A Grammar Sequence – embedding it into a curricuum

This is the 3rd post in a series on grammar. The first is here, and the second is here.

SO HOW CAN I EMBED THIS INTO MY CURRICULUM?

The sequence is broken into distinct sections, and the teacher would incorporate a section into a scheme or unit of work so students can see its functionality in a real-world context. The resource is designed so you can introduce the grammatical rule and skill via the PPT, engage students in decontextualised activities that help reinforce the understanding of the rules, and then incorporate and demonstrate relevant literature or other texts that are strong examples of the grammar being used. Writing activities would then be included so students can apply the newly learned grammatical elements.

· Section A: begins by explaining the various types of nouns, and how determiners are used to introduce certain nouns. The subject of a sentence is then taught as this is essential for the understanding of what constitutes a clause.  

· Section B: introduces the concept of a verb. The 5 main forms of verb are discussed. The reason for going into depth here rather than simply encouraging students to say that all verb forms are merely ‘verbs’ is that each of the forms serves a particular purpose in our language, and so a secure knowledge of each assist them in being more precise with their language. The great bonus of this is that the teacher can then provide more precise feedback to students. 

· The distinction between finite and non-finite verb forms is made clear, which allows for a discussion about tense, and how and why we must use the correct tense. Auxiliary verbs, including modal verbs are presented to assist the understanding of tense. 

· Section C: introduces how nouns and verbs are used in combination to form sentences primarily via clauses. Main and subordinate explanations provide opportunities to discuss conjunctions, both coordinating and subordinating, and what rules we use to punctuate both compound and complex sentences.  

· Section D: introduces modifiers. The scheme begins by discussing adjectival and adverbial clauses. In terms of adjectival, the common use of relative clauses is explained and restricted and non-restricted clauses are explained; an important consideration for punctuation.  

· Section E: introduces how non-finite verbs are used to create phrases. The 4 main types of phrases are explained, and how they are used as modifiers. Prepositions are defined, and lots of attention is given to participles. Participle phrases are highly effective modifiers, and the adjectival nature of past and present participles is explored. As well as this, the adaptive nature of participles explains how they are used in the passive voice, as well as in combination with auxiliary verbs in 9 of the 12 tenses

Activity design

The absolute key is to ensure that the initial teaching of a new grammar component is done in Isolation to mitigate cognitive overload. This allows the learner to focus only on that element and also provides the teacher with the ability to understand where issues in learning occur. In this sense, it follows the methodology of a research project, where only the introduction of a single variable should be the focus of observation.

Here is the suggested design of activities:

• -In each activity, there should be at least 5 examples of the grammar element.
• The first activity should be single words only.
• The second activity should include multiple words, and these can be phrases.
• The third activity should include full sentences incorporating the element.
• A fourth activity may be optional and would include deliberate errors that students need to identify.
• Each activity should utilise a correct/incorrect ratio of 70% correct and 30% incorrect options.

As much as possible, and especially for early-stage year levels, try not to conflate grammar components when introducing something new. For example, in the teaching of the first type of noun, proper nouns, none of the other noun types should be used. And within that teaching, to secure understanding, the complexity of the grammatical use should increase. The examples used in the ‘proper noun’ activity below demonstrate this principle which can be applied to the rest of the grammar teaching.

Whilst the resource provides a clear strategy to teach the components, it does not provide an extensive list of activities. This is because the examples you give your students will very much depend on them, and their age or year level and their vocabulary. Gen-AI can be used here to quickly create the desired examples for each activity to suit your audience. In this way, the resource is not limited to a specific age group, and reinforces the notion that the teaching of grammar and the benefits gained from it can be achieved at any year level.

I’m Paul Moss. Follow me on Twitter @edmerger, and follow this blog for more English teaching and general educational resources and discussions.