What about the fifth skill

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What about the fifth skill?

• Badria Al Brashdi
• Louise Greenwood
• Kate Tindle

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Grammar is often seen as

• a static product that consists of forms that
  are rule-governed, sentence-level, absolute, and
  constitute a closed system.
• Larsen-Freeman, 2003

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Grammar involves
MEANING
FORM
USE
Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman, 1999
Theres a pen on the desk.
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students (need) to learn how to use grammar
structures accurately, meaningfully and
appropriately. Celce-Murcia and
Larsen-Freeman, 1999
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Is it teachable?

• There is ample evidence to demonstrate that
  teaching grammar works.
• Ellis, 2006

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• students will not necessarily learn what we
  teach them when we teach (it).
• Willis, J.,1996

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Can/cant
Some/any
There is/there are
Articles
Present simple
Possessives
Verb to be

• coverage mastery

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• Grammar can be productively regarded as a fifth
  skill, not only as an area of knowledge.
• Larsen-Freeman, 2003
• Its a process for which we need a verb
  something like grammaring.
• Thornbury, 2001

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My Dad and the Burning Car
One evening in late 1972, my father George Latham
was driving across town to collect my sister from
a party. A white car passed him in the lane to
his left, and then slowed to turn. My father saw
a flash and then there was a big explosion. The
white car, with its four passengers, was on fire.
A drunk driver had crashed into it from
behind. Immediately, Dad stopped the car and ran
back to the scene of the accident. The driver, a
woman, jumped from the car. Some men pulled two
of her daughters out, just as the fire began to
reach the engine. A third little girl, an
eleven-year-old, was screaming in the back seat.
She couldn't undo her seat-belt. One of the men
shouted that he couldn't open her door. "It's
hopeless," somebody said, as everyone moved back.
The little girl was going to burn to death right
in front of them.
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• Who is you in these sentences?
• Why does the writer use can?

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2. a. Work with a partner. Read the first
paragraph of Georges story. One evening in
late 1972, my father was driving across town to
collect my sister from a party. A white car
passed him in the lane to his left, and then
slowed to turn. My father saw a flash and then
there was a big explosion. The white car, with
its four passengers, was on fire. A drunk driver
had crashed into it from behind. b. Look at the
underlined phrases in 2a above. What is the
difference between them? Why?
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e. Read the third paragraph below. Underline any
examples of a or an noun. Circle any
examples of the noun. My father heard all
this and saw all this. He ran to the car and
reached through the open door on the other side.
He pulled the child across the seat and out of
the car, through the flames. He turned and
walked out of the fire just as the back window of
the car exploded. Within moments, the whole car
was on fire. People gathered around the little
girl. My hero dad just walked back to his car and
drove on, thinking only about picking up his own
daughter. f. Which paragraph has the most
examples of a noun? Why?
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• 1. Work with a partner. Read the first draft
  of the beginning of the story below. What is
  wrong with this first draft? Write your
  corrections on the text.

The Monkey and the Milk Seller 1st
draft Once upon a time, there was a poor but
honest milk seller. People liked the milk seller
so much that people wouldnt buy milk from anyone
else. One day, the milk seller was on the milk
sellers way to the market to sell the milk
sellers milk when all of a sudden, the milk
seller tripped over a big stone and fell onto the
road.
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• 4. Improve your writing
• Look back at the story you wrote for the
  competition and check it
• Did you use pronouns (he, she, him, etc.) and
  possessives (her, his) correctly?
• Make changes to your first draft if necessary.

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My Log

• What I learned about language
• a. When do we use the present simple?
• How do we form the present simple? Complete the
  tables.

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To practise or not to practise

• some structures may require (in-depth
  practice) before they can be fully acquired.
• Ellis, 2006

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Close your eyes!
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What can visitors do in your town/village? Write
four sentences. Name of your town/village
. a._______________________________
_______________________ b._______________________
_______________________________ c._______________
_______________________________________ d._______
_______________________________________________
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2. Find someone who...
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Summary

• Equip your students with the skill of
  grammaring.
• Guide students to make discoveries about language
  in texts.
• Draw students attention to meaning and use, not
  just form.
• Provide opportunities for meaningful, creative
  practice.
• Dont expect mastery. Students learn when they
  are ready.
• Make learner engagement a high priority.

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References

• Celce-Murcia, M. and Larsen-Freeman, D. (1999).
  The Grammar Book. USA Heinle Heinle.
• Ellis, R. (2006). Current Issues in the Teaching
  of Grammar An SLA Perspective. TESOL Quarterly,
  401.
• Larsen-Freeman, D. (2003). Teaching Language
  From Grammar to Grammaring. Newbury House
  Canada.
• Schmidt, R.W. (1990). The Role of Consciousness
  in Second Language Learning. Applied
  Linguistics, 112.
• Thornbury, S. (2001). Uncovering Grammar. Oxford
  Macmillan.
• Willis, J. (1996). A Framework for Task-Based
  Learning. Harlow, Essex Longman.
• http//www.myhero.com