How to Teach Grammar Teaching grammar at school be based upon the following principles:
Conscious approach to the teaching grammar. This means that in sentence patterns teaching points are determined so that pupils can concentrate their attention on some elements of the pattern to be able to use them as orienting points when speaking or writing the target language. For example, I can sees a book. I can see many books. The man asked_ for yourtelephone number. The man was asked for your telephone number. The teacher draws pupils’ attention to the new element in the sentence pattern. The teaching point may be presented in the form of a rale, a very short one. It is usually done in the mother tongue. This ensures a conscious approach to learning. They only help to attain the practical goal. Conscious learning is also ensured when a grammar item is contrasted with another grammar item which is usually confused. The contrast is brought out through oppositions.
I get up at 7 o’clock.
It’s 7. I am getting up.
I was reading at 2 yesterday.
Give me the book.
Give me a book.
Realise the difficulties the sentence pattern presents for your pupils. Comparative analysis of the grammar item in English and in mother tongue may be helpful. Think of the shortest and simplest way for presentation.
Practical approach to the assimilation of grammar. It means that pupils learn those grammar items which they need for immediate use either in oral or written language. E.g. Pupils need the Possessive Case for aural comprehension and speaking about things or objects which belong to different people. E.g. Ann’s book, the boys’ room, etc. In the senior stage (8-9-10) pupils need the sequences of Tenses and so on.
The learner masters grammar through performing various exercises in using a given grammar item.
