Teaching Grammar - Week 6 - Grammar and Discourse

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 6 of the course Teaching Grammar for the Bachelor's in English Teaching at ULACIT Term IIIC 2023. In this class we will do several activities to explore the concept of discourse, differentiate it from syntax, and discuss the teaching technique of using discourse frames to help students develop their ability to communicate.

Today's Goals:

• Share tips to help teachers respond successfully to students' "hot seat" grammar questions.
• Explore the concept of grammar beyond the sentence level.
• Analyze a sample instructional sequence using discourse frames to help students communicate using a target grammar structure.

Guiding Questions:

• What is the difference between discourse and syntax?
• What insights can I learn by viewing grammar from discourse perspective?
• How can I use discourse frames to support my students' language development?

Warm Up: Sharing Our Hot Seat Question Tips

For homework this week you created a short presentation about a Hot Seat grammar question. Share your presentation and be sure to mention the grammar point, explain the key concepts learners need to understand, and provide examples of how teachers can clarify these ideas with students. The following prompts may help you organize your ideas.

• The grammar topic I chose was ...
• The most important thing for learners to know is ...
• For example ...
• A way you can help your students understand is ...

Task 1: Putting the Pieces Together

In this activity you will need to arrange a series of sentences into a coherent paragraph. Click your group link below and begin working with your partners. When you finish, discuss the following questions:

• How confident are you that you solved the puzzle?
• What strategies did you use?
• What specific clues from the text told you something about the probable order of the sentences?
• In what way does this activity relate to grammar learning and teaching?

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Task 2: Introduction to Discourse and Grammar Instruction

Let's participate in this interactive presentation to understand the differences between teaching grammar at the sentence level versus at the discourse level.

• Sample Discourse Frames Activities: CLICK HERE
• Sample Narrative Frames for Writing: CLICK HERE
• More Discourse Frame Examples for Writing and Speaking: CLICK HERE

Task 3: My Discourse Frame Design

For homework this week you will create an original discourse frame activity sequence. Let's take a look at the instructions together. 

• Design 5 Worksheet: CLICK HERE

References:

Celece-Murcia, M. (2016). The Importance of the Discourse Level in Understanding and Teaching English Grammar. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Teaching English Grammar to Speakers of Other Languages (pp.3-18). Routeledge.

Folse, K. (2016). Keys to Teaching Grammar to English Language Learners: A Practical Handbook. The University of Michigan Press.

Larsen-Freeman. (2003). Teaching Language: From Grammar to Grammaring. Heinle Cengage Learning.