Teaching grammar isn’t always about a traditional textbook lesson, worksheets & drilling. What do our students really want? They want to be able to communicate in the target language. Isn’t that the goal? If you are looking for GAMES to help practice targeted grammar: click here.
Whether you are teaching adult learners or kids – EVERYONE wants to be able to speak, understand and make themselves understood by others! The good thing is that you can sneak grammar into conversation sessions. What’s the key? Grammar focused conversation.
How does this work?
1. Do a quick grammar intro – If you are teaching or reviewing the Present Perfect tense, take 10 minutes to talk about it.
2. Grab a set of conversation cards – in this case Past Simple and Present Perfect.
3. Put them to use. You’ll find that during the conversation so many questions will spontaneously arise. You’ll be called back to the original whiteboard grammar lesson to clarify and review.
Why is this so important?
Your students will retain more of what you’ve taught by actively using it! With kids it’s learn through play. With adults it’s learn by doing.
Having these conversation cards on hand to use week after week helps me to implement a consistent conversation routine for grammar each week.
With the huge switch from traditional classrooms to digital and distance learning I thought I would talk a little bit about CONVERSATION and why it’s such an important part of ESL teaching. Often students will say, “I’m not interested in grammar, I just want to practice speaking”.
What they don’t realize is that grammar IS the important part of speaking. It’s important for teachers to have the right speaking activity and level for the right student. There are tons of question lists available online. These are a bit different because each set is grouped by:
- Grammar/Question Type
- Theme
If you are practicing with a beginning student, you need basic questions so that they don’t feel overwhelmed by not knowing exactly how to answer. Use the set that fits your needs. Once you print & laminate these, you can use them for years to come (I’ll admit, it’s a big job). They are great for online lessons. You’ll always have a set nearby to grab when you just don’t have any more focused questions to ask! When life is back to normal again, they are a great classroom aid for small groups, partner activities and whole class conversation groups. There is one question on each card, but remember that you’ll often use the question as a “bouncing off point” to discuss other topics related to the question. Get the whole Bundle here:
This bundle includes 8 different conversation card sets (over 640 questions) for ESL speaking practice and fluency. The questions are divided by grammar type or theme: Present simple, Past Simple, Present Perfect, Conditionals:zero, first, second and third Future Tenses, Persuasive Speaking, Explain & Discuss, Speak for 30 Seconds. By purchasing this bundle you are saving 25% of the price if you purchased the sets individually and you’ll be ready for improvised conversation activities throughout the year!
What’s included: (Each set can also be purchased separately).
- Present Tense (over 150 Cards)
- Past Simple & Present Perfect ( over 150 cards)
- Future Tenses (40 cards)
- Conditional Tenses: Zero, First, Second, Third (over 110 cards)
- Convince Me: Persuasive Speaking (48 Partner Cards)
- Explain and Discuss It (40 Cards)
- Speak 30 Seconds (56 cards)
- Answering Wh-Questions (48 Cards)
Happy teaching,
Brooke
