What role does grammar have in Freshman English assignments?
Freshman English classes are not meant to be remedial grammar courses supported by workbooks. That said, Freshman English instructors teach grammar in a variety of ways that emphasize to students the true purpose of grammar – to clarify communication. Grammar is often taught in rough draft conferences, for example, when the instructor may draw the group’s attention to places where poor grammar confuses an author’s meaning or undercuts the essay’s authority. The key feature of grammar instruction in Freshman English is that it is always contextualized within the students’ own writing.
