2. Teaching Grammar Communicatively -
Schedule
What does communicative grammar teaching
involve?
Tana Ebaugh
March 15-18, 2021
6:00-8:00 pm PHT
Ways of Mediating Grammar Instruction and Activities
Christopher Ott
April 5-8, 2021
6:00-8:00 pm PHT
Integrating Grammar into a Skill-Based Lesson
Samantha Parkes
April 12-15, 2021
6:00-8:00 pm PHT
Correcting Grammar Errors and Giving Feedback
Christopher Ott
April 19-22, 2021
6:00-8:00 pm PHT
Planning Lessons Using the Communicative Approach
Samantha Parkes
April 26-29, 2021
6:00-8:00 pm PHT
One Step further: Tasks
Tana Ebaugh
May 3-6, 2021
6:00-8:00 pm PHT
4. Details for
Today
• Follow Along Document for today’s webinar
Scaffolding and it will help with assignments and the LAC
• Please type questions in the Q&A box for the Q&A Session
You can type questions at any time during the webinar
• Take a break at any time
• Link for End-of-activity evaluation & attendance, posted at the
end of the webinar!
5. Webinar
Objectives
In this webinar, we will:
• explore how to mediate grammar presentations and activities
• discuss the importance of grammar in context
• examine the role of teachers and students in grammar
instruction
• reflect on how to use grammar activities for communicative
purposes
• try to have a bit of fun
6. Agend
a
• Review last session’s webinar
• Presenting grammar communicatively
• The role of grammar activities
• Structured and free grammar activities
examples
7. Revie
w
Post in the chat one thing you learned from our
first webinar “What does communicative grammar
teaching involve?”
F
A
Use your Follow Along document to record your
answer.
8. Revie
w
•Learned the difference between language acquisition
and language learning
•Explored ESL research through the lens of our beliefs
•Learned that teaching grammar communicatively means
you can use elements of other methods
•Named 5 characteristics of a communicative grammar
activity
•Explored an activity, how to use it, how to modify it
• Student age, context, materials, grammar, vocabulary, language proficiency
13. Issues Teaching
Grammar
•Students’ lack of engagement/interest
•Students’ inability to communicate using target
language
•Students’ lack of grammar knowledge
•Students’ fear of making mistakes
15. After choosing a target structure, what do we need to
consider as we plan a grammar presentation?
1. How to expose students to target language/grammar?
2. How to explain grammar rules? When? Necessary?
3. How to engage students in meaningful and interesting
ways?
Grammar Presentations:
3Es
THIN
K
16. Exposu
re
• Students need to be exposed to
grammar in context.
• Readings
• Dialogues
• Realia
• Pictures
• Grammar presentations that examine
only isolated grammar structures do
not foster communicative use
17. What do we mean by grammar in
context?
•Presenting grammar rules and definitions of grammar
terms alone will not teach students how to use those
rules in meaningful communication.
•Fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, and T/F worksheets
outside of a greater context only reinforce rules.
•Students need to see grammar as a way to construct
meaning.
18. •Criticism of Present Practice Produce (PPP)
•Student can complete grammar activities correctly during
the lesson but are unable to use target language
communicatively in the long term.
•This problem has been discussed as the non-interface
problem, in that there is no apparent connection between
explicit knowledge of the rules and implicit control of the
system.
•Presenting grammar communicatively allows
students to participate in navigating the form and
meaning of grammar.
Exposure -
PPP
Long & Doughty,
2009
19. Q and A
Pause
Take a moment to process what we’ve just heard about
Exposing students to grammar.
Do you have questions? Confusion?
Post any questions to the Q and A box and we’ll try to answer
later.
22. Student
Engagement
•Meaningful: grammar is not only about structural rules,
but about the meaning those structures create
•Students can explore grammar individually or with
other students
•Students should attempt to produce the structures in
order to internalize them.
23. Review
Questions
•What are the three aspects (3Es) of a grammar
presentation that should be considered before we teach?
•What do we mean by “grammar in context”?
•How can we engage students during a grammar
presentation?
F
A
25. Research on Filipino student
errors
•Shift in pronoun use in relation to gender
•Use of prepositions in/at/on
•Active versus passive voice
•Subject verb agreement
•Observing correct noun-pronoun
antecedent
G. Sumalinog,
2018
26. Research on Filipino student
errors
•Shift in pronoun use in relation to
gender
•Use of prepositions in/at/on
•Active versus passive voice
•Subject verb agreement
•Observing correct noun-pronoun
antecedent
G. Sumalinog,
2018
27. Comicon in
Manila
Are you familiar
with Comicon?
An international
convention for comic
book and superhero
fans to meet, wear
costumes, and discuss
all things comic book
related.
28. Wow! I
love his
costume
!
She didn’t
even look at
my
costume...
Grammar
Presentation –
Pronoun Shift
What is the woman in
this picture thinking ?
What is the man next to
her thinking?
29. Does this passage seem strange
to you?
Last year Anna decided to go to Comicon in Manila. Anna
decided to bring Anna’s boyfriend Gibson. While Anna was
at Comicon, Anna saw a man wearing an amazing
costume. “The man’s costume is so cool”, Anna thought.
Gibson noticed that Anna was staring at the man in the
costume, and Gibson became jealous.
Gibson wondered, “Why doesn’t Anna like Gibson’s
costume so much?” Anna had not even looked twice at
Gibson’s costume.
After awhile Anna told Gibson that Anna really liked
Gibson’s costume and Anna and Gibson both had a
wonderful time.
30. How can we change
this?
Last year Anna decided to go to Comicon in Manila. Anna1
decided to bring Anna’s2 boyfriend Gibson. While Anna was
at Comicon, Anna3 saw a man wearing an amazing
costume. The man’s4 costume is so cool”, she thought.
Gibson noticed that Anna was staring at the man in the
costume, and Gibson5 became jealous.
Gibson wondered, “Why doesn’t Anna like Gibson’s
costume so much?” Anna had not even looked twice at
Gibson’s costume.
After awhile Anna told Gibson that Anna really liked
Gibson’s costume and Anna and Gibson both had a
wonderful time.
31. Let’s add some
pronouns.
Last year Anna decided to go to Comicon in Manila. She
decided to bring her boyfriend Gibson. While she was at
Comicon, she saw a man wearing an amazing costume.
“His costume is so cool,” she thought. Gibson noticed that
she was staring at the man in the costume, and he became
jealous. Gibson wondered, “why doesn’t she like my
costume so much?” She had not even looked twice at his
costume. After awhile Anna told Gibson that she really loved
his costume and they both had a wonderful time.
FA
32. Language
Analysis
She decided to bring her boyfriend. She didn’t even look at my costume
“His costume is so cool.” “Why doesn’t she like my costume
so much?”
She did not look twice at his costume. He became jealous.
What pronouns are being used in these
sentences?
Do they take different forms?
When
?
F
A
33. Subject Object and Possessive
Pronouns
Subject
Pronouns
Object
Pronouns
Possessive
Adjectives*
he him his
she her her
Change in form depends on the antecedent’s
gender and position in the sentence. Change in
form changes the meaning.
*Can be in the subject or object position
F
A
mal
e
femal
e
Gende
r
34. Language
Analysis
She decided to bring her boyfriend.
(subj./possessive)
She didn’t even look at my costume.
(subj/possessive)
“His costume is so cool.”
(subj/obj)
“Why doesn’t she like my costume
so much?” (subj/possessiv
e)
She did not look twice at his costume.
(subj/possessive)
He became jealous.
(subj)
35. Check for
understanding
•What pronouns were used in the passage?
She/he/her/him/his
•What forms do they take?
Subject/Object/Possessive
•When do these forms change? Meaning.
Depends on the antecedent’s gender and position in the
sentence.
•Why? Meaning.
To identify who is being referred to.
FA
36. Questio
n
In the previous presentation did we focus more on the
rule of the grammar structure or on the meaning
created by the structure in context?
37. Grammar Presentation
Checklist
Step 1: Introducing the context to Expose students to the target
language (memorable/humorous examples). ✓
Step 2: Engaging the students in language analysis. ✓
Step 3: Helping the students to detect the meaning of the target
structure.
✓
Step 4: Explaining: Explicit focus on form. ✓
Step 5: Checking understanding. ✓
39. The Role of Grammar
Activities
•Improve students’ accuracy (use standard grammar)
•Improve students’ fluency (speak and write without
pauses and get meaning across)
•Reorganize students’ knowledge, integrate new
knowledge into old – that is, engage in restructuring.
40. Types of Grammar
Activities
•Controlled Activities - focus on acurately producing
specific language items but also gives students a chance
to personalize the language and thus gives it more
meaning than just repeating what a teacher says.
•Free Activities - focuses on fluency and gives students the
freedom to experiment with language and incorporate
previously learned language items into their
communication.
43. Story
chains
•Students sit in a group. The first student says: My name is
Joan and in my free time I play the piano. The next student
has to say: Her name is Joan and in her free time she
plays the piano. My name is George and in my free time I
read books. The third student has to say Her name is Joan
and she plays the piano. His name is George and he
reads books. My name is Peter and I … etc.
•This activity can be used to practice different grammar
structures. For example, the first student could say: My
name is Peter and I have never travelled by plane.
46. Grammar
Memes
•Using the website https://imgflip.com students can create
their own grammar memes focusing on target language to
create dialogues or grammar rules and share them with
others electronically.
•Or they can be printed and brought to class for students to
give a presentation on grammar points in a creative and
engaging way.
•You could assign a group of students to investigate a
grammar point and present it to the class prior to
teaching that grammar in class.
•This could be a part of your (teacher) grammar
presentation.
48. Discussion/Resource Sharing
What types of grammar activities do you use in
your classroom?
Think of one of your most frequently used grammar
activities and send it to the chat box.
Is the activity’s goal to improve accuracy or fluency or
both?
49. Summa
ry
•Presentations
Expose – grammar in context
Explain – minimal; explicit or
implicit Engage – meaningful
•Role of Grammar Activities
Accurac
y
Fluency
•Grammar activities
Controlle
d Free
50. Summary
Continued
•Grammar should be addressed within meaningful
communicative contexts as one element of language
proficiency.
•Instead of focusing on grammar rules and
diagramming sentences, teachers should guide
students towards an understanding of how
grammar functions.
•Students learn how to use the form rather than
memorized conjugations that may not be applicable
across contexts.
ACTFL.o
52. Assignme
nt
•Create a communicative grammar presentation plan
and one corresponding activity (controlled or free). This
can be used during week 5 for lesson planning.
(Remember the 3Es)
•Reflect on how this plan can be used in the classroom, but
also how can we implement these strategies during home
learning to foster a more communicative grammar teaching
environment.
53. Referenc
es
• World Learning. (2019). Exploring Grammar Presentation Techniques. In “Teaching
Grammar Communicatively” [MOOC].
• World Learning. (2019). The Role of Grammar Practice. In “Teaching
Grammar Communicatively” [MOOC].
• Long, M.H. & C., J. Doughty (2009). The Handbook of Language Teaching. Malde,
MA: Wiley Blackwell.
• Lightbown, P., & Spada, N. M. (2006). How languages are learned. Oxford
[england: Oxford University Press
• https://www.actfl.org
• https://imgflip.com
• https://www.grammarbook.com
Unless otherwise noted, all images in this presentation are the author’s own or are “no-attribution
required” under the Pixabay simplified license or the Unsplash license.
54. For more information, questions, or comments, visit:
RELO Manila Facebook: www.facebook.com/RELOManila/
RELO Manila website: https://ph.usembassy.gov/education-
culture/relo/
Thank
you!
55. Thanks for joining
us!
The next Teaching Grammar Communicatively
session,
Integrating Grammar into a Skill-Based
Lesson
is on April 12.
We hope to see you then!
