1. II. Grammar for
beginning learners
By
Julio Vangel Pérez

2. Beginner students
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign languages
(1986) gives us a guideline of where beginner students might
be expected to do:
• Oral production consists of isolated words and learned phrases within very
predictable areas of need.
• Vocabulary is sufficient only for handling simple, elementary needs and
expressing basic courtesies.
• Utterances rarely consists of more than two or three words and show
frequent long pauses and repetition of interlocutor’s words.
• Speakers may have some difficulties producing even the simplest
utterances.
• Some speakers will be understood only with great difficulty...

3. Beginner learners
At the end of beginner lever course students
should possess the ability to:
• Understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to
the areas of most immediate relevance (basic personal and family
information, shopping, local geography, employment).
• Communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and
direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.
• Describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate
environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

4. Beginner Syllabus
What is a syllabus?
Acts as a guide for the teacher and learner by providing
some goals to be attained.
Hutchinson and Waters (1987) describe syllabus as:
A statement of what is to be learnt. It reflects language and
linguistic performance.
Yalden (1987) defines syllabus as a summary of contents
to which the learners will be exposed.

5. Beginner Syllabus
What does a syllabus normally contain?
• List of what will be taught.
• Contents items or processes.
• Ordered/numbered/sequenced.
• Objectives.
• Time/Schedule.
• Methodology/Approach.
• Materials.

6. 2.1 Beginner Syllabus

7. 2.1 Beginner Syllabus

8. Page Title
• Note 1
• Note 2
• Note 3
Copyright 2008 PresentationFx.com | Redistribution Prohibited | Image © 2008 Thomas Brian | This text section may be deleted for presentation.

9. 2.1 Beginner Syllabus

10. 2.2 Principles for teaching
grammar to beginning learners
• 1. Keep the learning load manageable
There is no such thing as a simple rule in
English. Even rules that at first seem
straightforward, such as the use of the
article system in English (when to use
a/an, the or no article at all), turn out to be
quite complex.

11. 2.2 Principles for teaching
grammar to beginning learners
• 1. Keep the learning load manageable
First, we need to simplify, and even
oversimplify, the grammar for learners in
the beginning stages. They will only have
a partial understanding at these stages
anyway. Secondly, we should help them
perceive patterns and regularities that can
be developed over time as learners “grow
their grammar”

12. 2.2 Principles for teaching
grammar to beginning learners
• 1. Keep the learning load manageable
Consciousness-raising, through the
exercises and activities we present to
learners, their awareness of the principles,
regularities and rules of the language is
gradually raised.

13. 2.2 Principles for teaching
grammar to beginning learners
• 2. Recycle
Learners do not acquire grammar the first
time they encounter it. Therefore, in order
to help learners “grow their own grammar”,
you need to reintroduce key grammar
points at regular intervals. Learners
should encounter the target items in
different communicative contexts.

14. 2.2 Principles for teaching
grammar to beginning learners
• 2. Recycle
For example, different forms of the verb to be are
typically introduced in the context of asking and
giving one’s name:
What is your name? What is his name? What are
their names?
Next time, learners might encounter in the context
of asking about nationality:
What is your nationality? What is her nationality?
What are their nationalities?

15. 2.2 Principles for teaching
grammar to beginning learners
• 2. Recycle
From such encounters, learners can begin to make
generalizations. They can begin to break
formulaic language into its various components.
And the can begin to identify relationships
between the form that the language takes and
how to use those forms for communicating.

16. 2.2 Principles for teaching
grammar to beginning learners
• 3. Emphasize inductive or deductive
teaching
In attempting to raise learner awareness of grammatical
principles, you need to consider whether or not you will
provide grammatical explanations. Many beginning
learners, are carried by uncertainty and crave these
explanations. Unfortunately, as beginners, they will not
have the linguistic ability to comprehend the most
rudimentary explanation, which in any case will be a
gross oversimplification.

17. 2.2 Principles for teaching
grammar to beginning learners
• 3. Emphasize inductive or deductive
teaching
Imagine how crazy it would be to begin a grammar lesson
for beginners with this statement:
Right, now, students. Today, I’m going to introduce you to
the simple present tense, right? Ok, so I want you to
remember this. When you make declarative statements
in third person singular, you have to put an s on the end
of the verb. OK?

18. 2.3 Tasks and materials
The purpose of this matter is to describe
and exemplify a range of task and
exercise types that can be used with
beginning learners. The aim is to provide a
handful of task and exercise types that
can be used as models for you to develop
your own materials.

19. 2.3 Tasks and materials
1. Fill-in-the-blanks
Fill-in-the-blanks exercises are a common
means of providing grammar practice,
particularly at beginning and intermediate
levels. They are simple to construct, and
are particularly suited to grammar items
such as articles, prepositions, and verb
paradigm for example, the verb be: am,
is, are).

20. 2.3 Tasks and materials
2. Cloze procedure
Cloze procedure is a special type of fill-in-the-
blank exercise. In a cloze procedure words are
deleted from a passage at a regular rate;
usually every fifth or seventh word is deleted.
The difference is that with fill-in-the-blank a
single grammar item is usually the focus of the
deletion, while cloze exercises test a range of
grammatical items.

21. Cloze procedure exercise.
In the next slide you’ll look at an example of
a passage from which every fifth word
has been deleted. See if you can identify
the missing items. Which ones are easy?
Which ones are difficult?

22. Cloze procedure exercise.
The jungle was full (1) ______ wonders. It was alive (2)
_______ they were in the (3) _______ of it. There was
(4) _____ bird that sounded exactly (5) ______ - that
laughed in human (6) _____. There was an insect (7)
_______ perched on their lips (8) _______ night,
breathing their breath. (9) _______ were leaf-cutter
ants whose (10) _______ cut holes in their (11)
______. There was an animal (12) _______ ate that
had the (13) ________ of a rat, the (14) _______ of a
rabbit, the (15) ________ of a pig. They (16) _______
ate snake, turtle, jungle (17)____, jungle turkey,
armadillo, tapir (18)_____ caiman.
(The Best American Magazine Writing 2002, Junod, 2002)

23. 2.3 Tasks and materials
2. Cloze procedure
The cloze procedure is an effective tool for
recycling or review practice. Because
words are deleted at a set rate, a range
of grammatical (as well as content) items
are tested.

24. 2.3 Tasks and materials
• Fill-in-the-blanks
• Cloze procedure
• Word scramble
• Conversation scramble
• Sentence cues
• Error correction
• Comprehension questions
• Drills
• Surveys
• Information gaps
• Dictation/Dictogloss
• Games
• Grammar Charts

25. 2.3 Tasks and materials
Activity
2. One activity/task will be assigned to you from the current topic. (You will be
able to see which one on the next slide).
3. After reading the definition from your task/activity, you will go to the
beginners section and find an activity similar to the one you were assigned
from a book or a study sheet. Please cite your references.
4. Finally, you will design from scratch an activity similar to the one you
found and give a brief explanation of the task and the instructions of your
activity to the class.
(Estimated time 30-35min.+Presentations).
4. Please, respect the area and rules of CEMAAI and work in an orderly
manner; keep your voice down, work only with a pen/pencil and a
notebook/paper, turn off your cell phones, leave your things at the lockers.
Once you find your material, come back here, when you are finished with the
material return it exactly the way you found it and to its exact location.

26. 2.3 Tasks and materials
• Fill-in-the-blanks
• Cloze procedure
• Word scramble (Yolanda/Byanca)
• Conversation scramble (Fabiola/Juan Enrique
• Sentence cues (Alejandra/Esteban)
• Error correction (Mariam/Aida)
• Comprehension questions (Yesenia/Luis)
• Drills (Jonathan/Ana)
• Surveys (Isabel Carolina/David)
• Information gaps (Zenia/Carolina)
• Games (Jessica/Yohana)
• Grammar Charts (Karla)
• Dictation/Dictogloss (The Teacher)

27. 2.3 Tasks and materials
11. Grammar dictation/Dictogloss
This technique can be used at any level; it test, not
only a variety of grammatical knowledge both
integrated and contextualized, but also the four
linguistic skills. It requires authentic
communication in order to work properly.
Learners use their grammar and linguistic skills
as they recreate a text.

28. 2.3 Tasks and materials
11. Grammar dictation/Dictogloss
Wajnyrb (1990) describes four stages in the dictogloss procedures:
5. Preparation: when the learner finds out about the topic of the text
and is prepared for some of the vocabulary.
6. Dictation: when the learner hears the text and takes fragmentary
notes.
7. Reconstruction: in which learners work in small groups, pool their
notes, and reconstruct the text.
8. Analysis and correction: when learners analyze and correct their
texts.
Wajnyrb, R. (1990). Grammar Dictation (p.7). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

29. Assignment #5 Mind Maps
Instructions:
You will make 2 mind maps; an early beginner and high beginner
(Level 1 and Level 2) using your syllabus exercise as an example
for this assignment. Do not forget to include: the units, grammar
items, functions, samples and time.
The following points will be evaluated:
Coherence
Content
Sequencing
Usability
Creativity
The deadline for this assignment is Tuesday September 27th at 9 am
ONLY via Blackboard.