Grammar is fun?

[samuel]

Hello everyone,

There are probably hundreds of ways to teach grammar and it is difficult to choose the one I want to use with my future students. In your opinion, what is the best way to learn grammar? Of course, I want to find a way to make it useful and fun. There has been too much talk about the dullness of grammar and it should not be the case. Grammar is important and it needs to be addressed in order to really improve. Especially for second language learners such as students I taught to during my practicums. So, do you guys know any good websites or have any good ideas as to relevant and fun techniques to teach grammar to second language learners??

Thank you

Samuel C.

[JEEPYY]

Grammar?? it's my favorite subject of English.

You probably had Patrick Duffley as a grammar teacher in your first year in the BEALS. What I would suggest you is to use the same kind of model. Instead of having students fill in the blanks, have them complete the context so it makes sense with the given grammatical form. Also, grammar should never take more than 1/4 of your curriculum. In my second practicum, my associated teacher told me that the best formula to teach grammar is to teach a grammatical feature for 15 to 20 minutes MAXIMUM! then, you move on to something else in which the said grammatical form in highly present, you have the student do an activity on the thing, but not on grammar.... after, when you correct and put together the answers of the activity, you raise their attention to the grammatical feature and capitalize on the usage and also how it corresponds to what you said at the beginning of the class. The following class, you recap in 5 minutes and you use the restof you 10 to 15 minutes to move on to something harder that can be built on what you learnt the previous class. Repeat rinse and voilà! :P I hope it has helped you.

[xiphiasatsi]

Grammer has always been a fun to me.Its like playing with the words.I scored really well.

[hitcher]

it's very challenging i think....sometimes i find myself far away from the context ...only teaching rules .

[alfufatin]

grammar ... Grammar is a set of rules that govern the structure of language, grammar determines how words are arranged to form meaningful language units. learning grammar makes me get new, more interesting challenges in learning English

[Josef Essberger]

I share your enthusiasm for grammar, but prefer to see it not as a set of rules but more as a reflection of how we speak:
https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/what.htm

[brianpatrick]

With the introduction of communicative language teaching, English language teaching and learning has become much more demanding for teachers and learners just like any other innovation poses challenges for its users. Games have become
crucially important for English language learners and teachers not only because they provide enjoyment and relaxation, but also as they encourage students to use their language in a creative and communicative manner.

I'm not sure which age students you taught, but about young age Game teaching grammar information , there may be interest of: https://docsbay.net/effectiveness-of-us ... g-learners

[kdammers]

What is the complete URL? What shows gives an error message.

[Josef Essberger]

The link works for me but you could try copy pasting:

docsbay.net/effectiveness-of-using-games-in-teaching-grammar-to-young-learners

[Mrdaudiqbal]

:R: :D

Hello everyone,

There are probably hundreds of ways to teach grammar and it is difficult to choose the one I want to use with my future students. In your opinion, what is the best way to learn grammar? Of course, I want to find a way to make it useful and fun. There has been too much talk about the dullness of grammar and it should not be the case. Grammar is important and it needs to be addressed in order to really improve. Especially for second language learners such as students I taught to during my practicums. So, do you guys know any good websites or have any good ideas as to relevant and fun techniques to teach grammar to second language learners??

Thank you

Samuel C.

[worklife]

Hi,

We recommend checking the ESL workbooks by Work/Life English. We offer fun and practical grammar workbooks for ESL students. The books are filled with activities and exercises to help students learn and practice the essential grammar concepts they need to know. In addition, our website also offers a variety of resources for teachers, including lesson plans, worksheets, and more.

[hcb2022]

Thanks for posting! I'm definitely going to look at your workbooks. We EFL teachers need all the help we can get to create compelling and enjoyable lessons.

[worklife]

Thank you so much! You can check out our complete collection of workbooks, free worksheets, activities, games and more here: https://worklifeenglish.com/collections/all

[ARiddy]

Not so much for teaching, but check ESL Escape Room for reviewing grammar!

https://eslescaperoom.com/

[MarcusGohar]

Workbooks are great for practice but research suggests that all new language, grammar included, is best encountered first in context, if possible, authentic context. For input to become intake and subsequently output, it has to be "noticed" first (Krashen's noticing hypothesis). This may occur through the teacher highlighting the target language (i.e. grammar) in a written text or otherwise drawing attention to it in a listening. Kicking off with a task is a great way of introducing new language. It could be, for example, group discussing how strict their parents were and reporting back (Willis and Willis). This approach is especially useful as research suggests that what the students hear from colleagues is remembered better than what they hear from us teachers! The teacher's job is to raise consciousness of new language (Willis and Willis again), clarify MFP (meaning, form, pronunciation) and provide an exercise and further practice. I also like dictagloss and running dictation for introducing new language. One more thing: I say "new" language. Much of the time we teach something the learners have already encountered but not yet mastered. Language learning is recursive - one has to keep returning to the same language item, especially grammar, to truly master in conclusion, workbooks can be used for studying hitherto unknown grammar - any exposure to the target language is helpful. But they are best for practising what has already been seen. By the way, Raymond Murphy's Essential Grammar in Use, (elementary) and English Grammar in Use (Intermediate learner to trainee teacher!) are the best.

[kdammers]

This might appear a little off-topic, but i think it speaks to the theme"in a general way. . . . When I teach EFL teachers, one of my lessons consists of breaking the class into two groups and giving each group a different task. One group is given the word "game" and the other the word "test." Each group is also given a few taboo words. Their task is to present a description of their word (i.e., of its meaning) to the other group, which then tries to guess what the word is. My objective is to have the teachers-in-training see how similar tests and games are. Then we consider that most students don't like (i.e., fear, detest...) tests, whereas most of them like games. Finally, we discuss what this means for the class-room. Grammar tests or test sections are generally dreaded, but if students can see how learning grammar and being tested on it is like a game and is fun, it can change their perspective, attitude and results.

[Sciahaxtt]

When it comes to teaching grammar to second language learners, games can be a fun and effective way to help students practice and retain what they have learned :)
One simple game that can be used to teach grammar rules is called " Grammar Scavenger Hunt." To play, the teacher writes a list of grammar rules on individual slips of paper and hides them around the classroom. Students then search for the hidden rules and write them down. As an additional challenge, students can try to find examples of the grammar rule in use around the school or in their homes. Another fun activity is role-playing games. For example, students can pretend to be friends meeting for the first time and take turns asking questions about each other using different grammatical structures. By making learning grammar enjoyable and interactive, students will be more likely to remember what they have learned.

[MarcusGohar]

Good to see that the contributors to this feed don't have a "hair shirt" attitude to grammar, some kind of penance! There is no reason why grammar shouldn't be fun as long as it's presented in a way which engages with the learners and helps them use it better at the end than at the beginning of the lesson. I say, "use it better" because language acquisition is recursive: one has to continually return to the same language item before mastering it productively and receptively in the real world. I personally prefer Task-Based Learning (TBL) as this obliges learners to use existing knowledge to compete the task satisfactorily - as in the real world. Only after the feedback stage does the teacher focus on grammar, fully exploiting useful emergent language. There can then be a controlled and a free practice, the latter possibly being a game. Exactly what defines a task varies depending on who you ask but among methods I like are dictagloss and running dictation, especially if the text is a task itself, for example a questionnaire. Some learners are uncomfortable when straying away from discrete item grammar exercises, especially if there are affective factors impeding speaking. However, in my life, which is quite a long time, I have never heard anyone communicate with a grammar exercise! The beauty of communicative language learning is that learners speak with their partners rather than addressing the whole class thus affective factors are less likely to manifest themselves - and it prepares them for the real world. As long as there is explicit focus on grammar or whatever function or skill is the main objective, most learners respond well to TBL.