English Teachers Network Workshop Teaching Grammar

June 2009

Communicative Grammar Teaching

Chris Jones

Nicola Atkinson

Aims for today

• To give a working definition of grammar for teaching purposes

• To discuss how young learners at different ages learn grammar

• To discuss some key areas which enhance grammatical development

• To provide practical ideas and activities to help with grammar teaching

What is grammar?

• Grammar is:

• A set of rules

• Painful… but necessary

• Something which helps us to make correct sentences

• A meaning system

Our definition

• Grammar is a meaning system

• Students make use of it when they are ‘learning how to mean’ (Halliday,1975)

• So, we are teaching grammar in order to help students make meaningful language and not as an end in itself

Example

1. Today friend meet

2. Today later I go friend

meet

3. I’m going to meet my friend

later

Younger learners

• Cannot (usually) analyse language

• Cannot (usually) reflect on language use

• Cannot (usually) compare to developing L1

• Can remember patterns

• Can use grammatical patterns to help them ‘mean’

Older learners

• Some ability to analyse L1 and L2

• Some ability to reflect on language use

• Can remember patterns

• Can compare to L1

• Can use grammatical patterns to help them ‘mean’

Key factors to enhance the learning of grammar

ContextFunctionInput Enjoyment

Key factors to enhance the learning of grammar

Context

Grammar is not an abstract system detached from contexts of use

Example

• Teacher writes ‘I went shopping yesterday’ on the board

• Teacher translates

• Teacher explains the Past Simple form and meaning in L1

How will students react to this?

An alternative example

• Fairy tale – Little Red Riding Hood • Adapt story to suit age/language ability• Students listen and understand the story

by sequencing pictures (see worksheet 1)• Students listen and act out story• Focus on the past simple used to

sequence the events in the narrative• Teacher checks meaning and highlights

form

Key factors to enhance the learning of grammar

Function

• How grammar functions is related to context of use

• ‘Let’s learn the Past Simple’

• ‘Let’s learn to describe what we did last weekend using the Past Simple’

• What’s the function? (see worksheet 2)

• Why do we need to consider the function

Key factors to enhance the learning of grammar

Input

‘Children will receive plenty of meaningful language input through experience of English not as a subject to be learned but as a means of communication, where the focus is on the meaning not the form of the language’ (Moon, 2000:2)

Input can come from – the teacher, classroom posters, songs, readers, stories, ICT

Key factors to enhance the learning of grammar

Enjoyment• Students don’t normally want to learn grammar

for the sake of learning it. They want to learn it to help them express themselves

• A simple but useful notion- learning is more likely to happen when the ‘affective filter’ is lowered ( Krashen, 1981)

• Create a positive learning environment • Don't force language production

Part 2 Practical ideas

• Deductive presentation Rules and examples given first, normally by

the teacher(see PEP textbook samples in pack; pgs 26-27)

• Inductive presentationRules and patterns discovered from the

context by the student, with teacher guidance

Example of an inductive presentation

Curriculum area of focus

Guidelines on language knowledge – Level 8 (8'ELA'3.2.3)

• (Students can) understand and master expressions for comparing persons, objects and things

Example of an inductive approach (older learners)

• See worksheet 3• Do comparatives quiz (puts language in a

meaningful context, focus on meaning)• Check answers (focus on meaning)• Focus on form of comparatives (focus on form),

working out the rules, teacher checking form/meaning

• Research a given topic area• Students make and ask their own quiz questions

(focus on meaning and form)

Example of an inductive approach (younger learners)

Curriculum area of focus

Guidelines on language knowledge – Level 2 (2'ELA'3.2.1)

• (Students) are aware nouns have singular and plural forms

Example

• Teacher describes favourite room in house/flat and the objects in it. When each object is mentioned, pictures are shown with singular and plural objects e.g. some flowers/ a pen etc (meaningful input)

• Total Physical Response (Asher, 2006) students touch pictures/hold pictures up/pictionary /listen and draw objects (meaningful input)

• Memory game (controlled practice)

Controlled practice

Focussed practice (restricted to a main grammar area) after language has been contextualised and form/meaning established.

Should be :Enjoyable, meaningful, give students a

reason to use the language, full of practice

Example

Guidelines on language knowledge – Level 5 (5'ELA'3.2.2)

• (Students can) understand and master expressions for describing people and objects

Activity idea‘Who or what am I?’

Think of a famous person. Describe this person’sappearance to a partner. Partner must guess who it is.

(see worksheet 4 for further samples of activities)

Semi - controlled practice

Chance for learners to experiment a little, integrate new language with old and personalise the language. Students will use the grammar in focus and also other language they know.

Should be :

Enjoyable, meaningful, give students a reason to use the language, full of practice

Example

Guidelines on language knowledge – Level 8 (8'ELA'3.2.3)

• (Students can) describe and express view points, attitude and feelings in appropriate language format

Activity idea‘Ranking discussion’Rank the following grammar areas in order of difficulty (1=

most difficult to teach, 5 = least difficult) - modal verbs, conditionals, Present Perfect, singular/plural nouns, prepositions of place

Compare, discuss and try to reach agreement on the best order.

Example

Guidelines on language skills – Level 6 (6'ELA'3.1.6)

• (Students) can pass on information and express opinions on familiar topics

Activity idea

‘Picture dictation’ (see worksheet 5 for further sample activities)

Summary

Grammar is a meaning systemWe can help students if we consider

context, function, input, and enjoyment An inductive approach may help learners

to retain more grammatical patternsLearners need controlled and semi-

controlled practice to help them use grammar in a meaningful way

References/further reading

• Asher, J. (2006). Learning Another Language Through Actions 6th Edition. Atlanta Books.

• Cameron, L. (2001).Teaching languages to young learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Halliday, M.A.K. (1975). Learning how to mean. London:Edward Arnold.

• Krashen, S. (1981).Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning. Pergamon.

• Moon, J. (2000). Children Learning English. Oxford: Macmillan Heinemann.

• Ur, P. (1988). Grammar Practice Activities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.