NOTES IN TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT IN GRAMMAR ENGED 313

Teaching Grammar
Overt and Covert Teaching of Grammar
Longman defined grammar as description of structure of a language and the way

in which linguistic units such as words and phrases are combined to produce

sentences in the language. It is best exemplified in this statement:

In the preceding statement, the proper noun Miss Santos is the subject of the

sentence; is is the linking verb; and the principal is the subjective complement.

Notice that the words are put together to produce a meaningful statement.

J. Hamer also defines grammar as the study and practice of the rules by which

words changes their forms and are combined into sentences. For instance, our

knowledge of grammar tells us that the word visit changes to visited in the past tense.

This is an example of a word changing its form.

Our knowledge of grammar will also tell us what to do if we want to put the

phrase not many into the sentence. There are books on the shelf (there are not many

books on the shelf.) This is an example of how words are combined into sentences.

Grammar, then, is the way in which words change themselves and group

together to form sentences. The grammar of the language is what happens to words

when they become plural or negative, or what order is used when they make

questions or join two clauses to form one sentence.

1. Drills are mechanical ways of getting students to demonstrate and

practice their ability to use specific language items in a controlled

manner. The aim of the drill is usually done with the whole class rather

than in pairs or in groups. The teacher is able to get students to ask and
answer questions quickly and efficiently. In presenting drills to the students,

the teacher can be creative.

2. Interactive activities are designed so that students can exchange

information in a purposeful and an interesting way. The best way to do

this is to let the students mill around so that they can ask each other

questions. This is an example of an information gap activity.

3. Games are usually interesting and enjoyable among students. The

teacher can prepare a game focused on the grammatical items learned.

4. Quizzes are usually interesting and enjoyable among students. The

teacher can prepare a game focused on the grammatical items learned.

5. Activities involving the personality can be more meaningful to the

students because they can talk about themselves. They can use

personal information to practice the new language. Thus, it is easier for

them to use the language due to more personalized activity.

Skills Work Stage

This stage is optional. The teacher can determine whether or not the

students need reinforcement or enrichment activities. The teacher can focus on

a certain communication skill, for example, speaking or writing which will be

strengthened by means of communicative activities.

Free Communication Stage

Free Communication Stage must be stress-free so that the students can

communicate freely between and among themselves. In this stage, the teacher

is after the fluency of the students in the use of the language and not so much

on the accuracy of the language.

Time management is another factor to consider in the pyramidal approach. In

the preceding diagram of the pyramid, notice that the space becomes gradually

bigger from the first stage to the last stage. The space signifies allotment of

time to be provided in each stage