Beyond Grammar Drills Integrating Grammar with Other Language

Beyond Grammar Drills: Integrating Grammar with Other Language Skills, Part 1 Dr. Latricia Trites Fulbright Yilan Project Academic Advisor 2008 -2009

Importance of Grammar • Grammar gives students the structure with which to communicate effectively in a language. • How should we teach grammar? Inductively or deductively?

Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman Model FORM MEANING How it is formed? (Accuracy) What does it mean? (Meaningfulness) USE When/Why is it used? (Appropriateness) (Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, 1999)

Communicative Competence • Grammatical Competence: sounds, words, rules • Discourse Competence: cohesion/coherence • Sociolinguistic Competence: social appropriateness • Strategic Competence: when and how to use, what to do when language fails (Canale & Swain 1980)

Tips for Going Beyond the Drills • Bring in AUTHENTIC texts that illustrate the grammatical point being used. • Create REALISTIC situations that would create meaningful use of the grammatical point.

Describe the Picture

Compare the Pictures Picture 2 Picture 1

Common Lesson Suggestions • Describe a picture – using adjectives, comparatives/superlatives, adverbs, action verbs • Summarize a story in their own words – sequencing events, past tense • Read horoscopes and then write their own – Future tense • Create shopping lists – quantifiers • Answering an email, invitation, etc. – verb tenses (conditionals) • Interviews/Polls – comparatives/superlatives • Time tables – present tense, past tense, future tense • 20 Questions – Yes/No Questions and answers • Proverbs – student research for a particular tense

Take a Chance • Taking a page from the textbook, think of at least one way of extending the grammar exercise to make it meaningful to the students. Focus primarily on reading and writing activities. • Share with the group.

Next Time • Bring your own textbook, we’ll brainstorm for more ideas specifically focusing on listening and speaking activities.

References Canale, M. , & Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics, 1, 1 -47. Celce-Murcia, M. , & Larsen-Freeman, D. (1999). The grammar book: An ESL/EFL teacher’s course (2 nd ed. ). USA: Heinle & Heinle. Ur, P. (1988). Grammar practice activities: A practical guide for teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.