Grading essays can be an overwhelming task, wouldn’t you agree?
For many of us, when we evaluate students’ papers, we find ourselves immersed in a sea of grammatical errors, often overshadowing the essence of their content. By the time we reach the end of the essay, it’s not uncommon to feel utterly disconnected from their intended message – a frustrating experience, to say the least.
I primarily teach junior-level students, and while we do address grammar, it’s not as comprehensive as it is in the earlier grades. Our focus leans more towards refining their writing style. However, it’s disheartening to observe that some students still grapple with the basics, such as knowing when to use a comma or that plural words don’t require apostrophes simply because they end with an “s.” As I peruse their work, it often feels like steam is billowing out of my ears, and my eyes brim with tears of exasperation.
Throughout their junior year, my aim is to foster significant growth in my students’ writing abilities. I aspire for them to grasp the art of effective composition, allowing them to recognize their potential as proficient writers. Although many make progress in structuring their essays, integrating quotations effectively, and concluding with impact, their persistent grammatical issues remain a stumbling block.
The source of these issues is elusive. I hesitate to entirely attribute it to technology, although I do acknowledge that the prevalence of texting and reading tweets may not be particularly conducive to enhancing their grammar skills. However, I don’t view these factors as the downfall of our society. I believe the decline in reading habits among young people plays a more substantial role. They seldom encounter well-constructed sentences or rich vocabulary in the texts they choose to read for leisure. Consequently, their writing skills suffer, making it a laborious task for me to assess their essays.
This academic year, I’ve adopted a more deliberate approach to address students’ grammar deficiencies without embarking on a series of conventional grammar lessons (although we’ve integrated some of those as well, with limited success in transferring that knowledge to their writing). I’ve identified two resources that have proven quite beneficial so far, and today, I’ll introduce you to one of them.
What is it?
As mentioned earlier, Grammarly is a Chrome extension that facilitates grammar checking by allowing you and your students to paste essays or any form of writing into a document for grammar analysis.
Grammarly also provides the convenience of real-time editing for websites and online content. For instance, it scrutinizes my email drafts as I compose them. I can even open a pop-out window to implement more advanced edits and seamlessly return the text to its original document.
When you paste your document into the Grammarly window, it undergoes scrutiny, and suggested corrections are presented on the right-hand side. You can then choose to accept, ignore, or seek further information on each correction.
Pros and Cons
Cons:
- The Price: The paid version can be quite costly. I encourage you to peruse the pricing plans to assess their suitability. Fortunately, the free version is adept at addressing basic grammatical errors like commas and capitalization, which can be extremely helpful for students.
- Limited Free Version: As expected, the free version comes with limitations. However, I still find it valuable for students to identify and correct issues such as missing commas, even at this basic level.
- Lack of Direct Integration with Google Drive: While Grammarly doesn’t directly integrate with Google Drive, you can effortlessly copy and paste text for quick checks before returning it to your original document. Additionally, there’s an app available for PC users to check documents in Word.
Pros:
- Plagiarism Check: With a premium subscription, teachers can paste students’ papers into Grammarly to detect plagiarism. This feature not only identifies potential sources but also assists in proper citation, a real boon for educators.
- Explanations of Grammar Issues: Grammarly provides explanations for various grammar concerns. If you’re uncertain about passive voice or how to revise a wordy sentence, Grammarly strives to offer assistance.
- Universal Online Grammar Checker: Grammarly functions seamlessly across various online platforms, including emails and blog posts. Knowing that embarrassing emails won’t reach colleagues or administrators with glaring errors is certainly comforting.
- Student-Friendly: Students can independently utilize Grammarly to enhance their grammar skills. Personally, I’ve reached a point where I paste an essay into Grammarly, quickly assess their “grammar score,” and instruct students to do the same, thereby expediting the grading process.
- Free Premium Access (Temporary): Grammarly offers a link (Here it’s the link!) that grants a free week of Premium for each account created using the link. I shared this link with my students, allowing me to enjoy Premium access until September 30th.
How I Incorporate Grammarly in my Classroom
I employ Grammarly in several ways within my classroom setting. Firstly, it assists in proofreading my own writing, much like how it’s reviewing this blog post as I type it. This boosts my confidence when composing emails, blog entries, and other written materials.
Furthermore, I encourage my students to utilize Grammarly to refine their essays before submitting the final draft. I’ve discontinued the practice of extensively commenting on their grammatical errors and instead instruct them to paste their work into the program, enabling them to identify and rectify their own mistakes. This not only streamlines my grading process but also empowers students to take ownership of their writing.
While the free version offers limited detail, even at its most basic level, it provides valuable feedback that students might not otherwise receive.
I hope this information provides a solid foundation for considering the integration of Grammarly into your educational toolkit. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. In the upcoming weeks, I’ll share insights about other technological tools for proofreading and revising.
What tools do you utilize? I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations!