Using published authors as mentors to teach grammatical conventions

This study considers a contextualized approach to grammar instruction, asking: “Does embedded instruction using published authors as mentors improve grammar and usage for young writers?” Twenty-three students in one second-grade classroom participated. Students were taught grammar conventions through use of mentor texts for 45 minutes a day, four to five days a week for nine weeks. Students’ scores on the TGM, a criterion-referenced test of grammar skills, and on the RDGU, a test specific to second-grade grammar standards, showed statistically-significant improvement over the course of the intervention. Results suggest that use of mentor texts is an instructional approach that provides authentic models and increases students’ understanding of the syntax of language. Such an approach contrasts starkly to ineffective methods using worksheets and isolated grammar instruction.