Create the context – with a text which has already been used for skills practice, with a dialogue, or with a short visual/oral context

1  Create the context – with a text which has already been used for skills practice, with a dialogue, or with a short visual/oral context.

Example

This is an extract from a lesson introducing comparative adjectives via a visual context (pictures or drawings) to a class of low-level students:

The teacher shows a picture of a tall, thin man labelled Sam, and indicates by hand gesture that Sam is tall and elicits Sam’s tall. The teacher shows a second picture of an even taller, even thinner man labeled Tom and elicits Tom’s tall. The teacher then puts the two pictures side by side and says Sam’s tall and Tom’s tall, but Tom’s taller than Sam. The teacher can do the same for thin and introduce more pictures and adjectives – fat, short, etc.

If you set up the context through a picture or short dialogue, rather than using a text, you may want to ask some simple questions to make sure than the students have a general understanding of the context. In the example dialogue given on p. 132, for example, the teacher would need to check that the students understand that the people are at an airport, that one is the Customs Officer and the other is a traveler.

2  The situation should lead naturally to a sentence using the language to be taught – the model or target sentence.

Example

In the lesson presenting comparative adjectives above, the target sentence is Tom’s taller than Sam and other sentences can be generated using the pattern X’s …er than Y. You can then say the target language and/or write it on the board.

3  Check that the students have grasped the meaning of the structure. (See How can you check students have understood what is being presented? on p. 138.)

4  Practice saying the target language. Concentrate on the pronunciation. (See Section 3: Pronunciation.) Let the students repeat after you or from a model provided on cassette. They can do this together and then individually. (If the structure is one that is usually written but not spoken, this stage can be omitted.)

5  Give further practice. This is usually less controlled than the repetition practice and can involve pair work or group work.

6  Then write up* the language structure. At this stage a clear record of what has gone on before is given. Try to make the record the students copy from the board as memorable and integrated as possible (not just a list of unrelated sentences). Whenever possible elicit from the students the language you write on the board. This serves as a further check that they understand and remember what you have presented. Name the structure/function using clear headings, and give information about the form and/or use where appropriate.

For example:

o  note whether the words in the structure are nouns, adjectives, pronouns, etc;

o  mark the sentence stress and intonation and note any contractions (see Section 3: Pronunciation);

o  give the grammar rule (in this lesson: to make comparative adjectives of words of one syllable, add –er);

o  note any special features of the spelling (if the word ends in a single consonant letter, double it: for example, fat à fatter, thin à thinner).

If you are using translation with a monolingual group you can also write up the translation, if appropriate. Give examples of the language item in sentences, perhaps in the form of a substitution table. If possible, try to make the examples personal and memorable for the students.

Example

Other means of helping to understanding to understand and remember the meaning can be added - by using ‘time-lines’, for example (see p. 138). Give the students time to copy the information in their note books or to make a note of where the information is recorded in their course book.

Whether you want to do more than this depends on the language item and the class. Further practice may be needed in the form of guided and/or freer practice, integrated into skills work – as part of the same lesson or on another day. You may also want to set some homework to practice the new language. In the lessons that follow you can try to build in activities that will re-activate the language item. Often students need a little time for the new item to ‘sink in’ – they may recognize it, but often delay putting it into active use.

What are the possible stages in a lesson using the deductive approach?

Again, there is no one way of presenting a structure using a deductive approach. However, one possible way of staging such a lesson is as follows:

1  Present the structure and explain the ‘rule’ in a way that involves the students.

Examples

In order to compare ways of talking about the future you could put two sentences on the board: I’m seeing her tomorrow and OK, I’ll see her tomorrow and ask the students to discuss the difference in the situation and the meaning.

With a function you could give the students a number of exponents and ask them to group them – perhaps according to degree of formality – and then discuss when and with which people you would use such expressions. For example, with requests – Open the window. Can you open the window? Open the window, would you? Do you think you could open the window? Would you like to open the window? I don’t suppose you could open the window for me, could you? etc.