Specificity of teaching grammar to young learners. Basic rules to consider while teaching grammar in young children classes.

Pupils learn grammar while learning the language. We teach G.: 1) as a science about the language (morphology, syntax); 2) as grammatical system of the language.

Grammar subskills are the object of teaching, they are natural components of our speech. They can be receptive (in reading and listening) and reproductive/productive (in writing and speaking).

Receptive grammar subskills involves recognizing information (morphological forms, syntactical constructions).

Reproductive/Productive grammar subskills involves communication-oriented usage of grammatical phenomena.

Sequence of operations applied when using productive grammar subskills: 1) to select the grammar structure taking into consideration the speech intention; 2) to construct the phrase according to the task; 3) to make sure that the structure corresponds to our intention and situation.

While teaching G. we rely on our learners’ knowledge of their native language system. That is when two phenomena appear: transfer and interference.

The grammar material taught at schools is restricted. Rationale: lack of time + to communicate at a sufficient level you do need only a limited range of grammar structures.

Principles of selecting of the grammar material taught: 1) frequency of usage in the oral speech; 2) how standard a structure is; 3) exclusion of synonymous grammatical phenomena.

Thus we have “Grammatical minimum”. It can be active and passive.

Active GM comprises subskills used in speaking and writing and can be applied to a wide range of vocabulary.

Passive GM – pupils recognize GI = receptive subskills (have – has).

Main stages of teaching grammar:

1) presentation of some new grammatical item which includes showing how that structure is used (to present GI in the context orally and in writing to show its meaning and function, ways of formation with the help micro textual sample, visuals such as objects, pictures, algorithms);

2) practice of the formation of the grammar subskill (make pupils use the phenomenon in similar contexts and also vary situations; important to provide real-life situations);

3) production: elicitation of that subskill (integration of grammar subskills with all the skills).

There are 2 ways of presenting material: 1) theoretical = deductive – to give a rule and explain it, give illustrative patterns (helps to overcome language interference; time-saving; learners are not motivated to understand); 2) practical = inductive – to supply examples and ask pupils to guess (good when G material is not difficult because the process is time consuming; makes pupils think which helps them to remember it better).

Types of exercises:

1) Imitation: require pronouncing patterns: drilling exercises, substitution tables (when only one element is substituted – I have balls. I have dolls…).

2) Transformation: to divide the structure into constituent parts and then transform the structure into a new form: e.g. go – I go – he goes: filling the gaps, completing, extending

3) Paraphrasing into a new form

4) Translation: presuppose a contrast of grammatical form in two languages, focus on the form as the context is provided

5) Combining: grammatical items are combined to express ideas, opinions, attitudes

+ Ordering, gap filling, matching, sentence completion, table completion, MCQ…

All the exercises enumerated above require reproduction.

Production – writing compositions, letter writing, reports, dialogues.