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Week 1

Week 1

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Introduction to grammar

Grammar is central to the teaching and learning of languages. It is also one of the more

difficult aspects of language to teach as well. Grammar is partly the study of what forms (or

structures) are possible in a language, All language in use can be analysed at each of the

four levels; sound, word, sentence and text. hese rules tell the spea!ers

how to pronounce syllables (phonology),

how to form words (morphology),

how to structure sentences (syntax) and

what style of language to use in a given context (pragmatics).

hese are the forms that language ta!es. he study of grammar consists, in part, ofloo!ing at the way these forms are arranged and patterned. hus a grammar is a

description of the rules that govern how a language"s sentences are formed.

i) Meanings and definition of grammar

Grammar according to #utheford ($%&') is a necessary component of any language

teaching programme (p.%), and thus plays an important role in language teaching.

owever, the focus on grammar in language teaching was challenged with the emergence

of teaching methodologies based on different learning theories, *uch a challenge

influenced not only the content and the curriculum in language teaching, but also the

implication for teaching grammar. hus, a fresh loo! at grammar was necessary causing

linguists and language educators to rethin! the status of grammar in language teaching and

learning. his led to a constant debate among language educators and linguists regarding

the nature and type of grammar instruction, which affected the understanding of how

second languages should be taught or learned.

here are various definitions of grammar. Among them are;

Grammar can be defined as a description of the structure of a language and the

ways in which units such as words and phrases are combined to produce sentencesin the language

(Dictionary of Applied Linguistics)

Grammar is roughly defined as the way a language manipulates and combines

words (or bits of words) in order to form longer units of meaning.( Ur, 1994)

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Grammar is generally thought to be a set of rules specifying the correct ordering of

words at the sentence level.

(Nunan, 2003)

Grammar is the system of rules governing the conventional arrangement and

relationship of words in a sentence.

(ro!n, 200")

Grammar is a description of the rules that govern how a language"s sentences are

formed.

(Thornbury, 2008)

+rom the various definitions of grammar we can deduce that grammar is partly the study of

what forms" are possible. -asically, a language consists words and sounds (when

spo!en). his can be analysed at each of the four levels; text, sentence, word and sound.

hese are the forms that they ta!e. A study of grammar loo!s at the way these forms are

arranged and patterned. oo! at the following example/

This is 015!5"#$%. &e are not at home right now. 'lease leave

a message after the beep.

If you change the order of the sentences you no longer have a well0formed answerphone

message. +or example/

'lease leave a message after the beep. This is 015!5"#$%.

&e are not home right now.

i!ewise at the sentencelevel, there is a fairly fixed order of words that form a sentence.

eep after a leave the please message.

At the wordlevel;

peeb

Grammar explains why the following sentences are acceptable/

&e are not at home right now.

ight now we ar not at home.

he system of rules that cover the order of words in a sentence is called synta! *yntax

rules disallow;

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*ot we at right home now are.

he system of rules that cover the formation of words is called mor"ho#ogy. 1orphology

rules disallow;

&e is not at home right now.

(Adapted from hornbury, 23$2)

Grammar is conventionally seen as the study of the syntax and morphology of sentences.

he ability to recognise and produce well0formed sentences is an essential part of learning

a second language.

owever, in certain situation a sentence may not ma!e sense if only the form is

correct, but it does not convey meaning. a!e the following example;

This is 015!5"#$%. &e are at home right now. 'lease leave a

message after the beep

Grammar communicates meanings 4 meanings of a very precise !ind. 5rincipally,

grammar convey two !inds of meanings/

representation 4 that is, grammar enables us to use language to describe the world

in terms of how, when and where things happen, and

interpersonal 4 that is, grammar facilitates the way we interact with other people

when, for example, we need to get things done using language.

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$#uency %ersus &ccuracyhe aim of the communicative approach is to get students to use language to communicate

efficiently and to see! information, give information, solve a problem etc. A classroom

activity may aim either at accuracy or fluency, a distinction first made by -rumfit ($%&6).

An accuracy'oriented acti%itysuch as pattern drills is usually used in the teaching of a

new target item; A f#uency'oriented acti%itysuch as extensive reading and information

gap aims to develop the students7 spontaneous communications s!ills in using what they

have already learned.

Accuracy activities/

ur"ose/ the primary purpose is to help students achieve accurate perception andproduction of a target item which can be a sound, a word, or a sentence structure.

Materia#/ the texts are usually composed of separate items; the target items are

usually practised out of context or situation;

&cti%ities/ students7 attention is focused on a particular target item; their output is

usually predictable; their performance is assessed on how few language mista!es

are made; students7 errors are corrected; tas!s do not usually simulate real0life

situations.

I**89/ do you teach accuracy or fluency first:

&ccuracy

o achieve accuracy

Advantage/ produce students who can reproduce accurately sentences learnt

isadvantage/ 1ay not be effective in communicating the language in real life situations.

ur"ose/ the primary purpose is to help students practice language in isstening,

*pea!ing, #eading and

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Week 2

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*rammar for +oung earners

he age of our students is a ma=or factor in our decisions about how and what to teach.

5eople of different ages have different needs, competences and cognitive s!ills (armer,

233>). armer (233>) further explains that young learners learn differently from older

children, adolescents and adults among others in the following ways;

hey respond to meaning even if they do not understand individual words.

hey often learn indirectly rather than directly 4 ta!ing every information around

them rather than focussing on the precise topic being taught

heir understanding comes from explanation as well as from what they see and hear

and interact with.

hey find abstract concepts such as grammar rules difficult to grasp

hey have a limited attention span; unless activities are extremely engaging, they

can get easily bored, losing interest after ten minutes or so.

In relation to the teaching of grammar for young learners, explicit grammar teaching is more

effective at the intermediate to advanced levels than beginning levels (-rown, 233'). his

is because incidental focus on form is valuable as it treats errors that occur while learners

are engaged in meaningful communication. his corrective feedbac! can facilitate

ac?uisition if it involves a mixture of implicit and explicit feedbac!.

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The "#ace of grammar in the rimary c#assroom

(a) The -./ sy##abus

As stipulated in the curriculum spesifications for the primary school, the 9nglish anguage

lesson aims to e?uip pupils with s!ills and provide a basic undrstanding of the 9nglish

language so that they are able to communicate, both orally and in writing, in and out of

school.

becti%es of the -./ /y##abus

i) listen to and understand simple spo!en 9nglish to be able to function in

common everyday situations;

ii) spea! and respond clearly and appropriately in common everyday situations

using simple language;

iii) to read and understand different !inds of texts (from print and electronic

sources) for en=oyment and information;

iv) write (including e0mail) for different purposes using simple language; and

v) show an awareness and appreciation of moral values and love towards the

nation.

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(b) The -// /y##abus

8nder the @**# syllabus, primary education is divided into two stages, *tage ne referring

to Bears $, 2 and C and *tage wo, Bear 6, > and D. In Bear $ and 2, the 9nglish

language curriculum emphasises on the pupils" development of basic language s!ills in

building the proficiency in the language. Grammar is only introduced from Bear C onwards.

KSSR ENGLISH

@**# *tates that/

+-y the end of Bear D, pupils should be able to/

, use correct and appropriate rules of grammar in speech and writing#$

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he following diagram shows the conceptual framewor! of the curriculum model.

THE MODULAR CONFIGURATION

becti%es f the -//

-y the end of Bear D, pupils should be able to/

i) communicate with peers and adults confidently and appropriately in formal

and informal situations;

ii) read and comprehend a range of 9nglish texts for information and

en=oyment;

iii) write a range of texts using appropriate language, style and

form through a variety of media;

iv) appreciate and demonstrate understanding of 9nglish language

literary or creative wor!s for en=oyment; and

v) use correct and appropriate rules of grammar in speech and

writing

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CURRICULUM ORGANISATION

he *tandard0-ased 9nglish anguage Eurriculum for 1alaysian Fational 5rimary *chools

(*@) is designed to provide pupils with a strong foundation in the 9nglish language. It is

stipulated in the @**# syllabus that teachers should use *tandard -ritish 9nglish as a

reference and model for teaching the language. It should be used as a reference for

spelling and grammar as well as pronunciation for standardisation.