Teaching Grammar - Week 11 - Planning a Grammar Lesson

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 11 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 topic of lesson planning for grammar classes.

Today's Goals:

• Recognize the stages, purpose, strengths and limitations of the PPP lesson planning sequence.
• Consider an alternative to PPP that takes a communication first approach to lesson planning.

Guiding Questions:

• How did PPP come to be the dominant planning framework in ELT and what are the conflicting views about it?
• How can a deep end approach to grammar lesson design be carried out in a practical way?

Warm Up: The Columbian Exchange

Yesterday, people in the United States celebrated Thanksgiving which marks an important historical event in North America when a group of English colonists began a new life in the area now known as New England. The most important tradition during Thanksgiving is the meal which consists of a mixture of New World and Old World products. The Columbian Exchange refers to the historical processes beginning in 1492 in which Spanish expeditions made the first contact between the Old World and New World and began the process of mixing animal, plant, and disease species between two parts of the globe that were previously isolated. 

Activity 1: Old World or New World Origin?

Your teacher assigned you to a group. Click on the link below and then go to your assigned section of the document.

• Shared Document: CLICK HERE

Activity 2: Paragraph Writing

Now work with your partners to write a paragraph by completing the missing information below.

"The Columbian Exchange is an event that changed the world. It represents the exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the New and Old Worlds starting on October 12, 1492. Before the arrival of Europeans, in the Americas people ate many ______s, ________s, and also some _______ but they did not eat any ______ or ______. Europeans did not have access to _______s or _______s but they did have many ______s and a little ______.  Over the centuries, these plants and animals have traveled around the globe. Now people everywhere can enjoy as much ______ and ______ as they want and they can easily buy a few ______s and _______s at their local supermarket. 

Activity 3: Pair Discussion

Talk to your partners about the things you eat and drink using the sentence starters below.

• I typically eat lots of ______ because...
• I don't drink much ______ because...
• My typical meal does not include any _____ but it does include a many ______...
• I think I eat to much ____ because...
• I think I eat too little ______ because...
• I should probably eat more ______ because...
• For a light snack I eat a few ______ and ...

Continue your conversation with your partners. How many of these words can you include?

• some
• any
• much
• many
• a few
• a little

Activity 4: Critical Thinking

Discuss these questions with a partner.

• What proportion of your diet consists of New World items and Old World items?
• Think about three typical Costa Rican dishes. What are their ingredients? How many of them are Old World items? How many are from the New World?
• The Columbian exchange also brought many negative consequences. What were some of them?
• The world of 2023 is now completely connected. What are some possitive and negative effects of our globalized society?

Task 1: Planning a Grammar Lesson

Discuss the following questions with your partner.

• What does a good grammar lesson look like?
• What elements should a lesson plan contain?
• How should a grammar lesson flow? 
• What stages should it contain and what are their functions?
• What is PPP and have you ever used it as a teacher or experienced it as a learner?
• Can you think of any alternatives to this way of sequencing a lesson?

Task 2: Grammar Lesson Walkthrough

Now let's walk through a sample grammar lesson aimed at teaching comparisons and superlatives. Afterward, discuss these analysis questions:

• How was the lesson organized?
• When in the lesson was the grammar introduced and how?
• If the grammar topic of the lesson was comparisons and superlatives, what was the general theme of the lesson? What role did the theme play in the design of the lesson?
• When did students have a chance to use language communicatively?
• Does this lesson sequence fit your previous understanding of PPP?

Introduction: Hello, and welcome to Week 5 of English II. In today's class we will talk about places to visit on vacation and the following language:

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Comparisons
• Superlatives

Class Objectives: By the end of this lesson you will

• Discuss fun activities to do on vacation.
• Compare vacation activities, destinations, and hotels.
• Propose the design of a luxury hotel.

Guiding Question: What makes a great hotel?

Warm Up: Best Places to Visit in Costa Rica

Imagine you are planning a vacation and you are considering possible locations to visit and activities to do. Order them according to how much you like them.

• Manuel Antonio Nacional Park
• New York City
• Isla del Coco
• Downtown Puntarenas
• Mexico City
• Beaches in Guanacaste
• All inclusive resort in the Bahamas
• Cabin in the mountains in Monteverde

Activity 1: Discuss with your Partners (groups of 3 or 4)

Discuss the following questions with your partners.

• What are some popular vacation places in Costa Rica? 
• Which do you know?
• When did you go?
• Do you like it? Why? Why not?
• Which new places in Costa Rica would you like to visit in the future?

• When do people in Costa Rica have vacation?
• What are popular times of the year to travel?
• What is your favorite vacation time of the year?
• What are some nice activities that you can do on a long weekend?

• Look at the options below. What do you prefer on vacation?
• Eat in a restaurant or take your own food?
• Do many activities or just relax?
• Swim in the pool or swim in the ocean?
• Rustic accomodations in the country or modern accomodations in the city?
• Travel with pets or leave the pets at home?
• Travel with friends/family or travel alone?

Activity 2: Grammar Analysis (whole group)

Students participate in an interactive presentation led by the teacher. 

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Activity 3: Controlled Practice (pairs)

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Activity 4: Freer Practice (pairs)

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Activity 5: Production Activity (groups of 3 or 4)

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Activity 6: Wrap Up (whole group)

Let's go back to your list from the first activity. Imagine you can go to two of these places during Christmas vacation. Which two places do you prefer? Why do you prefer to go to these places and not the others?

• Manuel Antonio Nacional Park
• New York City
• Isla del Coco
• Downtown Puntarenas
• Mexico City
• Beaches in Guanacaste
• All inclusive resort in the Bahamas
• Cabin in the mountains in Monteverde

Task 3: Exploring Lesson Planning Options

Let's learn more about the famous PPP lesson sequence and explore an alternative. 

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

References:

Thornbury, S. (1999). How to Teach Grammar. Pearson.