How to teach grammar through texts LindaKen

Texts and Contexts What does this word mean? Can I have a word with you? I give you my word. Word has it that they are getting married. If you want help, just say the word. How should I word this letter?

Language is context- sensitive The following sentences are almost meaningless out of context: 1.The ones that don ’ t, seem to think so. 2.It ’ s a drink.

Texts divorced from their context 1.Port does not exist. 2.Only in Berkshire. Ken Stark, Leeds, Yorks. To Wee Pig from Big Pig. Grunt ！ Grunt ！

Co-text 1.The rest of the text 2.Surrounds and provides meaning to the individual language items

Context of situation 1.Interpreting the meaning of a language item 2.The roles and relationships

Context of culture Require some understanding of the culture

Text 1.Take many forms – postcards, novels, street signs and so on. A feature of classroom. Detached from both its co-text and its context of situation

Problem Example: He’s playing tennis 1.Where’s Tony? He’s playing tennis. 2.He never wears his glasses when he’s playing tennis. 3.Tomorrow morning he’ll be in the office but in the afternoon he’s playing tennis. 4.He’s playing tennis a lot these days. Do you think he’s lost his job? 5.There’s this friend of mine, Tony. He’s playing tennis one day. Suddenly he gets this shooting pain in his chest…

Decontextualising of Grammar Doubtful value The absence of context A text-based approach

Sources of texts 1.The coursebook 2.Authentic sources 3.The teacher The students

Coursebook 1.Ease of understanding 2.Display specific features of grammar

Authentic sources Simplify authentic texts Classroom texts

Teacher ’ s text Teachers ’ story Teachers ’ travel plan Teachers ’ New Year resolutions

Students ’ texts The topics that learners raise Easy to remember

Simple Lesson Lesson 1:Using a scripted dialogue to teach the present simple (Beginners) 1.Chose a recorded dialogue from a coursebook for introducing the present simple with verbs of frequency (e.g. usually, always) to a group of beginners

Step 1 1.Students close their book 2.listen to a conversation between two friends and to answer this question: What are they talking about? 3.Teacher plays the tape down to ‘… and meet my friends. ’

Step 2 1.Teacher says that the conversation is about every weekend. 2.Students listen to whole conversation and to put these words, movies, drive, soccer, go out, study, lunch, park, walk, in order they heard. 3.Teacher writes the nouns in the list and the appropriate verb

The list study have lunch go to the park go out go to the movies drive

Step 3 Students tell these activities in the list David does. 2.Teacher asks one or two other questions about the gist of the conversation.

Step 4 1.Teacher asks students to listen to the following words, usually, always, sometimes, and to match the words on the board. 2.Students check with their neighbor 3.Teacher writes the appropriate adverb

For example usually study always have lunch sometimes go to the park

Step 5 1.Students focus two or three of these sentences and to tell what the speaker says. 2.Teacher replays the relevant sections of tape, until students are able to provide the full sentence

For example

Step 6 1.Students focus on the form of the structure. 2.Underline the verbs and explain that the present simple is used for routine activities.

Step 7 Students write two or three more sentences about David, using the above sentence pattern. Step 8 Check the answers Step 9 Students write four or five sentences about themselves.

Lesson 2 Using an authentic text to teach the passive (intermediate) 1.Teacher has chosen the following authentic text for introducing the passive:

Step 1(Before handing out the text) 1.Teacher tells the class the name of the article (Dog attack) 2.Guess the words 3.Teacher feeds in words from the text, e.g. stitches, wounds, infected, bloodstains.

Step 2 1.Students read the text silently with a view to answering these question 2.Students check their answer in pairs 3.Teacher asks further questions about the text.

Step 3 Teacher writes two sentence on the board: 1.An unsupervised Alsatian dog attacked her. 2.She was attacked by an unsupervised Alsatian dog.

Step 4 1.Find out other examples of passive construction in the text. 2.The passive is typically used: A. to move the theme to the beginning of the sentence B. when the agent is unimportant, or not know By + agent is used

Step 5 Compare their version with the original Step 6 Students describe their stories in English and to write their story