WHAT DO MAINSTREAM SECONDARY TEACHERS KNOW ABOUT GRAMMAR

WHAT DO MAINSTREAM SECONDARY TEACHERS KNOW ABOUT GRAMMAR? Kamil Trzebiatowski EAL Coordinator / Teacher / Consultant / Writer / Blogger APRIL 27 th, 2018: Aston University Presented by KAMIL TRZEBIATOWSKI Ktlangspec. co. uk 07375473608 kamil@ktlangspec. co. uk ktlangspec KTLangspec EAL Training, 7 Salisbury St, Flat 4, Hull, HU 5 valuediversity-teacher. co. uk/

Form and function: grammar made explicit Good EAL Practice Draw attention to language and how it is used to express the content. Specifically comment on forms, structures and functions used for content. Draw attention to grammar (e. g. tenses) Pay attention to expressing doubt (e. g. may-might, can-could) Model the use of grammar and extend the use Note different discourses in different subjects Draw attention to how information is presented through paragraphs Adapted from NALDIC (1999) The Distinctiveness of English as an Additional Language

Overview • 16 participating secondary teachers from schools across the UK • 6 English teachers, 5 Science teachers, 2 Literacy teachers (Maths and English), 1 Maths Teacher, 1 Humanities Teacher, 1 Arts Teacher • 20 grammar questions asked • Questions: based on Appendix 2 of NC English for primary

Questions 1 – Don’t know 2 - I've heard it before, but wouldn't be able to explain it. 3 - I know it, and can provide an example. 4 - I know it very well: I can define/explain it, providing at least one example. 5 - I know it well enough to teach it to others; I can define/explain it and give examples in my sleep!

Self-ascription –averages Average 3. 225 Average by subject Points % 3. 9 2. 98 2. 62 English Maths Science 2. 4 Humanities 2. 45 Art 5 33% 4 16% 3 9% 2 24% 1 18%

of n nc e te en ls na io rb ve sit po re al ct fe 3. 875 di to ap as hr er tic le ar t. P o e 2. 25 ap en es Pr er az 2. 5 ac on n tio nc 3. 875 fu as hr un no rb ve fix 2. 1875 ap e bl ve iti ta un co un ns uf l ia rb as ve ad ce en nt se n 3 at ra an ex tio er in m isa al m in pl om ac no 3. 25 et er e us 3. 5 ad er un no cla d ive at el ar un po se ph tro os ap om of rb ve la u lc iva ct je ry b er un 4. 5625 an e ad ia xil au av no 3. 375 ac us an an A Self-ascription – by question Analysis by grammatical element 4. 625 4. 1875 3. 3125 3. 0625 2. 75 2. 4375 1. 875 1. 5625

All subjects I know Noun Verb Apostrophes Suffixes Complex sentences Relative clauses Preposition Adjectival clauses Compound nouns Determiners I don’t know 94% 94% 75% 63% 56% 50% 50% Zero article Phrasal verbs Nominalisation Uncountable nouns Transitive verbs Present Perfect Conditional sentences Determiners Adverbials 94% 81% 75% 69% 63% 56% 50%

English I know I don’t know Noun Verb 100% Apostrophe 100% Complex sentences Adverbial Suffixes 100% Adjectival clause 88% Relative clause 88% Determiners Phrase 88% Preposition 88% Compound nouns 75% Auxiliary verbs 63% Conditional sentence Transitive verb 63% 50% Uncountable noun 50% Zero articles Phrasal verbs Nominalisation Uncountable noun 88% 63% 50%

Science I know Noun Verb Apostrophe Suffix I don’t know 80% 80% 60% Nominalisation Adverbial Zero article Phrasal verb Adjectival clause Transitive verb Uncountable noun Present Perfect Conditional sentences Auxiliary verb Compound noun Relative clause 100% 80% 80% 80% 60% 60%

Analysing definitions Correctness of explanations - all respondents Sufficiency: 32 0 – Wrong 1 – Partially correct 2 – Completely correct Numbers Percentages 0 10 14% 1 32 44% 2 31 42% 31 10 0 1 2

Analysing definitions Reponses Average correctness 2. 5 ce en nt se al iti on nd Co Average s x ffi Su in rm te De os tro ph er s es b Ap as al ve r n Ph r po m Co No u s un d po no sit io un n rb Pr e cla tiv e la Re Ve e us n tio isa 2 al 3 in 1. 8 m 3 6 ce s Determiners Suffix Conditional sentences No 1. 8 en 7 nt Apostrophes se 1. 4 bs 7 ex Phrasal verb 0 pl 1. 33 yv er 5 9 m Compound nouns Noun ia r 1. 2 Co 5 ia ls Preposition 0. 5 xil 1 1 rb 2 1 Au Relative clause Verb 1 ve 1 s 2 Ad Nominalisation se 1 la u 3 lc Complex sentences 1. 5 ct 1 iva 3 ct Auxiliary verbs 2 rfe 1 1 je 4 3 Pe Adjectival clauses Adverbials Ad 0 nt 1 se Present Perfect Pr e Area

LAST YEAR…

The research • The National Strategies Secondary CPDM Analysing Writing tool used 40 books Samples English KS 3 & KS 4 Top to bottom sets Min 300 words Students 20 EAL Levels B, C, D and E 20 English native speakers Analysis Text level Sentence level Word level

21 0 T 5 T 6 T 7 T 8

More complex punctuation such as a colon Accurate use of comparatives Nominalisation used appropriately Passive voice used accurately Accurate use of idiom More complex tenses Questions / exclamations Aspect Accurate use of comparatives More complex punctuation such as a colon Nominalisation used appropriately More complex tenses Passive voice used accurately Accurate use of idiom % Aspect 95% 90% 85% 80% 75% 70% 65% Organisation Engages the reader Appropriate opening and closing Variation within sentences Wide choice of vocabulary Development of themes and ideas Cohesion – linking ideas within and between paragraphs % 95% Aspect % 55% 50% 45% 40% % Engages the reader 30% 90% Appropriate opening and closing 30% 85% Development of themes and ideas 25% Cohesion – linking ideas within and between paragraphs 25% Variation within sentences 20% 50% Wide choice of vocabulary 20% 45% Ambitious use of a variety of verbs 20% 65% Massive percentage difference Aspect 2 – well done 1 – not well done 0 – no evidence

Status of ‘language’ in schools S 1: Miss, you’re the better teacher aren’t you. T: Why? S 2: Like if I don’t understand Miss Smith explains to me and I still don’t I understand I call you over and you me a different thing. T: So we see it from two different ways you mean? S 1: But you’re the proper teacher aren’t you? T: Well no. We are both proper teachers. S 1: She’s like a help. T: No, that’s not true. Creese, A. (2005) Teacher Collaboration and Talk in Multilingual Classrooms

Rich contextual background: making input comprehensible Good EAL Practice Content learning can be hugely facilitated by the use of visual support – allows them to conceptualise content even with very limited L 2 Visual aids Pictures Key visuals Maps Diagrams Cycles Charts Timelines Tables Adapted from NALDIC (1999) The Distinctiveness of English

Encouraging comprehensible output Good EAL Practice Encourage the production of both spoken and written language. The active use of language enables EAL learners to be more aware of their language use and use it with greater understanding. Collaborative learning Peer tutoring Role plays Scaffolded writing Scaffolded teacherpupil and pupil talk Adapted from NALDIC (1999) The Distinctiveness of English as an Additional Language

Form and function: grammar made explicit Good EAL Practice Draw attention to language and how it is used to express the content. Specifically comment on forms, structures and functions used for content. Draw attention to grammar (e. g. tenses) Pay attention to expressing doubt (e. g. may-might, can-could) Model the use of grammar and extend the use Note different discourses in different subjects Draw attention to how information is presented through paragraphs Adapted from NALDIC (1999) The Distinctiveness of English as an Additional Language

Classification

There are three kinds of dogs that I like best. I like Pugs because they are companion dogs and have cute faces. Boston Terriers are on my list because they are intelligent and not too big. I also like Golden Labrador Retrievers because they are faithful, loving, and fun to play with. Adapted from http: //tslater. public. iastate. edu/kf/powerpoint. html There are three types of triangles: equilateral, isosceles and scalene. Equilateral triangles are made up of three equal sides and three equal angles. Isosceles triangles are made up of two equal sides and two equal angles. Scalene triangles are made up of unequal sides and unequal angles. Scalene triangles look the most unsymmetrical.

Substitution tables

GAP-FILLS WITH A DIFFERENCE • Provide a list of words in a box • Ensure they are all one category (e. g. prepositions or verbs) • Discuss how they’re used in sentences (word order) A PREPOSITION GAP FILL She was dressed __ rich materials - satins, and lace, and silks - all __ white. Her shoes were white. And she had a long white veil dependent ____ her hair, and she had bridal flowers __ her hair, ___ her hair was white. Some bright jewels sparkled __ her neck and __ her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling __ the table. Dresses, less splendid than the dress she wore, and half-packed trunks were scattered _____. She had not quite finished dressing, ___ she had ___ one shoe __ - the other was __ the table ____ her hand - her veil was half arranged, her watch and chain were not put __, and some lace ___ her bosom lay ____ those trinkets and ____ her handkerchief, and gloves, and some flowers, and a prayer-book-, all confusedly heaped _____ the looking-glass. Choose from the words in the box In near on of with about but from for What part of speech are all these words? Are the verbs before or after them?

CERTAINLY SEEMS TO BE APPEARS TO BE UNDOUBTEDLY USUALLY IRREFUTABLY UNLIKELY Adverbs / adverbial phrases of certainty DARTs: VOCABULARY CLINES NEXT FURTHER SUBSEQUENTLY FOLLOWING THIS LATER AFTERWARDS THEN CAN MIGHT MAY COULD OUGHT TO IS MIGHT POSSIBLY Spoken-like to academic Modal verbs of certainty/uncertainty

May/might/can/ could + verb CONFUSING TO AN EAL LEARNER Present Simple (s) Present Simple Why no –s? Passive voice May/might/can/ could + verb Where is the SUBJECT? ? ? Present simple (-s) Where is the SUBJECT? ? ? Passive voice A TES Resources activity available at: https: //www. tes. co. uk/teaching-resource/ks 3 geography--globalisation-11003632

Passive Voice Oh no! Why not “one problem is faced”? Passive Voice Oh no! Why not “is corroded? ” Why not “is lost”? Passive Voice And suddenly it’s all in active voice Passive Voice Image from Fraser, Coppock and Partridge (2003) Starting Science for Scotland: Book Two

PAST SIMPLE PRESENT SIMPLE Only 2 cases of passive voice here! HOW DO I MAKE THIS MORE ACCESSIBLE? Images from Shephard & Shephard (2007) Rediscovering The Twentieth Century World: A World Study After 1900.

Most people _____in their homes, usually under the stairs or in the ground-floor rooms. Thousands ______ Anderson shelters in their gardens. In London, underground train stations were ______ places to shelter. Londoners _________ platform tickets and then ______ in the stations for the rest of the night. At first the government _____ to ban this, but as there ________ not enough public shelters it eventually ________ to give in. sheltered bought were built had Tasks: 1. Use the words in the box to fill in the gaps 2. Mark subjects in the text tried Camped

What did they do in their homes? Thousands of who did what? Underline the subjects What did they do in the stations? What were popular places? What did the Londoners buy? Did they have to do this just once or many times? What did the government try to ban? Why did they have to give in?

Use your answers to write the diary extract. You can only use “I” or “we” for your subjects.

Millions of tonnes of metals are used every year for many different jobs. They are used for building cars and bridges (iron), making drink cans and food packaging (aluminium), plumbing and electrical wires (copper) and making batteries (zinc). But they all face one problem. That is corrosion. We use millions of tonnes of metals every year for many different jobs. YOU CAN’T USE “WE” NOW Millions of tonnes of metals are used every year for many different jobs.

IRON ALUMINIUM COPPER BUILDING BRIDGES BUILDING CARS MAKING DRINK CANS FOOD PACKAGING ELECTRICAL WIRES PLUMBING MAKING BATTERIES We use metals to NOW WRITE ABOUT METALS BUT DON’T USE “WE”.

Present Progressive/Continuous 3 Present Perfect 1 Present Simple 7

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http: //www. engames. eu/wpcontent/uploads/2014/02/Present-simple-tensecor. png

Your heart can beat _____ times a day. Each heartbeat pumps blood to every part of your body. Your cells need energy to stay alive and they get it from ______ and _____. Blood collects _____ from _____ food and ____ oxygen from your lungs. It delivers the _______ and _______ to every cell. Heart _____ work together to pump blood. The _______ are made of cells. Beth’s heart attack started when some of these muscle cells ran out of ____ and stopped working. The blood vessel that supplied them was blocked by a blood _____. The cells didn’t get any oxygen so they died. Your heart ______ (can/could) beat 100 000 times a day. Each heartbeat _____ (pumps/pumped) blood to every part of your body. Yours cells _____ (need/needed) energy to stay alive and they _____ (get/got) it from glucose and oxygen. Blood _____ (collects/collected) glucose from digested food and oxygen from your lungs. It _____ (delivers/delivered) the glucose and oxygen to every cell. Heart muscles _____ (work/worked) together to pump blood. The muscles _____ (are/were) made of cells. Beth’s heart attack _____ (start/started) when some of these muscle cells _____ (run/ran) out of energy and _____ (stop/stopped) working. The blood vessel that _____ (supplies/supplied) them _____ (is/was) blocked by a blood clot. The cells _____ (don’t get/didn’t get) any oxygen so they died.

Kamil: By the end of it, you could also get them to cut it up and recreate to see if they get the affirmative sentences word order structure. Teacher: Affirmative sentences?

http: //valuediversity-teacher. co. uk

valuediversity-teacher. co. uk/courses/grammar-for-secondary-school-teachers/

Unit Lessons 1 – Words sentences and letters 01 – Words and sentences 02 – Letters 03 – Singular and plural 5 – Tenses 18 – Present 19 – Past 20 – Future 21 – Conditional sentences 6 – Clauses and complex sentences 22 – Subordinate and relative clauses 23 – Three types of sentences 7 – Direct and indirect speech 24 – Direct and indirect speech 8 – Voice and register 25 – Active and passive voice 26 – Formal and informal English 9 – Cohesive devices and ambiguity 27 – Cohesive devices 28 – Ambiguity 10 – Punctuation 29 – Marking the end of a sentence 30 – Commas and apostrophes 31 – Colons and semi-colons 32 – Dashes and hyphens 33 – Parentheses, brackets, ellipses and bullet points 2 – Parts of speech and sentence 04 – Nouns 05 – Verbs 06 – Adjectives 07 – Adverbials and adverbs 08 – Prepositions 09 – Conjunctions 10 – Articles and determiners valuediversity-teacher. co. uk/courses/grammar-for 11 – Phrases secondary-school-teachers/12 – Objects 3 – Word formation and meaning 13 – Affixes and word families 14 – Synonyms and antonyms 4 – Types of sentences 15 – Affirmative and negative sentences 16 – Interrogative sentences 17 – Exclamations and imperatives

Issues Issue Limited grammar knowledge (facts of grammar): Difficult to teach students how to use advanced structures, e. g. nominalisation or passive voice Belief in osmosis with EAL learners: “they will pick it up” The overwhelming primacy of content to the exclusion of language (and, therefore, grammar) Feelings of embarrassment around the gap in this knowledge Disbelief in the ability to learn one’s own basics of grammar Dichotomising the issue – grammar vs content