Grammar charts have a lot of important information and are quick, easy-to-find resources. But simply going through the charts in class can be boring. Here are some ideas I’ve used to make them engaging. I hope your students enjoy them as much as mine have!
BECOMING THE EXPERT (All levels)
STEP 1: Make a copy of the grammar chart you are teaching or reviewing. If you are reviewing several grammar points, use several charts.
STEP 2: Cut the charts into sections, making sure you have at least one rule or example per student. (In most charts, grammar rules are on the left and examples are on the right.) In the sample below, there are four rules and four corresponding examples (with explanations).
STEP 3: As students come into class, hand them a rule or example.
STEP 4: When class begins, have students find their chart partner. If they have a rule, they must find an example. If they have an example, they must find the rule.
STEP 5: Tell your students they are now the experts on their part of the chart. Each team shares their grammar point with the class.
EXTENSION
A - Have student teams add more examples to their rule.
B - Have student teams check activities to see if “their” rules have been followed correctly.
VARIATION: SEEING CONNECTIONS (High Intermediate – Advanced level)
Follow STEPS 1-3 above, but only cut up and give students the rule side of the chart. In this variation, give 2-3 students the same rule and have them find those partners. Have students look for examples of their rule in readings, textbooks, or their own writing, but NOT in the grammar book. Students then present their findings to other small groups or to the class.
BENEFITS BEYOND ENGAGEMENT
1 - To reinforce the idea that grammar is not an isolated skill but is central to language use
2 - To engage students in talking about language and how grammar isn’t a set of arbitrary rules
QUESTION MINGLE (High beginning to advanced)
Asking and answering questions in natural situations can be challenging for our students. We can help by giving them lots of practice in the supportive environment of the classroom. I’ve used this question mingle activity to get my students to engage and interact with each other while practicing questions in a meaningful way. This activity can be done at the beginning of class and also makes a nice review activity at the end of class.
Note: The question starter bundles below are based on corpus research, which means they have been identified as very frequently occurring in natural spoken language. So, we can be sure that our students will encounter these types of Yes/No questions, no matter what their language level.
Yes/No question starter bundles
- Do you know what…?
- Do you want to…?
- Do you want some…?
- Do you want the …?
- Did I tell you…?
- Would you like to…?
- Do you have to...?
- Can I have a…?
- Have you got any…?
MATERIALS: Print the Yes/No question starter bundles on separate pieces of paper or notecards. You can also write the bundles on the board and have your students create the cards themselves. Note: If you feel some of the question starters will be too difficult for your students, you can omit them.
STEP 1: As students enter the classroom, give them one or two cards with question starter bundles.
STEP 2: Give students 3-5 minutes to look at the question starter bundle on their card(s) and to write a complete question for each card.
STEP 3: Have students mingle in the classroom, asking and getting responses to their questions from their classmates. Depending on the number of students in the class, this might take 10-20 minutes. Ask students to remember the responses, or to take notes, depending on their level.
STEP 4: Bring the class together and discuss the questions and responses. Here are some suggestions for further discussion:
- What was challenging? Why?
- What were your favorite responses?
- Did you ask any follow-up questions to the yes/no answers?
MODAL SKITS (High beginner to advanced)
Modals seem so simple – little words that are easy to pronounce and don’t change form. Yet my students often struggle with them when making requests. Part of the challenge is that English modals can be used as markers of politeness. That means the modals we use frequently change, depending on our relationship to the person we are asking. To further complicate the issue, many of our students’ native languages use honorifics – different pronouns, verb forms, or terms of address – rather than modals as markers of politeness. So it’s important to practice English modals in a way that builds students’ confidence and accuracy. The skit activity below is one that my students enjoy and does exactly that.
MATERIALS: Create the following “Person Cards” on note cards or pieces of paper:
- A friend
- A boss or teacher
- An office worker
- A classmate you don’t know well
- A young child
- An older person
You can make cards with other people, depending on the size, level, and interests of your class, but make sure to have a mix of people you would speak more and less formally to.
STEP 1: As a class, brainstorm situations when you ask for information or make a request. To start, write one or more of the examples below on the board.
- You want to ask for directions to…
- You want to borrow something…
- You need help to…
STEP 2: Divide students into pairs or groups of three, and have each group choose one of the situations from the board. Give each group a Person Card or have a student from the group draw a Person Card. Tell each group to keep their person secret and NOT to share with other groups. NOTE: It’s okay if more than one group has the same Person Card.
STEP 3: Give the groups 5-10 minutes to plan a skit to act out for the class. One person in each group will be the person on the Person Card. The other student(s) will ask for information or make requests in the situation they selected. Remind them to use appropriate modals in their skits.
STEP 4: Have each group perform their skit for the class. Remind them NOT to tell the rest of the class what Person Card they have. When the skit is finished, have the rest of the class guess what Person Card the group had and discuss their reasons. Make sure they explain how modals did or did not help them guess the person. (E.g., I thought you were asking a stranger because you used “Would you” instead of “Can you.”)
Didya hear that? Practice with reduced forms
Do your students ever complain that they understand everything in your class but then can’t understand what people are saying when they go to a store or ask for directions in town? Why? Because the language we teach in grammar class is not always the language native English speakers use on the street. In her latest blog post about reduced forms, Randi Reppen stresses the need for students to practice English in different contexts of use. For a fun, engaging way to teach your students about reduced forms, click the link below.
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Is That Your Final Draft? 3 Tips for Teaching Editing
Mastering academic writing is challenging to all students, but it’s especially difficult for non-native English speakers. How can we, as writing teachers, help our students become successful writers when we have so much to cover? One aspect of writing that takes a lot of time to learn and that we often don’t have enough time to work on in class is editing. The primary goal of editing is, of course, to produce error-free writing. After all, grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors can make it difficult for the reader to comprehend, while errors in structure and organization weaken arguments. In this blog, Randi Reppen shares three tips for editing practice that can be used in writing and grammar classes.
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