Last week in the blog, we walked you through how to teach grammar using a test-teach-test framework.
In this post, we’ll look at an alternative structure for a grammar lesson: a text-based framework.
If you haven’t already, definitely check out our previous post on lesson frameworks in general and the one on teaching a test-teach-test lesson. These will give you the background you need to get the most out of this post.
All set on that? Let’s take a look at how the two grammar lesson frameworks compare:
As you can see, they’re almost identical- except for the stage(s) right after the lead-in.
The only difference, essentially, is in how you present the target language (the grammar you want to teach). Remember, there is no need to bring up the target language in the lead-in. If you’re wondering why “Today we’re going to learn the present perfect” is not an effective way to start your lesson, head over here. So if we’re not introducing students to the target language in the lead-in, then the first time the students will see the grammar is in that following stage. In a test-teach-test framework, we’ll present the target language in the diagnostic test. In the case of a text-based lesson, we’ll present the language in—yep, you guessed it!—a text.
Remember that audio files are considered “texts,” too!
The Text
Let’s start with some general guidelines on the text itself.
Most people think of a “text” as a piece of writing: a short article, an email, or even a poem, for example. But don’t forget that a text can also be an audio text, like a song, a speech, or a dialogue. Either option will work, but keep in mind that the grammar itself may determine which one makes more sense. The passive voice, for example, is rarely used in casual conversation, but occurs quite frequently in news reports and newspaper articles. So if you’re wondering what kind of text to use, consider the grammar you want to teach. In which situations or contexts does it normally occur? Then choose your text accordingly. If you’re using a course book, the text will probably be provided for you. (Feeling a little lost? check out the video offered at the end of this post to learn exactly how to identify text-based lessons in course books and what to do with them!)
You’ll want to make sure the text is short and fairly simple. If you’re teaching a lesson that’s anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes, you won’t want to spend much time dealing with the text itself- you’ll want to get to the grammar as soon as you can. This may seem obvious, but remember that in a grammar lesson, the main focus is the grammar you’ve set out to teach. That means you don’t want to have to devote any time to new vocabulary in the article or other complex grammar that isn’t your target language. So if you’re writing the text yourself, make sure the vocabulary and structures you use (aside from the examples of target language you plant in the text) are nice and simple. If you’re using a text you found in a course book or elsewhere, look it over with a critical eye. Is it longer than 200 words or so? Does it contain a lot of vocabulary you suspect your students don’t already know? If the answer to either of those questions is yes, consider this your official permission to take a hatchet to it. Adapt, adapt, adapt! Cut that thing down and make it work for you. Just make sure you leave the target language intact!
The text should contain at least a few different examples of the target language. Ideally, it will include examples in the negative and question form as well, though this isn’t essential. You just want more than one example so that when you pull them out later in the lesson, you can help the students notice patterns in meaning and form.
Cut down the text to make it work for you.
Exposure to Target Language or Comprehension Work
After the lead-in, the next step is to allow students to read or listen to the text. That may seem like a no-brainer, but many teachers succumb to the temptation to jump right into the grammar. They’ll hand out the text and then tell the students, “Ok, I want you to look through this article and find all the examples of the present perfect.” But in doing that, they’re missing out on the whole point of using the text in the first place- context! And why use the text at all if students don’t get a chance to understand what it’s actually about?
When presenting the grammar in a text, be sure to first allow the students time to read or listen for comprehension before jumping into the language work.
Anytime you give the students something to read or listen to, it’s unfair to ask them to completely ignore the content and jump right to the grammar instead. The students first need an opportunity to digest the main idea of the text before they’re ready to analyze the language within it. So first, give the students a simple task that will help them understand just the gist of what they’re reading or listening to. For example, you could ask them to read or listen to the text and choose the correct title from a short list of options. If the text is a dialogue, you could ask a few general questions about it, such as “What is the relationship between the speakers? How do you know?” There are many options here; the point is that you allow the students to first focus on general comprehension of the text before bringing up the grammar at all.
This stage is often called “exposure to the target language” because it’s the first time in the lesson the students encounter the target language in context- remember, those examples are planted throughout the text. But you really do want to think of it as “comprehension work” because you still don’t actually draw their attention to the grammar in this stage. The students are being exposed to the grammar that they’re going to learn later- without necessarily even realizing it.
Analysis of Examples from the Text
“Analysis of Examples from the Text” is just a fancy way of saying it’s time to shift the focus to the grammar.
Ok. This is the stage where you finally point out the target language. “Analysis of examples from the text” sounds complicated, but it’s really just the point in the lesson where you shift the focus from reading or listening comprehension and context onto the grammar itself. Remember that up until this stage of the lesson, you haven’t brought up the target language at all yet. At this point the students probably still think it’s a reading or listening lesson. So in this stage, you’re essentially saying, “Oh, hey, actually—there’s some grammar in here we need to look at.”
This stage does not to be complex or complicated. Again, the only purpose here is to shift the students’ focus on to the grammar. This could be as simple as asking the students to underline all the verbs in the text (so that you can then point out the fact that they’re all in the present perfect, for example). Or you could put just the sentences containing examples of the target language on the board or on a worksheet and ask students to identify what the sentences have in common. Again, there are many options- just make this something concrete and quick that will direct students’ attention to the grammar you’re about to clarify.
The key is to make sure whatever sentences you’re pointing out in this stage come directly from the text. What you don’t want to do is say, “Now that you’ve read the text, look at these three completely random sentences that weren’t in the text at all. What do you notice about them?” There’s no point in using a text to present grammar if you’re not going to use the grammar that’s actually in it!
Clarification and Practice
Now you’re ready to move onto the clarification, or “teach” stage of your lesson. Transition smoothly into this stage by using the same sentences you planted and pointed out in the text. Again, it’s a big waste of time and material to spend the first twenty or so minutes of your lesson on a particular text containing particular examples of the target language…only to then turn around and work with completely different sentences in your clarification stage!
So whatever sentences you pointed out to students in the “analysis of examples stage” are the same sentences you’ll want to get on the board for your clarification of meaning, form, and pronunciation.
From here, the lesson progresses through the clarification and practice stages just like it would in a test-teach-test framework. So if you haven’t read that post already, go check it out to see how to proceed.