Teaching grammar

ELT Methodology 4 Unit 3

Lesson observation
(important!)

Write the stages of the lesson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Re-FWcA03I (time: 35 min.)
What do we teach when we teach grammar?

FORM (oral/written)

MEANING

USE/CONTEXT
Approaches to Ss read a text. The T tells them to find examples of if – clauses
grammar in the text (the second conditional) and generates the rules.

teaching:
Which one is
more
effective?
Which one are T presents the second conditional by explaining the rules.
Then the ss do practice activities.

you used to?

Approaches to grammar teaching

Deductive (PPP)

●
Rule Example

Inductive (Guided discovery)

●
Example Rule
D/I approach (advantages/disadvantages)

Deductive Inductive
Usually with lower level ss Usually with higher level ss
Easier Learner autonomy
Less time consuming Motivating
T-centered Engaging
Decontextualized items Authentic materials
L-centered
Presentation-practice-production lesson
models (A)
• Lead-in T sets the context through a visual or aural prompt (Tom’s tall
and Bill’s tall but Tom’s taller than Bill)
• Teacher clarification: T elicits/gives examples of the structure and
explains it. (Is Tom as tall as Bill?)
• Restricted output: oral practice and written practice: (gap-fill,
matching, sentence completion, MCQs, graphic organizers)
• Authentic output: communicative language use (role-play, games,
interviews, writing letters)
PPP (B)
• Lead-in T sets the context through a visual or aural prompt
• Restricted exposure: ss read/listen to a text and do comprehension
tasks
• Teacher clarification: T elicits examples of the structure from the text
and elicits/gives information about the item (form and meaning)
• Restricted output: oral practice and written practice: (drills, gap-fill,
matching, sentence completion, MCQs, graphic organizers, etc.)
• Authentic output: communicative language use (role-play, games,
interviews, debate, writing letters)
Lead-in (establishing the context): eliciting
• What’s a suitable lead-in (context/topic) for introducing the following
grammar structures?

Past Simple Must/have to

Used to
Present Perfect Some and any
Be going to
NOW 15 years ago

now
Lead-in
• This is my sister. She is two years younger than me. Look at the
picture. What’s her job? What is she doing now? Would you like to be
a…?

She gets up around 6 o’clock every morning and walks to the nearest bus
stop.
 Clarification/explanation (eliciting) and
CCQs

She arrived at the It’s 8: 30 a.m. She’s

bus stop at 8 a.m. still waiting for the
She has been waiting for the bus for half an hour.
this morning. bus.

• CCQs: When did she start waiting for the bus?

• Is she still waiting?
• Has she been waiting for the bus for a long time?
• How long has she been waiting?
Ask concept checking questions to check
understanding of these items
• E.g. You shouldn’t have left your jacket on the bench.
- Did you leave your jacket on the bench?
- Do I think it was a good idea for you to leave your jacket on the
bench?
- Am I giving you advice before or after you left your jacket?
(Can I change the situation?)
Ask concept checking questions to check
understanding of these items
1. A lot of tea is drunk in China.

2. It’s going to rain.

3. I wish my computer had more memory.

4. She has broken her arm.

Clarification

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Presenting form (tables and diagrams which
can be used for drilling)
  subject main verb be    
+ I am   French.
You, we, they are   French.
He, she, it is   French.
- I am not old.
You, we, they are not old.
He, she, it is not old.
? Am I   late?
Are you, we, they   late?
Is he, she, it   late?
 Exposure (listening/reading)

Noticing (in texts)

How is
grammar Understanding (the form, meaning and use)

internalized?
Controlled practice (restricted output)

Freer practice (authentic output)

Noticing: focus on the form and making
form-meaning connections

• She has been waiting for the bus for an hour. (She’s been waiting)
• They have been listening to music all day long. (They’ve been listening)
• He has been redecorating his flat for a week now. (He’s been
redecorating it.)
• We have been jogging since 6 o’clock this morning. (We’ve been jogging)

HAVE/HAS (3.p.s) been + VERB+ING

(Present Perfect Continuous)
 • Awareness raising and noticing: (finding
instances of the target structure in a text)
• Restricted output:
- controlled drills (repetition, substitution,
Grammar etc.)
- meaningful drills (He’s going to the theater
practice – He’s going to watch a play)

activities - gap-fill, matching, sentence completion,

MCQs, short answers, transformations, etc.
(output) • Authentic output:
- Communicative speaking (role-plays,
dialogs, debate, interviews) and writing tasks
(creative writing, writing letters, emails,
notices, etc.)
Coursebook grammar activities

Arrange the grammar practice activities from most to least

controlled (handout in the material pack)