Grammar, Lexis and Low Level Learners

Gaelic has seven forms of the definite article.

Mandarin has 4 different tones.

Cantonese has 12!

Spanish has over 40 inflections to the verb.

Most English verbs have only four forms!

How do children learn languages?

• They learn it by hearing first and then by interacting.

• They learn it in context from competent users.

• The language they hear is natural and ‘ungraded’.

• They learn language in chunks first and only generate rules later.

• They must hear these chunks in the same narrow contexts over and

over again.

How do elementary coursebooks teach language?

• Teach grammar and words

• ‘Grade’ and order the grammar

• Restrict exposure to structures

• Pay little regard to usage, natural contexts or repetition of chunks

went p54

I’m going to …do p90

Is she going to be a ballet dancer?

> Yes, she is.

What’s she going to do?

> Travel all over the world.

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“Learning the nonsense before you get on to what you need”

Present simple

What does he do at 6 o’clock?

> He gets up and makes breakfast.

What does he do?

> He’s a doctor.

Does he fly planes to help people?

Past simple

What did you do last night after dinner?

Did people drive cars a hundred years ago?

I didn’t have fish for dinner last night.

Dracula didn’t live in a castle in Brazil. He lived in Transylvania.

There’s / there are / some / any

But what’s in all these cupboards?

> Well, not a lot. There are some cups, but there aren’t any plates. And I have some knives and forks, but I don’t have any spoons!

Is there a carpet on your bathroom floor?

>Yes, there is.

BC/EQUALS Core

InventoryA2 Grammar

Adjectives – comparative, – use of than and definite article

Adjectives – superlative – use of definite article

Adverbial phrases of time, place and frequency – including word order

Adverbs of frequency

Articles – with countable and uncountable nouns

Countables and Uncountables: much/many

Future Time (will and going to) Gerunds

Going to Imperatives

Modals – can/could

Modals – have to

Modals – should

Past continuous

Past simple

Phrasal verbs – common

Possessives – use of ‘s, s’

Prepositional phrases (place, time and movement)

Prepositions of time: on/in/at

Present continuous

Present continuous for future

Present perfect

Questions Verb + ing/infinitive: like/ want-would like

Wh-questions in past

Zero and 1st conditional

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

could x x F x x

have to x x x x x

Should x x x x x x x

Will x x x x x

Might x x x x

Going to x x x x x x x x x x

Pres Cont - future x

Verb -ing / inf -ing x -ing -ing -ing

Gerund x

Past cont x

zero

first conditional

must x

Restricting grammar restricts what students can talk about and twists the examples of vocabulary

Innovations Elementary - a different syllabus

Going to in unit 4? Oh its too difficult!

• Teaching is not the same as learning • Inaccuracy, wrong answers, uncertainty are natural

features of learning • We should not expect accuracy • Learning a language takes time and repeated

encounters with items and structures over time in different contexts

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• Restricting grammar is restricting encounters. • Restricting grammar encourages massed rather than

spaced practice • Restricting grammar restricts the Kind of

conversations we allow low level students to have

Ways of developing a new syllabus: - grammar as chunks - using students as a resource / dialogue building - using translation - accepting broad meanings and inaccuracy - avoiding extensive explanations - stretching words and structures they know - spiral syllabuses ensuring more revisiting of a variety of grammar

How much is it? What time shall we meet? When does it start? What time does your flight leave? What time do we have to be at the airport? So what time (do you think) we should leave here? How long will you be? How far is it? How old is he? How many people were there? How many people are unemployed? How long have you been here? What's the average wage? What's the average age people leave home? What's the average age people get married? What's the average age people retire?

Vocabulary and level Living room economy noise cause banana cupboard government

• Pay more attention to frequency • Respond to what students are trying to say • Give opportunities beyond the typical low level • We are the same people at high and low levels!!

These changes are not about becoming fluent four times faster!

Enjoy your teaching and thank you for listening www.londonlanguagelab.com www.lexicallab.com andrew@lexicallab.com