1. What is a context?
A context is a situation where native speakers would naturally use the target language you are trying to clarify.
e.g. If you were teaching present continuous for a future arrangement,
“Two people comparing their diaries with a view to setting up a lunch date”
would be a good context and
“Two people discussing what they did at the weekend”
would be a bad one.

2. How is context and grammar combined?
Once you have the context idea, you need to find a text (reading or listening) that supports your context.
You introduce the situation you’re using (through pictures & discussion)
The students read or listen to the text and answer questions (not grammar questions!)
3. The text will include at least one example of the target language.
e.g. For the context stated earlier:
“I can’t do Thursday, I’m meeting my brother for drinks”.

3. Do you understand?
Q: Why don’t we ask the question that should not be asked?
A: Useless question, Learners may:
Not want to appear stupid in front of their peers;
Genuinely believe they do understand
Not want to/be able to explain what they don’t understand;
Not want to offend the teacher
(in some cultures ‘I don’t understand’ = ‘You are a terrible teacher’.)

4. “I managed to open a window”
What context might the above sentence appear in?
e.g.
Someone talking about an escape from a burning building
Someone talking about being trapped in a car underwater
NOT
Someone talking about the time they were ‘a bit hot’

5. “I managed to open a window”
What context might the above sentence appear in?
Which sentences are part of the essential meaning of the sentence?
3. I tried.
6. It was difficult.
9. I succeeded.
What could we do with these statements?

6. “I managed to open a window”
These statements can be turned into Concept Check Questions or CCQs.
1. Did I try?
2. Was it difficult?
3. Did I succeed?
This type of question allows the students to ‘discover’ the meaning rather than have it explained to them.

7. A good CCQ…….
….relates to a model sentence taken from a context in which the sentence appears.
e.g. Students talking about the rules of their primary school.
“We had to wear a uniform.”
CCQs: past, present, future?
2. Was it necessary to wear a uniform?
3. Is it necessary for them to wear a uniform now?

8. A good CCQ…….
….is easy to answer - ideally yes/no, 50/50, or simple one word answers.
Are these CCQs easy to answer?
Jane: “I shouldn’t have had too much too drink.”
1. Did she have too much to drink?
2. What was her mistake?
3. Why does she feel regret?
4. Was it a good idea to drink a lot?
5. How does she feel now?
6. Does she feel good or bad about what she did?

9. A good CCQ…….
….is couched in language the students find easy to understand. The language of the CCQ should always be easier than the target language.
Are these good CCQs?
Students talking about their dreams.
“If I had more money, I’d travel around the world.”
1. Were the speaker to have more money, would a journey be an option?
2. If he had earned more money, would he have bought a round the world ticket?
3. So, is that clear everyone?
4. Might it be possible to travel?
5. What do you understand by this sentence?

10. A good CCQ……. …..doesn’t use the target language. Are these good CCQs?
Person discussing their greatest achievements.
“I’ve been to over 27 countries.”
1. How many countries has he visited?
2. Has he been to 27 countries or cities?
3. Has he travelled a lot?
4. Does he like travelling?
5. Where has he been travelling to?
6. I’ve been to Rome, when did I go?

11. Good CCQs or bad?
Context: Some housemates are trying to make a shopping list together.
Model: We have very few bananas
Function: Some, but emphasises the negative
a) Do the housemates want to go shopping? (yes)
b) Are there a lot of bananas or not many? (not many)
c) Are there enough bananas? (no)
d) Would they like more bananas? (yes)

12. Good CCQs or bad?
Context: Two friends are looking at baby photographs.
Model: He looks like his mother.
Function:“Look like” = similar appearance, (ss might confuse with verb ”like”)
a) Who does he look like? (his mother)
b) Do we know if he likes his mother? (no)
c) Are we talking about appearance or personality? (appearance)
d) Is his appearance similar or different to his mother? (similar)

13. Good CCQs or bad?
Context: Sarah is describing her new boss to her friend.
Model: My boss is very annoying
Function: -ing adjective causes a feeling (as opposed to -ed adj. = feeling)
a) Is Sarah annoying? (no)
b) Does Sarah consider her boss to be someone who annoys her? (yes)
c) Does Sarah like her boss? (no)
d) Is this the boss’s feeling? (no)
e) Does the boss annoy Sarah? (yes)

14. What kind of place is this?

15. Talk to your partner: Have you ever been to a circus?
If so, did you enjoy it?
If not, would you like to go?
How do you feel about the use of animals in the circus?
Are you afraid of clowns?
If you were a circus performer, what would you be?

16. Clyde Beatty – Circus Performer
What do you think
Clyde’s circus job was?
Why?

17. Clyde Beatty – Lion Tamer

18. Read the text about Clyde Beatty and mark the statements true (T) or false (F)
1. Clyde Beatty was an average performer.
2. Beatty was armed when he entered the cage with the lions.
3. He was the first lion tamer to utilise a chair in his act.
4. He was nearly killed by a lion called Nero.
5. He never worked with Nero again.
6. He was unhappy with the safety arrangements for the Ed Sullivan show.
7. Ed Sullivan forced Beatty to go on with the show.
8. Beatty had to shoot the animals.
F – He was the greatest everl
T – He carried a pistol
F – He dismissed the claims
T – He was badly mauled
F – They appeared in a movie together
T – He raised concerns
F – He convinced him
F – He fired blanks

19. a. Clyde Beatty used to be in the circus.
Look at these sentences from the text:
a. Clyde Beatty used to be in the circus.
b. He used to enter a cage with wild animals.
1. Do these sentences talk about the past, the present or the future?
2. Is Clyde in the circus now?
3. Does he still enter the cage with wild animals?
the past no no

20. He used to be in the circus.
Now
He used to enter the cage….
Now

21. He didn’t use to enter a cage with wild animals. S didn’t use
He used to enter a cage with wild animals.
___+______+_______________
How would we make the sentence negative?
___________________________________
___+__________+____________
How would we make a question?
_________________________________________
_____+______+________+____________ S
used
‘to’ infinitive
He didn’t use to enter a cage with wild animals. S
didn’t use
‘to’ infinitive
Did he use to enter a cage with wild animals?
Did S
use
‘to’ infinitive

22. He used to enter a cage with wild animals.
Now mark the stressed words in the sentence.
He used to enter a cage with wild animals.
He used to enter a cage with wild animals.

23. Once more with meaning!
He didn’t use to enter a cage with wild animals. Is it possible that this guy enters a cage with wild animals nowadays? Did he do it in the past?
Yes no

24. HOW TO WRITE GUIDED DISCOVERY SHEETS FOR GRAMMAR STRUCTURES:
HOW TO WRITE GUIDED DISCOVERY SHEETS FOR GRAMMAR STRUCTURES:
Find a model sentence in your text or context simple enough to present the structure, i.e. the sentence should not contain any new lexis, the sentence should be short. To make things easier and save time this sentence should be the same as on your lesson plan’s grammar pages.
Write the sentence at the top of the page.
Write your CCQs under the model sentence. Leave a blank for the students’ to write the answers.

25. Next, you could add a visual representation of the meaning
Next, you could add a visual representation of the meaning. If this is a tense a timeline is ideal. Draw a line showing the past, the future and now with a speech bubble on top. Students draw the time line for your model sentence above. If it is not a tense, you could find another way to represent the meaning visually.
Prepare a fill-in-the-blanks task for students to discover the form. You should fill some of the blanks so students know what is expected of them. Also, you could put the answers for students to choose from in a box above the gaps.

26. Focus on the model sentence again
Focus on the model sentence again. Repeat it to students with a variety of drilling techniques, ask students to mark the stresses on the model sentence, get students to repeat again and confirm or correct. You should try to elicit a general rule for how stress works on the given structure.
And that’s it. Make sure that you only ask appropriate questions.
Remember that not all structures have the same rules or form.