Title: Tools for Teaching English Grammar to SpanishSpeaking Students Who Know Almost Nothing About It
1Tools for Teaching English Grammar to
Spanish-Speaking Students Who Know Almost Nothing
About It
2What Well Discuss
- Gramática del inglés Paso a paso At last a
grammar book written in Spanish that assumes no
prior knowledge of English or Spanish grammar - Winning strategies for teaching grammar to
Spanish-speakers who know very little about
grammar in English or Spanish
3Introducing Gramática del inglés Paso a Paso
- Written in readers native language Spanish
(with English addition available) - Explicitly teaches punctuation and parts of
speech in addition to teaching grammar - Assumes no prior knowledge of Spanish or English
grammar or punctuation
4Topics Covered
- Identifying nouns, pronouns, and adjectives
- Using capital letters, periods, and question
marks - Distinguishing between singular and plural nouns
- Using a, an, and the
- Conjugating the verbs to be and to have
- Possessive adjectives, his, her, etc.
- Contractions
5Pace
- Presents concepts in small, manageable steps
- For example
- Section 1 my
- Section 2 his, her
- Section 3 your, our
- Section 4 its, their
6Format
- Employs consistent, easy to use layout
- Each page of explanation is followed by a page of
practice exercises
7Focus on Error Correction
- Calls out differences between Spanish and English
grammar - Includes exercises in which students choose
between the correct and incorrect grammatical
structure - I no tired. Im not tired
- She hair Her hair
8Practice Makes (almost) Perfect
- About a thousand exercises
- Answers to all exercises included
- All vocabulary is defined before it is used
- Bilingual dictionary includes all words used in
exercises
9How to Use This Book
- As a class text
- As an optional text that students purchase
themselves for use at home - In one-on-one tutoring programs
- In Study at Home programs
- As a resource for teachers with Spanish-speaking
students
10And please
- Purchase, dont copy, these books!
- Its cheaper for you.
- Its better for your students.
11Almost hot off the press
- Gramática del inglés Paso a paso 2 will be
available early next year, if not sooner. It
covers - Simple present
- Do and does
- -- Present Progressive
- -- and LOTS more
12Goals for today
- Make teaching grammar more fun and effective
- Make learning grammar more fun and productive
13Grammar Conundrum 1
- The Audio-lingual Method produced students who
knew a lot about specific language structures but
couldnt apply what they knew to spontaneous
conversation. - The Communicative Approach produces students who
communicate well but lack grammatical competency.
14Grammar Conundrum 2
- Explicit knowledge conscious knowledge of
grammar rules learned through formal classroom
instruction - Implicit knowledge unconscious, internalized
knowledge of a language that is available for
spontaneous speech
15Resolving the Grammar Conundrum Goals
- Enable students to develop grammatical competency
even in spontaneous speech. - Make correct grammar automatic.
- Avoid the inert knowledge problem, inability to
activate knowledge or transfer knowledge when you
need it.
16CASE STUDYShort Answer, present tense, with to
be
- Students answer these questions
- Are you tired?
- Are your parents in the United States?
17CASE STUDYShort Answer, present tense, with to
be
- Prior knowledge required to answer these
questions - Statements vs. questions
- Conjugating the verb to be
- Parts of speech (you vs. your)
- Singular vs. plural
- Contractions (or not)
18How do you do it?
- Explain
- Experience
- Explore
19EXPLAIN grammar forms
- Be brief
- Be organized
- Be repetitive
- Be authentic
20For every grammar form
- Focus on error detection
- 1. Im not tired. I no tired.
- 2. It is empty. Is empty.
- 3. I have an old car. I have car old.
- 4. The cars are new The cars is new.
- Can you identify the root of each grammar error?
21For every grammar form
- Test for understanding often!
- Assignment Write a sentence that includes the
word cleans. - She is a cleans the house.
- Marias cleans her house.
- He clean his house.
- She has cleans her house.
- Maria is clean her house.
- Louisa is a housecleaner.
- She cleans the her house.
22Teach parts of speech from Day 1
- Teach them in this order
- nouns (person, place, animal, thing)
- subject pronouns (replace nouns)
- adjectives
- verbs (start with to be)
- prepositions
- adverbs
-
23Teach parts of speech from Day 1
- Use a variety of techniques
- Contests
- Four corners
- Fill the form
- Identification exercises
- Analylze texts
- Practice parts of speech often!
24EXPERICNE grammar using these strategies
- Make grammar a stand-up activity.
- Make grammar a cooperative activity.
- Make grammar a kinesthetic activity.
- Make grammar a joyous activity!
25Make grammar a stand-up activity
- Four Corners
- Gerties Grammar Cards
26Make grammar a stand-up activity
- 3. Student Interviews
- Writing
- Speaking
27Make grammar a stand-up activity
28Make grammar a cooperative activity
29Make grammar a cooperative activity
- Dictation Part 1
- Listening and writing
30Make grammar a cooperative activity
- 2. Dictation Part 2 Speaking (including
pronunciation)
31Make grammar a kinesthetic activity
32Make grammar a kinesthetic activity
33Make grammar a joyous activity Sing!
- Sing! (And explore grammar too!)
- Do You Want to Dance? (Beach Boys) asking
questions - I Cant Smile Without You (Barry Manilow) can
and cant - Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton) simple present
- Email me for more examples
34Make grammar a joyous activity Sing!
- How to do it
- Select a song based on the grammar structure you
want to teach. - Use iTunes to download the song.
- Print the lyrics from the Internet.
- Develop lessons based on the lyrics and one
grammar point.
35Make grammar a joyous activity Sing!
- Day 1
- Play the song.
- Talk about what it means
- Note grammar form
36Make grammar a joyous activity Sing!
- Day 2 and 3 Focus on vocabulary
37Make grammar a joyous activity Sing!
- Day 4 Practice the grammar form using vocabulary
from the song.
38Make grammar a joyous activity Sing!
- Day 5
- Do a cloze activity.
- Students listen to the song and fill in the
missing words.
39Make grammar a joyous activity Sing!
- Sing every day!
- Make a Class CD with lyrics
40EXPLORE Let students discover grammar forms
- The goal of discovering grammar forms is for
students to develop awareness of rather than
production of target forms. - This awareness helps learners notice target forms
in future input and facilitates the eventual
acquisition of these forms as implicit.
41EXPLORE Let students discover grammar forms
- Five part lesson plan
- 1. Listening to comprehend
- 2. Listening to notice
- 3. Discovery
- 4. Checking
- 5. Trying it
42CASE STUDYShort Answer, present tense, with to
be
- Explanation
- Present information in small, manageable chunks
- Day 1 Are you talkative?
- Day 2 Is your sister talkative?
- Day 3 Are your classmates talkative?
43CASE STUDYShort Answer, present tense, with to
be
- Explanation
- Provide one reference sheet that students refer
to whenever this topic is discussed - Repeat the grammar explanation prior to each
activity
44CASE STUDYShort Answer, present tense, with to
be
- Exploration Worksheets plus
- Four Corners
- Gerties grammar cards
- Class interviews
- Scrambled sentences
- Find 3 People Who.
- Dictation
45In sum
- Even though English grammar is excruciatingly
difficult - You can make it fun!