How to teach grammar to young learners?

What is the most challenging thing to teach? I bet 70% of the teachers would say “Grammar!” And 30% would say “Grammar to young learners”. So, which things are important when you teach grammar in primary school?

Key principles

• Context

Children cannot understand abstract concepts, schemes and apply grammar rules. You cannot just have them sit and listen to the rules. It won’t work with kids. They do need a clear meaningful context, a situation to sort out, to deduce the rules themselves. The context helps them to connect the language to a specific situation, to find patterns. The teaching should be theme-based. For example, they listen to the dialogue where the target language is used (e.g., Present Simple: you can tell a story about your or the puppet’s day). 

• Make it simple

The language you use to set a context, clarify the rules, focus on the grammatical form should be graded according to the students’ level. You should explain the rules using the language students already know. For example, you teach Present Continuous. Use the verbs students know, e.g., jump and say “I’m jumping” or point at the other student and say “He is listening” (mime it too).

• Learning styles

We always need to keep in mind different learning styles: visual (need images), auditory (need verbal presentation) and kinesthetic (need a hands-on approach). However, when we teach grammar we need to direct special attention to this as it is one of the most difficult things to teach and all the children need to grasp the meaning.

• Games

Another great idea is to use games when you teach grammar. It motivates students. It becomes interesting for them and student do not even notice that they are studying. For example, you can adapt the “Snowball” game. Let’s say, the topic is Present Simple. Say a sentence about yourself. Have the student repeat your sentence and add the next part.

Teacher: I play volleyball on Mondays.

Student: I play volleyball and do homework on Mondays.

Chain game is a way to practise the grammatical form.

Teacher: Do …

Student: Do you …

If you play the “Zip-Zap” game, have the student say an affirmative sentence for “Zip”, negative for “Zap” and questions for “Zip-Zap”.

Noughts and crosses can also be used for teaching and practising grammar. For example, write verbs, pluses for affirmative sentences, minuses for negative sentences and questions for… questions and have students make sentences to go with crosses or noughts.

Board games, “True-False”, miming, “Duel”, “Cancel my instruction”, role-plays are also a great way to practise grammar.

• Revision

Young learners need to review the material from time to time. The new language should be revised in the next lesson and should be recycled throughout the course. In addition, it’s essential to have Revision lessons every Unit.

The typical stages of “Grammar” lesson are:

1. Presentation.

Set the context and use the new language in a specific situation. Ask Concept Checking Questions. For example, tell a short story (use pictures to support the meaning) about your day when you introduce Present Simple.

2. Passive practice.

It’s a part of the presentation stage. Examples of exercises: usually, they’re matching exercises

• listen to the audio and number the pictures;
• read sentences and match them with the pictures;
• read and draw lines to the pictures;
• listen and order, etc.

Student do not use the language themselves at this step, do not produce it.

3. Focus on form.

Students see sentences where the target form is in bold or underlined. They listen, read and repeat.

At this step, you can also organize a short practice of the form. For instance, do a gap-filling exercise or ask students to choose the correct option.

4. Controlled practice

This stage typically includes games or TPR activities to practise the target language.

5. Semi-controlled/Freer practice

Students try to use the language in a freer setting and teachers set the tasks that personalise the language.

6. Revision

At the end of the lesson, there’s a game to recycle the grammar learnt.