I think grammar needs to be explicitly taught in classrooms. In my current classroom (gr.1/2), I like to have students unscramble sentences, or fill in the blanks as a whole group activity. We learn from our mistakes and I like to orally correct grammatical errors that arise. I usually have my students read their journal entries to me (one-on-one). As soon as they hear themselves read their sentences they notice they are missing a word, missing an “s”, or the sentence needs more detail to make sense. I am against using the red pen to mark up their work. I like to provide feedback orally and have the student master one small thing at a time. I believe is important to keep their spirit and confidence up!

Eight examples of common grammar errors that ELLs make (Folse, 2009):

1. She was born on 1988. (prepositions)

2. I have lived in Paris from 2000 to 2005. (verb tenses, especially present perfect)

3. There is no game today because the coach called off it. (phrasal verbs)

4. How many homework do we have? (count and noncount nouns)

5. Many parents avoid to give sweets to their children. (gerunds vs. infinitives)

6. She should helps you. (modals)

7. Siberia has a substantial number of nature resources. (word forms)

8. Where were you when the accident was happened? (passive voice)

- See more at: https://www.tesol.org/read-and-publish/journals/other-serial-publications/compleat-links/compleat-links-volume-6-issue-3-4-(october-2009)/why-k-12-teachers-need-to-know-about-esl-grammar-issues#sthash.tF52PTL9.dpuf

If we know the common mistakes that ELL students make, then as teachers we can plan to address them. Grammar instruction is beneficial to all students.