Teaching grammar to young learners.pptVIP

* * * * * MEANINGFUL INPUT ---- MEANINGFUL PRACTISE Requirements: Pre-learning (noticed + short term memory), Volume and repetition, Success orientation, Heterogeneity, Teacher assistance, Interest Listening to Comprehend Listening to notice Understanding the grammar point Checking Trying it Input task: children read or listen to an input text and study this to find examples of the grammatical structure. Noticing task: the activity shows examples, or sets a task that makes students aware of the grammatical topic without explaining it. Awareness task: children analyse examples and think about, for instance, what certain grammatical words are called or what parts grammatical structures consist of. Check-up task: children answer questions or perform mini-tasks to show (and check) their own or other children’s understanding of the grammatical structure. Game task: children are asked to use the grammatical structure in a game setting, which will make grammar use fun and spontaneous. Experimentation task: the children are asked to apply their knowledge of grammar by producing, for instance, a dialogue or written text. * * * How can we as teachers help students notice target forms? Cross (2002) summarizes factors that draw attention to certain features in input:Explicit instruction -- instruction explaining and drawing attention to a particular form. Frequency -- the regular occurrence of a certain structure in input. Perceptual Salience -- highlighting or underlining to draw attention to a certain structure. Task Demands -- constructing a task that requires learners to notice a structure in order to complete it. Rod Ellis outlines five teaching activities to develop grammatical knowledge of a problematic feature (Ellis 2002, pp. 30-31):1. Listening to Comprehend: Students listen to comprehend a text that has been structured to contain several examples of the target form. 2. Listening to notice: Students listen to the same text again, but are given a gap-fill exe