Teaching Grammar Communicatively: Part 2 -...

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1 Teaching Grammar Communicatively: Part 2 TEFL Workshop, Fall 2013 Presented by Marla Yoshida http://teachesl.pbworks.com Teaching Grammar An analogy: A good grammar lesson is like a good meal. Before you cook a meal for guests, you have to do a lot of preparation: Planning the menu, buying the ingredients, getting out the equipment, and preparing the food. It takes a lot of work! When it’s time to eat, the guests smell the delicious food. They’re interested. What’s for dinner? We need to keep the parts of the meal in good proportion. If we eat too many chips, we won’t be able to eat the main meal. We shouldn’t eat too much dessert, either! How does this analogy apply to teaching grammar? Introduction of the new grammar (not too much!) Practice activities (lots of them!) Games (not too many)

Transcript of Teaching Grammar Communicatively: Part 2 -...

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Teaching Grammar Communicatively: Part 2

TEFL Workshop, Fall 2013

Presented by Marla Yoshida

http://teachesl.pbworks.com à Teaching Grammar

An analogy: A good grammar lesson is like a good meal.

• Before you cook a meal for guests, you have to do a lot of preparation: Planning the menu, buying the ingredients, getting out the equipment, and preparing the food. It takes a lot of work!

• When it’s time to eat, the guests smell the delicious food. They’re interested. What’s for dinner?

• We need to keep the parts of the meal in good proportion. If we eat too many chips, we won’t be able to eat the main meal. We shouldn’t eat too much dessert, either!

How does this analogy apply to teaching grammar?

Introduction of the new grammar (not too much!)

Practice activities (lots of them!)

Games (not too many)

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Reminders for practicing new grammar:

• Use plenty of practice activities! It takes many practice activities to be able to use new grammar patterns well. Just doing a few fill-in-the-blank exercises is not enough.

• Emphasize productive practice. As you plan, ask yourself: “In my lesson, will the students produce the forms that they’re learning?” A large part of the practice should be productive (rather than only receptive or mechanical). Good practice requires thought, choices, and struggle on the students’ part.

• Create context: “Set the stage” for an activity by creating or describing a situation when students might really use this language. Make it come alive.

Some ways to practice grammar

Sequence: Examples:

1. Group guided practice as a class

• Questions and answers …between teacher and students …between students and students • Instructions using the grammar point • Descriptions using the grammar point • Chain questions

2. Guided practice (Very simple at first.)

• Fill-in-the-blank exercises • Change sentences from one form to another • Other very simple exercises—spoken or written

3. Guided practice (Several activities,

becoming gradually more challenging. Make the students think!)

• Questions and answers about objects in the room • Writing sentences about carefully chosen pictures • Changing a model dialog to fit the students’ chosen meaning • Information gaps and jigsaws • Other activities requiring more thoughtful use of the language

4. Independent practice

(Now students can use the grammar pretty well on their own. They’re ready to be creative.)

• Role plays • Telling about pictures or other visual prompts • Writing stories, dialogs, poems, etc. • Discussions • Problem solving • Sequencing, ranking, classifying • Creating games and puzzles for classmates to try • Other activities requiring creative, independent language use • Games that provide good, solid language practice

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Linguam Latinam studemus!

Ambulas? Ambulo. Elephantus ambulat? Ambulat.

Non ambulo. Pila ambulat? Non ambulat. Puer ambulat? Non ambulat.

A fill-in-the-blank handout

? !

Handout 1

Name _________________________________

Fill in the blanks with words that make sense.

1. This is a __fork_______. We use it for ___eating______. B2. This is a _____________. We use it for __________________. D3. This is a _____________. My mother uses it for _______________. N4. This is a _____________. I use it for _______________. K5. This is a _____________. I’m going to use it for ________________. L

6. This is a _____________. You can use it for ________________. C

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Guessing and Problem Solving Look at five of the “mystery objects” with your group. Guess what they are. Write sentences like this:

We use it for ---- ing.

# What do you think we use it for?

A 3-D verb timeline: A tool for teaching verb tenses

Verb timelines: A grammar teaching tradition

Timelines for teaching verb tenses usually look something like this:

What’s the advantage of a 3-D timeline?

• Real objects keep students’ interest better than flat drawings. • Moving “verbs” around on their own small timelines keeps students involved and helps them

understand tense usage. It’s effective for kinesthetic learners (and others too). • You don’t have to redraw the timeline on the board every time. You can move and change verbs

easily. • The “verbs” aren’t static; they can be made to show qualities of verb tenses by rolling or

stretching.

X

Past Now Future

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Constructing a 3-D timeline (large classroom version)

1. Gather your materials:

• A strip of corner molding—wood or plastic. (2-3 feet is a good length.)

• A metal strip or strips slightly shorter and narrower than the molding. Hacksaw blades work

well, but be careful of the sharp edges. Magnetic tape that you can buy in rolls at craft stores may work. Magnets will stick to it, but small metal objects might not. They need more surface area contact.

• Hard-drying clay to make the ends of the timeline. Air-drying clay is easiest: Crayola Model Magic, Play-Doh, or homemade flour clay. (Recipe is at the end of the handout.) Sculpey and Fimo are good too, but they need to be baked in an oven to harden.)

• Hot glue gun and glue sticks or other strong glue—paper glue won’t work on metal.

• Paint is optional. Use puffy paint or a permanent marker to label the ends of the timeline.

• Verbs: Ball-shaped magnets, marbles or other small balls, pieces of drinking straws or something of a similar shape, strips of paper folded accordion-style.

2. Measure the metal strips and figure out how long the molding needs to be. Cut it to the right

length with a hand saw. (Since molding is easier to cut than metal, it’s a good idea to cut the molding to match the metal rather than the other way around.)

3. Glue the metal strip(s) in place on one of the inside surfaces of the molding. If you’re using

hacksaw blades, make sure the sharp edge is tight against the inside corner of the molding.

4. Use clay to shape triangular ends for the molding. Make sure the timeline sits at a slight angle so the marbles won’t roll off. If you use air-drying clay, you can shape it right on the molding and leave it to dry. Oven-drying clay will need to be removed before baking, then glued on.

5. When the clay is dry, use puffy paint or a permanent marker to mark the ends “past” and “future.”

Past

Future

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Another way: Easier but less durable

1. Gather your materials: • A long strip of poster board, cardboard, or foam board, tape, and a felt marker • Verbs (as above, but keep them lightweight)

2. Cut a strip of poster board, cardboard, or foam board according to the pattern below. The overall size should be about 2-3 feet long and 4 inches wide. Cut two smaller strips of poster board or heavy paper about 1 x 4 inches for the labels at the ends.

3. Score and fold lengthwise along the dotted line. 4. Attach the labels at each end of the timeline by folding down the ends and taping them to the back

of the timeline so they act as braces for the ends. Add another label in the center at the “Now” position if the center seems too floppy.

Smaller timelines for students

• The easiest way: Photocopy a timeline on a half sheet of paper. Give students beans, beads, or other small objects to represent “short” verbs and sections of drinking straws or strips of paper for “long” verbs. Here’s a pattern:

• Another way: Cut the pattern below from heavy paper or a manila folder. (Make it longer if you

want.) Cut two small slots near the ends as shown. Score and fold in half lengthwise. Insert small rectangular base pieces into slots. (Or use the triangular bits you cut off the ends as bases.) If you want to use magnets with the timeline, glue a magnetic strip or a narrow metal strip, such as a file folder fastener, inside the fold.

Labels !

Now

Past Future

Bases !

Past Future

Now

Past Now Future

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Visual Verbs: Representing the verb tenses with manipulatives

Ball-shaped magnet

Use these for verbs that are linked to a specific point in time (e.g. past tense). Use several for repeated actions.

Marble or small plastic ball

Use these for verbs that show indefinite time (e.g. present perfect). Roll them back and forth to show that they’re not “stuck” in time.

Straw or other longish object

Use these for actions that extend over a longer time (e.g. continuous tenses, some uses of the present perfect).

Accordion-folded paper or Slinky spring

These “expandable verbs” can also be used for actions that extend over a longer time.

Try these on the timeline:

1. I ate breakfast at 7:00 this morning.

2. While I was eating, I spilled some orange juice.

3. I’ve been at this conference for five hours.

4. I’ve seen that movie three times.

5. I had decided to see that movie even before I saw the trailer.

6. I wear glasses.

7. I’m wearing glasses.

8. I’m going to wear glasses again tomorrow.

9. When you see me again, I’ll still be wearing glasses.

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Verb tenses in English Here’s a summary of a standard presentation of English verb tenses. The timelines are from Understanding and Using English Grammar, 4th Edition by Betty Azar and Stacy Hagen. Explanations of the meanings of tenses are from Keys to Teaching Grammar to English Language Learners by Keith Folse. Verb Tense Example Meaning Timeline

Simple present I often walk to school. A habitual or repeating action.

Present progressive (Present continuous)

I am walking now. A current action.

Present perfect

I have lived in Irvine for two years. I have already walked five miles. I have seen this movie twice.

An action that began in the past but continues to be true. A past action (indefinite time) that could happen again.

Present perfect progressive (Pres. perfect continuous)

I have been walking for two hours.

An action that began in the past but is continuing now (with emphasis on the fact that it is still happening.)

Verb Tense Example Meaning Timeline

Simple past I walked to school yesterday. A single past event.

Past progressive (Past continuous)

While I was walking to school, I stopped at Starbucks.

A past action that was happening (when it was interrupted by another).

Past perfect I had walked to school many times before I bought a car.

A past action that was completed before a second past action.

Past perfect progressive (Past perfect continuous)

I had been walking for two hours by the time I stopped.

An action that began in the past before a second past action (with emphasis on the duration of the action).

2 yrs.

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Verb Tense Example Meaning Timeline

Future with be going to

I am going to walk soon.

An event in the future, especially one already planned.

Future with will I will walk tomorrow. I’ll walk with you if you want me to.

An event in the future, especially one that is scheduled or expresses strong desire to do something.

Future progressive (Future continuous)

I will be walking at 10:00 tonight.

An action that will be taking place at some point in the future.

Future perfect By the time I graduate, I will have read 100 textbooks.

An action that will be finished by a specified time in the future.

Future perfect progressive (Future perfect continuous)

By the time I get to school, I will have been walking for two hours.

How long an action has been happening at a future point; focus is on the duration.

Recipe for flour-and-salt clay

2 c. flour 1/2 c. salt 7/8 c. warm water

Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Add water and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands. Knead the clay dough until it’s smooth and easy to shape. After making objects, set them out to air dry.

Sources of Verb Tense Information

• Azar, Betty and Stacy Hagen, Understanding and Using English Grammar, 4th Edition. Pearson Longman, 2009. ISBN: 978-0132333313.

• Folse, Keith, Keys to Teaching Grammar to English Language Learners. University of Michigan Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-472-03220-4.

Resources for Teaching Grammar • How to Teach Grammar by Scott Thornbury. Pearson Longman, 1999. • Teaching Grammar Creatively by Günter Gerngross, Herbert Puchta, and Scott Thornbury. Cambridge

University Press, 2006. • Fun with Grammar by Suzanne Woodward. Prentice Hall, 1996. You can also download the whole book for

free: http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/download/funwithgrammar/home.html. • Techniques and Resources in Teaching Grammar by Marianne Celce-Murcia and Sharon Hilles. Oxford

University Press, 1988. • Grammar by Scott Thornbury. Oxford University Press, 2005. • Oxford Basics: Presenting New Language by Jill Hadfield and Charles Hadfield. Oxford University Press,

1999. • Oxford Basics: Teaching Grammar by Jim Scrivener. Oxford University Press, 2003.