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Grammar at the Point of Need

Grammar at the Point of Need. TexTESOL 2013 Colin S. Ward Lone Star College – North Harris. Imagine you want to teach gerunds in your writing class…. When in the writing process would you do it? What would you do with it?. Key Questions:. What grammar do you tackle in a writing class?

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Grammar at the Point of Need

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  1. Grammar at the Point of Need TexTESOL 2013Colin S. Ward Lone Star College – North Harris

  2. Imagine you want to teach gerunds in your writing class… When in the writing process would you do it? What would you do with it?

  3. Key Questions: • What grammar do you tackle in a writing class? • How do you tackle grammar in a writing class? • When do you tackle grammar in a writing class?

  4. Pre 1st Draft Prefabs Construction Grammar

  5. Prefabs at Level Zero from grammar charts to flow charts

  6. Choose Prefabs based on need • Process: …so that I can…. • I want to get a degree so that I can earn more money. • Problem-Solution : By + gerund…. • By offering more public transportation, fewer people in Ho Chi Minh will drive to work. • Cause-Effect:…due to the time it takes to….. • Due to the time it takes to find a good job in the U.S, many immigrants decide to return to their home countries.

  7. A couple examples….

  8. Interlanguage in real time got it… …but not quite

  9. Prefabs don’t always work… • I am going to open my own beauty salon so that I want to have a lot of customers. • Byproviding more education to children will help reduce illiteracy. • Learning a new language, it will open up new doors for my life. …so they need more practice!

  10. What the research says… • Construction grammar (Hinkel) • Use language “chunks” • Allow students to create new “units” • vocab and grammar on a continuum

  11. What other research says… • Analyzing is less helpful than sentence generating, combining & manipulating (Weaver) • Teaching formal grammar systematically & through isolated lessons & drill doesn’t work (Weaver) • Reduce overload (Myles) • Control content • Models for grammar

  12. What prefabs would you teach? • Opinion • Narrative • Classification • Definition • Cause-effect • Problem-Solution

  13. 2nd-3rd Draft Student-generated! Grammar Throwdowns

  14. Grammar Throwdown

  15. Mini-lesson

  16. What the research says… • Grammar chosen should reflect what students need most (DCF) • Use the students’ own writing (Weaver) • Teachable moments & mini-lessons (Weaver)

  17. Post 2nd Draft Student-generated! Parallel Structure

  18. Parallel Structure

  19. Parallel Structure

  20. What I did not expect…

  21. Post 3rd Draft Student-generated! Wordiness

  22. What the research says… • Little (or no?) research regarding wordiness in ESOL writing • No systematic way of tackling wordiness • Skill often glossed over

  23. What native speakers are told… • despite the fact that  despite • due to the fact that  because • in the event that  if • in the vicinity of  near • for all intents and purposes  X …does not necessarily work for ESOL students.

  24. Another common approach Reduce the wordy expressions in the essay on a separate sheet of paper. Be sure to keep the meaning of the original even if you make grammar changes: The bad effects of garbage are not limited to the personal lives of individuals and families. In fact, the effects have spread out immensely to become a social and global phenomenon affecting the whole earth and the whole universe. Garbage has invaded and threatened our lives. Pollution and toxic chemicals and substances, some of which are the result of garbage, are threatening our existence. The ESL Writer’s Handbook, Michigan ELT, 2010

  25. Why are ESOL students wordy? • Direct translation • Insufficient vocabulary • Lack of word form knowledge • Lack of grammar knowledge • Unaware of redundancy • Attempt to fill the page

  26. Wordiness

  27. Wordiness

  28. Correcting Wordiness in Action

  29. Correcting Wordiness in Action

  30. Correcting Wordiness in Action

  31. Correcting Wordiness in Action

  32. Perhaps my biggest points are.. Timing is everything Use student-generated grammar. Be a grammar detective.

  33. Questions or Comments? Email: Colin.S.Ward@lonestar.eduLinks to PowerPoint/Handout: http://www.lonestar.edu/colin-ward.htm

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