TEACHING GRAMMAR

TO YOUNG LEARNERS
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Faculty of English Language and Literature
ELT Methods and Practices, Spring 2012
Course Instructor: Prof. Bessie Dendrinos
Tutorial carried out by:
Paul Bouniol
Can we teach grammar to children?
The basic questions that this tutorial seeks to answer are:
What type of grammar should we teach to young
learners
Whether or not grammar should be taught explicitly to
very young and young learners
In this tutorial we are concerned with EFL learners in Greek
primary school, both
very young learners (ages 6-8)
young learners (8-12)
Different grammars
Different views of language result in different
theories of grammar and how grammar is learnt and taught
Structural views of language are the basis for formal
grammars
Functional views of language are the basis for notional-
functional and for communicative grammars
In English, we find a great many grammars for different
groups of people
L1 speakers, English teachers and advanced EFL
students, commonly make use of reference grammars
Students of English commonly make use of pedagogic
grammars
Teaching the grammar of a language
Language is a whole (system), but it cannot be taught in its
totality. It needs to be broken down into parts which will
constitute the content of the curriculum/syllabus.
Different views about what type of a system language is,
produce different approaches to ELT, leading to different
curricula and syllabuses:
Structural approaches to language lead to focusing on
the formal grammatical & lexical components of language
Functional approaches lead to focusing on the notions
and functions of language, functional grammar,
situational syllabuses.
Different views about how language is learnt, produce
different methods and practices of language teaching and
thus of grammar teaching
Language learning & the teaching of grammar
Different views about how people learn languages include:
Cognitive theories which claim that people learn through complex
cognitive mechanisms
Behavioural theories which claim that linguistic behaviour is shaped
through stimulus + response classroom practices, punishment +
reward
Interactional theories which claim that language is learnt through
use and it is through use that meanings are developed in language
No single theory is considered right or wrong by foreign
language experts and practitioners who have incorporated
teaching practices resulting from all three language
learning theories
Language and grammar teaching practices
Practices resulting from cognitive learning theories, used
especially during the presentation stage
Explicit teaching (by explanation) of the rules of the language rules
about how language as a formal system is organized and/or about
language use (i.e., structural and functional rules)
Implicit teaching of the structural and functional rules of the language
(by demonstration or through practice)
Practices resulting from behavioural theories, used
especially during the practice stage
Modeling and repeating language patterns and words, especially
through drilling, etc.
Practices resulting from interactional theories, used
especially during the production stage
Organized activities providing opportunities for meaningful use of the
new language (use of the language in social context)
Do the young learn differently from adults?
Theories about how young children learn are not different
from theories about how adults learn language and
therefore grammar, but there are special considerations
regarding how children learn anything. Remember,
children:
have an amazing ability to absorb the new
they do not understand abstract concepts and theories
(e.g. grammar explanations and metalinguistic
information). Teaching grammar explicitly requires the
learner to think about language abstractly, so the
younger the learner, the less appropriate grammar (and
especially form-focused instruction) is
they learn best by playing, singing, and using language
in real situations and for fun, NOT by explanation
What else should we remember?
Very young and young learners:
need to be praised or else they give up and dont want
to comply
can use language before they understand what it is that
they mean by saying something
need to be absolutely clear about what to do
learn through their eyes, ears, hands and their senses
Get easily bored and need variety
cannot concentrate for a long time on one thing
cannot always differentiate fact from fiction
dont always ask questions; they pretend to understand
Remember also that children change dramatically from one year to the next
The focus of grammar teaching for the young
Questions about whether the focus of grammar teaching for
the very young and young learners should be on form,
meaning or use is a false question
Attention to all three is warranted but, in order for it to
work:
the teaching techniques used must be appropriate for
young and very young learners
presentation, practice and production stages should be
ensured
What aspect of grammar?
When referring to grammar, we are talking about:
The grammar of words (rules about how words are formed,
how they are used to make meaningful sentences)
The grammar of clause and sentence, i.e., rules about word
order and how sentences are linked together to make
paragraphs
The grammar of texts, i.e., rules about text coherence and
cohesion, and about how sentences function as part of a text)
The grammar of text types and genres, i.e., rules about how a
text type is organized and what type of lexicogrammar is used
in a text type such as a formal letter, an information leaflet, an
advertisement, an email, etc.
Teaching grammar to young
learners: Principles and tips
The teaching process
The procedure suggested by Batstone (1995) includes the
following steps:
(re)noticing
(re)structuring
proceduralizing
Noticing
It involves an active process during which learners become
aware of the new pattern, notice the link between form and
meaning, but do not try to produce the pattern themselves
yet
Successful noticing activities:
Support meaning as well
Present the pattern/form) in linguistic AND social context
Compare/contrast the new pattern/form with other (already
known) patterns/forms
Require active participation on the part of the learner
Must be at a level of detail appropriate to the learners age
Lead into, but not include, activities that manipulate language
Types of noticing activities
Classroom instructions, questions, requests, etc.
Dialog with a puppet
Using texts
Using visual
Exploiting every day situations
Modeling
Drawing
Writing and circling
Underlining critical points
Time lines
Discovery techniques
Structuring
Structuring activities are intended to help learners make
the new grammar pattern part of their internal grammar
and, if necessary, reorganize it
Structuring usually requires controlled practice around
form and meaning
Learners are involved in controlled use of the language,
making necessary changes of form to express meaning
correctly and appropriately
Learners are given choices in content that require
adjustments in grammar to express meaning
During the structuring stage, practice is fully or partly
controlled
Structuring activities
Interaction activities, such as questionnaires, surveys about
learners favourite hobbies, food, routines, etc.
Language games, such as Hangman)
Info-gap activities, such as the one where learners are asked to
guess an action mimed
Meaningful repetition drills
Controlled written practice, such as finding the correct word order
of sentences)
Songs with appropriate lyrics (where language patterns are
repeated
Proceduralization
This is the stage of production where learners are given
opportunities to use the new patterns
Tasks require attention to grammar as well as effective
communication
Proceduralizing activities:
Writing captions in comics and/or pictures
Parallel writing (based on a model text provided)
Finding and writing the ending of a story
Telling a story based on visuals
Role playing and simulations
Problem solving
Having learners correct content or form errors the teacher
(deliberately) makes
Why focus on form?
Attention to form leads to learning to use language with
grammatical accuracy
Form affects meaning, so teaching language entails concern
with form, so long as it is not at the expense of socially
meaningful language use.
Form-focused instruction may be necessary, especially for
features of the FL that differ significantly from L1
The first step to learning the new grammar feature is
noticing an aspect of the form
The second step is to make it part of the learners internal
grammar
The third step is to help learners make it part of their
language resources ready for use in a range of
communicative situations
The learner is the one to do the learning
Teaching grammar does not mean that students will learn
Learners must be given opportunities to practice and use it
in authentic situations
Learners errors can give teachers useful information about
their learning processes and their internal grammars
Why do we assess grammatical accuracy
We assess EFL learners language output in formal and
informal ways in order to:
monitor and evaluate learners progress
help them progress
provide them with evidence of their progress
enhance their motivation
plan our remedial work
Formal assessment techniques include traditional test task
types with Multiple choice questions, T/F, Y/N items,
Multiple match, Cloze, Fill in, Sentence completion,
Sentence reordering, Transformations, Sentence writing,
Parallel writing, etc.
We avoid formal assessment practices where very young
and young learners are concerned
Informal assessment techniques are often desirable
Informal assessment techniques
Among the popular informal techniques with which to
assess young learners grammatical competence are:
Making a portfolio
Arts and crafts activities
Projects
Language games
SAMPLE GRAMMAR ACTIVITIES
ONE OF US, TWO OF US
Level: A2
Time: 10-20 minutes
Aims: To provide review of the pattern: One/two of us can / None of us can.
Procedure:
1. Write the following rubric on the board:
One of us can
Two of us can
None of us can
2. Explain that of us means of our group and that none means
not one. Elicit ways of completing the pattern. For example, One
of us can play tennis. None of us can speak Italian.
3. Divide the class into groups of four. Give them a rough time limit
say 10 minutes within which they must try and generate as many
true sentences as they can about their group, using the rubric. One
member of the group should be appointed to write down the sentences
that are generated.
4. Ask the group secretaries to read out some of the more interesting
sentences about their group, and use this as an opportunity to draw out
the students, inviting them to tell the class a little more about the things
they have said they can do.
(Thornbury, 2005)
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
Level: A1
Time: approx. 5 minutes
Aims: To provide interactive conditions for the use of on the right / left / between
Materials: Copies of the two versions of the same picture to be distributed to pairs.
Procedure:
1. Distribute the pictures so that each member of a pair has a different version
of the same picture. They should hold the pictures and be seated in such a way
that they cannot see each others picture.
2. Point out that the pictures are different, and demonstrate the kind of
exchange necessary in order to discover the differences. To help Ss,
write the following questions and model answers on the board:
What do you have (on the right / on the left / between) ?
I have
3. Ss take turns to ask each other questions until they have discovered all the differences.
(Adapted from: Thornbury, 2005)
Picture B
Picture A
KEEPING THE RULES
Level: A2
Time: 20 minutes
Aims: Reinforcing language of permission, deducing meaning and language rules
from context (Ss match sentences to places and then focus on the language)
Procedure:
1. Write down rules to suit Ss environment
2. Make copies of the rules (one for every pair of children), or copy them
onto a poster or the board.
In Class:
1. Ask the Ss to think of places that have rules (eg: library, swimming pool,
football match, park, classroom, home, etc) and make a list on the board of the
places they suggest.
2. Give out the copies of the rules, or put up your poster and tell the Ss that
each set of sentences refers to one of the places on the board. Tell them to read
the sentences and decide which place they refer to.
3. Let Ss work in pairs to solve the puzzle and then check the answers.
4. Ask them to look at the sentences again and find sentences that express
obligation to do something (must), and then go on to prohibition (mustnt, cant),
permission (can, may), and impossibility (cant).
(Activity adapted from Phillips, 1993)
Suggested reading
Cameron, L. 2001. Teaching Languages to Young
Learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Georgiou-Ioannou, S. & Pavlou, Pavlos. 2003. Assessing
Young Learners. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lewis, G. & Mol, H. 2009. Grammar for Young Learners.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Thornbury, S. 2005. Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Student teacher task 1
Look carefully through two recently published course books
addressed to elementary level young EFL students, choose
a language pattern presented in both, and:
decide in which book the new language pattern is best
presented and practiced, and explain why you think so
find an activity that provides an opportunity for
meaningful production of the new grammar and explain
why you find it effective
Do not forget to attach a copy of the materials youve used
Student teacher task 2
Look in EFL coursebooks for young EFL beginners and
locate activities which use one of the techniques below and
explain how successfully it does so:
Introducing a particular grammar point by (a) using a
song, (b) using presentation through involvement
Practicing the grammar point by (a) using role play, (b)
using visuals
Do not forget to attach a copy of the materials youve used
Children learn only when
they like what they are doing!