Chapter 3: TEACHING GRAMMAR

Objectives: By the end of this chapter, learners can be able

- to recognize different approaches of teaching grammar of English.
- to apply some common techniques to teach a grammar point.
Implicit Approach

When using the non-explicit approach, grammatical rules are not given to the students. The
presentation of the grammar is mostly visual: through actions and pictures. The students then
discover how to put together a sentence by copying the teacher. While the teacher may put up a
sample sentence on the board, there is no direct discussion about how the grammar works.

For example, if a teacher were to teach about prepositions, the teacher could use their hands or a
block to express some prepositions (in, on, under, next to, etc.) then teach, using visuals, chair
and table. After that the teacher could start speaking in full sentences, “The block is under the
table” and having students do activities (e.g. moving the blocks) so that they discover what is
being conveyed in the sentence. The students now have an idea of the form, and are able to move
on to controlled practice of the language.

The advantage of this approach is that it completely engages the learner. The learner needs to
stay focused, or they might miss out when called upon for an activity. Also, as the non-explicit
approach uses only the language being taught, students are immersed in the language throughout
the experience. Additionally, it is fun and exciting, which keeps students focused.

Many say that this is the best method for young learners, but that it is not as effective with adults.
It is true that adults are not as ready to be taken out of their comfort zones as children, but it is
my opinion that using this approach with low level adults can still be effective as long as the
learners are shown respect and are aware of why you are doing different things. For example, it
may be fun for a child to put a stuffed animal on a chair, but an adult who has just finished a long
day may not be as open to this.

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Another disadvantage to this approach is that for some learners, it can be frustrating not to know
the rule precisely. It can lead to confusion for some, and it is harder to gage whether the concept
has been mastered. Due to this, regular concept checks are important during a presentation of
new grammar when using this method.

Deductive/ Explicit Approach

The deductive approach is the most traditional method of grammar teaching. Basically, the
teacher explains the rule, usually in L1, and then has the students practice some examples. If a
teacher was teaching comparatives using this method, adjectives would be given and translated
into the students’ first language. The teacher would explain how the adjectives change when
comparing and show a few examples. The teacher would then have the students practice in pairs
while checking that they understand.

The advantage of this is that it is easy and familiar. Many learners are used to learning passively
in this way. Also, learners can be sure that they understand the rule as they were told it in their
own language.

The reason that this can also be disadvantageous is that students are not as focused on
remembering what words mean or what the rule is because it is explicitly laid out for them. It is
easier to forget, because the student did not need to put the mental energy into memorizing it
initially. Also, as it is not as engaging, it is easy for the students to lose focus and mentally drift
off.

The most obvious disadvantage is that if the teacher does not speak the students’ L1 fluently,
they will not be able to explain the grammar. If the teacher does a long grammatical explanation
that is not in the students’ L1, there is a good chance that the students will get confused. Either
way, this makes lengthy grammatical explanations a chancy enterprise.

Inductive Approach

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There are a lot of similarities between the inductive approach and the implicit approach. For the
inductive approach, rules are likewise discovered and not directly discussed. Instead, students
learn the rules through examples and testing them out.

If a teacher was trying to teach how to change regular verbs into the simple past, they could put
six verbs on the board and show how they are changed from present to the past by writing
sample sentences and getting the students to repeat. Once the teacher thinks the students get it,
the teacher can ask students to try and change additional verbs into the past. While the student
may not be 100% sure, they will probably successfully add -ed at the end of the word and other
grammatical features (e.g. ‘y’ to an ‘i’, doubling the final consonant when appropriate, etc.) as
long as the teacher has given enough examples.

As a learner, this approach keeps your brain active as you try to figure out how the grammar
works. When using this approach, the teacher will notice students asking questions, not
necessarily directly, but by giving examples to test their theories. The teacher can then correct
errors when appropriate or, if students do not ask questions to solidify the rule in their mind, the
teacher can give examples of incorrect sentences and make sure to show why they are wrong.

As you may have guessed, the disadvantage of this approach is that it takes more time. It takes
more time to prepare for, and it takes up more class time. However, as you get used to using this
method, the amount of time will decrease. In fact, if you have taught a specific grammar point a
number of times before, it will likely come to you quite naturally.

Learning Grammar through Writing

This method is often used in schools in the U.S. and Canada. Students are encouraged to explore
language through creative writing and reading, picking up correct grammar usage along the way.
If there are specific problems with certain grammatical rules, these are covered in a more
structured lesson. An emphasis is now being placed upon language acquisition over language
learning, as it has been observed that learning grammar by memorization does not work well and

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that students are better able to recognize and understand grammatical rules when lessons are
more interactive (i.e., they have to apply these rules in their own writing). Repeated practice is
also important and easily achieved through creative or personal writing exercise.

Interactive Teaching
Another method of teaching grammar is to incorporate interactivity into lessons. Using games to
teach grammar not only engages students but also helps them to remember what they’ve learned.
This method allows teachers to tailor their lessons to the different learning styles of students. For
instance, each student can be given a large flashcard with a word on it, and the students must
physically arrange themselves into a proper sentence. Other games can include word puzzles or
fun online quizzes.

Over the years, many methods have been developed for teaching grammar and have been built
upon, abandoned, or combined, all with the same goal in mind—teaching students how to
communicate effectively and understand how to use the English language. Because of the
grammatical complexity of English, each method has its pros and cons. Some lessons are less
likely to be remembered, while others may require more in-depth explanation and practice.
Regardless of how grammar is taught, a well-rounded understanding of English grammar is the
most important factor in improving the literacy of students.

There is no right or wrong approach to use when it comes to teaching language. The truth is that
different situations call for different approaches. It’s important for you as a teacher to recognize
these situations and use the right method. Keep your students on their toes, vary your methods,
and keep things fresh.

HOW TO PLAN A GRAMMAR LESSON

By teaching grammar, we not only give our students the means to express themselves, but also
fulfill their expectations of what learning a foreign language involves. Fortunately, nowadays
with the emphasis on a communicative approach and a wealth of stimulating resources,
teaching grammar does not necessarily mean endless conjugation of verbs or grammar
translation.

WHICH APPROACH?

There are two main approaches to teaching grammar. These are the deductive and the inductive
approach.

● A deductive approach is when the rule is presented and the language is produced based
on the rule. (The teacher gives the rule.)

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● An inductive approach is when the rule is inferred through some forms of guided
discovery. (The teacher gives the students a means to discover the rule for themselves.)

In other words, the deductive approach is more teacher-centred and the inductive approach is
more learner-centered. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages. It is
considered that the deductive approach is undoubtedly time saving and allows more time for
practicing the language items, thus making it an effective approach with lower level students.
The inductive approach, on the other hand, is often more beneficial to students who already
have a base in the language as it encourages them to work things out for themselves based on
their existing knowledge.

Presentation, practice and production (PPP)

A deductive approach often fits into a lesson structure known as PPP (Presentation, Practice,
Production). The teacher presents the target language and then gives students the opportunity to
practice it through very controlled activities. The final stage of the lesson gives the students the
opportunity to practice the target language in freer activities which bring in other language
elements.

In a 45-minute lesson each stage would last approximately 15 minutes. This model works well as
it can be used for most isolated grammatical items. It also allows the teacher to time each stage
of the lesson fairly accurately and to anticipate and be prepared for the problems students may
encounter. It is less workable at higher levels when students need to compare and contrast
several grammatical items at the same time and when their linguistic abilities are far less
uniform.

1. Presentation

In this stage the teacher presents the new language in a meaningful context. I find that building
up stories on the board, using realia or flashcards and miming are fun ways to present the
language.

For example, when presenting the 2nd conditional, I often draw a picture of myself with thought
bubbles of lots of money, a sports car, a big house and a world map.

● I ask my students what I'm thinking about and then introduce the target language.
"If I had a lot of money, I would buy a sport car and a big house."

● I practice and drill the sentence orally before writing it on the board (positive, negative,
question and short answer).

● I then focus on form by asking the students questions. E.g. "What do we use after 'if'?"
and on meaning by asking the students questions to check that they have understood the
concept (E.g. "Do I have lots of money?" No. "What am I doing?" Imagining.)

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● When I am satisfied that my students understand the form and the meaning, I move on to
the practice stage of the lesson. During this stage of the lesson it is important to correct
phonological and grammatical mistakes.

2. Practice

There are numerous activities which can be used for this stage including gap fill exercises,
substitution drills, sentence transformations, split sentences, picture dictations, class
questionnaires, reordering sentences and matching sentences to pictures.

● It is important that the activities are fairly controlled at this stage as students have only
just met the new language. Many students' books and workbooks have exercises and
activities which can be used at this stage.

● When teaching the 2nd conditional, I would use split sentences as a controlled practice
activity. I give students lots of sentence halves and in pairs they try and match the
beginnings and ends of the sentences.
Example: "If I won the lottery," …. "I'd travel around the world."

● I would then do a communicative follow up game like snap using the same sentence
halves.

3. Production

Again there are numerous activities for this stage and what you choose will depend on the
language you are teaching and on the level of your students. However, information gaps, role
plays, interviews, simulations, find someone who, spot the differences between two pictures,
picture cues, problem solving, personalization activities and board games are all meaningful
activities which give students the opportunity to practice the language more freely.

● When teaching the 2nd conditional, I would try to personalize the lesson at this stage by
giving students a list of question prompts to ask others in the class.
Example: do / if / win the lottery?

● Although the questions are controlled the students are given the opportunity to answer
more spontaneously using other language items and thus the activity becomes much less
predictable.

● It is important to monitor and make a note of any errors so that you can build in class
feedback and error analysis at the end of the lesson.

Conclusion

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When teaching grammar, there are several factors we need to take into consideration and the
following are some of the questions we should ask ourselves:

● How useful and relevant is the language?

● What other language do my students need to know in order to learn the new structure
effectively?

● What problems might my students face when learning the new language?

● How can I make the lesson meaningful and memorable?

Although I try to only use English when teaching a grammar lesson, it is sometimes beneficial to
the students to make a comparison to L1 in the presentation stage. This is particularly true in the
case of more problematic grammatical structures which students are not able to transfer to their
own language.

It is also important to note that using the PPP model does not necessarily exclude using a more
inductive approach since some form of learner-centred guided discovery could be built into the
presentation stage. When presenting the 2nd conditional, I sometimes present the language in
context and then give the students a worksheet with a series of analysis questions to do in pairs.

PPP is one model for planning a lesson. Other models include TTT (Test, Teach, Test), ARC
(Authentic use, Restricted use, Clarification and focus) and ESA (Engage, Study, Activate). All
models have their advantages and disadvantages and I, like many other teachers I know, use
different models depending on the lesson, class, level and learner styles.

THE PRESENTATION STAGE

1. Steps of Presenting a New Structure
A. Complete the “Steps” and “Activities”. Complete the “Aims” afterwards with a partner.
Lesson aims Steps Activities
1. To equip students with essential 1. Pre-teaching
▪ Teaching new vocabulary
vocabulary for acquiring the vocabulary
(pronunciation &
target grammar structure &
meaning)
reminding students of their prior
knowledge
2. To improve students’ short-term

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memory.
▪ Applying “Rub Out and
3. To increase students'
Remember”
vocabulary.
▪ Getting students to copy

1. To help students "discover" new 2. Teaching/

▪ Eliciting target language.
language in context. Presenting the target
2. To make the language real. grammar structure ▪ Applying different
3. To motivate students.
approaches in presenting
the target grammar
structure

▪ Teacher gives the model

▪ Students imitate/ repeat in

chorus or individually
1. To get students to prove they 3. Checking concept
▪ Assigning a mini exercise
understand.
(in either oral or written
2. To make learning active, not
form)
passive learning.
3. To get students to learn ▪ Letting students do the

grammar communicatively exercise

through understanding meaning
▪ Checking & correcting
and use, not just form.
▪ Getting students to copy.

B. In groups, discuss the following questions:

1. What did the teacher do to check students' comprehension of new language? Why?
2. How many things did the teacher check about the new language? What are they?
3. Did the teacher check one thing at a time? Why?
4. What kinds of questions did the teacher ask?

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5. When the teacher is sure the students understand the new language, should he/she ask the
checking questions again? Why/ Why not?
6. Can the teacher use checking techniques throughout the lesson?
7. Does checking take more time or less time in the long run?

2. Techniques for Presenting a New Structure

a. Dialogue Build

The teacher reads out a short dialogue – not more than six or eight lines (if eight they
-
should be short sentences).

As the teacher reads, s/he writes a few key words/symbols on the blackboard to help
-
students remember what the two speakers in the dialogue say to each other.

The students reproduce the dialogue from these blackboard cues.

-
The students build the dialogue until it is memorised.
-
Students practise in pairs.
-
The teacher or students write the missing words on the blackboard or in their books.
-
The teacher highlights the new structure by writing model sentence(s) from the dialogue
-
on the blackboard.

The teacher checks meanings, form, use and pronunciation.

-
Example: (Set the scene with Lam and Jill) Teacher says, pointing to Tan and John in

turn:

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Teacher writes on the blackboard:

Jill: What’s the title of that novel? J: What’s the _______ _______ _______

_______?

Lam: Oliver Twist. L: Oliver Twist.

Jill: Who’s it written by? J: Who’s _______ _______ _______?

Lam: Charles Dickens. L: Charles Dickens.

Jill: What’s the title of that song? J: What’s the _______ _______ _______ _______

Lam: Happy New Year. L: Happy New Year.

Jill: Who’s it written by? J: Who’s _______ _______ _______ ?

Lam: Abba. L: Abba.

b. Rub Out and Remember

The teacher puts a short dialogue on the blackboard – not more than six lines.
-
The students practise saying it.
-
The teacher rubs out some of the words.
-
The students have to remember the rubbed-out words and keep practising the dialogue.
-
The teacher eventually rubs out all the words.
-
If the students are weak, leave some key words or letters.
-
The students repeat the rubbed-out dialogue from memory.
-
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The teacher then elicits the target structure and writes model sentence (s) on the
-
blackboard.

The teacher checks meaning, form, use and pronunciation.

-
Example:

Teacher writes on the board:

Dad: I want you to do your best.
Dad: I want you to
Lan: Yes, Dad.
Lan: Yes, Dad.
Dad: I want you to score the goal.
Dad: I want you to
Lan: Yes, Dad.
Lan: Yes, Dad.
Dad: I want you to win the match.
Dad: I want you to
Lan: Yes, Dad.
Lan: Yes, Dad.

Then rub out more and more

c. Picture Story (Story telling)

The teacher:

tells a story containing the target language in at least half of the pictures.
-
uses six to eight pictures, or blackboard drawings with mime.
-
elicits from the students as they tell the story.
-
repeats the story, making the target language clear.
-
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elicits the target language from the students.
-
checks meaning, use, form and pronunciation.
-
can ask students to recall the whole story or parts of the story, but this is then practise
-
and not presentation.

Look at the checklist below. Make sure you understand the statements to check while you

are observing. Watch the demonstration and tick the actions the teacher does.

Checklist for Picture Story

Presentation

Does the teacher…? Demo: Picture Story

draw /use clear, simple pictures

elicit from the pictures

run through the story once

model the target language

give simple, meaningful sentences

make the target language clear

use the target language in 50% of the

sentence

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use six to eight pictures

c. Realia
This simply means using real things to present the target language. The students can

physically see the context and the meaning from the objects. The teacher makes a sentence

with the target language in it while pointing to the real thing.

THE PRACTICE STAGE

I. The purpose of the practice stage

a. Read the following text

The first part of the practice stage is controlled practice. This is usually a drill. The
teacher stands at the front of the class, works with the whole class, and controls what
they say.
The second part of the practice stage is less controlled. It is usually pair work or group
work. The students work on their own with the cues that the teacher gives them. The
teacher moves from group to group helping them.
During the practice stage students work in pairs or groups for 3 reasons:
[1] PARTICIPATION: to give everyone in the class a lot more practice time.
[2] INDEPENDENCE: to teach students to learn from each other without the teacher
always being there.
[3] CONFIDENCE: to encourage quieter students who don’t usually like speaking
in front of the whole class.
Practice is not only repetition. In the practice stage students don’t just repeat what the
teacher says because repetition without thinking is not real learning. Instead students
use cues to make sentences for themselves.

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Cues are used for two reasons.
- To help MEMORY: to get students to think for themselves and therefore remember
better.
- To build CONFIDENCE: to get students to formulate as many sentences as they
want from a basic pattern with confidence.
The teacher does a lot of correction in the practice stage. If the target language is new,
students will make a lot of mistakes with it. If the students don’t make any mistakes
then they haven’t learnt anything new. Mistakes are a positive thing because they are a
sign of progress.
The aim of the practice stage is to get students to use the new language accurately
through a process of controlled to less controlled activities.

b. Answer the questions

1. What is the aim of the practice stage?

2. Give three reasons for working in groups or pairs.

3. Why does the teacher need to do a lot of correction in the practice stage?

4. Is repetition the same as practice? Why or why not?

c. Say where statements a – g belong.

Statements The 1st part The 2nd part

a. The teacher moves around to help students.
b. Students can make sentences for themselves using cues.
c. The teacher in front works with students.
d. The teacher controls what students say.
e. Students learn from each other without the teacher.
f. Drills can be done at this stage.

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g. Students work in groups or pairs.

II. What is a good drill?

Look up any of the following words you don't know in a dictionary.

an utterance random (adj) (to) formulate

an exchange (to) be consistent a cue

Read each pair of sentences about drills and tick the one that you think is better.

1. [ ] a. A drill is for accuracy practice so “meaning” is not important.

[ v ] b. A drill should be meaningful: something people in the real world would say.

2. [ v ] a. A drill should be consistent and use the same grammatical pattern for all the
utterances.
[ ] b. A drill should change the grammatical pattern of the utterances as much as
possible so students don’t get bored.
3. [ ] a. A drill should have a topic (eg. Places in Hue; The Weather etc.) so that all
the cues and utterances belong together.
[ ] b. A drill should have random cues to produce as many different utterances for
as many different situations as possible.
4. [ ] a. A drill should have one cue for every student in the class.(Too many cues)
[ ] b. A drill should have between 6-8 cues.
5. [ ] a. An exchange can only be a question and an answer.
[ ] b. An exchange isn’t only a question and an answer, it can be any type of
statement and a response.
6. [ ] a. By the end of the drill students should formulate the utterance for themselves
from a cue.
[ ] b. In a drill students should repeat every model sentence after the teacher.
7. [ ] a. A drill should move from Teacher/ Whole Class, to open pairs, to closed

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pairs.
[ ] b. A drill should be a Teacher/ Whole Class “controlled” activity throughout.

III. Steps of a drill

Fill in the aim of each step.

STEP AIM
1. To provide students with enough/ adequate
1. Run through the vocabulary. vocabulary to understand the drills as well as to apply
these vocabularies to produce their own sentences
2. Show the first cue and say the 2. To help student get familiar to the target
utterance three times. grammartical structure and memorize it
3. To consolidate the target grammatical structure.
3. Get students to repeat what
you've said
CHORALLY, 2 or 3 times.
4. To make sure that students can use the grammar
4. Call on 2 or 3 students to structure from a cue and to correct any possible
repeat it INDIVIDUALLY. mistakes
Correct.
5. To model the second cue, aiming to teach students
5. Repeat steps 2 – 4 for the to use the grammartical structure in other situations
second cue (if and then let students practice it
necessary)
6. To get students to make other sentences and feel
6. Work through the rest of the more confident in learning the grammar structure
cues: new cue - new student.
7. Repeat several times to help students have long-
7. Repeat steps 2 – 6 for the term memory.
second part of the exchange

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(if necessary).
8. To illustrate how to apply the target grammar
8. Demonstrate how to put the structure in context and then create opportunities for
exchange together, using a them to practice it flexibly
good student:
T: [says the utterance]
S1: [responds]
9. To help sts have more chances to practice and make
9. Get 3 or 4 pairs to sure they understand. After teacher's correction, the
demonstrate the exchange in students can observe and correct themselves.
OPEN PAIRS
S1: ⇒ S2, S2: ⇒ S3, S3: ⇒ S4
Correct.
10. To summarize all the cues
10. Stick all the cues on the
board.
11. To give chance for students to have a broader view
11. Get students to practice all of different contexts and help them understand each
the other
exchanges in CLOSED
PAIRS.
12. To give feedback on students ‘ acquisition to
12. Monitor and correct. prepare them for the next stage (The production stage)

IV. Further Controlled Practice Techniques

Group 1: Chain Game

Teacher's Instructions:
- Get into groups of 8. You four, turn around, work with the four behind you.
- In this group you're number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 What's your number (5)and yours? (2)

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- Listen to my sentence “There’s a hotel near my house.”
- Who's number 1 in this group? Number 1, say my sentence. (S1: There's a hotel near my
house)
- Who's number 2? Number 2, repeat what student 1 has said and add to it like this: There's a
hotel and a school near my house. (S2: There's a hotel and a school near my house.)
- Student 3, repeat what students 1 and 2 have said and then add to it (S3: There's a hotel, a
school, and a river near my house.)
- Continue around the circle, each student repeating then adding something new.
- Go around the circle twice. How many things will you have to remember in the end? (16)

Group 2:Guessing Game

Teacher's Instructions:
- Look at this sentence on the board.

I'm going to the ...................

- Take a piece of paper. Show me your paper. Copy the sentence but fill in the gap with a
place. Tell me some places. (Ss: temple, movie theater, lake, park etc.)
- [The teacher also copies the sentence onto a piece of paper and fills in 'restaurant']
- Ask me, "Are you going the temple?" (S1: Are you going to the temple? T: No, I'm not)
- Ask me another question (S2: Are you going to the park? T: No I'm not)
- [The teacher elicits yes/no questions from the class until someone asks, Are you going to the
restaurant? T: Yes I am.]
- [To the student who guessed correctly] Come to the front. Guess his/her sentence. Can you
ask 'Where are you going?' (No) How must your question begin? (Are you going to….)
- [After the student's sentence has been guessed:] Now get into groups of 8. You four, turn
round. Work with the students behind you. You start [chooses a student to start in each
group]. Gues his / her sentence. Begin.

Group 3:Find Someone Who

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Teacher's Instructions:
- Start a clean page in your exercise books. Copy this.

Find someone who is going Name

to...
... stay at home
... visit an aunt or an uncle
... visit a new city
... stay in a hotel
... camp in the mountains
... stay in a tent
- Think about the summer holidays. Are you going to stay at home? (S1: Yes…S2: No)
- Make me a question with 'stay at home' (Ss: Are you going to stay at home?)
- And the next question (Ss: Are you going to visit an aunt or an uncle?)
- You, make the next question (S1: Are you going to visit a new city?)
- You, stay in a hotel (S2: Are you going to stay in a hotel?)
- [The teacher goes through all the cues in the same way]
- Ask him, stay at home (S1: Are you going to stay at home? S2 Yes I am)
- What's your name? (S2: Hung) [The teacher fills in Hung's name on the board in the Name
column next to 'stay at home'
- You have to find someone who is going to do each of these things. How many names are
you going to find all together? (6)
- You cannot fill in someone’s name more than once. So, can I put Hung's name again here?
[points to 'visit a new city'] (No)
- The first one with all the names is the winner.
- Work in groups of 8. You four turn around. Work with the four behind you.
- [When most of them have finished] Good. Stop there. Tell me about some of the people
you have found. (S1: Dao's going to go camping….etc.)

Group 4: Noughts and Crosses

Teacher's Instructions:

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- Do you remember this game? [The teacher draws a ca-ro board on the board]
- The English version is called Noughts and Crosses. It looks like this. #
- How can you win? (Ss: three in a row) across? (Ss: Yes) Down (Ss: Yes) Like this? [The
teacher draws a diagonal line] (Ss: Yes)
- We’re going to play it with these words

walk to school drive a bus travel by bus

wait for train ride a bicycle play a game
go by plane drive a car ride a motorbike

- [The teacher points to 'walk to school'] Make a sentence using "I'm walking…" (Ss: I'm
walking to school)
- Practise making sentences with your partner. Take it in turns.
- Now, two teams. You're noughts and you're crosses. Who are you? (S1: Noughts) and
you? (S2: Crosses)
- Noughts begin. Choose a word, make a sentence. (S1: I'm riding a bicycle)
- Good. [The teacher puts a 0 in the 'ride a bicycle' square]. Crosses, your turn. (S2: I'm riding
a motorbike) Good. [The teacher puts a X in the 'ride a motorbike' square]
- [The two teams continue to make sentences until on team wins]
- [The teacher puts the class into pairs:] Noughts, crosses; noughts crosses, noughts crosses
(etc) Hands up noughts? Copy the table in your books. Hands up crosses? Don't copy!
Crosses begin. Play the game again with your partner.

Group 5:Mapped Dialogue

Teacher's Instructions:
- Look at this [the teacher puts builds the Mapped Dialogue on the board]

Can Tho Hanoi

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…Hanoi?
…cold!
….Can Tho?
…hot!
…like?
…cold….
….Hanoi!
…like?
…hot…
….Can Tho

- Where is he? (in Can Tho) Where's she? (in Hanoi)

- He asks a question about the weather in Hanoi. What does he ask? (What's the weather like
in Hanoi?) What does she reply? (It's cold!) Now she asks about the weather in Can Tho.
What does she ask? (What's the weather like in Can Tho?) And what does he reply? (It's
hot!) Good. Practice that with your partner.
- What's next? Make her next question (What kind of weather do you like?) And his reply?(I
like cold weather). And where is it cold, in Can Tho or Hanoi? (In Hanoi) so what does she
say? Listen, "Come to Hanoi!" Everyone repeat (Come to Hanoi).
- Practise again with your partner.
- What does he then ask her? (What kind of weather do you like?) What does she reply? (I
like hot weather) so what does he say? (Come to Can Tho!)
- Who can do the whole thing [The teacher chooses 2 students to model the whole dialogue]
- Now practise in pairs again.

THE PRODUCTION STAGE

I. Practice and production
Brainstorm the differences and similarities between practice and production and fill in the table
below.
Differences
PRACTICE PRODUCTION

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Control more controlled less controlled/ free practice

Correction direct correction indirect/ delayed correction

Cues more cues - fewer cues

- Ss work on their own
Accuracy / fluency Students concentrate on Students concentrate on
accuracy fluency

Role of the teacher Elicitor Facilitator/ analyzer

Language items ss should use - Language items are - Language items are added
isolated and practiced to other existing knowledge
- model sentences of linguistic items of
students
- natural conversations
Similarities
1. Activities are set up + clear instructions + provided demonstrations and examples
2. Mixed ability in the work arrangement
3. Simultaneous practice
4. Practice and Production -> more important than Presentation

Read the text on the next page and check your answers.

PRACTICE AND PRODUCTION

Differences
1. The practice stage is more controlled than the production stage. Sometimes the production
stage is called “free practice”.
2. The teacher uses direct correction during Practice and indirect (or “delayed”) correction
during Production.

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3. The teacher gives more cues in the practice stage than in the production stage. Students have
to make their own sentences and think for themselves more in the production.
4. During Practice, students concentrate on accuracy. During Production, students concentrate
on fluency.
5. During Practice, the teacher’s role is to elicit accurate language from the students and give
them lots of exercises so they can memorise the new language on the new language pattern.
During Production the teacher has two roles: “facilitator”, helping and encouraging student to
do it by themselves; “analyser”, seeing how well the objective has been achieved and what
further practice the students need.
6. During Practice, the target items are isolated and practiced on their own. During production,
the target items are added to other structures, functions and vocabulary the students already
know so the students don’t just speak in model sentences but in more natural conversation.
What is important is that the teacher constructs these activities in such a way that they promote
communication and yet ensure that the new language occurs unprompted, naturally, and
frequently in the context of other previously learnt language.The unguided manner in which the
new language occurs is what distinguishes a production stage activity from a practice stage
activity. In other words, the degree of linguistic guidance the students are given makes these
stages different.

Similarities
1. The teacher has to set up activities carefully in both stages. Instructions must be clear,
demonstrations or examples provided and there should be a whole class run-through before
group work or pair work begins.
2. The teacher must consider mixed ability in the work arrangements.
3. Practice in both stages happens simultaneously; students don’t wait until the teacher is
standing by their table before they start talking. Everyone is talking at once.
4. Practice and Production are more important than Presentation.

(Adapted from Hubbard, P. et. al. 1990. A Training Course for TEFL. Oxford: OUP,
pp. 191-192 ELTTP.The Methodology Course. Book One. p.127-128)

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II. Techniques for production
Group 1: Survey
Teacher’s instructions:

▪ We are going to ask friends about food they like and don’t like

▪ Copy this

Name Likes Doesn’t like

▪ Look at the table on the blackboard. How many column are there? (3) What’s in the

first column? (Name) What’s in the second column? (Likes) What’s in the third
column? (Doesn’t like)

▪ Hong, answer my question. Do you like chicken? (Yes) Do you like fish? (No) So

Hong likes chicken but she doesn’t like fish. Class, answer my question. Where do I
write her name? (the first column) What do I write in the next column? (chicken)
Where do I write “fish”? (the last column) (The teacher fills in the table on the board)

Name Likes Doesn’t like

Hong chicken fish

▪ You two, turn around work with the two people sitting behind you. Ask your friendsthe

questions and fill in the table.

▪ (When most students have got some names in their table) Good. Stop here. Tell me

about some of the people you have found.

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Group 2: Roleplay
Read the following description of roleplay.

Students work in pairs or groups. Each of them is given a role card in which his or her
task is described. Teachers should give students some time to prepare their ideas or
language for the tasks. After a few minutes of preparation, students should also be given
some time to practice speaking before starting the role play.

Teacher’s instructions

● You are going to the market to buy some food. Think of the things you will buy

for a moment. Tell me one of the things you want to buy. (e.g. sugar) How much do you
want? (a kilo) what else? anything else? (The teacher write those things on the board like
this.)

Shopping List
1k sugar
500gr. Beef
6 apples
…………

● Make your shopping list now. What do you write in this list? (things I want to buy) Will

you write only one thing? (no)

● (When most of the students have finished) Good. Stop. Imagine you are in a shop now.

There are the two important people in the shop, the person who sells things and the person
who buy things. What do you call the person who sells? (a storekeeper) What do you call
a person who buys things?(a customer)

● This row, storekeepers. This row, customer. This row, storekeeper. This row, customers

etc.

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● Storekeepers, hands up. Customers, hands up. You , customers. (The teacher gives out the

role cards to students). In a shop who speaks first? The customer or the storekeeper?

● Look at your cards

Customer
I need / want ..
Store keeper
I’d like ..
Can I help you?
Do you have any ..?
How much / how many ..?
..., please.
Anything else?
What does the store keeper say? ( Can I help you?)What else does the storekeeper say?
How much do you want?) What does the customer say? (I want .. I need .. Do you have
any ..?)

● I’m a store keeper. Hong, you are my customer. Use your shopping list to help you(The

teacher talks to one student as a model)

T: Good morning! Can I help you?
Hong: Yes, please.I want [some chicken ]
T: How much do you want?
H: [300 g] please
T: Anything else?
H: Yes, I need some [cooking oil]
T: one bottle or two?
H: One, please.
T: What else?
H: That’s it. How much is it?
T: 24,000 please.
H: There you are.

● Now storekeepers work with customers. (When most students have finished) Stop! Change

roles! Storekeepers, you are customers; Customers, you are store keepers.

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Group 3: Write It Up
Teacher’s instructions

● Copy this. (Teacher writes the matching exercise on the blackboard.)

Matching
1. Lai Chau forests
2. Cantho beaches
3. Hanoi mountains
4. Pleiku rice fields
5. Da nang rivers
6. Hue lakes
7. Quang Ninh rains

Look at the board. What’s this? [The teacher points at Lai Chau] Is it a place? (yes) [Teacher
points at forests] Is a place?(No).What is it? (A natural feature)

● Are there forests in Lai Chau? (Yes.) [The teacher draws a line to match Lai Chau with

forests].[Teacher get one student to match another one on the board.] Now you match the
rest.

● (When students have finished) Compare your answers with your friends’ now. You, you, you

..Go to the board and draw a line. [The teacher asks seven students to go to the blackboard
and write the answers at the same time]

● We are going to write about our country. [Teacher writes the title “My’ country” on the

blackboard.] Is our country beautiful? (Yes.) You can begin like this. “My country is
beautiful and interesting.” Are there lots of forest in Lai Chau? (Yes). So what can you write
here? (In Lai Chau there are lots of forests.) look at this [Teacher points at the places in the
matching exercise.] How many places are there? (7) So how many sentences can you write
about those places? (7) Begin! [Teacher monitors]

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● [While monitoring]- Good! Have you finisheed? (Yes) And you? (Yes) OK! Swap papers.

Read each other’s. Correct any mistakes you can find.

III. Overcoming Problems with Production

A. Read the problem that you have been assigned.
Problems
1. You set up the production activity and tell the students to begin. Nothing happens. They sit
in silence. -> Identify what students don't understand, and then explain, model and urge
them to do the activity.
2. All the strong students are on one table and can do the activity well. All the weak students
on another table, sit and do nothing. -> Teachers should arrange the strong and the weak
students sitting together to do the activity.
3. All the students are excited about doing the activity, so they forget to use English and only
speak Vietnamese. -> Teachers should not give students too much free time, because they
will talk in Vietnamese. Besides, teachers need to walk around the class and remind them
to speak English and try to ask them some simple questions (to support them).
4. It is the end of the lesson but the activity isn’t finished. You tell everyone to go. The
students are disappointed because there has been no proper conclusion. -> Try to control
the amount of time in each activity and use peer corrections to quickly give conclusions.
5. You make the best students in the group the secretary for a brainstorming activity. S/he
doesn’t listen or ask the others but continues to write his or her own ideas. -> Change the
secretary (choose someone who is not too good and not too weak to be a secretary). Then
ask the rest of the students discuss again.
6. In an “exhibition” of posters after a brainstorming activity you stick all the posters on the
board. When you ask the students to come up and correct them, there is no room at the
front for everyone to see or work. -> Don't stick all the posters on the same walls and use
all 4 walls to stick up the posters.
7. During an information gap activity none of the pairs are talking or asking questions;
they’re copying each other’s information onto their paper in silence. -> Make sure that you
are well guided and divide class into small groups, monitoring the students carefully (avoid

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cheating among groups as well),

B. Discuss the solutions to the problem you have read and write them as notes.

C. Read the following text

Production: Some Problems and Solutions

Mix the group up
Remember to mix the groups up so that not all the weak ones are on one table and all the strong
ones are on another table.
Students do not like to change groups - they want to stay with their friends. The first time you
mix them up, they will be reluctant to move. They will complain and make faces. They will not
cooperate and they may be rude to the students in the group who they think are not clever. It is
your job to make them work together. The more you mix them up, the easier it will become.
Students are creatures of habit. Once it becomes normal to work in different groups, they will
accept it. So every lesson, put them in different groups. Look at the topic on Work Arrangements
and get some ideas from there.

Don’t make the best students the secretary.

If you make the best student a secretary, s/he will do all the writing for the group without
listening to their ideas. The others will sit back and let him/her do it. Make someone who is not
too good and not too weak the secretary. This way the others have to TALK and give their ideas
to the secretary. If the secretary cannot spell a word then the others must tell him/her how to
spell it. This way you are encouraging student-to-student correction. (Nb. If the secretary is
TOO weak the others will get frustrated and give up)

Use all 4 Walls

If you are using poster exhibition at the end of the production, don't stick all the posters on the
same walls. With 50 kids in the class there just isn't enough rooms for everyone to stand up and
go and look at the posters that their friends have done. However, if you remember to use all 4

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walls to stick up the posters, the kids will have enough room. You can give them a signal (clap
your hands) which means "Everybody moves around on to the next poster."

Bring things to a conclusion

Don't just let the kids go home without there being a proper end to the Production. Tell them to
all sit down again. Have a moment of silence. Then ask them a question, take a vote, make a
comment, deal with corrections (e.g. vocabulary that they all need it) – something which brings
the lesson to a conclusion. For example:

"Which is the best poster? Hands up for poster number one!…etc."

"Who's the winner?""Who's finished first?""Who has the most points?" etc
"How many sentences do you have? What are they?""Here are some new words that you all
wanted…"

D. Compare the ideas in the text with your solutions.

E. Make a poster with all the solutions.
F. Copy the best solutions in your own table below.

Problems Solutions

1. You set up the production activity and tell

the students to begin. Nothing happens.
They sit in silence

2. All the strong students are on one table and

can do the activity well. All the weak
students on another table, sit and do nothing.

3. All the students are excited about doing the

activity so they forget about English and
only speak Vietnamese.

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5. It is the end of the lesson but the activity
isn’t finish. You tell everyone to go. The
students are disappointed because there has
been no proper conclusion.

6. You make the best students in the group the

secretary for a brainstorming activity. S/he
doesn’t listen or ask the others but continues
to write his or her own ideas.

7. In an “exhibition” of posters after a

brainstorming activity you stick all the
posters on the board. When you ask the
students to come up and correct them, there
is no room at the front for everyone to see or
work.

8. In an “exhibition” of posters after a

brainstorming activity you stick all the
posters on the board. When you ask the
students to come up and correct them, there
is no room at the front for everyone to see or
work.

9. During an information gap activity none of

the pairs are talking or asking questions;
they’re copying each other’s information
onto their paper in silence.

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THE END

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