How to teach grammar in the EFL classroom is a main question for every English teacher. At first sight, you might think that teaching grammar is just a matter of explaining grammar rules to students. However, teaching grammar effectively is a much more complicated matter. There are a number of techniques that can be used to teach grammar effectively:
- The ABCs of nouns, verbs and adjectives. Your students will love working together on this yearlong parts-of-speech project. Cover a large section of a wall with paper; then tape cardboard alphabet letters from A to Z to the paper, leaving space beneath each letter. Add the title 'The ABCs of the parts of speech'. Next challenge each youngster to cut pictures of nouns, verbs, and adjectives from magazines. Have him/her label each picture with its name and part of speech; then mount the pictures under the appropriate letters. Challenge your students to add pictures to the display throughout the year.
- I can... Remind students that a verb is a word that shows action. Then have students name examples of verbs. List their ideas on the chalkboard. Pair students; then assign each pair a different verb from the list, keeping each assignment a secret from the other pairs. Have each pair pantomime its verb for the class. Further challenge youngsters by having each student write, then illustrate four verbs on a sheet of divided paper titled 'I can...' If desired, collect the pictures and bind them between two covers; then add the title 'What can you do?' Place the booklet at a reading corner for all to enjoy.
- A picture for every verb. Here is an activity that reinforces the concept of verbs. Instruct each child to cut a picture from a magazine; then have her/him glue it to the middle of a sheet of cardboard or construction paper. Have the student list verbs around her/his cutout that relate to the picture, then challenge her/him to write a story that incorporates the verbs on another sheet of paper. Have the children tape their stories to the bottom of their pictures. Display the finished projects on a wall or bulletin board.
- Silly sentences. Use this activity to help youngsters understand the importance of nouns and verbs. After reviewing nouns and verbs, write a student-generated list of both parts of speech on the blackboard. Then have each student choose a different noun and verb from the list and write them on separate cards. Collect the cards and place them into the corresponding container labelled 'nouns' or 'verbs'. Each student draws one card from each container and writes and illustrates a silly sentence using the words on the cards. Invite student volunteers to share their sentences and illustrations with their classmates. No doubt your students will have a better understanding of nouns and verbs.
- One of-a-kind word search. Challenge your students to learn the parts of speech as they search for words. To begin, shere the following information with your students: a) nouns: name a person, place or thing. They can be singular (one) or plural (more than one); b) pronouns are words that are used to take the place of nouns, such as 'I', 'he', 'she', 'it'; c) verbs are words that show action, such as 'run', 'skip' and 'hop'; d) adjectives are words used to describe nouns, such as 'tall', 'short', 'thin', and 'hairy'. Then, divide students into four groups. Assign each group a different name: nouns, pronouns, verbs, or adjectives. After that, provide each group with a highlighter and a copy of a selected story or passage. Have each group read the story and then highlight examples of its assigned part of speech. Ask groups to share their answers with the rest of the class. If desired, write the students' responses on the chalkboard. As students learn the parts of speech, provide additional sheets for individual youngsters to highlight.
- Sentences with spunk. Instruct each student to think of a noun and list adjectives to describe it on a sheet of paper. Then, on another sheet of paper, have her/him write a sentence that incorporates the noun and adjectives. Challenge students to see who can come up with the longest, most descriptive sentence. To enhance the activity, have youngsters copy and illustrate their sentences on sheets of paper. Mount the completed drawings on a bulletin board titled 'Sentences with spunk'.
- Guess what? Play this guessing game to finish your adjective lesson. Challenge each youngster to think of an object. Instruct students to keep their objects secret. Then have them list adjective clues about their objects on blank cards. Invite a volunteer to read her/his clues aloud to her/his classmates. Ask the other students to guess her/his object based on the clues she/he gave. Provide time for additional volunteers to share their clues.
- Describe that. Challenge your youngsters to create these picture webs as they learn about adjectives. Display an object in a prominent location; then have students use words to describe what they see. List students' responses on the chalkboard. Tell students that the words they shared are adjectives, words used to describe nouns. To make a web, a student cuts a detailed picture from a newspaper or magazine; then she/he glues it to the middle of a sheet of construction paper. She/he draws five lines extending from her/his picture and writes an adjective to describe her/his picture at the end of each line. If desired, have her/him write a sentence for each adjective. Provide time for students to share their work with their classmates.
- Plural noun fun. Write the names of different nouns (in their singular form) on separate cards. Also label three baskets '-s', '-es', and '-ies'. Show students pictures of a kiss, a cow, and a bunny. Have students name the plural form of each noun; then write it on the blackboard. Discuss the different endings plural nouns may have. Then distribute the singular-noun cards. Ask each student to determine the correct plural ending and place his/her card into the corresponding basket. Check to be sure each card is in the right basket.
- Colourful sentences. Reinforce basic sentence skills with this colourful idea. Remind students that sentences are complete thoughts with subjects (or noun phrases) and predicates (or verb phrases). Ask students to share sentences; then help them identify each part. Next invite a student volunteer to write the subject part of a sentence on the blackboard. Then ask another student to finish writing the sentence with a different colour of chalk. Challenge students to name the subject and predicate. Have additional youngsters write sentences on the blackboard until every child has had a turn. Using two different coloured crayons, each student then writes and illustrates a sentence (in a similar manner) on a sheet of construction paper. Provide time for each student to share his/her sentence with his/her classmates.
Good luck with your grammar-teaching!
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