Table of Contents
1. Mechanics: Conventions Found Only in Written Language
Is It the Right Word?
Capital Letters
Apostrophes Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms
Where Do the Sentences Break?
Not Enough for a Sentence or Too Much: Fragments and Run-Ons
Paragraphing Text Features Beyond the Paragraph
Bibliographic Citation
2. Nitty-Gritty Grammar: Words, Tenses, Sentences, and Complexity
Parts of SpeechVerb Tenses
Exploring Verb Tenses
How Sentences Work
Sentence and Text Complexity
3. Usage
Usage as a Social Marker
Talking About Usage with Students
Generational Usage Issues: Lost Battles and Losing Battles
Social-Group Usage Issues
English Language Learners and Usage
Usage and Word Choice: It’s Alternative, Not Alternate
A Footnote on Usage: Who’s in Charge Here?
4. Language Diversity and Social Justice
Myths About Language Variation
Working with Students With—and Without—Stigmatized Features in Their Language
So Now What?
5. Linguistics for Kids
What Is Language?
How Many Languages Are There in the World?
Where Did Language Come From?
What’s the Oldest Language? What’s the Newest One? What’s the Simplest One? The Most Complicated One?
Is Sign Language Really a Language?
Where Does the Alphabet Come From, and Why Doesn’t Everyone Use the Same One?
Is It True That People Taught Gorillas and Chimpanzees to Use Language?
Where Do People’s Names Come From?
Will We All Speak the Same Language Someday?
Appendices
A. Language Curriculum Year by Year
B. The Common Core State Standards
C. Text Features for Student Writing: A Style Guide
D. Annotated Bibliographies
E. Literature in Different Versions of American English: Is It Authentic?