Teaching Grammar and Vocabulary TYL Spring 2013

1. Teaching Grammar and VocabularyTYL Spring 2013

2. Agenda • Quiz • When you finish, work on page with hearts! • Cloze Activity: Big Ideas • Practical Ideas for Grammar and Vocabulary

3. Agree or Disagree? • I’ll read a statement. • You move either to the Agree side or the Disagree side.

4. Statement 1: • Grammar is the most important part of learning a language.

5. Statement 2: • Students shouldn’t speak English unless it’s error-free.

6. Statement 3: • Teachers should always correct students’ grammar.

7. Statement 4: • Learning chunks (e.g., How are you?) is learning grammar.

8. Statement 5: • For kids, grammar and vocabulary should be taught together.

9. Cloze Activity: Grammar

10. Directions: • Work with a partner to compare answers. • You have 2 minutes! 2) Finally, ask more people if you need more help.

11. Answers • Acquiring , Learning • Explicit • Implicitly • Chunks • Fun, meaningful, themes, narratives • Meaning • Error correction, accuracy

12. Now, answer the questions independently. When you finish, share your answers with a partner.

13. Let’s discuss these issues!

14. #1 • The instruction of young learners should be natural. Like a first language learner, they should be acquiring—not learning—English. • The difference?

15. #2 • In general, with very young learners, explicit, or direct, grammar instruction doesn’t work. • Why not?

16. #3 • Grammar should mostly be taught implicitly. • Ways to do this? • Pattern Books (Brown Bear, etc.) • Songs (Mr. Monkey) • TPR • Classroom commands • Games

17. #4 • There should be a lexical, or vocabulary, focus. Grammar should be learned through chunks, which can later be broken apart and used in creative ways. • What does this mean? • Weinhart: Grammar is “the evolution from chunks to creativity”

18. Grammar: “Evolution of Chunks to Creativity” • Example 1: • “Could you please pass me the salt?” • You could add many nouns there: ketchup, my phone, the menu, etc. • Example 2: • “If I were you, I would get a new car.” • You could add many verbs/predicates there: get a divorce, quit my job, etc. • These grammar rules are difficult, but a learner can MEMORIZE the chunks and get creative with them.

19. #5 • All instruction—in grammar, vocabulary, or any of the four skills—needs to be fun and meaningful. It should be based on themes and on narratives and should have a social focus.

20. Older Young Learners #6 • You can start to deliver some mini-lessons on grammar, but the focus should still be on meaning. These mini-lessons should be short, interactive, and highly visual. • Remember FonF?

21. #7 • Some grammar instruction can come through error correction. When judging whether to correct errors, consider the aim of the activity: Are you practicing fluency and the communication of meaning, or are you working on accuracy? • Also, ask yourself: Do I need to correct on the spot, or can I do it in a whole-group format after the activity?

22. Fluency or accuracy? • Too much correction!

23. Delayed Feedback: Step 1

24. Delayed Feedback: Step 2 • Mini-lesson • Look at your anecdotal notes • Write common sentences on board • Maybe: Change some nouns • Have students analyze in pairs • Show corrections on board

25. On-the-Spot Error Correction • Research: Mackey and Oliver (2002) • On-the-spot correction = not for kids under 7 • Research is contradictory • However, one form of correction that has the lowest rate of uptake = recasting • Recasting = Correcting what the student said with no explanation • Child: “I eated dinner last night.” • Teacher: “You ate dinner last night.”

26. Error Correction Strategies that Work • Clarification Request • Student: “He walk to the store yesterday.” • Teacher: “Sorry--I didn’t understand.” • Studies: Somewhat effective • Metalinguistic Feedback • Student: “He walk to the store every day.” • Teacher: “He is 3rd person singular and needs an –s at the end.” • Studies: Somewhat effective

27. Error Correction Strategies that Work • Repetition • Student: “He eated.” • Teacher: “He eated?” (with rising intonation) • Among the most successful strategies • Elicitation • Student: “Last night, he eated.” • Teacher: a. “Last night, he . . .” OR b. “How do we talk about the past in English?” OR “Please say that again correctly in English.”

28. A few Grammar Activities

29. Battleship • Look at the top table. • Choose 1 box in each row. Draw a “battleship” in the box. (There should be 7.) • Find a friend to play with you, but don’t look at your friend’s paper! • Decide: Who’s Partner 1? Who’s Partner 2?

30. My Battleships:

31. Battleship (cont.) • Fold you paper under the first box. • Partner 1 will look only at the top of the page. • Partner 2 will look only at the bottom. • Partner 2 will ask 2 questions for each row. • (Do you have __ on __?) 6) Partner 1 answers • “Yes, I do” = Partner 2 marks an X • “No, I don’t” = Partner 2 marks a dot • Switch roles when you finish the last row! • The winner is the person who “sunk” the most battleships!

32. Also . . . • Surveys, Questionnaires, Interviews

33. Board Games

34. Board Games • Make your own, OR • Get CandyLand! The girl/ not cook

35. Other Games

36. Mad Libs

37. Step 1: Fold your paper • Fold above the hearts!

38. Step 2: Make a chart with the students (whole group) Plural nouns = add –s or –ies

39. Step 3: Choose which words you want to use. • Write them in the top right box. • Just do numbers 1 – 5 (to get the idea)

40. Step 4: Copy your words • Write the words from the top right box in the paragraph • ONLY 1-5!

41. Step 5: Read your story • Share your story with a partner!

42. Movie Segments to Assess Grammar Goals • Blog

43. Vocabulary

44. For beginners . . . • It’s all about filling the refrigerator. • Vocabulary instruction should be thematic. • It should be taught with appropriate sentence frames, too.

45. For example . . . • Family Vocabulary • Frame: I have a ____ / 1 have 2/3 ___s. • Weather Vocabulary • It is ______. / It is ____ in the _____. • When it is _____, I like to ______.

46. Beginners • Re-use and recycle vocabulary hundreds of times! • Games, games, games! • Meaningful activities: Songs, books, projects, etc.

47. Vocabulary: Recycling activities for beginners

48. Posters • Practice writing: Groups write on them with whiteboard markers • “Teacher, Student”: Students quiz each other using the answers on the back • Sticky Ball or Fly Swatters

49. Realia • Buy at a teacher supply store or toy store • Bring in real stuff!

50. Guessing Games • Is it a/an _____? (vocab word) • Do you ____ with it? (verb) • Is it ______? (adjective) • Do you do it _____? (at the park? At school?) • Formats: • Magic Bag (whole class) • Hot Seat with cards (whole class or small groups) • Cards (pairs)