English

Three Steps
to an Easy Grammar Lesson

If you’re new to teaching English, the thought of teaching English grammar may seem daunting. Experienced TEFL teachers, on the other hand, know that it canbe fun, challenging and not that difficult. First put away the idea that teaching grammar consists of doing endless boring exercises that have no relation to actual communication. Grammar actuallyputs language structures into use and leads to better English. Repetition is crucial so that the student reaches the desired point of natural and free communication.
Step 1: The grammar structure
Startwith examples of the structure. Elicit a few sentences in which it appears, or tell a story or act out a telephone conversation. At this point, you are showing the structure and your students areperceiving it.
Isolate the structure and explain it. Write it up on the board and explain the rules that govern. Leave this on the board for the whole class and write it on the board again in futuresessions if necessary. Make it clear, concise and short. An alternative to this is to get students to work out the rule for themselves.
Step 2: Practise the structure
There are many types of practiceactivities to fix the structure in students' short-term memory: play with questions and answers, or let students devise parallel examples.
Extend to an activity that permits the students to use theform in a fun situation, e.g. games, role-plays, interviews, to put the grammar into use in active communication.
If necessary, go back to the explanation - this time in a more detailed way, now thatstudents have seen and used the form.
Step 3: Notes and writing
Give time for students to take notes and memorise the structure.
Practise to consolidate and fix the language in their longer-termmemory. Repetition is fine - but keep it light and varied with fun activities taken from your favourite TEFL books.
Always, always, always…
Stick with the grammar point you're teaching, rather than...