Sitting Down

Creative Grammar Teaching

(Secondary)

John Moulton
MPI-Bell Centre of
English
[email protected]
Teaching or Learning

Discuss in small groups:

• How do you teach grammar?
• How do students learn grammar?
• What’s the difference between ‘teaching’ and
‘learning’?
Line up!
• Wait for “Go!”
My birthday
• Stand up When is is June 2nd.
• Make a line your How about
birthday? you?
• How….?
• Your birthday

Go!
My
birthday is
May 30th so
I am in
front of
you.
Memory Chain
Instructions
• to review vocabulary
• to practice sentence patterns.
• Students should work in small groups, 4 – 6.
• Teacher starts the activity with a sentence
such as:
▫ Yesterday I ate rice.
• In their groups, the students take turns
repeating the teacher’s sentence and adding
one more food item.
 Yesterda
Memory Chain Yesterday y I ate
I ate rice rice ,
Yesterday and apples
I ate rice. apples. and
chicken.

Yesterday I
ate rice,
apples,
chicken and
cookies.
Memory Chain
• Now let’s try it together.

I am going to
the zoo and I
am going to
see the
monkeys.
Memory Chain
Think!
• What other topics are suitable for the
Memory Chain?
• Are there any other grammar points that
can be practiced this way?
• Compare your answers with your
partners.
• Let’s hear some of your ideas!
 FU
Alphabetical Chain
N!
• For more advanced learners:
▫ I went to the ___(place)___ to ___(verb)___
some __(plural noun)__ .
• Students in small groups take turns
alphabetically substituting a place, a verb
and a plural noun—which all begin with the
same letter.
Student 1: I went to the _art school_ to _attack_
some _alligators_ .
Student 2: I went to the ___bank___ to __buy__
some _bananas_ .
Other Chain activities
• Chain events
▫ Yesterday I went shopping.
• Chain stories
▫ He picked up the knife and wiped off the
blood.
• Chain conditionals
▫ If I had a million dollars, …
“Partner Square”
• Students work in pairs
• Draw a square like this
• Label the square I can I can’t
• Pairs use target
language to fill You can
in the squares.
• What other structures can
they practice likeYou
this?
can’t
Picture activities

Look at the
following
picture for one
minute.
Try to
remember as
many details
as you can.
Picture activities

What was happening?

• Work together in pairs.
• Write as many of the details as you can remember.
▫ Example: One girl was sleeping.
• Compare what you wrote with another pair.
• Now compare what you wrote with the picture.
Picture activities

How many of
your sentences
are correct?
Picture Activities
Other picture activities
• Picture differences
▫ “There is/are…”
▫ Prepositions of location
• Before/after pictures
▫ Simple past
▫ ‘used to’
Jazz Chant
These are my blue jeans
That’s my shirt.
This red shirt? No, that brown shirt.
Those are my shoes.
These brown shoes? No, those black shoes.
This is my jacket.
That green jacket? No, this blue jacket.
That’s my t-shirt.
This white t-shirt? No, that red t-shirt.
These are my jeans.
Those black jeans? No, these blue jeans.
Those are my shorts.
Jazz Chant
These are my blue jeans
A B
That’s my shirt. This red shirt?
No, that brown shirt. Those are my shoes.
These brown shoes? No, those black shoes.
This is my jacket. That green jacket?
No, this blue jacket. That’s my t-shirt.
This white t-shirt? No, that red t-shirt.
These are my jeans. Those black jeans?
No, these blue jeans. Those are my shorts.
These green shorts? No, those white shorts.
http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/listening/jazz-chants/
Jazz Chant
I feel so embarrassed
I’m frustrated! My computer’s been crashing all day.
I’m heartbroken. I’ve been fighting with my girlfriend
again.
I’m lonely. I’ve been living on my own for years.
I’m confident. I’ve been studying really hard.
I’m furious. Someone’s been using my car.
I’m exhausted. I’ve been running in the park for an hour.
I’m excited. I’ve been thinking about my vacation.
I’m irritated. He’s been playing that music for hours.
I’m confused. I’ve been trying to read this book.
I’m embarrassed. I’ve been wearing my jacket inside out.
Jazz Chant
Could you do me a favor?
Of course, what is it?
Could I borrow your pen?
Sure here you go!
Could you do me a favor?
Of course, what is it?
Would you lend me some money?
No, I don’t think so.
20 Questions
• Play in small groups of 4 – 6.
• One person thinks of an object.
• The others take turns asking one ‘yes/no’
question to try to guess the object.
• Can only ask 20 questions.
• Should move from general to specific.
 Is it
20 Questions something
we use
apple everyday?
Is it big?

Is it a Is there
vegetabl one in
e? this
room?

Can we
eat it?
Two truths and a lie
• Work in groups of 4 - 6.
• Think of three things about yourself, but don’t
tell your partners.
• Change one of those things so that it is NOT
true.
• Now one person in your group will tell his/her
two truths and a lie.
• Partners will then take turns asking questions in
order to discover the lie.
• Each person should ask at least two questions.
• After a few minutes of questions, group guesses
which is the lie.
 What other
grammatical
Two truths and a lie structures can
be used?
I have
ridden a
camel.
I have
climbed a
pyramid.

I have eaten
bear.
Sitting Down
Creative Grammar Teaching
(Secondary)

John Moulton
MPI-Bell Centre of
English
[email protected]