It’s Grammar Time…

We’re always out to find what’s the best way to effectively teach our learners. I don’t know about everyone else, but it’s been my experience that grammar gets the short end of the stick in the sense that everyone dreads teaching it, and most learners dread learning it.  Am I the only one who actually enjoys spelling? (Crickets)…

I’m here to tell you that if you turn anything into a game, it’ll be fun. Even grammar! And who said that games are meant only for kids?

A typical student’s thought process is “why do I need to learn how to spell properly? The important thing is to speak properly.”  Yes and no. What if you needed to write a note or a statement to your son’s teacher? What about at work? You need to write toyour supervisor about something important. Or you’re a student and obviously grammatical errors are a no-no. Even if a student doesn’t work, go to school, or doesn’t need to write anything for their kids, don’t they still need to know the difference between here and hear, and there, their, and they’re, and to, two and too?  What about my favourite its and it’s? (My husband was born and raised in Canada, and he still asks me which is which!)

Here’s a cool way to inject some life into your grammar lessons that will surely have the entire class talking! I found a few worksheets online that you can work with and incorporate into your lesson plans:

http://www.education.com/files/55401_55500/55427/too-two.pdf

http://www.education.com/files/65401_65500/65422/its-or-its-third.pdf

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/ab/b0/99/abb0994061cf6598626416f6147e5875.jpg

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/07/1e/67/071e67982bd042fd52f78c5c8c58699a.jpg

http://en.islcollective.com/resources/printables/worksheets_doc_docx/who_is_the_burglar_-_30_conversation_cards_-_roleplay_-_class_and_group_speaking/tenses-describing-people/1519 (this one seems really fun!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wam5PscoSjU (LOVE this! Great idea/lesson plan and lots of fun!)

Remember that you don’t need to use the sheets as is. Try to tailor them according to your students’ abilities and comprehension level. Make sure your students are constantly being challenged, but in a way where they want to learn more.  You should adapt the worksheet to suit the level(s) you’re teaching, or make them yourself (as I’ve personally always done). I also always incorporate my students’ names into my worksheets, which they tend to love seeing. I would teach this to a multi-level class or a level 3/4 (intermediate) comfortably.

Whatever it is you decide, make sure your grammar lesson is a fun one. Because after all, grammar is here to stay!

How have you made grammar fun for your students?

Laila Al-Sbeinati @lailasbeinati

Hi! I’m Laila and I’m a mom to two little ones who keep me very busy throughout the day (and night)! I earned a double major in Philosophy and Psychology from Western University, which basically means I can talk a lot and analyze anything! I earned my TESL accreditation and have taught in both school and workplace settings; but I especially enjoy teaching at different work places. I have a passion for cooking, baking vegan desserts, and DIY projects. I enjoy reading and learning about new things, but mostly, I’m excited to be sharing my thoughts and any information I may learn about with all of you. Happy reading!