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UDK 004.02:004.5:004.9
Turopova L.S. senior teacher Karshi State University Ismoilova M.K. teacher
Karshi State University TEACHING GRAMMAR CREATIVELY AT ELEMENTARY LEVEL
Annotation: After independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan all spheres of life has been developed swiftly. Teaching grammar methods has also enhanced interests of researches and common people in a great extant. The translation, being one of the most important means of interlingua communication, is indispensable in the process of integration to the world community at all levels. In global life people always have interests to other communities' worldview. The deep penetration to cultural heritage of any country cannot exist without clear understanding of works of literature.
Key words: grammar, level, learn, text, language, remember, teacher, term.
English level A1 is the first level of English in the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), a definition of different language levels written by the Council of Europe. In everyday speech, this level would be called "beginner", and indeed, that is the official level descriptor in the CEFR, also used by EF SET. In practice it is possible to be at a pre-A1 level of English. A student who is just beginning to learn English, or who has no prior knowledge of English, is at a pre-A1 level.
An A1 level of English would be sufficient for very simple interactions, for example as a tourist in an English-speaking country. An A1 level would not be sufficient for other academic or professional purposes.
According to the official CEFR guidelines, someone at the A1 level in English:
Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type.
Can introduce herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where she lives, people she knows, and things she has.
Can interact with other people in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF or CEFR) was put together by the Council of Europe as a way of standardising the levels of language exams in different regions. It is very widely used internationally and all important exams are mapped to the CEFR.
There are six levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. These are described in the table below.
CEFR English levels are used by all modern English language books and English language schools. It is recommended to use CEFR levels in job resumes (curriculum vitae, CV, Europass CV) and other English levels references. We list here the CEFR descriptors for language proficiency level with the approximate equivalent to other global English evaluation schemes- Cambridge ESOL, Canadian Language Benchmarks / Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CLB/CELPIP), Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL), BULATS, IELTS and TOEFL.35 English language levels description: English Basic User (A1, A2) A1 (Beginner) A2 (Elementary English) English Independent User (B1, B2) B1 (Intermediate English) B2 (Upper-Intermediate English) Proficient English User (C1, C2) C1 (Advanced English) C2 (Proficiency English)
Identify your level with free English placement test Start the free pre-test A levels- English Basic User English test A1 (Beginner)
Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is about the grammatical constructs of the language in question.
The theme of our qualification paper is "Teaching Grammar in A1 level". The Creative Grammar Practice section provides ideas for a deeper and more personalised familiarisation with these items, always with an element of individual creativity. Each lesson ends with the creation of a learner text - a permanent and original record of the grammar, in the form of a story or a poem for example.36
Teaching Grammar Creatively works without explicit grammar rules like class-books normally do. The idea behind it is that especially younger learners need to learn more subconsciously. This is called Awareness-raising, meaning the students discover the language and find the rules for themselves while the teacher
35 https://tracktest.eu/english-levels-cefr/
36https://books.google.co.uz/books/about/Teaching Grammar Creatively with CD ROM. html?id=3eAlsbBT9LoC&redir esc=y
only provides a frame in which the learners work. This learner-led method is said to be more efficient because these self-done discoveries of rules lead to a reorganisation of the learner's knowledge. Thus the learners have a higher possibility to remember the rules and apply them correctly. The ability of applying rules subconsciously, rather than knowing them by heart, is the main goal of the whole approach. 2 3. Language Awareness Activities The Language Awareness activities or lessons are divided into three sections called Discovery, Consolidation and Use. This model sounds like the traditional Presentation, Practice and Production method which is often used in schools today, but the authors explain the differences between both ideas. (Gernegross p.7 ff) Because of the learner-led approach, the term Discovery is more appropriate than Presentation is as the learners are given data or are confronted with problems and then discover the according grammar themselves, instead of learning precisely what a teacher "presents" to them. According to the author, Practice mainly involves the learners in repeating given structures without really realizing how the given structures work. This is where Consolidation uses another way. Instead of simply repeating things or having a speaking practice, students will be confronted with understanding tasks. "For example, students may be asked to read (or listen to) a series of sentences - some including structure X and some including structure Y - and to match these sentences with the appropriate picture." (Gernegross p.7) The last section is Use. Contrary to Production, Use means not only that learners produce something concerning the taught grammar, but develop a personalized use. This means students use the new learned item in a context that is important to them. According to the author, language is only memorable when it has been owned. 4. Creative Grammar Practice Creative Grammar Practice provides further practice of grammar with focus on the individual creativity of the learners. Thus, students are thought to be more motivated. This section is also divided into a total of four smaller sections: Lead-in activities, Presentation of model text, Reconstruction of model text and Text creation. Lead-in activities are meant to be a sort of warm-up for the students and for getting ready to work in a foreign language. Presentation of model text is the presentation of a short text which shows the target structure and clarifies its function. In the section Reconstruction of model text learners shall remember the model text and recreate it from a gapped version for example. "[...] By remembering the model text the students can experience a felling of success and gain ability in using structure(s) accurately." (Gernegross p.9) Finally, Text creation lets students create their own texts within the frame of the model text. This can be done in several ways: groups, orally, written. 3 5. Theory in practice After briefly explaining the theory behind Teaching Grammar Creatively, there will now be a look on how a chapter of grammar looks like. For this purpose the topic Adjectives/Adverbs (Gernegross p.97 ff.) was chosen. Like most of the units, the topic is subdivided into sections A and B - analogue to Language Awareness Activity and Creative Grammar Practice. The suggested time of both sections is approximately 50 minutes, thus a
little longer than the usual class session. Section A starts with the aims of the unit, followed by the first sub-section Discovery. Herein, the teacher is asked to write the words good and well on the board. Now, students shall fill the gaps of the
sentences He cooks_and his food smells_with the two words. After this,
other adjectives and adverbs shall be given that could fill the gaps. Now, the teacher is adviced to "highlight the difference between the kind of words that go into the first slot [...] and the kind of words that go into the second slot [...]." (Gernegross p.97) After this explanation, the learners should complete other gapped sentences. Now the sub-section Consolidation starts. The teacher is advised to write down several adverbs and adjectives and read out a given text that includes gaps again. The learners are supposed to find appropriate adjectives or adverbs for the gap. This could also be done as a kind of competition between groups of learners. Finally, the sub-section Use concludes the first section. The teacher is supposed to write sentence frames on the board: What makes you feel. ? / What makes you react. ? And give a list of words that could complete each frame. After this, learners shall prepare questions to ask one another in pairs or groups and finally report on some of their conversation. This is the end of section A. Section B starts with advices for the teacher telling him which given texts should be copied. These texts are given on an accompanying CD. The four tasks of text work consist mainly in recreation and gap-filling. Concluding this section, the learners are supposed to go through the texts again and write out adjectives and adverbs. Finally, they shall write their own small texts similar to the ones they worked with. This completes the mainsection Adjectives/Adverbs.
Literature Review Most people, when they hear the word grammar, think of lots of useless, boring rules that they were forced to learn in school. However, recent studies in language teaching shows that if grammar is presented in a creative way it can be an enjoyable learning experience where learners subconsciously 'pick up' grammar of a language. Many educators and teachers now believe that grammar is a necessary and a desirable part of classroom language learning. Apart from the four language skills listening, reading, writing and speaking, grammar and vocabulary are considered as two more important skills. According to Davit Crystal, "grammar is the study of the way words, and their component parts, combine to form sentences"(Crystal 1985, p. 141). This definition suggests that the vast majority of people of this world know grammar but they are not aware of it. According to Brurnfit and Johnson, "The important point is that the study of grammar as such is neither necessary nor sufficient for learning to use a language" (Brumfit and Johnson, 1979,p.165). Therefore, grammar is the basic of any language and cannot be ignored in language teaching. In teaching grammar some general considerations are how to integrate grammar teaching into communicative methodology, which is aimed at developing ones competence, the level at which grammar is taught (elementary, intermediate, advanced), and what precise method the teaching should follow. And these have further implications about the choice of grammatical structures to present, what
kind of grammatical description to use, whether to use an inductive or deductive approach, what the role of practice might be and what forms of practice are appropriate for different types oflearner.
Effective and creative grammar teaching: One of the most important teaching tools is lesson plan. In case of teaching grammar creatively, the PPP framework is helpful. A PPP lesson is divided into three phases: Presentation, Practice and Production. So it is not only presenting the grammar item then practicing it and lastly producing it, but also doing it in a creative and effective way that makes the whole learning successful.
To sum up, rather than leading students towards memorizing and repeating rules, students should pick up the rules of the language on their own from the context. In that case, teachers should teach grammar in a creative way where real life situation or activities will take place. Here are some examples of creative activities for elementary level students, which incorporate not only grammar but other skills as well.
Eefective methods in teaching grammar. Today, we live in a society that prizes literacy and is willing to adapt to more effective methods to achieve the best results in teaching grammar. Through these methods learners can pay their attention, increase the vocabulary, effectiveness, quickness of wit, attentiveness and the main thing is to assimilate the lesson with the interest and learn by heart grammar rules and vocabulary.37
Diagramming Sentences. One of the older forms of teaching grammar, diagramming sentences, first appeared in the 19th century.38 This method involves visually mapping the structures of and relationships between different aspects of a sentence. Especially helpful for visual learners, this method disappeared from modern teaching at least 30 years ago. Different forms of diagramming are used to visualize sentences, but all organize the functions of a sentence in a way that illustrates the grammatical relationships between words. More recently, diagramming sentences has had small pop-culture resurgence in prints of famous opening sentences and websites that allow you to diagram to your heart's content.
Learning through Writing. This method is often used in schools in the U.S. and Canada. Students are encouraged to explore language through creative writing and reading, picking up correct grammar usage along the way. If there are specific problems with certain grammatical rules, these are covered in a more structured lesson. An emphasis is now being placed upon language acquisition over language learning, as it has been observed that learning grammar by memorization does not work well and that students are better able to recognize and understand grammatical rules when lessons are more interactive (they have to apply these rules in their own writing). Repeated practice is also important and easily achieved through creative or personal writing exercises. This article, posted
37 Jie, X. (2008) Error theories and second language acquisition [Electronic version]. USChina foreign language, 6(1).
38 https://cyberleninka.ru/artirie/n/eefective-methods-in-teaching-grammar-4
by THE ATLANTIC, suggests that to better equip future adult writers, teachers in the 21st century should consider dropping outdated grammar teaching techniques in early education and opt for learning through writing techniques.
Inductive Teaching. The inductive method of teaching grammar involves presenting several examples that illustrate a specific concept and expecting students to notice how the concept works from these examples39. No explanation of the concept is given beforehand, and the expectation is that students learn to recognize the rules of grammar in a more natural way during their own reading and writing. The main goal of the inductive teaching method is the retention of grammar concepts, with teachers using techniques that are known to work cognitively and make an impression on students' contextual memory.
Deductive Teaching. The deductive method of teaching grammar is an approach that focuses on instruction before practice. A teacher gives students an in-depth explanation of a grammatical concept before they encounter the same grammatical concept in their own writing. After the lesson, students are expected to practice what they have just been shown in a mechanical way, through worksheets and exercises. This type of teaching, though common, has many people—including teachers—rethinking such methods, as more post-secondary level students are revealing sub-par literacy skills in adulthood. As one former teacher states, deductive teaching methods drive many students away from writing because of the tediousness of rote learning and teacher-centered approaches.
Another method of teaching grammar is to incorporate interactivity into lessons. Using games to teach grammar not only engages students but also helps them to remember what they've learned. This method allows teachers to tailor their lessons to the different learning styles of students. For instance, each student can be given a large flashcard with a word on it, and the students must physically arrange themselves into a proper sentence.
Over the years, many methods have been developed for teaching grammar and have been built upon, abandoned, or combined, all with the same goal in mind—teaching students how to communicate effectively and understand how to use the English language. Regardless of how grammar is taught, a well-rounded understanding of English grammar is the most important factor in improving the literacy of students.
"The task of science is shaping our future directions of tomorrow, the laws of nature, the show the way it is. Science must be the means, by force, driving forward the development of societies."40
Formation of the young specialist takes place in university classrooms, and time-consuming process of training based on the methods of teaching effectiveness that ultimately determines the skill level of the future specialist. The
39 https://cYberleninka.ru/article/n/eefective-methods-in-teaching-grammar-4
40 Jie, X. (2008) Error theories and second language acquisition [Electronic version]. USChina foreign language, 6 (1).
fruitfulness of the joint activity of the teacher and the student depends on the correct problem solving:
a) Setting teaching objectives, and the consequent motivation for the student
b) The accomplishment of certain materials' contents
c) The control of knowledge.
Teachers should support their students when they want to resolve everyday problems that refers to learning languages, especially on learning grammar. There are several models of pedagogy study:
1) Passive — student acts as the "object" of study (listening and watching)
2) Active — student acts "subject" of learning (independent work, creative
tasks)
3) Interactive — inter (mutual), act (act). The learning process is carried out in a continuous, active cooperation of all students. Students and teachers are equal subjects of study.41
Teaching students' grammar rules without giving the students an opportunity to use these rules will not help them use English in real life. Language teachers and language learners in many non-native countries are often frustrated by the disconnect between knowing the rules of grammar and being able to apply those rules automatically in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This disconnect reflects a separation between declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge.
Native English speakers learn grammar rules from hearing and listening from the real situations.42 In many English classrooms, teachers often set aside a particular time slot that is dedicated to the study of grammar. Such periods often focus on different points of grammar, such as tense, active and passive voice, or reported speech.
Grammar is something that runs through just about every aspect of language. Even the simplest sentences have grammar. Our curriculum may require us to teach stand-alone grammar lessons, and it's important to introduce various grammar points and topics so that the students have a richer understanding of the mechanisms of language. In English classes we often include music of English feature. These highlight the structure of grammar and stress patterns of the key everyday expressions that are presented. As learners are keen to learn these high frequency expressions, it is well worth making sure that they know exactly how to use them with the correct of using grammar. For example, if we deal to Present Simple and Present Continuous the Beatles' songs are available:
Here comes the Sun
Here comes the Sun
41 [Электронный ресурс]. Режим доступа: https: //www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson33/ (дата обращения: 02.07.2018).
42 [Электронный ресурс]. Режим доступа: https://www.inklyo.com/methods-of-teaching-grammar/ (дата обращения: 02.07.2018).
And I say It's alright Little darling.
I feel that ice is slowly melting Little darling.
To check the learners how to understand these two tenses we can use interactive ask-answer methods such as: Here comes the Sun. Who comes here? Where does the Sun come from? In addition, I say it is all right. What do I say? I feel that ice is slowly melting. What is slowly melting? How is ice melting? What is ice doing? Testing your grammar for learners of Intermediate and Upper-Intermediate levels will be fruitful, in which a text is given to put the events into chronological order. What happened first? What happened last?
As I am interested teaching grammar to young learners I usually use the text-book "Developing Grammar in Context" by Mark Nettle and Diana Hopkins in which exercises have been added the activities of interaction as: brainstorming, cluster, games such kind of feeling jar, how to place the order of adjectives, ready-made picture, case-studies and others. These activities focused on how grammatical concepts can be practiced with fun in the classroom.
For conclusion, I want to argue that it will be worth to teach grammar by interesting interactive grammar activities, which are designed for pre-grammar, while-grammar and post-grammar stages. In pre-grammar stage, we can use declarative approach to explain all features of certain grammar function with helping interactive methods. In while-grammar stage, we can gain and fix of new grammatical combination and in post-grammar stage, students are led to follow grammar accuracy in speaking with using some interactive methods.
The list of used literature:
1. [Электронный ресурс]. Режим доступа: https: //www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson33/ (дата обращения: 02.07.2018).
2. Alexander, L.G. (1991). Longman English Grammar. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
3. Asher, J. (1997). Learning Another Language through Actions: The completete. Teacher's Guide Book. Los Gatos, Calif.: Skz Oaks Oroductions.
4. Carter, R. and McCarty, M. (2007). Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
5. Fangjie zhang. (1993). Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English with Chinese Translation. Beijing: The Commercial Press, Oxford University Press.
