Grammar Teaching

In the activity that we did last week, I listed grammar as something that is not one of the most important things in language learning.  However, when looking at it more carefully, it comes down to a lot of questions, and the learner's particular variables.  Some of the things that Brown lists as the variable that determine the importance of grammar include age, proficiency level, educational background, skill, register, and need or use.  I think when I did the activity last week, I was looking at grammar in terms of speaking for survival.  I don't think that perfect grammar is necessary when communicating to a native speaker for directions, however, what about writing?  If an adult is trying to write a professional, formal letter, grammar and vocabulary are extremely important.

So, as I have learned in my other education classes, writing is the hardest of the different language arts subcategories to teach- so how to we teach this to second language learners?  Are the same techniques used in both situations?  Of course it depends on what I stated before: age, proficiency level, educational background, skill, register, and need or use.  

Some of the things that Brown presents to teach grammar include using charts, objects, maps and drawings, dialogues, and written texts.  However, my question is: Say, if I am teaching a general 5th grade classroom with a few English language learners in it (who are all at different levels), how do I give them assignments?  We have talked in class about how to assess the work of L2 learners in different ways, but how do we make assignments for English Language learners who are so far off from the proficiency level of their classmates?