions here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1890886/episodes/17989335
🚀📚 Watch the full S5E8 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies interview here.
Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child. When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and💬SHARE with fellow educators!
#TeachingStrategies #GrammarInstruction #StudentEngagement #EffectiveTeaching #TeacherTips #EducationPodcast #ClassroomBelonging #ActiveLearning #StudentMotivation #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherCoaching #NewTeachers #MentorTeachers #ProfessionalDevelopment #InnovativeTeaching #InclusiveTeaching #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #EquityInEducation #ProKidMindset #WholeChild #StudentSuccess #EmpoweredEducators #InspiredTeaching #EducationTransformation #TeacherImpact #SchoolLeadership #InstructionalLeadership #LessonPlanning #TeacherSupport

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

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