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TARNW STATE COLLEGE INSTITUTE OF HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

Agnieszka TUMAN

TEACHING AND TESTING PRESENT SIMPLE AND PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL

Project presented in part fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Licentiate in Tarnw State College, written under the supervision of mgr Renata Kozio.

TARNW 2009

CONTENTS Introduction .........................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE: What Is Grammar?...............................................................................2 1.1 Why to teach grammar? ..............................................................................................3 1.2 Ways of teaching grammar appropriate for primary school children (inductive or deductive) ....................................................................................................................5 1.3 Stages in presenting grammatical structures in the classroom (including Present Simple and Present Continuous Tense) ..........................................................6 CHAPTER TWO: Why To Test?.....................................................................................9 2.1 2.2 2.3 Qualities of a good test ................................................................................................9 Types of grammar tests .............................................................................................10 Kinds of exercises in a grammar test .......................................................................11

Lesson Plans .......................................................................................................................14 Lesson Plan 1 .......................................................................................................................14 Lesson Plan 2 .......................................................................................................................18 Lesson Plan 3 .......................................................................................................................23 Lesson Plan 4 .......................................................................................................................28 Test 1 ...................................................................................................................................32 Test 2 ...................................................................................................................................36 Final conclusions.................................................................................................................40 Appendices .........................................................................................................................42 Works cited ........................................................................................................................48

Tuman 1 Introduction. Teaching grammar is essential to reach a mastery in a language as every sentence even the shortest one contains grammar. There may be some people who would not agree and for them the ability to communicate is the most important. But being able to communicate means to know even the most basic grammar and use it. Some may learn fixed expressions but they may not be applied in a given situation. Therefore, grammar should be taught in order to communicate and to expand the knowlegde on condition that it is taught in moderate amounts. There are two major ways in teaching grammar: inductive and deductive. The most suitable way of teaching grammar to primary school students is the inductive way as these pupils do not possess analytical abilities and they better absorb the knowledge as they discover it by themselves. In order to check what students have learnt the teacher must test students. That is why teaching and testing are closely related since the teacher needs to obtain feedback on how students progress and if they achieve what was intended and to incorporate improvements if it is needed. The first chapter will be about teaching grammar. It will be explained what is grammar and why it is important to teach it. There will be presented some arguments for and against teaching grammar. Then the attention will be drawn to ways of presenting

grammatical structures in the classroom. There will be discussed two major ways. However, more attention will be devoted to inductive way of teaching because it is advisable for primary school children. The last issue in this chapter will concern stages that should be followed in presenting grammar structures which suit the inductive way of teaching.

Tuman 2 The second chapter will be devoted to testing grammar. Firstly, the question of the importance of testing will be answered. Then it will be proceeded to a short description of qualities of a good test mainly validity, reliability and practicality, which should be taken into consideration while producing a test. Later, the focus will be placed on types of grammar tests like proficiency, achievement, diagnostic, placement and their puropses in language learning. The last issue in this chapter will be about kinds of exercises in a grammar test suitable for primary school pupils.

Tuman 3 1. Chapter 1: What Is Grammar? According to Penny Ur grammar may be roughly defined as the way a language manipulates and combines words (or bits of words) in order to form longer units of meaning(4). Another definition of grammar that may be found in Longman Dictionary of Contemorary English states that grammar may be defined as the study and practise of the rules by which words change their forms and are combined together into sentences. The last explantion provides two major features of grammar that is the rules of grammar and the study and practice of the rules (Harmer 1). Another significant aspect of grammar which is stated by Scott Thornbury is that grammar is partly the study of what forms (or structures) are possible in a language(1). He also adds that grammar is conventionally seen as the study of the syntax and morphology of sentences (2). What is aditionally raised by Thornbury is the meaning making potential of grammar that is used when contextual information is lacking(4). In order to create a complete explanation of grammar it may be advisable to join these all features into one. Having connected it, the term grammar may be more precisely explained as the study and practice of the rules by which words are changed and combined into understandable and meaningful sentences.

1.1 Why To Teach Grammar? Some may claim that grammar is central to the teaching and learning of languages and it is also one of the more difficult aspects of language to teach well (qtd. in Teaching gammar par. 1). This idea is supported by Penny Ur who states that grammar and knowledge of its rules is indispensable in appropriate mastery of language the rules must be known in order to create correct sentences (4). However, there would be

Tuman 4 also those who would not agree with this. Stephen Krashen, whose words have been cited in Scott Thornburys book, presents a different explanation of grammar: the effects of grammar teaching [...] appear to be peripheral and fragile(Thornbury 14). As a result of this discrepancy, in recent years there have been debates concerning the importance of grammar in language teaching. The questions that have been raised are whether there is a need for grammar exercises or grammar rules should be absorbed intuitively through communicative activities(Ur 4). Those who would be in favour of teaching grammar have provided arguments for this. The first is that grammar is a kind of sentence making machine. It follows that the teaching of grammar offers the learner the means for potentially limitless linguistic creativity(Thornbury 15). Another argument, which may support teaching grammar, is that it may become a kind of advance organiser for later acquisition of the language. It would mean that at the beginning the knowledge of grammar items may be insufficient for the speaker but while communicating new grammar items may be encountered and there is high probability to encourage the speaker to study them (Thornbury 16). The next argument for grammar teaching is called discrete item argument. Under this statement Scott Thornbury meant that thanks to grammar and its organisation into categories it may be easy to comprehend the language, which seems to be shapeless mass(16). On the contrary to proponents of grammar teaching, there are some people who believe that grammar may not be taught at all. They introduce acquisition argument , on which basis they assume that if people are able to learn their mother tongue without being exposed to its grammatical rules so the same case should be with the second language learning (Thornbury 19). What may be also raised against grammar is that it might be

Tuman 5 more valuable for learners to being exposed to lexical chunks rather than being thought grammar in the traditional way (Thornbury 20). Having taken all into consideration, now it may seen easier to answer a question concerning reasons for teaching grammar. It is quite undoubtful that the learning of grammar should be in the long term one of the means of acquiring a thorough mastery of the language as a whole, not as an end in itself(Ur 5). However, Penny Ur also suggests that at the beginning of the learning the teachers may want learners to practise some structures by doing exercises but as soon as they reach a certain level of mastery the emphasis should be put on activities that use language meaningfully(Ur 5).

1.2 Ways of Teaching Grammar Appropriate for Primary School Students. Generally, there are two major ways of presenting grammar structures in the classroom. These are deductive (explicit) and inductive (implicit) ways of teaching. The first of them begins with a presentation of a rule and is followed by examples in which the rule is applied(Thornbury 29). Using this method grammar structures may be taught only to students above 12 years and for adults who are analytical learners and they need first to understand the rules. What is appropriate for young students is the inductive way of teaching. In this approach without having met the rule, the learner studies examples and from these examples derives an understanding of the rule (Thornbury 49). Young learners do not need to know the rule at the beginning to apply it because they are not analytical. Moreover, the inductive approach is advisable as learners are more actively involved in the learning process[...]: they are therefore likely to be more attentive and more motivated (Thornbury 54). What is also priseworthy is that this approach

Tuman 6 encourages learner autonomy. If learners can find out the rules for themselves then they are making significant steps towards being independent (qtd. in Presenting new language p. 1). Additionally, through the process of discovering the rules students are more prone to remember them. What is more, the inductive way of teaching teaches a very important skill how to use real/almost real language to find out the rules about English (qtd. in Presenting new language p. 1). There may be more benefits of using the inductive way of teaching but, as many other things, it has also some disadvantages. One of them, which seems to be the most essential, is that this may be time consuming and there would be too little time devoted to using these rules in productive practice (Thornbury 54). Having all things considered, despite of some negative points of the inductive way of teaching, it should be used while teaching grammatical structures to primary school pupils because it motivates and catches students attention to what is happening in the classroom.

1.3 Stages in Presenting Grammatical Structures in the Classroom (Including Present Simple and Present Continuous Tense) Before presenting grammatical structures in the classroom it should be carefully preplanned. The most important issue about it is that the information and examples should be selected cautiously to be understandable and clear. When it is finished, the next step, which is the grammar lesson, may be done. There might be some discrepancy between stages in presenting grammar and different names for it. Generally, there could be numbered four main stages: Presentation (lead in) stage Explanation

Tuman 7 Accurate reproduction (controlled practise) Immediate creativity (communicative practice)

In the first stage, the new grammatical structure is introduced. The goal of this stage is to get the learners to perceive the structure its form and meaning in both speech and writing and to take it into short term memory(Ur 7). This introduction may be conducted in various ways although the age of students and the way of teaching should be taken into consideration. As for primary school pupils, the most advisable is the inductive way of teaching. Therefore, Present Simple Tense may be introduced to students in a short text, a dialogue or in any kind of a text, which would be on the appropriate students level. In some situations the presentation may be supplemented by using realia that would help to understand better and it would involve them in the action of discovering the rules (Thornbury 57). As far as Present Continuous Tense is concerned, the introduction of grammatical structures may be conducted in similar ways. Moreover, the teacher may use pictures depicting people in action, describe some of them and later ask students to do the same. What the teacher may also do is to perform some actions and say what she/he is doing and next encourage students to perform alike situations. At the end of this stage there is also a necessity to elicit the rule [...] from the students rather than simply telling them the rule(Celcia Murcia 30). The second stage, which is explanation, focuses on the grammatical items themselves what they sound and look like, what they mean, how they function in short what rules govern them(Ur 7). Students are exposed to such a thing in order to perceive these rules. In case of previously mentioned tenses, the teacher may help students to understand by writing a set of sentences on the blackboard and highlighting or underlying the most

Tuman 8 critical points(Harmer 25). These tenses may be also explained by means of time lines, where a diagramatic representation of tense and aspect is given(Harmer 25). The next step in presenting grammar is accurate reproduction. At this point, students only manipulate with the words given by teacher. The aim of this stage is to gain control of the form without the added pressure and distraction of trying to use the form for communication(Celcia Murcia 27). In this stage the drills may be used as they provide students with immediate practice in using the learnt grammatical structure (Harmer 41). However, it should not be used for too long because it at some point may become boring, monotonous and it is not very creative (Harmer 41). There may be also used interaction activities which may be more pleasurable and meaningful. They are designed so that students work together, exchanging information in a purposeful and interesting way (Harmer 43). The last stage is called the immediate creativity or communicative practice. Here students are encouraged to produce their own sentences with the learnt structure. Students may be asked to write or say about their daily routine using Present Simple Tense. All things considered, it should be said that presenting grammatical structures should be thoroughly planned by the teacher. The method and activities ought to suit students interests because when they are involved they learn better. What is also important is the variation of activities. They should be diversified as to keep students attention.

Tuman 9 2. Chapter 2: Why To Test Grammar? Testing is an important aspect that is inseparable from teaching (Heaton 5). It is conducted in order to demonstrate [...] how well learners mastered the material they have been learning (Ur 9). What is also essential about testing is that it provides feedback, which is indispensable in making progress (Ur 9). The next aim of testing, which is closely related to the previous one, is the identification of these areas where students may encounter some difficulty. It is important for a teacher to know it as more practice may be applied (Heaton 6). Furthermore, testing is used to grade students and give them a course grade as it is an institutional requirement. The last aspect of testing, which is worth mentioning, is that: the classroom test is concerned with evaluation for the purpose of enabling teacher to increase their own effectiveness by making adjustments in their teaching to enable certain group of students or individuals in the class to benefit more(Heaton 6). Testing for many reasons is a very important aspect. That is why it is so crucial to design tests that would provide valuable and reliable results.

2.1 Qualities of a Good Test It has been already mentioned that testing is significant in grammar teaching and in order to obtain credible results a good grammar test sholud possess such features as: validity reliability practicality

The validity is arguably the most important criteria for the quality of a test. The term validity refers to whether or not the test measures what it claims to measure(qtd. in Test validity par.1). There are different types of validity depending on the purpose of

Tuman 10 the test. Commonly used types of validity are face validity, construct validity, predictive validity and content validity(Shoemaker 4). However, the most suitable for assessing students learning is content validity (Shoemaker 4). The reliability of a tets is its consistency(Harrison 10). It means that students should obtain the same results no matter which version of a test a student takes. Furthermore, when a test is marked by two different people, the results should be the same (Harrison 10). The next aspect of a good test is its practicality. Under this term it is understood that tests should be as economical as possible in time (preparation, sitting and marking) and in cost (materials and hidden costs of time spent) (Harrison 13). Therefore, a teacher should think over in advance about the length of a test, necessary equipment, costs of producing materials etc.(Harrison 12).

2.2 Types of Grammar Tests Generally there are several kinds of tests such as proficiency, placement, diagnostic and achievement tests. Placement tests are designed to obtain information about students abilities in order to allocate them according to their language level (Hughes 14). Proficiency tests are created in order to measure peoples ability in a language regardless of any training they may have had in that language (Hughes 9). They are not designed according to some objectives or contents but they are based on a specification of what candidates have to be able to do in the language in order to be considered proficient (Hughes 9). The next kind of tests, mainly diagnostic tests are used to define these aspects where students have problems and in which they manage quite well. The aim of this test is to establish these areas where additional work needs to be applied (Hughes 13). However, Tuman 11

the most suitable test for testing grammar, which is the most frequently used in classes and schools, is an achievement test. They are conducted after finishing a part of a coursebook and their target is to see if students have learned and acquired the language they have been studying or have been exposed to (Harmer 57).

2.3 Kinds of Exercises in a Grammar Test Grammar tests are designed to measure students proficiency in matters ranging from inflections [...] to syntax (Madsen 34). There are also used to test awarness of the grammatical features of the language (Heaton 34). Bearing in mind these aspects, several kinds of exercises may be enumerated: multiple choice items, gap filling items, completion items, rearrangements items, transformation items, sentence writing items. These kinds of exercises test the ability to recognise or produce correct forms of language rather than the ability to use language to express meaning, attitude , emotions etc.(Heaton 34). However, it is crucial for students to obtain mastery of grammatical structures to be able to communicate. (Heaton 34). The multiple choice task is based on completing the sentence by choosing one of four or five alternatives (Madsen 38). This kind of task seems to be effortless to prepare but in reality it is not. What is the most difficult in the creation of this exercise is to write distractors (the three wrong answers), which are not either absurd or possible as well as the correct answer(Harmer 61). Therefore, a teacher needs to consider very carefully as not to confuse students. What is also beneficial of multiple choice exercises is that students may cheat. It is also easy to guess the correct answer or to copy it out from another student. On the other hand, there are some advantages of this kind of task. Firstly, from the teachers point of view, it is not difficult to score it because of the fact that there Tuman 12

is only one answer correct. Furthermore, it is a sensitive measure of achievement (and like other multiple choice language tests, it allows teachers to diagnose specific problems of students(Madsen 43). Gap filling is a kind of a task in which students are supposed to fill a blank with a correct word. They may be given a set of separate sentences or a text to fill in. Providing learners with a text is more advisable because it would enhance their comprehension skill as well as the knowledge of grammatical items (Harmer 62). As far as testing tenses is concerned students at the beginning level are given a word in brackets (usually a verb) and they are to use it in the correct form. The completion exercises are a useful means of testing a students ability to produce acceptable and appropriate forms of language (Heaton 42). What is beneficial of this kind of task is that it is not about recognition of grammatical structures but actually about production. Therefore, it is more difficult but more preferable to multiple choice items (Heaton 42). Another advantage of complection is that it is generally easier to prepare than multiple choice items as there is no need for selecting distractors (Madsen 47). On the other hand, completion is more time consuming to correct [...]. Not only can poor penmanship be a problem but also irrelevant errors beyond those being tested (Madsen 47). The rearrangement is a task in which students have to put items into correct order. This type of test item explores students knowledge of syntax (Harmer63). It may be useful in case of testing tenses especially when the knowledge of interrogative sentences needs to be checked. However, students should be accustomed to such a kind of exercise in order to avoid unnecessary stress during the test.

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The transformation exercise is extremely useful for testing ability to produce structures in a target language (Heaton 46). The aim of this task is to rewrite a given structure, using another grammatical structure but to keep the same meaning (Harmer 63). It would be appropriate for intermediate level or even above, as the ability to transform sentences correctly certainly implies quite a lot of grammatical knowlegde (Harmer 64). The sentence writing item is usually based on describing a picture. It may be suitable for beginners to test their ability to produce correct sentences. As far as tenses are concerned there may be a picture of people performing some actions and students are supposed to describe it. All things considered, kinds of exercises in a grammar test need to be cautiously selected by a teacher. They should be appropriate for students level, age and not confusing. They should be also diversified as to obtain reliable results and to point out to the problems that may appear.

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Lesson plan 1 1. Class details: The class consists of 10 students at beginner level. 2. Topic: The Present Simple Tense introduction. 3. Aims of the lesson: To enable students to talk and write about their daily routines and permanent activities. To introduce a new grammar form mainly the Present Simple Tense and typical expressions connected with this tense. To teach students to form correct statements in that tense. To make students aware about changes in the 3rd person singular.

4. Teaching aids: A set of big flashcards presenting daily activities for the teacher and a set of small ones for every student (see Appendix 1). A chart with adverbs of frequency for every student. A photo of a boy. 5. Lesson stages: The teacher checks the attendance. (2 minutes). Introduction: (8 minutes) The teacher says that today they are going to talk about the daily routines by means of the Present Simple Tense and he uses a set of flashcards and the chart with adverbs of frequency in order to enunciate sentences about his daily routines in Present Simple Tense.

Tuman 15 I usually get up at 8 oclock.

I always have breakfast. I seldom have lunch. Then the teacher asks some students to say about their daily routines. Presentation: (10 minutes) Later the teacher does the same with the pictures but he describes his sisters daily routine to express the changes in the 3rd person singular. The teacher asks students if they have noticed any differences. To help students perceive the difference, the teacher writes on the board some sentences: I usually get up at 8 oclock. My sister usually gets up at 7 oclock.

I go to school every day. My sister goes to school every day. I sometimes watch TV in the evening. My sister sometimes watches TV in the evening. I wash my hair twice a week. I often tidy my room. My sister washes her hair twice a week. My sister often tidies her room.

The teacher asks students what they have noticed and when this tense will be used. Later the teacher together with students explain the rules and write them down. The teacher also writes on the board the chart with adverbs of frequency.

Tuman 16 Practice: (20 minutes)

The teacher provides every student with a set of small flashcards. Their task is to put them in the correct order and say about their daily routines. Later the teacher (in order to practise the endings in 3rd person singular) sticks a photo of a boy on the board.

The teacher asks students to invent (to develop their imagination) his day and write down sentences by using their small flashcards (or their own knowledge). The teacher in order to encourage students says that the most creative and correct description will be awarded. As

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students have finished, the teacher collects the descriptions, corrects them and awards three students. Sum up: (3 minutes) The teacher asks every student to say one sentence about the boys daily routine (in order to check if students add s to the verb). Homework: (2 minutes) The teacher asks students to write about daily routines of one of their family members. Evaluation of the lesson: The lesson was conducted quite smoothly. The lesson was twice interrupted by misbehaviour of two students. There was no problem connected with vocabulary as students learnt them in the previous lesson. Students were very eager to answer teacher s questions volunteerly. There were also students who were shy and hesitant but they were involved by the teacher and the teacher helped them if it was necessary. Students enjoyed this kind of learning grammar mainly through discovering the rules by themselves. Students, also those who work at a slow pace, were provided with enough time to complete their tasks. They were also involved personally by telling about their daily routines. What students also liked was inventing the daily routine of a boy. They often asked questions about more vocabulary as they wanted to write the best description. This kind of competition and an award was very good because students tried very hard and some works were really excellent. Students perceived the differences very quickly and their guesses concerning the rules were very accurate. There were some cases when students forgot to put -s at the end of a verb in the 3rd person singular but it was occasional and corrected by the teacher.

Tuman 18 Lesson plan 2

6. Class details: The class consists of 10 students at beginner level. 7. Topic: The Present Simple Tense negative sentences and questions. 8. Aims of the lesson: To enable students to ask other people about their routines. To practise the Present Simple Tense statements. To teach to form negative sentences and questions in this tense. To accustom students to rearrangement exercises.

9. Teaching aids: A picture of Martha and a chart of her daily routines. A set of two tables which miss different items (see Appendix 2). A set of rearrangement exercises. A board game for every group (see Appendix 3). 10. Lesson stages: The teacher checks the attendance. (2 minutes). Introduction: (8 minutes) The teacher says that today they are going to learn more about The Present Simple Tense and he says a couple of personal sentences and asks students if they do the same and he explains that they should answer Yes, I do or No, I dont: I always get up at 7 oclock. Do you always get up at 7 oclock? I usually go to school by car. Do you usually go to school by car? I wash my hair every day. Do you wash your hair every day?

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Later the teacher asks one student to answer a guestion: Do you often play computer games? and this student is to answer and create a different question and ask it to another student. That student asks another student and the last student asks the teacher. Presentation: (5 minutes) Later the teacher sticks on the blackboard a picture of Martha and a chart of her daily routines.

Martas routines
watch TV go to bed late play football tidy her room go to school do homework visit her granny walk her dog seldom often sometimes usually always always often usually Yes No Yes No Yes No No Yes

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The teacher asks two questions about Martha: Does Martha often go to bed late? and he answers: No, she doesnt. The teacher does the same with the second example: Does Martha seldom watch TV? and he answers: Yes, she does. Then the teacher asks the remaining questions but he points to students to answer. Later the teacher enquires students what they have noticed, what is the difference between these questions and the previous ones. The teacher writes the rules on the board and explains them. Do you always go to school? Yes, I do. No, I dont.

Does she often go to bed late? Yes, she does. No, she doesnt.

Practice: (25 minutes) The teacher asks students to work in pairs. The teacher gives every pair two tables about the preferences in sports, which miss different aspects. The teacher explains that students task is to complete this table. Their task is to ask questions: Does .....(name) play..........(sport)? and the other person answers (according to the table): Yes, he/she does or No, he/she doesnt. As they have finished, the teacher asks students about the people from this table and as he obtains an answer he writes on the board: Tom plays tennis or Sue doesnt play volleyball. Later the teacher says that students are supposed to look at the completed table and write down sentences about these people similar to those written on the board. Then the teacher divides the class into 3 groups and gives every group a board game. The teacher explains that student rolls the die, makes a question about

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the picture on which he stands for example What does she/he do? and answers it. Sum up: (2 minutes) The teacher asks students questions like: Do you play football?, Does your friend play volleyball?, Does your dad play tennis. Homework: (3 minutes) The teacher gives students a sheet of paper with rearrangement exercises. He explains that their task is to put these words in a correct order. Put the words in the correct order. 1. doesnt / she / my / school. / go / to ............................................................................. 2. does / live / Tarnw? / he / in ............................................................................. 3. every / Eddy / milk / morning. / drinks ............................................................................. 4. sometimes / students / trips. / have .............................................................................. 5. eats / a / dog / fish. / never .............................................................................. 6. dont / we / usually / on / Sundays. / to / go / school ....................................................................................... 7. always / wash / Tom / does / the / dishes? ..................................................................................... 8. football? / you / do / like .................................................................................... 9. sister / sometimes / work / goes / my / to / car. / by ........................................................................................ 10. Peter / do / homework? / does / always / his .............................................................................

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Evaluation of the lesson: The lesson was conducted without any big problems in accordance with a lesson plan. There was some disturbance coming from students whispering but they were involved by the teacher into the lesson. The teaching aids were appropriate for students level and their interest. At the beginning students were not quite interested but when the teacher gave them board games their interest enhanced. Students had a lot of fun while playing the game. During this exercise the teacher walked around and monitored students. They were not interrupted only when they made a big mistake. Talkative students enjoyed the exercise in which they had to ask questions in order to get information. The majority of them do not have problems to notice the rules and later incorporate them into speech. Those students who did not understand it did not hesitate to ask questions. Some students had some problems in accomplishing the rearrangement exercise therefore more practice should be applied in the following lessons. Students expanded their knowledge about Present Simple Tense. They learnt how to form positive and negative sentences as well as questions and they managed quite well.

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Lesson plan 3 1. Class details: The class consists of 13 students at beginner level. 2. Topic: The Present Continuous Tense introduction. 3. Aims of the lesson: To enable students to talk and write about actions that take place at the moment of speaking. To introduce a new grammar form mainly the Present Continuous Tense and typical expressions connected with this tense. 4. To teach to form correct statements and questions in this tense. Teaching aids: A set of big flashcards presenting people in action for the teacher and a set of small ones for every student. A board game for every pair (see Appendix 4). A sheet with a lyric. 5. Lesson stages:

The teacher checks the attendance. (2 minutes). Introduction: (5 minutes) The teacher says that today they are going to talk about The Present Continuous Tense and he performs some actions and says what he is doing for example: Im standing, Im sitting. Later the teacher asks students a question: What are you doing? and encourages students to perform some actions and say what they are doing.

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Presentation: (10 minutes) The teacher sticks to the board nine pictures presenting people in the act of doing something.

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The teacher describes two pictures: She is riding a bike and the second picture: They are watching a video. The teacher provides students with a sheet of paper containing these nine pictures and he gives them a few minutes to think what these people are doing. Then the teacher asks some students questions about the pictures for example: What is he/she doing? or What are they doing?. Later the teacher asks students when this tense will be used, how statements are formed and how questions are formed. Later the teacher together with students explain the rules and write them down. The teacher also writes on the board the expressions most frequently used in this tense mainly now, at the moment. Practice: (15 minutes) The teacher divides the class into pairs and gives every pair a board game. Students in turns roll a die, ask a question about the picture and answer it. If a question and an answer are correct a student gets two points. This student who has more points is the winner. The teacher walks around and monitors students and if necessary corrects them. Sum up: (10 minutes) The teacher gives students a sheet with a lyric of a song Sailing by Rod Stewart, which miss some words. The teacher plays the recording asks students to complete it. Sailing by Rod Stewart Put these verbs into the correct place in the Present Continuous. try die fly sail I ....................................., I.....................................home again across the sea. I............................................stormy waters, to be near you, to be free. I............................................, I ...................................like a bird across the sky. I ............................passing high clouds, to be near you, to be free. Can you hear me, can you hear me, through the dark night far away? Tuman 26

I ..................................., forever ................................to be with you; who can say? Can you hear me, can you hear me, through the dark night far away? I ..................................., forever ................................to be with you; who can say? We ...................................., we ..................................... across the sea. We ..................................... stormy waters, to be near you, to be free. Oh Lord, to be near you, to be free. Oh Lord, to be near you, to be free. Homework: (3 minutes) The teacher gives students a text with gaps to fill entitled Wheres the dog. Where is the dog? I am looking (look) for my dog around the house. In the kitchen my Mum .................. .............(cook) dinner. In the living room my brothers ........................................(play) computer games. My dad ................................... (read) a newspaper. ...............my sister ......................(walk) the dog? No, my sister ..................................(talk) on the phone. And what .............my dog ....................... (do)? My dog ..................................(walk) alone! Evaluation of the lesson: The lesson was conducted smoothly. Students did not hesitate to perform some actions, although some of them were not appropriate and were immediately corrected. They liked describing pictures and playing the game therefore these activities should be extended. To the teachers surprise, students enjoyed the song and they showed eagerness to learning language through singing songs. They did not have problems in completing the lyric. Students were quite interested in the lesson and therefore they behaved appropriately. They mastered the new grammar structure with satisfactory results although they made occassional mistakes mainly they forgot about conjugation of to be. However, in the

Tuman 27 course of the lesson most students were able to create correct sentences in Present Continuous Tense. Weaker students had some problems with it and also with accomplishing their homework and the teacher explained the rules once again. The majority of students worked effectively independently. More ambitious students asked the teacher for additional activities. The teaching aids were suitable for the students.

Tuman 28 Lesson plan 4 6. Class details: The class consists of 13 students at beginner level. 7. Topic: The Present Continuous Tense negative sentences. 8. 9. Aims of the lesson: To enable students to talk and write about temporary actions freely. To teach to form correct negative sentences. To practise statements, questions and short answers. Teaching aids: A set of big flashcards presenting people in action for the teacher and a set of small ones for every student. A sheet with rearrangement exercises. A set of two pictures for four groups (see Appendix 5 and 6). A small ball. 10. Lesson stages: The teacher checks the attendance. (2 minutes). Introduction: (5 minutes) The teacher says that today they are going to learn more about The Present Continuous Tense and he chooses one student and asks him to sit down. The teacher asks the whole class a question: Is he dancing? and he explains to students that they should say: No, he isnt. The teacher asks the class again Is he sitting? and he says: Yes, he is. Later the teacher asks two students to stand up. He says: Are they jumping? and the teacher

Tuman 29 encourages students to say: No, they arent. He chooses two more students and asks the whole class to answer his questions chorally. Presentation: (8 minutes) The teacher divides the class into pairs and gives them a set of nine pictures.

One student chooses one picture but does not say which one and the other student by asking questions should guess what the person is doing. Later the teacher sits down and

Tuman 30 says: Im not standing. Im sitting and then he writes something on the board and says Im not sitting. Im writing. Later he points to one student and says He isnt standing. Hes sitting. Then the teacher asks students what will be the rule in forming the negative sentences and later he writes down the rules. Practice: (20 minutes) The teacher writes nine false statements about the people in the pictures. False statements: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Shes talking on the phone. Shes reading a book. Hes dancing. Shes watching TV. Hes having a shower. Hes playing tennis. Theyre doing their homework. Theyre swimming. Theyre listening to the radio.

The teacher explains that students are supposed to correct these sentences and write them down. The teacher shows how to do it with the first picture: She isnt talking on the phone. Shes doing her homework. As students have finished, the teacher asks students to read the sentences. Later the teacher divides the class into 4 groups. Every group gets the same set of two pictures. The teacher explains that their task is to write as many sentences (using Present Contiunous Tense) as possible (negative, statements and questions). Students have 5 minutes and the group which has the most sentences correct wins and this group will get an award. Sum up: (8 minutes) The teacher throws a ball to one student and asks him a question like: Are you standing? or Is Tom singing?. The student answers it and later throws the ball to another student and asks similar questions. Tuman 31

Homework: (2minutes) The teacher gives students a rearrangement exercise. Rearrangement exercise: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. drinking / brother / my / is / coffee / now. they / basketball / are / playing / the / at / moment. now / mum / my / cooking / isnt / dinner she / letter? / a / is / writing are / doing? / what / you

Evaluation of the lesson: The lesson was conducted in accordance with the lesson plan. Because of students great involvement in the group work and competition between groups the time devoted to this was expanded. Students were very willing to perform actions even those who seemed to be shy. They also liked guessing what the other person was doing and the activity with the ball. There were not any problems with student misbehaving as they were occupied all the time. Students were quick at perceiving the rules and their guesses were good. They did not have problems with doing the rearrangement exercise as students were accustomed to it. The materials were suitable for students age and interest. The fact of competing with other groups caused that students worked more effectively with others. Groups produced satisfactory number of correct sentences. It was noticed that all students were involved in this activity. There could be seen that there was a division between those who looked at the picture and invented the sentences and those who wrote the sentences down. Some pupils, especially the weaker ones, still made some mistakes mainly missing the verb to be more often in a written form rather than in speech. The teacher provided students with sufficient time to accomplish tasks. They appeared relaxed and at ease during the lesson.

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Objectives: 1. 2. 3. to test the usage of Present Simple Tense to test the knowledge of syntax by involving students in rearrangement exercise to test the ability to put the rules into practice by writing a description about daily routines 4. to test the ability to recognise the correct form

Points to score: maximum 40 Grading scale: Points 38 - 40 35 - 37 30 34 24 29 17 23 0 - 16 Percentage 95% - 100% 87% - 92% 75% - 85% 60% - 72% 43% - 58% 0% - 40% Grade 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Test 1
Name: .................................................................................. Class: ................................................................................... I. Put the words in brackets into the correct form. (10p.) Example: I dont go (not/go) to school on Sundays. I ...............................(go) to the theatre twice a week. My friend ..............................(work) in a restaurant. ................................................(they/play) football at weekends? My mum ...................................(not/like) volleyball. We ............................................(often/watch) TV in the evenings. .....................................................(Tom/drink) coffee in the mornings? My parents ....................................(not/go) to the cinema on Fridays. What .......................................(she/usually/do) after school? I ............................................(never/wash) dishes. Where .....................................(you/always/do) shopping? Put the words in the correct order. The punctation mark indicates the last word in the sentence. (10p.) Example: to / I / the / cinema. / often / go I often go to the cinema.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. II.

1.

you / wash / how / do / often / car? / your ................................................................................................ 2. never / we / read / a / in / newspaper / the / afternoon. ................................................................................................ 3. swim / does / every / day? / she .............................................................................................. 4. in / park. / the / sometimes / walk / they ............................................................................................... 5. buys / always / fresh / vegetables. / mum / my ................................................................................................... 6. swim / we / in / the / often / summer. ................................................................................................... 7. late. / does / she / not / to / bed / go / usually .................................................................................................... 8. cycles / Tom / in / park. / the / seldom .................................................................................................. 9. do / what / you / on / do / Thursdays? .................................................................................................... 10. usually / do / they / not / piano / the / play / in / morning / the .................................................................................................... Tuman 34 III. Circle the correct word. (5p.)

Example: I often go / goes to the dentist. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. IV. Do / does your grandfather play computer games? My mother often go / goes to Italy. Sara doesnt / dont understand Maths. My friends love / loves English. Do / does your parents like animals? Where does / do your sister work? Students seldom does / do exercises in the morning. I dont / doesnt live in France. What time does / do they usually get up? My best friend dont / doesnt wash her hair twice a week. Look at the table. Using adverbs of frequency, write 10 sentences about Helens daily routine. (10p.) Example: Helen always gets up very early. Sometimes

Usually

Seldom

Helen get up very early wash her hair have breakfast go to school meet friends play tennis tidy her room do homework watch TV do the ironing go to bed late

.......................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................... .............................................................................................................................................. .......................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................................... .............................................................................................................................................. .......................................................................................................................................................... .................................................................................................................................................... Tuman 35

Always

Never

Often

V.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Additional task: Circle and correct mistakes.There is only one mistake in a sentence. (5p.) Example: They never reads books in the evening. They never read books in the evening. She like ice cream. .............................................................................................. What time you get up? ......................................................................................... Does your family lives in Warsaw? ...................................................................... What do he do on Mondays? .............................................................................. Peter brushs his teeth every day. .........................................................................

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Objectives: 1. 2. to test the usage of Present Continuous Tense to test the ability to put the acquired knowlegde of the rules into practice by describing a picture 3. 4. to test the ability to recognise the correct form to test students ability to translate sentences from their mother tongue into English 5. to test the knowlegde of syntax in interrogative sentences

Points to score: maximum 37 Grading scale:

Points 35 - 37 32 - 34 27 - 31 22 - 26 16 - 21 0 -15

Percentage 95% - 100% 87% - 92% 75% - 85% 60% - 72% 43% - 58% 0% - 40%

Grade 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Test 2 Name: ..................................................................................... Class: ...................................................................................... I. Put the words in the correct order. The punctation mark indicates the last word in the sentence. (10p.). Example: are / they / diving. They are diving.

1.

is / sister / what / your / at / moment?/ doing / the .................................................................................................. 2. Tom / dinner / cooking / is / now. .................................................................................................. 3. are / we / doing / not / now. / housework ................................................................................................... 4. sleeping / is / his / in / the / basket?/ dog .................................................................................................... 5. friends / making / my / are / sandwiches. .................................................................................................... 6. not / brother / my / the / cleaning / bathroom. / is ...................................................................................................... 7. smiling? / these / are / why / boys ....................................................................................................... 8. is / today. / not / her / working / mum ...................................................................................................... 9. my / jeans. / I / wearing / favourite / am ........................................................................................................ 10. moment. / is / Martha / the / dancing / at / not ......................................................................................................... II. Read the dialogue between Jenny and Steven and put the words in brackets into the correct form. (6p.)

Jenny: Hi, Steven. Steven: Hi, Jenny. How are you? Jenny: Fine, thanks. What are you doing (you/do)? Steven: I .....................................(do) my homework but my sister ........................... .........(listen) to music and my brother ...................................... (play) a computer game. ......................................................(you/do) your homework? Jenny: No. Garth and Emma are here. We .......................................(watch) a video. Steven: What .....................................(you/watch)? Jenny: The Italian Job. Its good. Do you want to come and watch it with us? Steven: Good idea! Tuman 38

III.

Use the clues and write sentences (questions, positive and negative sentences) in Present Continuous Tense. (6p.). Example: They / prepare / supper. They are preparing supper. I / not / water / plants. ........................................................................... The children / play / in the garden. ........................................................................... Emma / read / a book / now? ........................................................................... We / not / cut / in the garden. .......................................................................... What / the girls / write? .......................................................................... She / have / a shower / at the moment. Circle the correct form. (3p.) Example: They is / are preparing supper. Why is / are the boys laughing? Our grandfathers are / is smoking. Bobs brother is / are talking to Eva. Is / are Sallys parents worrying? Where are / is the patients sitting? Mr Bean are / is waiting for you. Look at the picture. Next to people there are letters from A to H. Write sentences about those people. (7p.)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. IV.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. V.

Tuman 39

A - ............................................................................................................................... B - ............................................................................................................................... C - .................................................................................................................................. D - ................................................................................................................................. E - .................................................................................................................................. F - ................................................................................................................................. VI. Additional task: Translate the sentences into English (5p.) Example: Peter odkurza. Peter is vaccuming.

1.

Co robi twj tata? ........................................................................................... Maluje obraz. ............................................................................................... 2. Moi dziadkowie buduj nowy dom. ........................................................................................................ 3. Betty pomaga teraz cioci w kuchni. ....................................................................................................... 4. Czy Tom gra teraz w gry komputerowe? ...........................................................................................................

Tuman 40

Final conclusions: Having taken everything into consideration, teaching grammar in an entertaining and involving way as well as testing how well students mastered a grammatical structure is significant to acquire the knowledge about the language. However, it should be remembered that teaching grammar is not the only thing and that there are other aspects of language to teach. Furthermore, at the beginning the grammatical structures should be introduced from the simplest ones and they should be presented in such a way as to interest students. There is a variety of activities such as using realia, pictures which students enjoy and what follows they absorb the knowledge easily and with pleasure. These activities also need to be adjusted to students age since below the age of twelve such pupils are not able to think analytically. Therefore, these students should be taught inductively and in a peaceful atmosphere and they obtain better marks in tests. In accordance with testing, it is undoubtful that it is necessary as it provides the teacher with information about students mastery of a given structure. The tests should be carefully planned. Every test should possess three features (reliability, validity and practicality) in order to be successful. Teachers also need to take into consideration what kind of a test should be applied and a variety of tasks in a test. This sort of exercises should be known to students as not to cause anxiety while doing the test. Moreover, tasks should be constructed to test students knowledge about structures as well as their ability to use the learnt structure in speech or in open ended exercises. Both aspects mentioned above mainly teaching and testing grammar are indispensable in acquiring the language. Therefore, if the teaching techniques (inductive way of teaching), aids and materials are appropriate for students it may be assumed that

Tuman 41

they will perform better during the test than those students who were not taught inductively and with unsuitable materials.

Tuman 42

Appendices: Appendix 1:

Tuman 43

Tuman 44

Appendix 2:

Sport

Name Tom

Sue

Mike

Lisa

Tuman 45

Sport

Name Tom

Sue

Mike

Lisa

Tuman 46 Appendix 3:

Tuman 47 Appendix 4:

Tuman 48 Appendix 5:

Tuman 49 Appendix 6:

Tuman 50 Works cited: Celce Murcia, Marianne. Techniques and Resources in Teaching Grammar. OUP: Oxford, 1988

Harmer, Jeremy. Teaching and Learning Grammar. Longman Group UK: London, 1993 Harrison, Andrew. A Language Testing Handbook. Macmillan Publishers Ltd: London, 1989 Heaton, John Brian. Writing English Language Tests. Longman Group UK: London, 1990 Hughes, Arthur. Testing for Language Teachers. CUP: Cambridge, 1999 Madsen, Harold S. Techniques in Testing. OUP: Oxford, 1983 Thornbury, Scott. How to Teach Grammar. Pearson Education Limited: England, 1999 Ur, Penny. Grammar Practice Activities. CUP: Cambrigde, 1989 Teaching grammar. The Essentials of Language Teaching. 23.04.09 05.03.09 <http://nclvc.org/essentials> Presenting New Language. Teaching English. 07.11.07 16.04.09 <http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/presenting-new-language> Test Validity. Professional Testing Inc. 14.04.09 <http://www.proftesting.com/test_topics/pdfs/test_quality_validity.pdf

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