Argument……………………………………………………………………………………………… Chapter I- Positive aspects of foreign language… [308805]

CONTENT

Argument………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chapter I- Positive aspects of foreign language acquisition………………………………………………………

I.1. The importance of English in the context of Globalization…………………………………………

I.2. The importance of grammar in learning and teaching English……………………………………..

I.3. Changes brought about by the development of digital technologies………………………………..

I.4. Glossary of the most used terms in this paperwork………………………………………………….

[anonimizat]…………………………..

II.1. Teaching methods and approaches…………………………………………………………………

II.2. Considerations about grammar and teaching grammar…………………………………………….

II.3. Techniques in teaching grammar-a short guide…………………………………………………….

II.4. Classroom assessment of language use…………………………………………………………….

[anonimizat]-a bird eye’s view…………

III.1. Definition of the verb………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

III.2. The category of Mood………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

III.3. The Category of Tense………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

III.4. The Category of Aspect……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

III.5. The Category of Voice………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

III.6. The Categories of Person and Number………………………………………………………………………………….

[anonimizat]………………………………………………….

IV.1. Developing the child…………………………………………………………………………………

IV.1.1 Language development……………………………………………………………………..

IV.1.2. Cognitive development…………………………………………………………………….

IV.1.3. Emotional development……………………………………………………………………

IV.1.4. Motivation…………………………………………………………………………………

IV.1.5. Children and teacher’s expectations……………………………………………………….

IV.2 Changes in the Curriculum at primary level………………………………………………………….

IV.3. Difficulties when teaching English at primary level………………………………………………….

IV.4. Useful activities based on the verb aimed at primary classes…………………………………………

CHAPTER V-Teaching the verb in secondary school…………………………………………………………………

V.1. Changes in the curriculum in secondary level……………………………………………………….

V.2. Considerations regarding teaching at secondary level……………………………………………….

V.3. The social nature of learning…………………………………………………………………………

V.4. Grammatical items taught in secondary school………………………………………………………

V.5. Accuracy vs. Fluency…………………………………………………………………………………

V.6. Useful activities based on the verb aimed at secondary classes………………………………………

V.6.1 Activities which aim at accuracy……………………………………………………………….

V.6.2 Activities which aim at fluency…………………………………………………………………

[anonimizat]……………………………………………………………………….

VI.1. The benefits of music………………………………………………………………………………….

VI.2. Teaching the verb with the help of songs in primary school…………………………………………..

VI.3. Teaching the verb with the help of songs in secondary school………………………………………..

VI.4. Difficulties when using songs in class…………………………………………………………………

CHAPTER VII-Survey……………………………………………………………………………………

Conclusions

Bibliography

Appendices

Argument

Recent years have seen considerable growth in the number of children learning a second or foreign language, because being able to use a language other than one’s first language has become recognized in an increasingly globalized world. In Asia and Europe in particular, there has been a tendency to lower the age at which school children begin to learn a foreign language, since it is believed that the earlier a child starts to learn a foreign language, the greater the ultimate achievement will be. In addition, in many regions of the world, vast numbers of children attend schools in which the language of instruction is not the same as their mother tongue.

While in some schools there is no extra support to help young language learners acquire the language of instruction, in most countries where there are large numbers of young learners, there is a growing awareness of their special needs. There is therefore a need to identify the needs of young language learners, to determine what level, if any, of proficiency they have in the target language, to diagnose their strengths and areas in need of improvement, and to keep track of their progress in acquiring the language. Language assessment, whether this is informal, class room based, or large-scale, thus has a critical role to play in gathering the information needed for these purposes.

Education is meant to open magical doors to students, offer exciting, fulfilling careers for teachers, and help create a world in which people work together for the common good. The possibilities are great. Students have so much to learn and so many ways to learn it.

A successful English Language Teaching is about how we teach second language (mostly English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL)) and how our second language students learn.

Students are struggling with studying, learning the materials, and of course, lectures with the collections of relevant information from prescribed texts. Many career alternatives once regarded insignificant are gaining importance at present such as communication skills, soft skills, technical skills, interpersonal skills, ICT literacy etc. The need for chiselled graduates to merge successfully in the tough competition of survival in the global market is in great demand nowadays. For this, a change in the trend especially the teaching learning process of English language has to undergo a transition for the betterment. Seasons change, fashions changes, attitudes of human beings change but it is disheartening to note that in the last century English curriculum has hardly undergone any change. There had been many changes in the attitude of people as to what they perceive to be a language. There are some who believe that in this modern world learning grammar has become obsolete, that teachers should only focus on speaking. It is my view that accuracy is of great importance and one should know the grammar thoroughly. To know the verb is crucial in any language, since, without it, not much communication can occur. I believe that, for this to happen, teachers of English have to make grammar more attractive, friendlier for those who are afraid of it. This is the reason why I chose to deal with this subject. As Thomas Fuller said: “All things are difficult before they are easy.”

I truly believe that, if taught correctly, grammar will prove to be a great help for those who are learning it.

My purpose throughout the study is to analyse some theoretical as well as some methodological aspects of the verb, cast a critical eye on the concepts and provide personal insight into this matter. The study also attempts to be an aid for the teachers who are just starting their careers and wish to do things a bit differently. I will include examples, games and songs that I tried out in my classes and which were welcomed by my students, because, in the end, it’s all about them.

CHAPTER I.

Positive aspects of foreign language acquisition

I.1. The importance of English in the context of Globalization

Whenever I start teaching a new class, I always ask my students to give me reasons why they think learning English is important. Every year I get answers like: ’’It is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world’’. “People who know English can understand songs and films without subtitles or they can play games”.” It is the language of the internet”. “If you want to travel, you need English”. I am always pleased to see that the children understand how important English is, and, that they have motivation to learn it.

In the 21st century, speaking English has become a necessity. In a globalised world, we must find a common way to communicate. Although Chinese Mandarin and Spanish are the mother tongues of more people overall, most people in the world choose to learn English. More than 400 million people speak English as their first language and it is the official language of 53 countries. English is the second language in most countries. English is the primary language of the information age, giving people access to the World Wide Web with all of its resources: music, sports, films, science, art, social media and so on. The majority of content published online is in English.

English has long been considered the global language of business with more and more multinational companies recruiting employees with a strong grasp of the English language. In fact, it has almost become mandatory for a candidate to speak English to ensure success in a corporate world.

English is considered the language of higher education. If someone wants to study at Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, Yale or other famous universities, they need to pass an English test like TOEFL, Cambridge, IELTS and so on. In Romania it has become a trend to take one of these tests and parents take pride in telling acquaintances if their children succeeded in passing one of them. If a student possesses a certificate like this he/she doesn’t have to take the English exam at the end of high school.

All in all, knowing English has only advantages so, this is why, in my view, people of all ages should strive to learn it.

I.2. The importance of grammar in learning and teaching English

The word “grammar” means different things to different people. For the ordinary person, it connotes to correctness or incorrectness of the language that one speaks. To a school student, it means an analytical and terminological study of sentences.

In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules which influences the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given language. It is the systematic study and description of a language, and it helps us to understand how words and their component parts combine to form sentences.

The knowledge of grammar helps students in the correction of mistakes and it improves written work. A person cannot learn a foreign language accurately only through a process of unconscious assimilation. Grammar is a sure ground of reference when linguistic habits fail us. Thus, grammar is essential for a foreign language learner. There are some who think that grammar only matters to teachers and it is of no importance in reality. They say that they only want to learn speaking. But grammar is the basis of communication. When a sentence is correct from a grammatical point of view, the message is clearly understood. Writing that is poorly punctuated and contains grammatical errors is difficult to read and sometimes impossible to understand. If the reader has to go back and re-read a sentence several times because they are not quite sure what it means, it spoils their reading experience and they are quite likely to misunderstand the point or even give up and not read any further.

Knowing grammar rules can help one think logically. A knowledge of grammar can help communication and prevents misunderstandings. It also helps fluency. Once a person has mastered grammar, he/she can organize ideas better. A person with poor grammar skill can make a negative impression on others. Correct use of grammar gives credibility to the user.

The verb is the backbone of any language. Communication occurs when actions are used. That is why I consider that special attention should be given to this part of speech. Whether it is taught by rules, as it is generally the case with older students, or just by examples, as it is with the younger students who probably wouldn’t understand some concepts, one thing is certain: learning grammar/the verb is fundamental for a proper knowledge of English.

I.3. Changes brought about by the development of digital technologies

Looking through the books I studied English from, which are carefully preserved, I cannot help but think back to the years I, myself was a student. I am sure that all people who are not, let’s say, in their twenties, remember them…colourless, almost without pictures, same old boring things. When I compare them with the books we have today, I almost don’t believe how many changes society has undergone in just a few years. The years in which the teacher went to class with the book as an only aid have passed. Not taking advantage of the new technology is a crime. Maybe if our teachers had had access to so much material, more adults would speak English better now. They could help and encourage their children in the learning process more, thus contributing to the creation of a better world. But even so, it is better late than never.

Technology is important in today's world because it serves a lot of functions in many aspects of modern society, like education, communication, business and scientific progress. During the past few decades, in particular, computers have become, such an integral part of society that technology has become a relied-on tool for most people. Students use computers to do research, teachers make their lessons more interactive and efficient.

Kinzer and Leu (1997) demonstrated positive effects of technology on both learning in a content area and learning to use technology itself. They studied the potential of multimedia and hypermedia technologies. One study, The Reporter Project, used multimedia technology to enhance sixth-grade students’ information gathering and writing skills. The Reporter Project was developed and tested in sixth-grade classrooms for two years and showed that students made statistically significant improvement in their recognition and use of elements such as main ideas, supporting details, and cause and effect relationships. Their writing was also more cohesive than their control-group peers who were taught using similar materials and sequences but without the use of technology.

There is also a large body of research that supports the benefits of technology for language acquisition (O’Hara & Pritchard, 2006; Pritchard & O’Hara, 2005; Leu, 2005; Cummins, 2005; Zhao, 2005; Duran, 2005; Egbert, Chao, & Hanson-Smith, 1999; Pennington, 1996; Zhao, 2003). Numerous other studies demonstrate that students who learn in existing multimedia and/or hypertext environments show greater gains in areas of language development than students who learn in more traditional environments (Ayersman, 1996; Boone & Higgins, 1992; Charney, 1994; Martinez-Lage, 1997). Studies investigating the impact of student construction of hypermedia environments on language development came to similar conclusions (Goetze, 2000; Lehrer et al., 1994; Nikolova, 2002).

In a review of studies that focused on technology’s impact on language acquisition, Zhao (2005) examined studies that researched the use of digital multimedia and language. Zhao concluded that technology can be used to enhance language acquisition in the following ways:

Enhancing access efficiency through digital multimedia. Multimedia presentations (video, images, sound, and text) can create stronger memory links than text alone. In addition, digital technologies allow instant playbacks, which provide the learner with quick and easy access to different sections of instructional materials than when they are using a textbook.

Enhancing authenticity using video and the Internet. The Internet provides learners with access to authentic materials, like news and literature, while video can offer context-rich linguistic and culturally relevant materials to learners.

Enhancing comprehensibility through learner control and multimedia annotations. Video materials online can be enhanced with full captions, key-word captions, and speech slowdown, allowing the reader to more easily digest the information. Digital reading materials can be hyperlinked to different media, which students can choose to help their comprehension of the material.

Providing meaningful and authentic communication opportunities. Students can engage in authentic types of communication through e-mail, chat rooms, and other digital means. (p. 16)

Technology also motivates the learner. When a student has a variety of options to choose from, he/she will feel more in control of his/her own learning.

I.4. Glossary of the most used terms in this paperwork

In this short glossary I want to explain the terms which are frequently used throughout my paper and represent important notions.

Grammar-the set of rules that describe the structure of a language and control the way that sentences are formed.

Verb-a part of speech that expresses an action or a state of things.

Tense-a form of a verb used for showing when something happens

Activity-something students do, a task, an exercise or a game

Aims-things that you hope will be achieved by students during a lesson

Function-the purpose for which language is used in a particular situation

Practice-giving the students chances to use the language being studied

Role-play-students take on a character or make use of given information or ideas in order to get speaking practice

Accuracy-the ability to use a particular language without making mistakes

Fluency-being able to speak a foreign language well, expressing yourself confidently and clearly without making an effort

Curriculum-the subjects that students study at a particular school or college

Methodology-the methods and principles used for doing a particular kind of work, especially scientific or academic research

Communication-the process of giving information or making ideas known to someone

Deductive approach-a method of teaching in which you begin by giving the rule and then by giving examples

Inductive approach-a method of teaching in which you begin by giving examples and then giving the rule

Pairwork-a student working with another to discuss something, to check answers, to do a communicative activity

Groupwork-students working together with a number of other students

PPP-Presentation, Practice, Production: an approach to grammar lessons based on the idea of giving small items of language to students, providing them with opportunities to use it in controlled ways and finally integrating it with other known language in order to communicate.

CHAPTER II.

Introduction to the methodology of English language teaching

II.1. Teaching methods and approaches

Communication is the groundwork based on which any idea can progress and develop into a fully-fledged one. Without that, sustenance in any field is impossible. During the last decade, various crucial factors have combined to affect the current ideologies of teaching of English such as the ineffective methodologies, unsuitable materials, and integration of contextualized teaching, over emphasis on multi language skills etc. Teachers who practiced Grammar Translation Method during the previous decade solely relied on the blackboard as the apt tool to impart communication skills and the nuances of English language. According to this method learning to translate well is the most important thing. Later on, overhead projectors, acted as another medium for the teacher dominated classroom. Such teachers believed in the dictum of drill and practice. Researchers had given more emphasis on authentic and meaningful contextualized discourse. Then they focused on a successful adult second language learning as a parallel process to a child’s first language acquisition. With the advent of e- communication, it has been made possible for the English language teachers to enrich their profession. Basically, the teacher controls the instructional process, the content in other words, the teachers deliver the lecture content and the students listen to the lecture. Thus, the learning mode trends to be passive and the learners play little part in their learning process. It has been found in most universities by many teachers and students that the conventional lecture approach in classroom is of limited effectiveness in both teaching and learning. This method had stayed in practice for a good period of time due to its focus on the functional use of English. But, still this method was marred with setbacks like there were many issues with this method. It needed a lot of time, good budget and a small class size. And even in some situations, it was not very useful. These issues led to another Method that is called Audio-Lingual Method. Some of the principles behind the Audio-Lingual Method are: language should be introduced through spoken language, only the target language should be used in class. The teacher was the main model for the target language. Errors were considered bad and were immediately corrected.

The Direct Method is natural method of teaching foreign language its makes use of Audio-Visual Aids. The direct method originated in France in 1801. The Direct Method develops as a reaction against GTM. Its basic principle is that pupils should think directly in foreign language.

DM is to teach language directly at aims to create direct bond between the word and meaning, thought and expression. It’s also improving the pupil’s pronunciation. The native language of the student is never used in the classroom, realia, pictures, drawings are used to support explanations. Grammar is taught inductively, through example and not explanation.

The Silent Way, which was developed by Caleb Gattegno, emphasizes the active role of the student in the process of learning. It is called The Silent Way because the teacher is supposed to be mostly silent, using gestures and coloured charts related to sounds of the language.

Community Language Learning is a method developed by Charles A Curren, a psychologist interested in adult education. He believed that the learners of the new language are stressed. He placed great emphasis on the good relationship between the students and the teachers. If the students are comfortable, they will learn better.

Total Physical Response was developed by a psychologist, James Asher, who put emphasis on listening and actions, delaying speaking until later. The teacher uses mostly commands and the students have to follow them.

The Communicative Approach is based on the idea that learning languages doesn’t only mean learning vocabulary and structures. The teacher’s responsibility is to create situations in which the students have a chance to communicate.

In the 21st century there is rise of communicative methodology which emphasizes real meaning communication method than activity, topic and situations which are artificial and remote from pupil’s lies. The process of English communication learning will be more student-centred but less time consuming. Therefore, it promises that the teaching quality will be improved and students’ applied English communication can be effectively cultivated, meaning that students’ communicative competence will be further developed. Language in education would ideally and ordinarily build on such naturally acquired language ability, enriching it through the development of literacy into an instrument for abstract thought and the acquisition of academic knowledge. Teachers use a range of local texts or English translation of literature in the classroom. The use of language as well as the use of a variety of accents in listening activities or tests is encouraged in the English language classroom. With the proliferation of tablets and smart phones, it is believed that textbooks will disappear in a few years. Furthermore, the access to knowledge in terms of flexibility and mobility has changed drastically. Teaching in English language classes focuses on fostering the students thinking as well as language content, outcomes and learning activities. There are significant and complex student-teacher interactions inside and outside the classroom. In a knowledge based society and to remain competitive and employable, teachers are expected to engage in a continuous professional development or the professional learning activities from the beginning to the end of their careers. As with any other profession, teachers are also expected to assume a great responsibility for their teaching.

Having realized the need of the hour: the English teachers convene different types of conferences and seminars to create a platform and to get to know the upcoming ideologies in the ELT and also to upgrade themselves professionally. It is the fifth skills of language that enables the efficiency to use grammatical structures with accuracy. Academic qualification alone may not help teachers to grow professionally, on the other hand, they need to be equipped themselves with the current practices. The teaching materials that are being used in our country are almost made available all over the world. There had been too many methodologies of teaching English language. The third dimension of globalization which is inseparable from English teaching is an advancement of Information and Communication Technology.

New trends in English language teaching like interactive approach of teaching English is develop as a result of sustain research by the central board of secondary education (CBSE New Delhi). This approach also recommended by the Indian Council of School Education (ICSE New Delhi). To interact means to communicate which each other during interaction. Its means give the information, thoughts unknown to receiver. “Interacting Approach related to the actual use of language”. So interactive teaching styles are Brain Storming, Think pair and share, Buzz session, incident process, Q and A session. In Interactive approach some ideas are follow the leader, Total Physical Response (TPR), One word, Opposite Arguments, Test Tournaments, YouTube Videos Quizzes, Electronic Role Playing, Puzzle pieces.

Communicative language teaching (CLT) emphasize on the process of communication rather than the mastery of language. Sometimes the term functional approach is used for communicative approach or communicative method. Communicative approach based on the concept of ‘communicative competence’ which originally introduced H D Hyms. In is article on communicative competence published in, “New origins in Linguistics’ in 1971. The communicative approach emphasizes real meaningful communication rather than the activity, topic and situation which are artificial and remote from student’s lives. According to Geeta Nagraj, “The Development of Language Learning from based to meaning based approach”.

Communicative approach was based on three principles

1. Which involve real communication

2. Which involve various activities.

3. Which emphasize that language is meaningful to the learners

Web based learning is one of the fastest developing areas. There are thousands of English web based classes that offer trainings for a variety of basic language skills such as Learning, Speaking, Reading and Writing and are made interactive in a variety of ways. Some of the common technologies available for promotion of education are as follows: the students can mail their homework to the teachers concerned and get it corrected in turn. The teacher can also provide revisions, feedback, suggestions for the betterment of every work and send them back. A blog is a personal or professional journal frequently updated for public consumption. The blogs enable uploading and linking the files which is very much suited to serve as on line personal journals for students. Blogging becomes communicative and interactive when participants assume multiple roles in the writing process, as readers/reviewers who respond to other writer’s posts, and as writers-readers who, returning to their own posts, react to criticism of their own posts. The readers in turn can comment on what they read, although blogs can be placed in secured environments as well. Every internet service has audio functions, and technological instruments like laptops with cameras. The students could communicate with their teachers and friends who are far away. Likewise, they could very well communicate with the speakers of native language and get their pronunciation checked so as to improve their speaking. Learners can search for new words using dictionary option in the mobile phones and enrich their vocabulary. They may verify the spelling pronunciations and usage of the specific word they searched for. Moreover, they can use Short Message Service (SMS) to send queries to their instructors and get their doubts cleared. IPods’, one of the multimedia devices, enhance to users to generate, deliver, exchange texts, image, audio and video scripts as per the requirement. The teachers send text messages and the students can read and answer to them.

Suggestopedia is a teaching method developed by the Bulgarian psychotherapist Dr. Georgi Lazanov. Suggestopedia has been called a pseudoscience. It strongly depends on the trust that students develop towards method by simply believing that its work. The purpose of suggestopedia watch to enhance learning by tapping into the power of suggestion. Suggestopedia is system for liberation from the ‘preliminary negative concept regarding the difficulties in the process of learning’. Suggestopedia is pedagogic application of suggestion. It helps learners to overcome the felling that they cannot be successful and remove their mental barriers to learning.

New Age Devices-this year, the consumer Electronics Show (CES) which was held at Las Vegas, gave a glimpse of ground breaking devices purely meant for students. These showpieces ranged from 3D printers to smart watches. The youth’s requirements are matched by a new age device, be it studies or social media, travel or portability. The media streaming devices like the Google chrome cast and the Rokku make group studies become interactive and presentations surprisingly fulfilled one. One has to stream the media on to a smart TV using dongle. Another blessing is the e-reader for the on-the-move reader for easy reference. The portable document scanner like the Doxie Flip Cordles Flatbet Photo and notebook scanner are used to get notes sorted. Other devices like copy and Olympus which have come with voice recorders can be utilized to record all the English lectures and be played as and when time permits. A Common Frame Work of Reference for Languages aims to provide a common basis for the elaboration of language syllabuses, curriculum, what learners have to learn skills they have to develop so as to be able to act effectively. A clear description of the content in terms of linguistic competency, sociolinguistic competency and pragmatic competency constitutes a language. Using descriptor scales, learner’s proficiency is measured. Descriptors consist of a series of can do statements which received a great deal of attention. The learner’s involvement and teacher’s empowerment are stressed during the teaching and learning processes. The conventional method of teaching where the teacher enjoys the monopoly of teaching sometimes even obliterates the pressure of the learners.

II.2. Considerations about grammar and teaching grammar

There are many questions on grammar presentations. The teacher might as himself/herself if the structure was presented in both speech and writing, form and meaning.

The teacher should ask himself/herself if there were enough examples provided of the structure in a meaningful context. Did the students understand their meaning?

The terminology is also very important. Did the teacher call the structure by its name?

E.g. Predicate. Was this good? What other grammatical terminology was/would have been useful?

Did the teacher give the explanations in the students’ mother tongue? Did the teacher give the explanations in the target language? Did he/she use a combination of the two? Was this effective?

Was the information provided by the teacher at the right level? Was it reasonably accurate but not too detailed? Did the teacher compare it to the students’ mother tongue? Was this a good idea? Would this have been a good idea?

Did the teacher speak and write clearly? Was the teacher’s speed the accurate one?

Was an explicite rule given? Why? Why not? Did the teacher give the rule or did he/she elicit it from the students?

Ιn the cοmmunіcatіve cοmрetence mοdel, the рurрοѕe οf learnіng grammar іѕ tο learn the language οf whіch the grammar іѕ a рart.

Ιnѕtructοrѕ therefοre teach grammar fοrmѕ and ѕtructureѕ іn relatіοn tο meanіng and uѕe fοr the ѕрecіfіc cοmmunіcatіοn taѕkѕ that ѕtudentѕ need tο cοmрlete.

Cοmрare the tradіtіοnal mοdel and the cοmmunіcatіve cοmрetence mοdel fοr teachіng the Englіѕh рaѕt tenѕe:

Тradіtіοnal: grammar fοr grammar'ѕ ѕake

Тeach the regular -ed fοrm wіth іtѕ twο рrοnuncіatіοn varіantѕ

Тeach the dοublіng rule fοr verbѕ that end іn d (fοr examрle,wed-wedded)

Hand οut a lіѕt οf іrregular verbѕ that ѕtudentѕ muѕt memοrіze

Dο рattern рractіce drіllѕ fοr -ed

Dο ѕubѕtіtutіοn drіllѕ fοr іrregular verbѕ

Cοmmunіcatіve cοmрetence: grammar fοr cοmmunіcatіοn'ѕ ѕake

Dіѕtrіbute twο ѕhοrt narratіveѕ abοut recent exрerіenceѕ οr eventѕ, each οne tο half οf the claѕѕ

Тeach the regular -ed fοrm, uѕіng verbѕ that οccur іn the textѕ aѕ examрleѕ. Тeach the рrοnuncіatіοn and dοublіng ruleѕ іf thοѕe fοrmѕ οccur іn the textѕ.

Тeach the іrregular verbѕ that οccur іn the textѕ.

Ѕtudentѕ read the narratіveѕ, aѕk queѕtіοnѕ abοut рοіntѕ they dοn't underѕtand.

Ѕtudentѕ wοrk іn рaіrѕ іn whіch οne member haѕ read Ѕtοry А and the οther Ѕtοry В. Ѕtudentѕ іntervіew οne anοther; uѕіng the іnfοrmatіοn frοm the іntervіew, they then wrіte uр οr οrally reрeat the ѕtοry they have nοt read.

Аt all рrοfіcіency levelѕ, learnerѕ рrοduce language that іѕ nοt exactly the language uѕed by natіve ѕрeakerѕ. Ѕοme οf the dіfferenceѕ are grammatіcal, whіle οtherѕ іnvοlve vοcabulary ѕelectіοn and mіѕtakeѕ іn the ѕelectіοn οf language aррrοрrіate fοr dіfferent cοntextѕ.

Ιn reѕрοndіng tο ѕtudent cοmmunіcatіοn, teacherѕ need tο be careful nοt tο fοcuѕ οn errοr cοrrectіοn tο the detrіment οf cοmmunіcatіοn and cοnfіdence buіldіng.

Тeacherѕ need tο let ѕtudentѕ knοw when they are makіng errοrѕ ѕο that they can wοrk οn іmрrοvіng. Тeacherѕ alѕο need tο buіld ѕtudentѕ' cοnfіdence іn theіr abіlіty tο uѕe the language by fοcuѕіng οn the cοntent οf theіr cοmmunіcatіοn rather than the grammatіcal fοrm.

Тeacherѕ can uѕe errοr cοrrectіοn tο ѕuррοrt language aquіѕіtіοnѕ, and avοіd uѕіng іt іn wayѕ that undermіne ѕtudentѕ' deѕіre tο cοmmunіcate іn the language, by takіng cueѕ frοm cοntext.

When ѕtudentѕ are dοіng ѕtructured οutрut actіvіtіeѕ that fοcuѕ οn develοрment οf new language ѕkіllѕ, uѕe errοr cοrrectіοn tο guіde them.

Examрle: 
Ѕtudent (іn claѕѕ): Ι buy a new car yeѕterday.

Тeacher: Yοu bοught a new car yeѕterday. Remember, the рaѕt tenѕe οf buy іѕ bοught.

When ѕtudentѕ are engaged іn cοmmunіcatіve actіvіtіeѕ, cοrrect errοrѕ οnly іf they іnterfere wіth cοmрrehenѕіbіlіty. Reѕрοnd uѕіng cοrrect fοrmѕ, but wіthοut ѕtreѕѕіng them.

Examрle: 
Ѕtudent (greetіng teacher) : Ι buy a new car yeѕterday!

Тeacher: Yοu bοught a new car? Тhat'ѕ excіtіng! What kіnd?

II.3. Tehniques in teaching grammar-a short guide

Μοѕt teacherѕ tend tο teach the way they were taught. Μany adultѕ were taught tο memοrіze grammar ruleѕ, tο dіagram ѕentenceѕ, and tο edіt ѕentenceѕ frοm a wοrkbοοk.

Fοr tοday’ѕ teacherѕ tο make grammar іntereѕtіng and meanіngful, we muѕt mοve beyοnd οur οwn exрerіenceѕ tοward teachіng methοdѕ that engage ѕtudentѕ and buіld an aррrecіatіοn οf the value and uѕefulneѕѕ οf grammar.

Тeachіng grammar ѕkіllѕ thrοugh exрlіcіt іnѕtructіοn іn the fοrm οf guіdelіneѕ, mіnі-leѕѕοnѕ, and mentοr textѕ рrοvіdeѕ ѕtudentѕ wіth a ѕtrοng fοundatіοn. Ѕοme οf theѕe teachіng technіqueѕ are deѕcrіbed іn the fοllοwіng ѕectіοnѕ.

→Тeach guіdіng рrіncірleѕ οf grammar thrοugh mіnі-leѕѕοnѕ

Тeachіng grammar requіreѕ clear, exрlіcіt іnѕtructіοn and abundant mοdelіng. Ιt muѕt gο beyοnd merely mentіοnіng the dіfference between there and theіr οr cοrrectіng quοtatіοn mark errοrѕ. Тeacherѕ muѕt teach grammar, nοt merely mentіοn οr cοrrect errοrѕ.

Тhe mіnі-leѕѕοn durіng wrіtіng wοrkѕhοр рrοvіdeѕ a рrіme іnѕtructіοnal οррοrtunіty wіthіn an eѕtablіѕhed wrіtіng tіme, thuѕ encοuragіng ѕtudentѕ tο рut newly acquіred grammar knοwledge іntο рractіce. Тhe Guіdіng Ρrіncірleѕ fοr Grammar Uѕage рrοvіde a ѕtartіng рοіnt fοr mіnі-leѕѕοn cοntent.

Тhіѕ lіѕt can alѕο be extended tο іnclude elementѕ frοm the CCЅЅ fοr Englіѕh Language Аrtѕ and ѕtate and dіѕtrіct wrіtіng ѕtandardѕ. А mіnі-leѕѕοn may іnclude the fοllοwіng:

Аn exрlanatіοn οf the grammar element.

А teacher οr ѕtudent mοdelіng cοrrect uѕage.

А ѕummarіzatіοn οf the grammar element and encοuragement and οррοrtunіty fοr ѕtudentѕ tο uѕe thіѕ element іn theіr οwn wrіtіng.

Ѕtudentѕ need wall chartѕ aѕ vіѕual remіnderѕ οf the mіnі-leѕѕοn. Тheѕe chartѕ, created by yοu and the ѕtudentѕ, dіѕрlay рatternѕ іn wrіtіng, οrganіze іnfοrmatіοn, and remіnd ѕtudentѕ οf іmрοrtant grammar guіdelіneѕ.

Wall chartѕ becοme a lіvіng, grοwіng рart οf the claѕѕrοοm and рrοvіde ѕtudentѕ wіth an іnѕtructіοnal reѕοurce when yοu are buѕy wіth οther ѕtudentѕ. Ιn the fοllοwіng Stοry frοm the Claѕѕrοοm, fοurth-grade teacher Аѕhley Wіllіamѕ uѕeѕ anchοr chartѕ fοr grammar іnѕtructіοn and οther aѕрectѕ οf language artѕ.

Тο рreрare fοr mіnі-leѕѕοnѕ, yοu may want tο bruѕh uр οn yοur grammar ѕkіllѕ. Οnlіne reѕοurceѕ can рrοvіde grammar guіdelіneѕ and becοme a hοme-baѕed grammar reѕοurce fοr ѕtudentѕ whο have Ιnternet acceѕѕ.

Webgrammar and Grammar Тірѕ are bοth qualіty webѕіteѕ fοr learnіng mοre abοut grammar, whether a рerѕοn іѕ a natіve Englіѕh ѕрeaker οr an Englіѕh language learner.

Тeacherѕ and ѕtudentѕ wіll bοth enjοy electrοnіc grammar gameѕ and aррѕ aѕ a fun and іnѕtructіοnal way tο рractіce grammar ѕkіllѕ ѕο theѕe ѕkіllѕ can be accurately and eaѕіly іncοrрοrated іntο wrіtіng and teachіng.

→Uѕe mentοr textѕ aѕ mοdelѕ fοr grammar іnѕtructіοn

А mentοr text can be any text uѕed tο ѕhed lіght οn a ѕрecіfіc aѕрect οf grammar. Тhe term mentοr referѕ tο the іdea οf guіdіng, ѕuррοrtіng, οr cοachіng, іn thіѕ caѕe, a wrіter. Uѕіng mentοr textѕ emрhaѕіzeѕ a ріece’ѕ рοѕіtіve aѕрectѕ, whether іt waѕ wrіtten by a claѕѕ member, yοu, οr a рublіѕhed authοr.

Fοr yοung рeοрle, “the gοal іѕ nοt tο рοіnt οut what іѕ wrοng wіth theіr wrіtіng, but tο encοurage ѕtudentѕ by ѕhοwіng them what they are ready fοr nοw.”

А mentοr text, be іt a рhraѕe, a ѕentence, οr a рaragraрh excerрted frοm a cοmрlete ріece οf wrіtіng, рrοvіdeѕ an οррοrtunіty tο mοve fοrward.

Ιt letѕ yοu zοοm іn οn a ѕрecіfіc grammar element, rather than fοcuѕіng οn an entіre ріece οf wrіtіng and οverwhelmіng the ѕtudentѕ wіth tοο many wοrdѕ.

Тeacherѕ ѕhοuld be “ѕentence ѕtalkerѕ,” cοnѕtantly lοοkіng οut fοr well-crafted mentοr textѕ tο uѕe іn grammar mіnі-leѕѕοnѕ. Yοu cοuld recοrd them іn a wrіter’ѕ nοtebοοk οr keeр them іn an electrοnіc fіle.

Ѕtudentѕ’ οwn ріeceѕ οf wrіtіng, yοur wrіtіng, and age-aррrοрrіate lіterature рrοvіde fertіle ѕοurceѕ οf relevant examрleѕ that can be іncοrрοrated іntο brіef grammar leѕѕοnѕ

Ιn οrder tο uѕe ѕtudentѕ’ wrіtіng aѕ a ѕοurce fοr grammar іnѕtructіοn, ѕtudentѕ muѕt be wrіtіng.

Cοnѕtance Weaver, іn her bοοk Тeachіng Grammar іn Cοntext, belіeveѕ an іmрοrtant fіrѕt ѕteр tοward іmрrοvіng grammar іѕ tο have ѕtudentѕ wrіte, wrіte, and wrіte ѕοme mοre.

Chοοѕe examрleѕ by рerіοdіcally рeruѕіng ѕtudentѕ’ wrіtіng, lοοkіng fοr ѕucceѕѕful ѕentenceѕ and alѕο fοr рatternѕ οf errοrѕ.

Тhe gοal іѕ tο gaіn a ѕenѕe οf whіch elementѕ οf grammar ѕtudentѕ need the mοѕt helр wіth.

Ιn addіtіοn, lіterature can be an abundant ѕοurce οf mentοr textѕ.

Readіng and lіѕtenіng tο age-aррrοрrіate lіterature fіllѕ ѕtudentѕ wіth mοdelѕ οf flοwіng, elegant, and cοrrect grammar.

Chοοѕe bοοkѕ that are mοre dіffіcult than ѕtudentѕ wοuld tyріcally read οn theіr οwn, οрtіng fοr lіterature full οf rіch and vіvіd ѕyntax that eaѕіly demοnѕtrateѕ the рοіnt yοu are tryіng tο make.

When uѕіng a mentοr text, cοnѕіder the fοllοwіng ѕteрѕ aѕ an іnѕtructіοnal framewοrk:

Read the entіre text wіthοut ѕtοрріng tο emрhaѕіze οr teach. Fοcuѕ οn the enjοyment οf lіѕtenіng tο the flοw οf the language.

Ροіnt οut a ѕрecіfіc aѕрect οf grammar ѕtudentѕ ѕhοuld lіѕten fοr durіng the readіng, and then ѕhare the text agaіn.

Dіѕcuѕѕ the grammar element that іѕ the fοcuѕ οf the leѕѕοn.

Μοdel thіѕ grammar element іn yοur οwn wrіtіng.

Encοurage ѕtudentѕ tο aррly theіr new learnіng іn theіr οwn wrіtіng. Ѕet an exрectatіοn, ѕayіng ѕοmethіng lіke, “Ι am hοріng tο ѕee yοu create a new рaragraрh when begіnnіng a new іdea іn yοur wrіtіng, іn the ѕame way Ι mοdeled fοr yοu.”

Uѕіng a mentοr text durіng a mіnі-leѕѕοn οr a full wrіtіng leѕѕοn can be an effectіve way tο рrοvіde ѕtudentѕ wіth a daіly dοѕe οf bοth hіgh-qualіty wrіtіng and targeted grammar іnѕtructіοn.

They may feel interested and at ease.

→Teach grammar through examples

Here are dіfferent рractіceѕ οf teachіng grammar through examples. Ѕοme teacherѕ fοllοw a deductіve aррrοach whіle οtherѕ fοllοw an іnductіve aррrοach.

Ιn the deductіve aррrοach, the teacher begіnѕ wіth the rule and then gіveѕ examрleѕ tο ѕhοw hοw thіѕ rule can be aррlіed, whereaѕ іn the іnductіve aррrοach, the teacher begіnѕ wіth examрleѕ frοm whіch the ѕtudentѕ can іnfer the rule.

Ι reflect οn whіch methοd waѕ mοre effectіve іn teachіng Present Continuous at two different 4th grade classes.

Аt the first class, Ι taught ѕοme grammar рοіntѕ deductіvely іn whіch Ι wrοte the rule fіrѕt οn the bοard, exрlaіned іt, and рrοvіded ѕοme examрleѕ, and then ѕtudentѕ рractіced uѕіng the rule. Аfter Ι had trіed teachіng grammar іn thіѕ way, Ι decіded tο try teachіng grammar іnductіvely at the second class. Тhіѕ waѕ really effectіve іn havіng the ѕtudentѕ engaged іn the learnіng рrοceѕѕ and helріng them underѕtand and uѕe theѕe grammar рοіntѕ ѕucceѕѕfully. I believe we should all trust our students, have faith in their intelligence and teach the rules inductively.

Recοgnіze aррrοxіmatіοnѕ

Аѕ ѕtudentѕ becοme mοre іndeрendent іn uѕіng grammar, keeр іn mіnd that “we muѕt make mіѕtakeѕ whіle mοvіng tοward cοrrectneѕѕ.”

Тhіѕ іdea οf aррrοxіmatіοn, mοvіng clοѕer tο gettіng іt rіght, іѕ true when learnіng juѕt abοut anythіng new.

Ρart οf thіѕ рrοceѕѕ may іnvοlve the learner gaіnіng a ѕhοrt burѕt οf cοnfіdence wіth a newfοund ѕkіll and οver-aррlyіng the ѕkіll іn ѕіmіlar ѕіtuatіοnѕ.

Fοr examрle, οften yοung ѕtudentѕ wіll рut a рerіοd at the end οf every lіne rather than juѕt at the end οf a ѕentence.

Аn aррrοxіmatіοn οften ѕeen wіth οlder ѕtudentѕ іѕ cοmbіnіng ѕentenceѕ tο add іntereѕt, whіch οften turnѕ іntο a cοllectіοn οf run-οn ѕentenceѕ. Вοth οf theѕe examрleѕ are nοrmal.

Recοgnіze theѕe early attemрtѕ aѕ іmрοrtant and neceѕѕary ѕteрѕ tοward grοwth—nοt merely aѕ mіѕtakeѕ.

Erіc, a fοur-year-οld, created twο new wοrdѕ that turned іntο famіly favοrіteѕ: whοbοdy (meanѕ anyοne οr whο; Whοbοdy ate the laѕt cοοkіe?) and tagaрuѕ (meanѕ οctοрuѕ; А tagaрuѕ haѕ eіght legѕ).

Erіc’ѕ early attemрtѕ at ѕрοken language reflect hіѕ knοwledge abοut wοrdѕ and ѕyntax whіle alѕο beіng рrecіοuѕ examрleѕ οf hіѕ grοwth aѕ an Englіѕh language uѕer. Wіth the helр οf a ѕuррοrtіve teacher (οr іn Erіc’ѕ caѕe, famіly), ѕtudentѕ can quіckly mοve beyοnd theіr рѕeudο-cοnceрtѕ tοward cοrrectneѕѕ.

Lοοk tο yοurѕelf

Ιf yοur ѕtudentѕ dο nοt ѕeem tο be graѕріng grammar cοnceрtѕ οr tranѕferrіng thіѕ knοwledge tο theіr οwn wrіtіng, yοur fіrѕt ѕteр οf actіοn іѕ tο lοοk at yοurѕelf and yοur іnѕtructіοn.

Jeff Аnderѕοn, a mіddle ѕchοοl Englіѕh teacher and authοr οf the bοοk Μechanіcally Ιnclіned, ѕuggeѕtѕ teacherѕ aѕk themѕelveѕ the fοllοwіng queѕtіοnѕ when grammar іnѕtructіοn dοeѕ nοt aррear tο be ѕucceѕѕful

What have Ι dοne tο teach thіѕ grammar οr mechanіcѕ рattern?

Have Ι іmmerѕed ѕtudentѕ іn cοrrect mοdelѕ? Vіѕually and οrally?

Have Ι demοnѕtrated hοw tο uѕe the mechanіcѕ рattern іn a ріece οf my οwn wrіtіng?

Have Ι mοdeled cοrrectіng thіѕ tyрe οf errοr іn fοcuѕed edіtѕ?

Have Ι gіven ѕtudentѕ amрle рractіce іn edіtіng thіѕ рartіcular tyрe οf errοr?

Have Ι dіrected the ѕtudentѕ tο edіt theіr οwn wrіtіng fοr thіѕ tyрe οf errοr οn multірle οccaѕіοnѕ?

Juѕt lіke a garden requіreѕ tendіng tο thrіve, qualіty grammar іnѕtructіοn requіreѕ рurрοѕeful, іntentіοnal, and reрetіtіve teachіng, rather than juѕt a ѕіngle mentіοn οr mοdelіng. Μakіng grammar рart οf a daіly rοutіne, ѕuch aѕ drawіng οut a treaѕure (grammar tір) frοm the Grammar Тreaѕure Вοx, рrοvіdeѕ ѕtudentѕ wіth a cοnѕіѕtent, yet іntereѕtіng, ѕtructure fοr learnіng abοut grammar.

2.4 Classroom assessment of language use

Classroom assessment or teacher assessment refers to assessment carried out by teachers in the classroom. It may be formative when teachers are collecting information about children’s strengths and weaknesses in order to provide feedback to learners and to make further decisions about teaching, or it may be summative, when teachers are collecting information at the end of a period of time,generally to report to others about children’s progress. Summative assessment carried out by teachers may also inform their own teaching, if, for example, the learners return to them in the following school year. Formative assessment is also called assessment for learning. Not all assessment in the classroom is classroom assessment. If teachers are administering tests in the classroom prepared by others, this is not considered to be classroom assessment because it is not prepared by the teacher but by others who are at least one step, and maybe many steps, removed from the learners and the learning situation of the classroom.

Teachers have opportunities to adopt performance assessment in its widest sense in the classroom, engaging children as active participants in assessment processes, assessing processes as well as products, collecting multiple sources of evidence over time, and working with parents and others in a collaborative assessment process. In classrooms there are many opportunities for assessment through language use tasks, when children are able to engage in language use in games, information gap oral tasks, story writing, question-and-answer tasks related to literature, project work and so on.

Purposes of classroom assessment

Teachers carry out classroom assessment continuously through the school year. Classroom assessment might occur in the following ways and for the following purposes:

• initial diagnosis at the beginning of the year (What are the strengths and weaknesses that need to be addressed from the start of the year?)

• ongoing diagnosis leading to decision-making about teaching during the course of teaching (How are they progressing? What feedback can I give right now? What do I need to teach next?)

• ongoing collection of evidence leading to information-sharing with children and their parents. What can I share with children about their ongoing progress and needs? What can I tell parents and others about children’s ongoing progress?

• ongoing collection of evidence of progress leading to reporting against externally developed criteria (How are the children progressing towards the criteria?)

• summative purposes (What have they achieved? What do I report about their progress?)

Many assessment procedures for younger learners are embedded in classroom teaching and the purposes therefore reflect the purposes of teaching and learning.

Incidental observation

Incidental observation happens as part of teaching, as teachers move around to observe and work with children during teaching activities. Incidental observation occurs as the teacher circulates among students who are engaged in classroom tasks and activities. Puckett and Black(2000) describe how teachers engage in incidental observation in the elementary classroom.

“During story time, for example, the teacher scans the listeners for facial expressions and body language and listens for verbal responses indicative of enjoyment, language development, and comprehension. . . .The children are also observed as they interact with one another and with adults. There are innumerable incidental observations inherent in day-to-day interactions with children. These incidental observations provide valuable information about what individual students are feeling, thinking, understand, and can do and guide the responsive teacher in setting appropriate expectations and experiences for them.”

Incidental observation can take place, for example, during oral interaction, during the drafting process in writing, and during reading, when there is a feedback and support process about the reading, and when questions and discussions take place on reading. Observation might take place outside in the playground (are the second language learners able to hold their own in the new language during play), or in the school assembly (do they appear to be understanding or are they‘tuning out’?). Mental or written notes are made by the teacher to inform teaching decisions.

Planned observation

Planned observation can involve a number of techniques. Teachers may watch children’s performance in tasks and activities in the classroom and take notes of what they see in a regular and systematic way. They may use observation checklists or rating scales. These checklists may be developed externally or may be developed by teachers for their own particular purposes.

Mason (1992) suggests that teachers should have a schedule for observing children:

“Be consistent and systematic with your observations because young children’s learning about written language develops and changes very rapidly. Have a schedule for observing different children every day or every few days. In this way you will always have an up-to-date detailed record of every child’s learning.”

Observations become assessment only when they are recorded systematically over time so that characteristics and changes in student performance are noted. The figure 1.1 is a simple example of an observation checklist developed by a teacher reflecting the objectives for a unit of work she is teaching. Note that children might achieve at different levels. Other terms could be used, such as ‘low, high, not applicable’, ‘beginning, consolidating, established’, or a space could be left open for comments.

Planned observation of this kind could relate to any aspect of language learning – to sound–letter correspondence, word recognition,reading skills and so on.

Figure 1.1. A teacher-constructed observation checklist for a unit of work.

Observing to check progress against externally developed criteria

Observing against externally developed criteria is often the basis for planned observation. Education Departments provide teachers with externally developed criteria. Teachers are asked to make decisions about children’s progress – on which level they are performing – and to report during the school year to the school and the Education Department.

Teachers will also take information from specifically designed assessment tasks and will combine this with observation data. The following form (Figure 1.2) can be used by teachers to observe features of children’s language. On the left are criteria, developed externally, and chosen specifically for the planned unit of work, or perhaps because they are salient in the children’s learning at present (e.g., they may be working at Level 4, and the teacher is aiming to move them to Level5).

Figure 1.2 Form for observing an individual learner against externally developed criteria (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority).

Teachers have space to write comments and suggestions over time as they observe specified criteria. The value of this pro forma is that it helps teachers to check that a criterion is well-established before deciding on the level at which the child is working. The very best way to assess children’ progress against externally developed criteria is for the teacher to get a picture of the child, make sure that he knows the child’s abilities, then go to the checklist and fill in the form. Teachers observing against externally developed criteria might follow the guidelines set out in Figure 1.3

CHAPTER III.

The grammatical categories specific to verbs in English-a bird eye’s view

In this chapter I will present a short theory of verb form use, which will prove quite useful in the following chapters.

III.1. Definition of the verb

The Verb in English has traditionally been defined as a part of speech that expresses an action or a state of things. This definition is not complete because other words, especially nouns and adjectives can also express this meaning.

The most modern grammarians prefer to define word classes (or parts of speech) not only on the basis of their meaning, but also on the basis of their form, so far as this is possible and on the basis of their function in sentences.

To give a complete definition of the verb we have to take into account three criteria:

Morphological

Semantic

Syntactic

Morphologically, the verb assumes certain forms to express various grammatical categories: the categories of number (which is shared with other parts of speech), person and the specific categories of tense, aspect, voice and mood.

From the Semantic point of view (from the point of view of their meaning), the class of verbs includes words expressing actions or states as processes.

A finite verb discharges the Syntactic function of a predicate in sentence.

The English verb has grammatical forms determined by its categories of mood, tense, aspect, voice, person and number. Depending on the presence or absence of the first three categories (person, number, tense), the verbal forms are divided into Finite and Non-Finite.

The Finite forms of the verb are represented by all forms of the verb except infinitive(s), -ING forms (Present Participle and Gerund) and Past Participle.

A finite Verb Phrase is a Verb Phrase that contains a finite verb form.

e. g. She writes a novel.

The finite forms of the verb are required in the main clause of a sentence (main clauses contain finite verb phrases).

The Non-Finite forms of the verb are represented by the –ING forms (Present Participle, Gerund) and –ED form (Past Participle) and the Infinitive.

A non-finite Verb Phrase is a Verb Phrase which contains one or more Non-Finite verb Forms (but no finite verb form. )

e. g. Writing a novel is creative.

It is creative to write a novel.

Non-Finite verbs are generally found only in subordinate clause (termed non-finite clauses i. e clauses without a finite verb).

e. g. Feeling better, she visited her aunt.

III.2. The category of Mood

The grammatical category of Mood serves to express the way in which the speakers consider the action denoted by the verb. By means of this category, the speaker can present the action (using semantic features), as:

[+ Real] – factual, existing in fact;

[- Real] – Non real, non factual, hypothetical, probable, possible, desirable, necessary action.

The question of the number of Moods in contemporary English is not solved since moods can be studied from the point of view of their meaning or from the point of view of the forms themselves.

Most traditional grammars speak of four finite moods: the Indicative, the Subjunctive, the Conditional, and the Imperative.

Modern grammars limit the number of to only two. The two English Moods unanimously excepted by grammarians are the Indicative and the Subjunctive.

For didactic,rather than scientific reasons,I think it is better to speak of four moods.

Finite Forms : -the Indicative Mood

-the Subjunctive

-the Conditional

-the Imperative

Non Finite Forms: -the Infinitive;

-the Participle;

-the Gerund

The Finite Forms of the verb

The Indicative Mood is the mood of assertion; it present the action as real or as factual. The tenses of the Indicative Mood cover all the divisions of time on the temporal axis: present, past, future.

The tenses of Indicative Mood are:

On the Past axis: Past Tense

Past Perfect

Future-in-the –Past

On the Present axis: Present

Present Perfect and Future

On the Future axis: Future

Future Perfect

The Subjunctive Mood presents the action as possible when the action is projected into the future or as a virtual, so unreal when the action had to take place in the past.

In English Subjunctive Mood has synthetic and analytic forms:

The Synthetic Subjunctive has three forms:

The Present Subjunctive

The Past Subjunctive

The Perfect Subjunctive

The Analytic Subjunctive contains in its structure modal verbs: should, would, may, might, could followed by notional verbs at Infinitive (Present or Perfect).

The Conditional Mood shows that the speaker consideres the action as conditioned or desirable. Many grammarians consider that the various conditional forms are subjunctives.

e.g. If he knew the truth, the would visit her.

The Imperative mood denotes an order,a piece of advice,a request,etc. In contemporary English the imperative is only considered in second person form.

e.g. Go! The subject is an unexperssed you.

According to a number of grammarians, forms like: ’’let’s go/let me help you’’, are not purely imperative.

The Non-Finite Forms of the Verb

The Non-Finite Forms of the Verb are: The Infinitive, The –ING form, The Gerund and Past Participle. The Non-Finite forms of the verb don’t have the grammatical categories of Mood, person and number and they cannot function as a Predicate in a sentence.

III.3. The Category of Tense

The category of tense defines the verb and it does not characterize any other part of speech.

The Tense – Time Relationships

Time is a universal, non linguistic concept, which exists independently of the grammar of any particular language. In other words, time is not a grammatical concept in the physical world.

The non-linguistic concept of time has three divisions: Past, Present and Future. The concept of time can be represented by means on an axis on which the Present moment (the point of reference – NOW) is located. Anything anterior to the present is in the FUTURE, anything posterior to the Present is in the PAST.

THEN NOW FUTURE

(Temporal axis)

The grammatical category of TENSE can express linguistically the concept of TIME.

By TENSE we understand the verb forms for expressing events in PAST TIME, PRESENT or FUTURE TIME. By tense we understand the correspondence between of the verb and our concept of time (the form of the verb whose function is to mark, indicate the time at which an event takes place).

Unlike other languages, where there is only one turn for both concepts extralinguistic and linguistic (Romanian timp, French temps), English grammatical terminology has two terms – time for the extralinguistic concept and tense for the linguistic concept, for the forms of the verb.

The category of TENSE relates the time of an event to the time when the utterance is produced.

This category is obviously dependent upon the speaker and upon the time of the utterance, tense is a DEICTIC (“deixis” – a term which subsumes those items of the language which refer to the personal, temporal or locations of the situation within which an utterance takes place, whose meaning is thus relative to that situation: I / you, now / then, here / there, that / this etc.).

Three concepts are necessary for the temporal characterization of an event:

The EVENT TIME: it is the time at which the event occurs;

The SPEECH TIME: it is the time when the utterance is produced when the communication takes place (the NOW of the deictic system);

The REFERENCE TIME: it is the time represented on the temporal axis (Present, Past, Future) specified in the sentence. A sentence specifies the Reference Time by the combination of tense inflections and time adverbials.

Taking the three divisions of time on the temporal axis, event may be viewed in two ways: as being SIMULTANEOUS with the reference points, or PERFECTED / COMPLETED before these reference points.

If the reference point of time is PRESENT events can be expressed by means of two forms:

events simultaneous with the present moment are expressed by the PRESENT TENSE;

events perfected before the present moment are expressed by PRESENT PERFECT TENSE;

If the reference point of time is PAST (symbolized by the deictic adverb THEN) event can be expressed by means of two forms:

Events simultaneous with the past moment (i.e. performed at the past moment) are expressed by PAST TENSE;

Events perfected before past moment are expressed by PAST PERFECT;

If the reference point of time is FUTURE events can be expressed by means of two forms:

Events simultaneous with the future moment are expressed by FUTURE TENSE;

Events perfected before the future moment are expressed by FUTURE PERFECT.

Besides tenses, the forms of the time adverbials also contribute to the temporal specification of a sentence.

III.4. The Category of Aspect

The category of aspect refers to the manner in which the action is regarded: it shows whether the action is complete or still in progress.

There are two aspectual oppositions in English:

The PERFECTIVE versus IMPERFECTIVE. Perfective indicates that the actions were accomplished (completed or perfected) at/before a given point in time: before NOW, before THEN. The Perfectiveaspect is formed with the auxiliary HAVE + Past Participle (V –ed of the verb).

The PROGRESSIVE (CONTINUOUS) aspect describes an action in progress at a given time (past, present or future). The action is temporary, i. e. it does not last long, it during a limited period of time.

The Progressive (continuous) form of the Verb Phrase contains the auxiliary BE + the Present Participle (V – ING) of the verb.

In order to be able to analyze the contrast between the Simple and the Continuous aspect, as a grammatical future of verbs, we should analyze their lexical aspect because there is a close relationship between their lexical aspect and the grammatical aspect. This relationship refers to the fact that the lexical aspect of the verb may determine its grammatical aspect, may determine whether the verb can be used in the continuous aspect or not. Thus, on account of their meaning same verbs do not normally occur in the continuous aspect.

Classification of verbs from the point of view of their lexical aspect. There are two classes of verbs:

DYNAMIC (ACTION/ACTIVITY) verbs

STATE (STATIVE) verbs.

A) DYNAMIC (ACTION) verbs describe something which happens in a limited time and has a definite beginning and end. There are normally used in the continuous aspect. These verbs can be subscribed into:

1. Durative verbs, i.e. verbs denoting actions, activities that last in time: sleep, read, work, study. This is a class of verbs typically used in the continuous aspect:

The continuous forms show that the action expressed by the verb is in the progress at a certain moment (in the past, present, future); the simple forms are used whenever the duration at the action is irrelevant.

e.g.She sometimes writes letters. (The simple form is used because the duration of the action is irrelevant).

She is writing a letter. (The continuous form is used to express an action in progress at the present moment and has not been completed yet).

The Continuous forms of durative verbs denote an action of limited, temporary duration, while the Simple Aspect denotes unlimited, permanent duration.

e. g. I am living in Bucharest this year. (The Continuous Aspect refers to an activity in progress and therefore suggests not only that the activity is temporary but that it needs to be completed).

My sister lives in Bucharest.(The Simple Aspect implies a more permanent action)

The Continuous Aspect refers to an activity in progress and therefore suggests not only that the activity is temporary but that it needs not to be completed. The Continuous forms are often used to suggest an incomplete action, while the Simple forms are used to express a complete action.

e.g. Tom wrote an interesting novel two months ago (i.e. he finished it).

e.g. Tom was writing an interesting novel two months ago. (But I don’t know whether he finished it).

Tom have washed the dishes today. (i. e. the job is finished).

I have been washing the dishes today. (but the job may be not finished).

2. Non-Durative (Momentary) verbs: verbs denoting momentary events, actions that occur in a fraction of time, i.e. actions which are completed almost in the same time they are performed: hit, find, jump, slam, slap, catch etc. Since these verbs refer to momentary actions so that it is difficult to think of them as having duration, they cannot normally be used in the Continuous forms:

e.g. She hit her.

He knocked at the door.

The boy jumped for joy.

Somebody is knocking at the door.

She is jumping for joy.

B) STATE (STATIVE) verbs describe states, which continue over a period of time. They denote an unlimited permanent duration of an action.

State verbs are not normally used in the Continuous forms because their meaning is incompatible with the characteristic meaning of the Continuous aspect, i.e. an action in progress of limited duration, an incomplete action. Verbs that usually do not have a Continuous form because they describe a state can be subdivided into:

1. Relational verbs: verbs which express the idea of being or possessing: be, belong, comprise, consist, contain, deserve, have, include, need, own, possess, require etc. Since these verbs indicate permanent qualities they do not normally occur in the Continuous forms:

e. g. She deserves to be happy.

He needs to be looked after.

That car belongs to her.

Some of these verbs may be used in the Continuous form if they express a temporary, limited state or quality or if they express other meanings, an activity not a state.

e. g. Jenny is being a good girl today. (The Continuous aspect is used to express a temporary quality or state).

You are being rude today, Tom! (Temporary behaviour).

He is having a good time.

What terrible weather we are having for the time of year!

2. Verbs of inert (involuntary) cognition – verbs of thinking, verbs referring of the activity of the mind: think, believe, imagine, mean, remember, mind, forget, suspect, guess, realize, understand etc.

e.g. I think you are right.

I remember very well what he said.

He forgot her name.

Some of these verbs ofthinking (think, expect, consider, imagine) may occur in the Continuous forms if they are as activity verbs.

e.g. I think you are right . (Think – a passive state of mind – I believe, guess)

He is thinking of his new friend. (Think – activity verb – to reflect to ponder) .

3.Verbs of inert ( involuntary ) perception are verbs which express an involuntary use of our senses such as : feel , hear , notice , look , see , smell , taste are not normally used in the continuous aspect .

e.g. I feel like a fool.

That boy looks very handsome.

The dinner smells good.

The cake tastes delicious.

I hear something I don’t like.

When perception verbs are used with other meanings (see, hear) or express a voluntary, deliberative use of their senses (taste , smell ) these verbs can be used in the Continuous aspect .

e.g. Have you heard from him lately? (Hear – get news from him)

She smells that perfume.

I’m happy. I’m feeling very well today.

4. Attitudinal verbs : verbs referring to feelings : adore , desire , detest , dislike , hate , like , love , prefer , want .

e.g. I like the way she dresses .

He wants to see the new film.

Some of these verbs can be used in the Continuous forms if they express a temporary action or a situation. (Colloquial English)

e.g. How are you liking the trip ?

In conclusions, the Simple forms express:

More information about a fact, when the duration of action is irrelevant.

Unlimited , permanent duration

Momentary action.

The Continuous forms express:

An action in progress of limited duration ;

An incomplete action.

III.5. The Category of Voice

Voice is the grammatical category specific to the verb which expresses the relation between the predicative verb, on the one hand, and the subject and object (Direct Object or Object of Agent) of the predicative – verb on the other hand.

The main voice distinction in English is between Active and Passive Voice.

The Active voice

The verb is in the Active Voice when the grammatical subject performs the action, (the grammatical subject is the agent, doer of the action) – the grammatical subject is also the logical subject of the sentence.

e.g. Mary (subject) has written a letter(object).

The Passive Voice

The verbs in the Passive Voice when the grammatical subject suffers the action performed by the object. (The grammatical subject is no longer the logical subject to the sentence ) .

e.g. This letter (subject) has been written by Lucy (object).

The formal indices of Passive Voice are:

The verb BE or sometimes GET ;

The object of agent introduced by the preposition BY.

The verb be marks the categories of Mood, tense, person, and number in passive voice. It is followed by a notional verb in the Past Participle.

e.g. This window was broken by my grandfather ( was – Indicative Mood , Past Tense, third person singular )

The Active-Passive relation (Passivization) involves two grammatical levels:

The morphological level : the form of the verb

The syntactic level: the change in the position, and status of the Active Subject NPs.

→The Morphological level: the form of the verb.

The conjugation of a verb in the Passive voice, the Indicative mood is:

The Simple Aspect

Present Tense – I am helped. He is helped. We are helped.

Past Tense – I was helped / you were helped / he was helped

Present Perfect – I have been helped / you have been helped

Past Perfect -I had been helped / you had been helped

Future – I shall be helped / you will be helped

Future Perfect – I shall have be helped / you will have been helped

The Continuous Aspect has passive forms for only two tenses :

Present Tense Continuous – I was being helped / you were being helped

Past Tense Continuous – I was being helped / you were being helped.

e.g. The bridge is being repaired now .

The house was being painted two months ago.

GET is a another auxiliary which can be used to form a passive construction , with verbs like : break , burn , catch , hurt , lose , kill , steal , stick , etc.

e.g. Tom got killed in a road accident?

My money got stolen.

BECOME is occasionally used as an auxiliary for the passive and express a more gradually achieved result.

e.g. The production of this factory is becoming increasingly specialized.

→The Syntactic level: the Clause level.

At the clause level, changing from the active to the passive, involves the transformation in the position and status of the Subject and the Object NPs:

The Subject of the Active Construction becomes an Object of Agent introduced by the preposition BY ;

The Object of the Active Construction becomes the Subject in the passive sentence.

The Prepositional Object is generally an optional element. The Object of Agent is only expressed when it is important to mention.

e.g. The electric bulb was invented by Edison.

The Object of agent is not specified when:

it is unknown to the speaker or when it is indefinite

e.g. Those pyramids were built around 400 AD.

My car was stolen last night.

it is redundant ( it can be recovered from the context )

e.g. Jack fought last night and Jack was beaten.

Causative Voice is a peculiar form of passive voice made up of the auxiliary have or make and the past participle of the verb.In this case, the agent expressed by the subject of the sentence causes the direct object to suffer the action of the verb by another agent:

e.g. I had my nails painted

My mom made me clean my room.

III.6. The Categories of Person and Number

The English verbs have only one formal indicator to mark the person and number. The only specific inflexion is -s for the third person singular, Present Indicative, added to the Infinitive form of a notional verb (modal verbs do not receive -s).

I. The first person (the person(s) speaking)

I read every day. / We are singing

The second person (the person(s) spoken to)

You are a beautiful girl.

You are nice people.

The third person (the person(s) spoken of)

She / he / it eats a lot.

She / he reads the lesson.

They eat a lot.

Because of the scarcity of specific endings in the verbs, these two categories (of number and person) are usually identified by means of the subject. Therefore the personal pronoun is hardly ever dropped in English as it usually is in Romanian where the inflection of the verb indicates number and person.

e.g. -Romanian language: (lucrez, lucrezi, lucrează, lucram, lucrați).

-English language: I /You write (The category of person, first person versus second person is identified by means of the subject I / We).

CHAPTER IV.

Teaching the verb in primary school

IV.1. Developing the child

IV.1.1 Language development

It is important to realize that a child’s ability to use his first language, in our case Romanian or Hungarian, is an important factor in the process of learning a foreign language. His ability to use his mother tongue will reflect on his ability to acquire English or any other foreign language. When the child’s ability of using Romanian or Hungarian language is not sufficiently developed, the teacher should not expect, on his behalf, performances in learning English.

The relative speed with which children acquire the complex system of language is not yet fully understood. It may be that children are in some way programmed to learn language but psychologists also emphasize the role of dialogue between child and significant others in the achievement of meaning.

Chomsky made the radical proposal that the principles underlying language are not learnt but are innate. He rejected as inadequate the learning theories advanced by the behaviourists because they could not account for the creativity of humans using language. Language cannot be learnt by simply reinforcement or imitation, Chomsky argued, because we can speak new sentences. They have never been spoken by the speaker before or heard by the listener. Yet, the speaker can utter the sentence and the listener understands it. How can this be explained?

Chomsky’s answer to this question is that language learner that depends on innate structures, allow children to recognize and use the complex grammatical rules of a language.

What is crucial, according to Chomsky, is that we are all born with what has been called a language acquisition device (LAD). All languages have rules which enable the language user to generate new utterances which they have never heard or spoken before, he argues that since all language share key rules, the underlying structures must be built into human brain as the LAD. The LAD is programmed to recognize the universal rules that underlie the particular language that a child hears.

Chomsky also pointed out that language is universal. Children in all known cultures learn to speak, even a foreign language, unless they have some disability. According to Chomsky children who are exposed to a language learn to speak that language.

The analysis of children’s utterances in terms of deep structure, surface, and the transformational rules related by Brown (1973), Slobin (1973), McNeill (1970), has greatly enriched our understanding of early language development. Children’s language does seem to develop in a systematic way. Children do seem to progress through similar stages in the acquisition of a foreign language. However, many contemporary psychologists question the notion of an inborn LAD, which operates most efficiently during a critical period between birth and puberty.

IV.1.2. Cognitive development

It appears that concepts that a child has learned in Romanian or Hungarian can be transferred into English. Children find it easier if learning a new concept takes place in Romanian or Hungarian first rather than in English. It is well known the fact that if a teacher has to explain a concept in English, it is more difficult to be done than in children’s mother tongue because of the way in which human mind works. So, for any teacher to know what concepts children in their class already know and what concepts they are likely to learn during the current year is of great interest. Some textbooks for learning English especially those which have been designed for Romanian speakers and schools might include concepts which are difficult or rather unfamiliar for young children and these should be well explained to our students as they are fundamental in their learning and acquisition of English.

Anyway, there is a difference between what children of different ages can do because some develop earlier, some later.

Piaget considered intellectual development to be a continuous process of assimilation and accommodation. The order of stages is the same for all children, but the ages at which they are achieved may vary from one child to another.

Many of Piaget’s observations about the concrete operational stages have been broadly confirmed by subsequent research. Although Piaget had noted that related concepts may develop at different times he gave no explanation for it.

Children’s performance in the concrete operational period may be influenced by the context of the task. In some contexts children in this stage may demonstrate more advanced reasoning than would typically be expected of children in that stage. For example, Jahoda (1983) showed that 10-year-olds in Harare, Zimbabwe, had more advanced understanding of economic principles than British 10-year-olds. The Harare children, who were involved in their parents ’small businesses, had a strong motivation to understand the principles of profit and loss. Jahoda set up a mock shop and played a shopping game with the children. The British 10-year-olds could not understand that a shopkeeper buys for less than he sells, and did not know that some of the profit has to be set aside for purchase of new goods. The Harare children, by contrast, had mastered the concept of profit and understood about trading strategies. These abstract principles had been grasped by their involvement in the running of a business. Jahodas’ experiment, like Donaldson’s studies (1978) indicate the important function of context in the cognitive development of children, highlight the answer to the issue how children learn to make sense of the world in the shared, social context.

IV.1.3. Emotional development

There is considerable evidence that children can understand other people’s emotions, desires and believes by 3 or 4 years of age and indeed the beginnings of this can be seen by 2 years of age. By 6 or 7 years children seem able to understand and manipulate emotions in a more complex way. It would appear that, as well as being able to understand that someone else can feel a different emotion, they can begin to operate recursively on such understanding.

When they get to 10-11 years old they have this emotional self-protecting feeling towards others and they try to hide their own feelings. For example, if they get a bad mark they try to hide the fact that they suffer, just to prove their peers that they are strong. At this age they do not realize that this might isolate them and they might become very lonely people and all that just because they think it is bad thing to tell others what you really feel.

It is not easy to examine all aspects of a child’s emotional development but it is important to be aware of the fact that young children differ in temperament. Some children are more aggressive, others shy, some are over anxious to please and in some cases frightened of making a mistake, others are moody, especially if they do not get what they want. It is, then, obvious that their ability to take part in language-learning activities is affected by their temperament. Therefore, to overcome these difficulties an important role is played by the teacher who needs to be aware of differences in temperament and be able to help children make the best of an activity. There are many ways in which teachers can gradually find out about their children’s temperaments but the common ones consist in watching children in the classroom, in the playground or by talking to parents about their children. Once a teacher knows what sort of temperament a child has, he\she can allocate particular activities to that child, giving him\her an opportunity to develop his or her character. At the same time, the teacher will know better when to give praise and encouragement, so that such actions to be most effective. This can be more easily done in schools which are in rural areas, as it is in my case. I believe a stronger bond can be formed with these children because they tend to trust their teachers more because they are part of the local community. Teachers are seen here as trustworthy, sometimes even as part of the family, and the students put their faith in them making the learning process easier.

IV.1.4. Motivation

There are many different reasons for learning English or any other foreign language, and there are many different factors that may affect a pupil’s motivation. The motivation that students bring to class is the biggest factor affecting their success. Jeremy Harmer shows that “Motivation is some kind of internal drive that encourages somebody to pursue a course of action” (Harmer,1997:3). If students perceive a goal and if that goal is sufficiently attractive, they will be strongly motivated to do whatever is necessary to reach that goal.

Language learners who are motivated perceive goals of various kinds. There are two main categories of motivation namely extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is concerned with factors outside the classroom, whereas intrinsic motivation is concerned with what takes place inside the classroom.

In Romanian schools, intrinsic motivation plays a vital part in the student’s success or failure as language learners. The factors influencing motivation are the teacher, the methods, the conditions, the atmosphere in the classroom, etc.

There is a big difference between children learning their first foreign language and children learning a second language at school: second language children have already experienced learning a foreign language. So, they bring with them to the language classroom a great deal of experience of language, of life and many other natural abilities which help them to learn English.

Children do not come to their English lessons like blank sheets of paper. They already have views and attitudes towards learning English. These attitudes are formed by the people around them, by the social environment in which they grow up. They can influence children’s desires and motivation to learn and ultimately their success in learning English.

“What are some of the things your pupils say about learning English?” What are the most important factors which influence pupils’ attitudes and motivation to learning English? ; asks Jayne Moon and she presents some comments of 11year olds, Spanish children. They say they like English because it is good to learn another language and to work in other countries of the world; it is not complicated, and it is a beautiful language; it is nice and can be useful later on; it is a language of great relevance in the world and because of that, they have more culture and they can understand computers and games instructions.

Other pupils said they do not like it because English is very difficult and they are not enthusiastic; they do not like English, because their English is poor and they feel a bit behind others.

As I said, at the beginning of this part, their motivation and attitude is influenced by the people around them, especially their parents. This is, in fact, a conclusion of what they say: “I think my parents are pleased that I’m learning English.”

Attitudes do not remain fixed and can be affected, both positively and negatively, by influences on pupils from outside school, for example, their friends’ views. They can also be influenced from people inside school, for example, their teacher’s view on English and what the teacher does to stimulate their interest. Especially at a young age, they are eager to please their teacher. I think this fact is of great importance and teachers should take advantage of this. It is our duty to give our students at least the same amount of enthusiasm we get from them. Otherwise they might lose theirs.

Motivation can also be influenced by the learning process itself and by its outcomes. So if pupils enjoy English classes and are successful this may develop positive attitudes and increase motivation.

Pupils vary widely in their attitudes, and they can be changed by their experiences. When they find it difficult, a change of method could stimulate their interest.

Others may have experienced an early lack of success, which could have contributed to their negative feelings. Achieving success could change their feelings.

IV.1.5. Children and teacher’s expectations

Young children, especially those up to the age of nine or ten learn differently from older children in the following ways:

They respond to meaning even if they do not understand individual words

They often learn indirectly rather than directly, that is they take in information from all sides learning from everything around rather that only focusing on the precise topic they are being taught.

Their understanding comes not just from explanation, but also from what they see and hear and crucially have to tough and interact with.

They generally display an enthusiasm for learning and curiosity about the world around them.

They have a need for individual attention and approval from the teacher.

They are keen to talk about themselves and respond well to learning that uses themselves and their own lives as main topics in the classroom.

They have a limited attention span; unless activities are extremely engaging they can easily get bored, losing interest after ten minutes or so.

Teachers need to work with their students individually and in groups, developing good relationships. They need to plan a range of activities for a given time period and to be flexible enough to move on to the next exercise when they see their students getting bored.

In her book, “Children Learning English”, Jayne Moon presents some of the children’s expectations concerning language learning. As I have pointed out before, two of the most important reasons for pupils liking English appear to be the teacher and the teaching methods.

So I asked my pupils what they expect from English classes and from me as their teacher. They were mostly concerned about classroom relationship. They want a teacher who cares for them, who is patient with them, does not get angry and helps them to learn this language, new for them. This suggests that one of the important conditions to promote language learning is for teachers to build good relationships with pupils and a happy and secure learning environment.

They also told me that they expect from me to use a variety of methods, interesting and captivating for their age, to plan funny and creative activities, wall displays of pupils’ work.

Children respond well to surroundings, which are pleasant and familiar. They expect to find an attractive classroom with pictures, drawings and writings. They want to have plants, animals, and any kinds of interesting objects, anything which adds character to the room, to the activity. Children learn and play best when feel secure, when they have a good motivation and when there is a strong relationship between teacher and children.

Children have very definite ideas about what they like in a teacher. If a teacher has a sense of humour, is open-minded, adaptable, patient, respects his\her pupils and is realistic about what they can manage at an individual level, then their expectations are met, and they are ready to make the effort to meet the requirements their teacher sets for them.

If children do not get what they have expected in the English lessons, they are disappointed. If parents do not get what they have expected and cannot see progress, they are disappointed, too. Parents’ enthusiasm can motivate; while their disappointment can reflect on their children, causing them to lose interest.

Young language learners are those who are learning a foreign or second language and who are doing so during the first six or seven years of formal schooling. In the education systems of most countries, young learners are children who are in primary or elementary school. In terms of age, young learners are between the ages of approximately five and twelve. Many young language learners can be called bilingual. Bilingual learners are those learners who learn two (or more) languages to some level of proficiency. This rather vague definition – impossible to pin down because of the variety of experiences of learners – would tend to include children who are learning a foreign language in immersion and bilingual programmes and all children in second language programmes. Young language learners may be foreign language learners, learning a language in a situation where the language is seldom heard outside the classroom. Young language learners around the world share many common characteristics and they learn in programmes that share many common beliefs and practices concerning the environment that young learners need in order to learn. Language programmes for young learners vary in their purposes and intended outcomes, their duration and their intensity.

At this stage, the students should be taught the necessary vocabulary to describe personalities in order to write a personality description of all the characters they have identified and, also, to write about which characters they like and/or dislike.

IV.2 Changes in the Curriculum at primary level

In terms of education, our country has experienced many changes in reforms. The globalizing phenomenon that spread across the world influenced our culture and education. Romania wants to keep up the pace with more developed countries, hence its’ need for change and reform. The Educational Reform project financed textbooks, supplementary materials, computers and training. The new materials offer a greater variety to students. The curricula emphasizes competence rather than memorising and translating. Teachers have a choice in selecting the materials they consider appropriate for their classes. This is a step ahead in EFL teaching and learning.

A teacher needs to know the content of the National Curriculum, the Educational Law and the changes occurring in the educational system. The curriculum is of great help to teachers because it offers guidelines regarding teaching, learning and assessing, thus helping the educational system to function at national scale. The reforms occurred after years of restriction and traditional teaching methods and unique textbooks. A new curriculum was designed to meet the needs of the changing world and a new society. The need to target skills and language functions, rather than lessons in the textbook is clear.

The creation of the Common European Framework for Languages in 2001 and our country’s adaptation of its linguistic levels of competence changed the image of English learning.This European project was designed to improve language learning and teaching and it provided bases for the development of language syllabi,curriculum,assessment,and textbooks across Europe.

“In addition, the Common European Framework of Reference covered the cultural contextin which language was set and defined levels of proficiency, allowing learners’ progress to be measured at each stage of learning and on a life-longbasis.”(Mihai, 2003: 70). Increasingly, students could demonstrate their linguistic competence based on international standards.

Romania adopted CEFR as means of evaluating their skills according to general criteria delineating four levels of linguistic competence: A1, A2, B1, B2.

For primary education, the sylabbi for teaching English comprises the following elements: introductory notes, attainment targets, reference objectives, samples of learning activities, content (topics, communicative functions, communication, building elements) A big difference should be made between classes 0 to 2(where the teaching is predominantly done orally) and 3 to 4(where students can read and write).

The biggest change in my opinion is introducing ELT at children who are in preparatory class. There was big controversy regarding this subject but, in my opinion, we gained three years, years which shouldn’t be wasted. Some teachers disagreed with this, saying that children cannot read or write at this age and their teaching is futile. Their efforts cannot be seen on paper so why do it? I truly believe that their efforts will be seen in time.

IV.3. Difficulties when teaching English at primary level

Knowledge of English constitutes an essential competence within the current society, which justifies that pupils are studying this language since the preparatory class, recently introduced in the framework of the education. Given the particular importance of English expression in the context of permanent cultural exchanges characterising the current society, studying it as a discipline of education from the primary classes constitutes a method aimed at acquiring linguistic abilities by students to enable them to communicate in this language in different situations. The introduction of English as compulsory discipline in the preparatory class is most likely justified by the fact that linguistic purchases may occur from early age. Still there are a number of difficulties teachers have to face when dealing with 6 year-olds.

Even when the teaching staff provides a diversified and attractive teaching class to students, it may happen that the lesson does not take place at the optimum level because pupils often lose interest in the activities proposed during the 50 minutes which make up an ordinary hour. The teacher must ensure at any class that the attention of the pupils is oriented to the lesson in progress, but in the preparatory class the capture of pupils ' attention is more difficult to achieve due to the fact that they, given their age, cannot focus on an activity for a long period of time. The work sheets, images, audio and/or video, and all other teaching materials used in class, determine students in the preparatory classes to focus their attention on the activities proposed by the teacher, but only for a short period of time. Thus, towards the end of the hour, they lose interest and can display disruptive behaviour.

Also, the relatively large number of existing pupils in a preparatory class (about 30) can make the education process harder because these students, still unaccustomed to school, need the teacher's guidance at all times. The teacher must guide the educational act in all classes, but in the preparatory class he/she must all the more give indications and provide helpful suggestions. There are therefore a number of difficulties in close connection with the age peculiarities of the students of this age, which may occur in the work of teaching the English language in the preparatory class. Thus, in order to ensure that the transmission of information and acquisition of language can be carried out effectively, the teacher must always take into account the specific features of the students of this age relevant to the educational act and build the lesson in such a way as to respect the needs of these pupils. If the teacher’s activities are as varied as possible, based on attractive teaching materials, then the objectives set will be achieved, and the students will accumulate knowledge, thus being overcome the difficulties that may arise in the process of teaching English at this level.

IV.4. Useful activities based on the verb aimed at primary classes

As I stated before, playing games and having fun are essential in teaching English. In this part I will describe some of the activities used by me at primary level. All of the following activities place the verb at the centre.

When finishing 4th grade students need to know: the verb “to be”, the verb “to have”, Present Simple, Present Continuous, some modal verbs, the Imperative.

→ One of the first games used at primary level is: ”Simon Says”-Imperative

The teacher or one of the students stands in front of the class saying: ”Simon says: Stand up!”/ “Simon says: Open your books!” The students need to obey Simon. The student who is last to obey Simon falls out of the game. If the instruction is given without saying: Simon says, the students mustn’t obey. The one who does falls out of the game. The game goes on until there is just one student left. He/she is the winner and has the chance to be Simon.

Examples of instructions: run, walk, swim, jump, swim, clap your hands, play football/golf, dance, close your eyes, write, read a book, etc.

→ Hot Verb-Imperative

All the students stand in a circle. They say a verb in English and then throw an object (I use a ball) to another student who has to say another verb. The student who runs out of ideas gets a punishment (for example to sing the ABC song). If you put on music, the one who has the object in his hand when the music stops, receives the punishment.

→ Rhymes –-Imperative

The teacher says: I’m thinking of a verb that rhymes with cheap (sleep); kite (write); thing (sing). The students need to guess the verbs. As a piece of advice for teachers: don’t try to make them up on the spot because it is not easy. Children will be full of enthusiasm and it’s difficult to think under those circumstances.

→ Can you find someone who? -Modal verbs

This is a good way to revise the modal ‘can’. The teacher writes some sentences on the blackboard and the students copy them in their notebooks. Find someone who can:

-run a mile

-sing an English song

-eat 5 ice creams

-stand on his/her head

-play the piano

-bark like a dog

-drink 3 cans of coke

The students then stand up and start walking around the class asking each other questions:

Can you play the piano?

Yes, I can./ No, I can’t.

If the student who is asked answers ‘yes’, the other student writes his/her name next to the question. In order to facilitate communication between more students, you cannot ask a student more than one question. If the students have names next to all questions they can sit down. I sometimes choose a more difficult question like’ Can you speak Italian?’ In this way the students are compelled to ask me the question and I can check the correctness. At the end of the activity the teacher asks questions from the students.

→Put the sentence into the correct order-Present Simple

Using coloured paper, I make sentences like the ones in the example. Each sentence is of a different colour (blue, pink, and red, yellow, green).I cut up the sentence. I know the number of the students in my class so I make sure everybody has one. If a student is missing, another student gets two, but it has to be the same colour. After all the students have a word, I say ’start’. All the ‘red’ students, for example, find each other and put the sentence into correct order, then write it on the blackboard. Those who finish first are the winners. I usually use this game when teaching the adverbs of frequency and word order, but it can be adapted to anything.

→ One of the students’ favourite game is ‘Snakes and ladders’ (see page….

I like the game because I can adapt it to anything I want. I have an empty board and I can write in it whatever I want, depending on the students’ level and what I teach. I tell the students to bring dice and pawns, but I always have extra, just in case.

The object of the game is to be the first player to reach the end by moving across the board from square one to the final square. Each player should roll one die to see who gets the highest number. Whoever rolls the highest number gets to take the first turn. The ladders on the game board allow you to move upwards and get ahead faster. If you land exactly on a square that shows an image of the bottom of a ladder, then you may move your pawn all the way up to the square at the top of the ladder. Snakes move you back on the board because you have to slide down them. If you land exactly at the top of a snake, slide your pawn all the way to the square at the bottom of the snake. If you land on a sentence you read it and tell your partner if it is correct or not and then explain why. If you do it correctly you advance on square, if not you go back one square.

I am happy. It is correct.

I are happy. It is not correct. I am happy.

This is generally a pair work activity. It is important for the teacher to walk around the class and see who needs help. You should tell your students to raise their hands, thus signaling they need help.

I sometimes use the mistakes from the students’ test papers to write sentences. In this way, they’ll understand them better and avoid repeating them. Below you will see two examples, an empty ’snakes and ladders’ and one which has been filled in.

→ Two truths and a lie.

Each student writes 3 sentences. Two sentences are true and one is a lie.

The partner must take a guess at which sentence is a lie. The sentences cannot show obvious things like’ I have brown hair’.

→Working in pairs or groups, find the verbs:

For beginners, I usually give the words (sing, play, eat, do, work, cut, dance, touch, etc.), but for those who are more advanced it is not advisable because the exercise would be too easy for them.

Give a time limit for this type of exercise. As students gradually become more knowledgeable in English, you can give the definition of the verb and they must find the verb.

When you are hungry, you….. (Eat)

→The next exercise is aimed at revising ‘there is’ and ‘there are’. ( see page…)

Each student gets a picture different from his/her partner’s and they must find the differences.

→Things we have in common, one way I am unique.

In groups students must find 3 things he/she has in common with the others.

E.g. We all have dark hair. We are girls. We like English.

Then they have to write one thing that is unique about each of them.

E.g. I have 4 brothers.

→Discovering

Working in pair, students have to tick the sentences which are correct and to put a cross next to the wrong one (correct them if possible)

She sings an Irish song.

They does not open the window.

What does the children usually play?

Does the Browns go on holiday?

Do I know him?

They loves that movie.

She never doesn’t goes skiing.

We don’t like animals.

Does she plays chess?

How much money you have?

Dogs don’t like spinach.

Does the women go shopping?

Who comes here?

Which car does he prefers?

Where you live?

→Tic-tac-toe-Imperative

Copy the grid onto the board. Divide the class into two teams: X and O. Tell a teammate to do something. Students respond by giving and acting out the complete commands.

→Around the table-wh-questions, yes/no questions

Form groups of four students and assign roles (from A to D).

Student A (pointing to B’s book) What’s that?

Student B It’s a book. (pointing to C’s ruler) What’s that?

Student C It’s a ruler. (pointing to D’s rubber) What’s that?

Student D It’s a rubber. (pointing to A’s pen) What’s that?…..

→Mark my words

Write incorrect sentences on the blackboard. Students come to the blackboard and correct them.

Peter are my friend. She must dance.

The girl have glasses. Where he go?

The fish can swims. Do the girl like cars?

They is wrong. Is the boys here?

Ale speak English well. Speaks she well?

→ Sentence maker. Write one word in each grid and ask students to make as many sentences as possible in a given time.

→What’s he doing? – present continuous

The teacher tells a student to come in front of the class and then whispers him/her commands:

Then the teacher elicits present continuous statements.

Hug a classmate. What’s he doing?

Sing a song. What’s he doing?

Dance. What’s he doing?

Open the book. What’s he doing?

→How often do you….?-Present Simple

The students need to answer questions using adverbs of frequency:

How often do you get up at 5 AM?

How often do you wash the dishes?

How often do you clean your room?

How often do you play computer games?

How often do you cook?

→ Choose the correct form of the verb-Present Simple

She listens/listen to a record twice a day.

She haves/has a party in her new house.

The girl talk/talks on the phone every evening.

My cat drink/drinks milk in the morning.

Mice eat/eats cheese.

She always look/looks out of the window.

Tina and her sister make/makes the bed in the morning.

I rarely write/writes letters.

Those boys never play/plays rugby.

The children visit/visits the museum.

→Word associations

Students have to match the verbs with their corresponding noun. There are more activities that can be done here. Students can work in pairs and match the verb with the noun or the teacher can cut up the sheet into pieces and give one to each student. The student has to find its pair.

→ Blackboard race

The blackboard is divided into two halves. The teacher calls out’ verbs’ and the two teams take it in turns to run to the blackboard and write verbs on the blackboard.

These are just a few examples of games that can be practised to make grammar more interesting for students. It is true that some of them need quite a lot of preparation, but, in my opinion, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Once the teacher prepares these games, they can be used for many generations.

CHAPTER V

Teaching the verb in secondary school

V.1. Changes in the curriculum in secondary level

Changes in the curriculum, the tardiness of their publishing, the lack of guiding materials make the teachers and the students fell completely confused. The 2017-2018 school year found both students and teachers in this situation. Students who started learning English in preparatory class were in 5th grade, so they needed new materials, something adapted for their needs. Unfortunately these materials were not ready. Instead of them, while waiting for their arrival, all 5th grade students received a textbook in which all school-subjects could be found: Romanian, Maths, English, History, and so on. This wouldn’t have been such a big problem if these texbooks had been good. My opinion is that, as far as English is concerned, they were not. The vocabulary used in these was too difficult for them to grasp, they contained words like entitled, starches, vendor, treacherous, etc, which were too difficult for children of this level. The texts contained verbs used in Past Simple and Past Continuous, tenses which were not taught in fourth grade. Teachers were told that it is impetuous to make use of these textbooks. All auxiliary material was banned, it was forbidden for teachers to make use of anything but this ‘compendiu’.

The first textbooks that appeared were for children in intensive classes (4 hours of English a week) and for English as L2 (the second foreign language). Not knowing what to do many teachers ordered these books, although they didn’t fit their students level (L1-2 hours a week). When the L1 books finally arrived, towards the end of the first semester, they were welcomed enthusiastically by both teachers and students. In my opinion these books are very good, the emphasis is on communication. The pictures, the activities present life-like situations and benefit them greatly. The grammar is simplified, there’s no Past Tense at this level. The thing I feel sorry about is that, until this day, a textbook for the children who will be in 6th grade hasn’t appeared.I feel that the first generation who started learning English in preparatory class, is a generation of sacrifice. I believe that a teacher should receive the materials much sooner because in this way he/she could prepare ahead. It takes time to study a textbook, to think about the best way to use it and the activities that are suitable and interesting for the students.

V.2. Considerations regarding teaching at secondary level

The first thing we have to bare in mind when teaching in secondary school is the level of the children. The majority of them are L1, meaning they have two hours of English a week. This doesn’t mean that all students are of the same level. Unfortunately, this is one of the biggest problems for teachers. In secondary school students are grouped by age and some of the students are significantly stronger than others. Learners progress at different speed, so even if they were at the same level at the beginning, they will probably be at different levels when they finish secondary school. Placement tests are a good idea.They determine the level of a student at English and place him/her with other students who are of a same level. Still, this cannot be done everywhere. In schools which have maybe just one class per level, this is imposible. The role of the teacher is crucial in this situation because it’s up to him/her to find the means by which all students can progress.

Several methodologies have evolved different roles for a language teacher. Richards and Rodgers conceive a teacher’s role as a part of design, component of a method. Little Wood conceptualized the role of the teacher as a facilitator of learning, an overseer, a classroom manager, a consultant or adviser and at times a co-communicator with the learners. To Harmer, a teacher plays the role of controller, organizer, assessor, promoter, participant, resource, tutor and observer. Task Based Language Teaching is the current paradigm is basically an off shoot of Communicative Language Teaching. Experimental learning or learning by doing as the main conceptual basis for the TBLT. The TBLT breaks down the barriers of the traditional classroom, because in the TBLT, the role of the learner is significantly altered. The teacher becomes a true facilitator or learning for the language learners, purely by means of dialog-communication. The teacher’s role is not shunned altogether but is restricted: the teacher is expected to be guide by the side.

I believe that we should use various procedures and materials to meet the students’ needs. When we plan lessons, we should remember that the thing we are planning might not be appropriate for all our students. This is why we should seek for feedback. In this way we can adjust the lesson to make it as effective as possible for each student.

V.3. The social nature of learning

One of the basic tenets of the social nature of all learning is that we can learn from each other rather than trying to learn by ourselves. This idea can be carried over into our second language classrooms when we realize that our students can also learn from and with their peers. Whereas in the traditional approach or paradigm, the rules often were, “Eyes on your own paper,” and “No talking to your neighbour,” the goal in the Social Nature of Learning essential is to encourage our students to share with their peers and their teachers. Indeed, research suggests that second language students learn from and teach others all the time, especially when they are not in formal teaching settings (Breen, 2001), and more specifically within a CLT approach, as Richards and Rodgers (2001) have noted, it is actually expected that second language students will interact with their classmates in speech and writing during class activities as well as outside of class. In order for this to happen though, both second language teachers and their students need to be aware of cooperative learning skills.

Cooperative learning (also known as collaborative learning) is one of the most researched methods in all of education, with thousands of studies having been done involving a wide range of students, as to age, ethnicity, and nationality, and a wide range of subject areas, including second language. These studies suggest that cooperative learning can lead to gains of cognitive and affective variables. What should be emphasized is that it is seldom useful for teachers to just ask students to form groups and work together. Instead, preparation must take place. The literature on cooperative learning offers principles and techniques to aid in this preparation.

Many students need some preparation for group activities as they may not be accustomed to working with classmates on academic tasks. Instead, they may have mostly experienced teacher-fronted instruction. To prepare students to cooperate, second language teachers often include explicit instruction in cooperative skills. The teaching of cooperative skills is a cooperative learning principle. Examples of these cooperative skills include praising others, asking for help, and giving and receiving suggestions (Gillies, 2007). These cooperative skills are also vital second language skills; skills that will serve our second language students well in their future academic careers and in other aspects of their lives where they collaborate with others.

Johnson and Johnson (1999) explain a useful six-step procedure for facilitating students’ regular use of cooperative skills that can be used in second language classrooms:

1. Students understand why a particular skill is important.

2. Students know the words, phrases, gestures, etc. typical of use of that one skill.

3. Students practice the skill in isolation, e.g., they do a game or role play that features the skill.

4. Students use the skill during a cooperative learning activity involving regular course content.

5. Students monitor their use of the skills and discuss their findings.

6. The skill is emphasized in an ongoing way, rather than just once.

Another means second language teachers have of promoting collaboration in their classrooms is to foster an overall atmosphere in which cooperation acts not just as a methodology for second language learning, but also a topic in itself for learning, and as a value embraced in all learning activities (Jacobs, Power, and Loh, 2002). Examples of cooperation as a topic for learning would be second language students writing compositions about the times that they (or people whom they interview if this can be incorporated into the course) have collaborated with others. To establish cooperation as a value, the class as a group can look at what processes in the school, such as norm-referenced evaluation and in society, such as contests with only one winner, promote competition as a value. It should be noted that the aim is not to eliminate competition or individual work; the aim is to achieve a better balance.

The most common way that teachers can implement this view of learning as a social activity is by the use of cooperative learning activities in their second language classes. As noted above, cooperative learning offers second language teachers many ideas for how they can go beyond merely asking students to work together in pairs or groups. Different techniques will be appropriate with different learning goals and will match with different views of teaching; furthermore, techniques can be adapted to fit particular learning situations.

There is a specific group technique: Snowball

Snowballis actually two techniques in one: Forward Snowball and Reverse Snowball. Forward Snowball involves students in working together to generate ideas, and in Reverse Snowball, students choose from among the ideas their group has generated. Forward Snowball is used for brainstorming and highlights the benefit of heterogeneity because it is good for gathering as many ideas or as much information as possible.

Step 1 – Each group member works alone to list ideas or information.

Step 2 – Pairs explain their lists to each other and then make a combined list. Duplications are eliminated.

Step 3 – Pair One and Pair Two get together and make a combined list. Duplications are eliminated.

Forward Snowball is also useful for teambuilding (creating bonds among group members) because it provides dramatic proof that two (or more) heads really are better than one. Within second language teaching such as an English as a second language (ESL) class, Forward Snowball can be used as follows: The teacher writes a word on the board, such as “important.” Students do Forward Snowball to see how many words they can generate using the letters of “important.” Perhaps they can use various aids, such as electronic dictionaries and websites, to find more words. In Forward Snowball, the group’s list gets bigger and bigger, however, in Reverse Snowball, it gets smaller. Thus, this technique builds analysis and evaluation skills as in the following steps:

Step 1 – Each group member works alone to list ideas or information.

Step 2 – Pairs explain their lists to each other and then make a list of only those items that appear on both lists or only those that they think are the best.

Step 3 – Two pairs repeat the same process.

Reverse Snowball could work as follows: Each group member lists four examples of good writing in a particular text. By Step 3 of Reverse Snowball, they try to agree on the best example of good writing in the text and prepare to explain their choice.

V.4. Grammatical items taught in secondary school

The grammar structures dealing with the verb to be taught in secondary school, as they appear in the curriculum, are as follows:

5th grade • Expressing instructions, giving directions – The Present Tense Simple; • Telling stories starting from pictures – The Present Tense Simple; • Writing invitations, e-messages, thank you notes, labels/tags – The Present Tense Simple; • Describing actions in progress, present temporary activities- The Present Tense Continuous; • Expressing instructions, giving directions, performing commands – The Imperative; • Expressing ability – The Modal Verbs (can, can’t); • Expressing permission -The Modal Verbs (can, can’t, may, may not); • Making up questions, finding information – Wh-questions;

6th grade • Expressing habits, routines vs. temporary actions, annoying habits, making plans – The Present Tense Simple vs. The Present Tense Continuous; • Expressing timetables, schedules, programmes – The Present Tense Simple; • Expressing future events – The Future Tense Simple; • Expressing past events/facts, actions, experiences, biographical information/data, describing people and places – The Past Tense Simple (Regular and Irregular Verbs); • Expressing past habits – Used to; • Expressing agreement and disagreement – Tag Questions; • Making a polite request – The Modal Verbs (can, will);

7th grade • Expressing narrative setting – The Past Tense Continuous; • Expressing recent life experiences – The Present Perfect Tense Simple and Continuous; • Emphasizing effects and duration – The Present Perfect Tense Continuous vs. The Present Tense Continuous; • Placing events in time – The Present Perfect Tense Simple vs. The Past Tense Simple; • Expressing future events, plans, intentions, arrangements, probability based on present evidence – The Future Tense (Future Continuous, going to, present continuous; present simple); • Expressing possibility, probability, obligation, necessity, prohibition – The Modal Verbs (could, might, must, may not); • Expressing future condition (real conditions) – Conditional Clause (type 1)

8th grade • Expressing cause – effect relationships – The Past Perfect Tense Simple and Continuous; • Emphasizing effects and duration – The Past Perfect Tense Continuous vs. The Past Tense Continuous; • Expressing future events, plans seen from the past – The Future in the Past ; • Articulating perspectives, quoting, reporting events, expressing opinions etc. – The Sequence of Tenses; • Changing perspectives – The Reported Speech; • Describing things, presenting events -The Passive Voice; • Expressing possibility, obligation, necessity, advice, recommendation, expectations -The Modal Verbs (may, should, need, needn’t); • Expressing imaginary and unreal condition – Conditional Clause (type 2, 3); • Changing meaning and communication styles – Phrasal and prepositional verbs

V.5. Accuracy vs. Fluency

For years and years learning the grammar was at the centre of the lesson. Teachers liked it, students expected it. When talking about grammar everybody thought about rules that show how to form a sentence, tenses, patterns and,of course, many exercises(fill-in ,rephrases ,multiple choice ,translation ,etc). In many situations these exercises were pointless and didn’t help learning the language. To learn a language better you need to be exposed to it, to notice specific items, to understand the form used in a sentence, to try out those items, to use them in a productive skill and to remember them.

Many teachers wonder how can the students learn grammar better, how can they use the language accurately and fluently.

When learning a language one has two objectives: accuracy and fluency.

Accuracy emphasises learning a language, the conscious study and production of ‘correct’ sentences.

Fluency emphasises a more unconscious spontaneous language use.

It is important to know what the implications are as far as the classroom is concerned. When we aim at accuracy we need to correct immediately, but when we aim at fluency we should correct later to avoid disturbing the spontaneity of fluency practice. During communicative activities the teacher should never interrupt the students in mid-flow to point out the grammatical mistakes because it interrupts communication and drags an activity back to the study of language form or precise meaning.

There are many types of grammar activities that can be used for grammar practice:

Awareness: once the students have been introduced to the structure, they are given opportunities to find them in some kind of discourse and to do a task which focuses on form or meaning. For example the students might be given a text and asked to underline all the verbs in present simple.

Controlled drills: students produce examples of the structure, but they are predetermined by the teacher or the textbook. The students have to conform to clear, closed-ended cues.

E.g. I like apples, but I don’t like bananas.

cats / dogs

potatoes / tomatoes

In meaningful drills the responses are very controlled, but students still have some choice.

Talk to your deskmate and make true statements about him/her:

He/she likes/doesn’t like icecream

He/she hates/enjoys sports.

In guided, meaningful practice learners form sentences on their own according to a pattern, but the vocabulary chosen is up to them.

E.g. If I win the lottery,……

In free sentence composition learners are provided with a visual cue,and they have to make their own sentences.

In discourse composition students have a discussion or write a passage according to a given task. They need to use at least some examples of the structure within discourse.

E.g. Your friend is ill. Give him advice using should/mustn’t.

In free discouse the students are not given a structure. Still, this might appear in the discussion.

The following subchapter contains exercises and activities for students who are in secondary school. Some of them aim at accuracy, while others at fluency.

V.6. Useful activities based on the verb aimed at secondary classes

V.6.1 Activities which aim at accuracy

→Use Present Continuous or Present Simple:

Mr. Brown usually (to drive) to his office.

We (to learn) English at the moment.

Listen! The baby (to cry).

My sister (to go) to the cinema this evening.

Ann (to like) playing tennis?

My father (not to watch) television now.

Jane (to write) a poem in this moment?

Dogs (not to laugh).

My friend always (to go) dancing on Sundays.

I (to sing) a new song now.

→ Choose the right form of the verb:

The pupils go/are going to school in the morning.

Mother tells/is telling me a nice story.

Do you greet/are you greeting her every day?

I am translating/translate the lesson now.

She is baking/bakes a cake now.

Do your neighbours quarrel / are your neighbours quarrelling every evening?

This man often calls/is calling late.

She drinks/is drinking tea in the evening.

We are playing/play chess 2 times a week.

He rides/is riding his bike at the moment.

→Complete these sentences with the right tense (use Present Continuous or Present Simple)

She usually (to study) in the morning, but this week she (to study) in the evenings.

My father generally (to go) to work by bus, but he (to go) to work by car this month.

I usually (to come) home at 5 P.M. though I (to have) a holiday at the moment.

The children generally (to read) English books, but they (to read) French books now.

My mother is in the kitchen. She (to bake) a birthday cake. She usually (to bake) when she has time.

I am at home now. I (to tidy) the living-room. I always (to tidy) the house.

We (to have dinner) now. We usually (to have dinner) at 7 o clock P.M.

Angela (to teach) in a school, although she (to be) on holiday and she (not to teach) at present.

We (to stay) with our parents now, though we (to have) our own apartment.

Patrick (to draw) in the bedroom. He always (to draw) when he has a chance.

→Use Present Simple or Present Continuous paying attention to the verbs which cannot be used in continuous form

Quiet please! I (to learn).

You (to understand) the truth now?

He (to be) smart now. I don’t like it

I don’t think you (to tell) me the truth.

On my way to school I generally (to see) many children.

Dave (not to come) here today because his mother (to be) ill.

I (to want) to speak to you. Come here!

It (not to seem) right.

They just (to taste) my cookies.

My soup (to taste) good.

Look out! The house (to burn).

Rice (to cost) much these days.

I (to have) a lot of relatives.

You (to have) a good time?

→ Give short answers:

Do you like drawing? Yes

Have you got a bike? No

Does she play tennis? Yes

Is Mike your friend? No

Are you working? Yes

Does Carol eat lunch every day? No

Do the children come home at 2 P.M.? Yes

Is the bird singing? Yes

→Use the Past Tense Simple or the Past Tense Continuous of the verbs:

She (to speak) in a loud voice when she (to drop) the plate.

While Paul (to dust) the furniture, I (to cook) in the kitchen.

We (to walk) in the park when suddenly it (to start) to rain.

Chris (to ride) his bike when he (to fall) and (to break) his leg.

I (to find) some money when I (to visit) London.

Jeff (to paint) the fence while Jerry (to repair) the roof.

When Doris (to enter) the room, I (to sit) by the fire.

Everybody (to dance) when finally George (to arrive).

Boris (to shop) when he (to find) some nice boots.

I (to watch) my favourite movie when the phone (to ring).

→Put the verb in brackets in the Present Perfect or the Past Tense (sometimes there is more than one right answer).

I (to pack) my bags yesterday.

My sister (to come back) an hour ago.

It’s nine AM. Marry (to do) the laundry this morning.

David (to live) next door since 1999.

Clara (to decide) to go into business with me.

The fire (to destroy) everything. Look! There is nothing left.

I (to wait) for half an hour.

He (to offer) me a lift yesterday morning.

The manager just (to sign) some papers.

Horace (to be) in hospital for two days.

→Answer the questions:

How long have you been eating?

What have you been doing since I last saw you?

How long have you been studying English?

How long has she been listening to music?

How long have you been painting?

How long have you been working?

What have you been reading lately?

How long has he been driving a car?

What has he been keeping from me?

Where have you been living lately?

→ Use the Present Simple, Present Continuous or Present Perfect Continuous:

I (to save) money for a house for seven years.

My godmother (to work) in an office.

Sarah (to fly) to New York next week.

My grandmother (to knit). She (to knit) since seven o’clock. She always (to knit) on Sundays.

Whenever I (to see) him, I (to get) butterflies in my stomach.

Peter (to clean) the garage. He (to clean) it for two hours. He (to do) this every month.

I (to drive) my new car. I (to drive) it for an hour. I (to love) driving.

You (to work) since this morning?

Wood (to float) on water.

I (to meet) my friend this evening.

→ Use Present Perfect Simple or Continuous:

My brother just (to arrive) from work.

Stanley (to collect) stamps since he was a child.

This is the first time I (to eat) Japanese food.

I (to love) this blanket since I was a child.

Ann (to watch) her diet all her life.

We (to come) to a conclusion this morning.

They (to sell) stocks for four years.

Bea (to work) in an office since she graduated.

You (to lie) to me!

Eddie finally (to understand) the problem.

→Answer the following sentences according to the model.

Why didn’t you clean your room?

Because somebody else had already cleaned it.

Why didn’t you shut the door?

Why didn’t you place the order?

Why didn’t you clean the house?

Why didn’t you pay for the coffee?

Why didn’t you answer the question?

Why didn’t you buy apples?

Why didn’t you clear the table?

Why didn’t you tell her the truth?

Why didn’t you write the letter?

Why didn’t you sing a song

→Use Past Tense Simple or Past Perfect Simple:

1. After they (to finish) dinner, they (to go) home.

2. I (to tell) him that I (to be) hungry.

3. We (to explain) that we (to lose) our keys.

4. He (to be) ill before he (to die).

5. As soon as my mother (to leave), I (to call) her.

6. The fire already (to destroy) the house, when the fire-fighters (to come).

7. I (to eat) too many strawberries and I feel sick.

8. She (to tell) me she (not to have) time to finish.

9. I would have gone to the concert if I (to have) time.

→ Put the verbs in brackets into the Future Perfect, the Future Perfect Continuous and the Present Perfect Tenses:

1. By the end of July he (teach) …………… in this school for a year.

2. I (look up) …………… the word in the dictionary before you (remember) …………… it. 3. By the time you (come) …………… back she (marry) …………… somebody else.

4. By next Sunday Bob (stay) …………… in the mountains for a month.

5. I hope the rain (stop) …………… by six o'clock.

6. I'll not speak to him again until he (apologize) …………… for his impoliteness.

7. Tomorrow I (live) …………… in this flat for six weeks.

8. By the time you (come) …………… back with the wine I (lay) …………… the table for both of us.

9. When (hear) …………… the truth you will understand why she ran away.

10. At 12 o'clock I (write) …………… for six hours.

→Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentence before it:

1. She didn’t pass the test because she didn’t study. If…

2. I’d like to buy a nicer car but I don’t have the money. If…

3. Paul didn’t get home on time because he had to work late. If…

4. I’m too busy to help you. Unless…

5. Ice melts if you heat it. If…

6. The kids are sad because it is raining. If…

7. Send him the money and he gets it later.If…

8. He studied hard and he became a doctor. If….

9. Help me or I won’t be able to do it.If…

10. I didn’t forget about the meeting because he called me. If…

V.6.2 Activities which aim at fluency

All the activities used at primary school are doable at secondary level, too. However the teacher has to adapt their level of difficulty.

However there are other activities which are too difficult for students who are in primary classes, but can be easily used for more advanced students.

→Tell a story

The teacher gives each student a verb and together they have to invent a story using the past tense of the verbs. When one student used his verb, the other has to pick up where the student before him stopped. The story will go on until all students finished their verbs.

E.g. One day Mary worked late. She was very tired. She went home….

→Crossword (see page…)

The students work in pairs. One student gets half of the crossword and the other gets the other half. The aim is to explain the verbs to each other.

You do this thing from 10 pm to 6 am. (sleep)

I always….the dishes after I eat.(wash)

→Take a guess

A student comes in front of the class and receives a card on which there is a verb. Under the verb there are words linked to the verb. The student has to explain the verb but he mustn’t use the words.

→ The spy

Prepare cards with true or false on them. Half of the class gets true, the other false. Students mustn’t show each other the cards. Everybody stands up and goes around the class. The students ask each other questions The students who have true written on their cards must give true answers and the others must give false answers. In small groups they have to guess who was ‘true’ and who was ‘false’.

→Brainstorm

Write a word on the blackboard (e.g. ball). The students must choose verbs that go with that word and make sentences.

E.g. Hit, touch, bounce, colour, play,etc

→Damaged property

Present a brief description of a piece of property that is damaged for example a broken mirror. Students take guesses at what happened with it.

Was it broken by you?

Was it damaged by your brother?

→The exact number

Give your students a number (for example7). One student has to make a sentence using seven words. His pair has to make a sentence containing 6 words, but the sentence has to be in connection to the first one, and so on.

E.g. I like oranges, grapes, apples and honey. 7

Don’t you like eating meat? 6

I like vegetables and milk. 5

Meat is much better. 4

Honey is good. 3

I agree. 2

Good. 1

→ If clause game

The teacher starts by saying a sentence ‘If I win the lottery, I will go to England. The students have to continue using another if clause. ‘If I go to England, I will visit my cousin.

→ The phrasal maze

Fill in the missing phrasal verbs to get through the maze in twenty moves. (see page….)

→Story writing

Could, should and would can be difficult to understand for many students.The teacher starts the story by giving an idea, a main character or plot point. Then students volunteer their ideas by using could, should and would. Imagine that the story is about a cat who runs away from home. Students may say:

What would he do? Maybe he would try to find some milk!

Could we make him a black cat?

Should we include a sidekick? Like a dog?

Designate one student to write ideas. When you’ve come up with the story, each student writes his or her own version down in their notebook, including all of the details that you’ve decided on as a class. Allow students to read one another’s stories or read their versions aloud to see just how many different versions of the same story they’ve come up with together!

CHAPTER VI.

Music and the verb- Music is the universal language of mankind- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

VI.1. The benefits of music

Music is unique. It demands focus, vision and critical thinking while promoting creativity. Music is not just an art. It’s an idea. When you hear a melody, it moves you. It makes you feel emotions. It is always there for you. It can comfort you when you are sad and entertain you when you are happy. The music doesn’t need anything outside of itself to be understood. Books require reading and understanding, films need watching and understanding, but with music you just need to listen. Regardless of age, music is one of life’s great pleasures. It can keep people interested and motivated.

Jeremy Harmer in the book “How to teach English’’ emphasizes the importance of music as a learning tool saying that music “speaks directly to our emotions while still allowing us to use our brains to analyse it and its effects if we so wish’’. “Music can amuse and entertain, and it can make satisfactory connection between the world of leisure and the world of learning in the classroom.”(Harmer, 2007:19)

It is no wonder that teachers have included music in their classes. At first, music was regarded as a ‘filler’ activity, it was considered a reward. In time, however, teachers have begun including songs on a regular bases. They selected songs that specifically focus on a grammatical item, for example. “Songs can be used in many of the same ways that you might use an ordinary speech recording. Interesting lyrics and clarity of vocals help to make a song into appropriate classroom material, and for this reason folk music or a solo singer-songwriter are often a better bet than a heavy-metal band.”(Scrivener, 2006:338)

There are a lot of advantages of using songs in your class: songs contain authentic, natural language, they are generally short, they can be a good source of new vocabulary, they can be selected in such a way that it suits the students’ needs, they present the world around us, and, let’s not forget, they are so much fun.

VI.2. Teaching the verb with the help of songs in primary school

Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Romanian primary schools is regulated with the national curriculum. Young learners acquire a foreign language with their whole body and senses. Children love recitation songs, songs for singing and nursery rhymes. Songs can help the teacher not only as a recreational activity, but also for practicing pronunciation and specific rhythms and, of course, grammar. It is obvious that, at this stage, you will not tell your students that the purpose of listening one particular song is to learn the verb” to be” for example. They know that we are going to have some fun by watching, listening and singing. The language level of you class will tell what songs are suitable for your students. At primary level the songs should be repetitive and easily understood. Tim Murphey states that at elementary level the dramatization of the song can be useful to express, through gestures, the meaning of some actions ( Murphey,2005:121).Songs can also help to improve listening skills because they provide students with practice listening to different forms of intonation and rhythm. English has a stress-timed rhythm, for which songs can help to establish a feeling. Murphey believes that music has the power to engrave itself into our brains, stating that “songs work on our short- and long-term memory” and are therefore adequate tools for using in the language classroom (Murphey,1992: 3).

The Three Stages of a Song as a Task (Cameron ,1997: 347) states that classroom tasks for young learners have three stages that “once identified, can be analyzed, adapted, and expanded” and notes that “it has been common practice for many years to plan reading activities in three stages: pre-reading, reading and post-reading” (2001, p. 32). Cameron adds that this has been adapted for mainstream task-based learning by Skehan (1996, cited in Cameron, 2001) and adopts it herself with the following labels (Cameron, 2001):

Figure 3. Three Stages in “Task” for Young Learners from Cameron (2001, p. 32)

Cameron argues that the core activity is central to the language learning task and without the core, the task would collapse. The preparation activities should help to prepare the students to complete the core activity successfully. This might include pre-teaching of language items or activating topic vocabulary. The follow-up stage then should build on the completion of the core activity (Cameron, 2001:32).

Preparation stage. Given the goal of the task is singing the song in the core activity stage, it is useful to activate the vocabulary and to form basic sentence structures in the preparation stage. This could be done using a number of methods, depending on the resources available to the teacher or the size of class. One way of activating vocabulary might be to use a picture of a bus to elicit vocabulary and form basic sentence patterns. For example, the teacher pointing to the bus driver could ask, “Who is he?” Students reply, “A bus driver.” The teacher then asks, “What does the bus driver do?” Students reply, “The bus driver drives the bus.” The teacher might then point to the wheels and ask, “What are they?” Students reply, “They are wheels.” The teacher then could ask, “What do the wheels do?” The students are encouraged to reply, “The wheels go round.” Of course this is only one option; the teacher may not have access to images to match the song and might want to ask the students to draw a picture. The pictures could be used to elicit vocabulary and practice the sentence structures used in the song. Regardless of how the teacher chooses to activate vocabulary and form sentence structures, the aim is that, at the end of the preparation stage, the students are ready to sing the song in the core stage.

Core stage. To involve the students and maximize interest, it would be advantageous to sing the song several times in the core, each time varying the pace or volume and having the students perform actions and sing along chorally. For example, the teacher could begin by asking the students to sing the word wheels at first, and have the students make a circle shape with their hands. Then the teacher could have the students turn around 360 degrees when singing round and round.

Follow-up stage. The follow-up stage should attempt to build on the successful completion of the core stage. In other words, the students have sung the song and now should be encouraged to use the vocabulary or sentence structures from the song. Again, this depends on the circumstances of the teacher. The follow-up stage could be used to develop written production, either through writing sentences or gap-fill activities, or oral production where the vocabulary learned is used in a situational role-play. (Millington,2011:138-139)

Here are some examples of songs that I teach at primary level, the grammatical purpose I teach it for and some additional activities:

One of my favourite songs for teaching the present of “to be” is “How are you today?”

Hello, hello
how are you today?
I'm happy, happy, happy

hello, hello
how are you today?
I'm sad, sad, sad

hello, hello
how are you today?
I'm hungry
I'm hungry today

The song is easily understood by beginners, repetitive and the video is amusing. An additional activity for this song is when children ask each other how they are. As visual aids, apart from the video, I also use coloured cards showing people’s emotions (scared, sleepy, thirsty, and so on). In this way the children can create new sentences.

Other songs that can be used with this verb are” To be” song, “ Be” song, etc.

For teaching the verb “to have” I use the song “Have or has song” or “I have a pet”. This is the children’s favourite, because they can pretend they are animals and they can gesture.

Do you have a pet?
Yes, I have a dog.
I have a pet. [Pet the back of one hand with the other.]
He is a dog. [Dog gesture.]
And he says, "Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof. Woof woof." [Bark like a dog.]
I have a cat.
I have a pet.
She is a cat. [Cat gesture.]
And she says, "Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow. Meow meow." [Meow like a cat.]
I have a mouse.
I have a pet.
He is a mouse. [Mouse gesture.]
And he says, "Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak. Squeak squeak." [Squeak like a mouse.]
Woof woof. [Dog gesture.]
Meow meow. [Cat gesture.]
Squeak squeak. [Mouse gesture.]
I have a bird.
I have a pet.
He is a bird. [Bird gesture.]
And he says, "Tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet. Tweet tweet." [Tweet like a bird.]
I have a fish.
I have a pet.
She is a fish. [Fish gesture.]
And she says, "Glub, glub, glub, glub, glub. Glub glub." [Glub like a fish.]
I have a lion.
A lion?! I have a pet.
He is a lion. [Lion gesture.]
And he says, "Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar. Roar roar." [Roar like a lion.]
Tweet tweet. [Bird gesture.]
Glub glub. [Fish gesture.]
ROAR! [Lion gesture.] ♫

Then I usually ask students to tell me things they have e.g. book, pen, dog, cat, etc. As a follow-up, they have to remember each other’s possessions.

One of my favourite verbs to teach at primary classes is the modal “can”. There are so many songs based on this verb that I always have difficulty in choosing. I will mention a few: “Yes, I can”, “I can”, “Hello, hello! Can you clap your hands?”

♫ Little bird, little bird, can you clap? [Bird gesture. Shrug your shoulders. Clap.]
No, I can't. No, I can't. I can't clap. [Shake your head "no." Thumbs down.]
Little bird, little bird, can you fly? [Bird gesture. Shrug your shoulders. Flap your arms.]
Yes, I can. Yes, I can. I can fly. [Nod your head "yes." Thumbs up! Fly around.]
Elephant, elephant, can you fly? [Elephant gesture. Shrug your shoulders. Flap your wings.]
No, I can't. No, I can't. I can't fly. [Shake your head "no." Thumbs down.]
Elephant, elephant, can you stomp? [Elephant gesture. Shrug your shoulders. Stomp your feet.]
Yes, I can. Yes, I can. I can stomp. [Nod your head "yes." Thumbs up! Stomp around.]
Little fish, little fish, can you stomp? [Fish gesture. Shrug your shoulders. Stomp your feet.]
No, I can't. No, I can't. I can't stomp. [Shake your head "no." Thumbs down.]
Little fish, little fish, can you swim? [Fish gesture. Shrug your shoulders. Swim.]
Yes, I can. Yes, I can. I can swim. [Nod your head "yes." Thumbs up! Swim around.]
Gorilla, gorilla, can you swim? [Gorilla gesture. Shrug your shoulders. Swim.]
No, I can't. No, I can't. I can't swim. [Shake your head "no." Thumbs down.]
Gorilla, gorilla, can you climb? [Gorilla gesture. Shrug your shoulders. Climb.]
Yes, I can. Yes, I can. I can climb. [Nod your head "yes." Thumbs up! Climb around.]
Buffalo, buffalo, can you climb? [Buffalo gesture. Shrug your shoulders. Climb.]
No, I can't. No, I can't. I can't climb. [Shake your head "no." Thumbs down.]
Buffalo, buffalo, can you run? [Buffalo gesture. Shrug your shoulders. Run.]
Yes, I can. Yes, I can. I can run. [Nod your head "yes." Thumbs up! Run around.]
Boy and girls, boys and girls, can you sing? [Point to boys and girls. Shrug your shoulders. Sing.]
Yes, we can. Yes, we can. We can sing. [Nod your head "yes". Thumbs up! Sing.]
Boys and girls, boys and girls, can you dance? [Point to boys and girls. Shrug your shoulders. Dance.]
Yes, we can. Yes, we can. We can dance. [Nod your head "yes." Thumbs up! Dance.]
We can sing. We can dance. Yes, we can. [Sing and dance. Thumbs up!]
We can sing. We can dance. Yes, we can.
Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.
Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.
Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. ♫

Model verbs are also a good opportunity for children to revise other verbs, since the modal “can” is always formed with the short infinitive of another verb.

The main aim of any teacher when starting teaching beginners is to teach actions, as many actions as possible. This will make communication easier. There are all sorts of songs which will come in handy at this point: ” The Happy Song”, “ The Singing Walrus”,” Jump, run and shout”,” Stand up, sit down” and many more.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands (clap clap)
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands (clap clap)
If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands. (clap clap)

If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet (stomp stomp)
If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet (stomp stomp)
If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, stomp your feet. (stomp stomp)

If you're happy and you know it, shout "Hurray!" (hoo-ray!)
If you're happy and you know it, shout "Hurray!" (hoo-ray!)
If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, shout "Hurray!" (hoo-ray!)

If you're happy and you know it, do all three (clap-clap, stomp-stomp, hoo-ray!)
If you're happy and you know it, do all three (clap-clap, stomp-stomp, hoo-ray!)
If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, do all three. (clap-clap, stomp-stomp, hoo-ray

My children particularly like “Action words, talking flashcards, where they do the things they see in the video. The beauty of this is that only English is used, children see the image and immediately understand its meaning. Even at this level we should try using mostly English.

There are also a lot of songs based on Present Simple. At this level I recommend” I like apples and bananas”, “The morning routines song” ,”Wake up! Daily routines song for kids” and my absolute favourite “Do you like broccoli ice cream song”( Yes/No questions)

♫ Do you like broccoli?
Yes, I do! [Yes gesture.]
Do you like ice cream? [Pretend to lick an ice cream cone.]
Yes, I do! [Yes gesture.]
Do you like broccoli ice cream? [Make a "yucky" face.]
No, I don't. Yucky! [No gesture.]
Do you like donuts? [Pretend to hold and eat a donut.]
Yes, I do!
Do you like juice? [Pretend to drink juice.]
Yes, I do!
Do you like donut juice?
No, I don't. Yucky!
Do you like popcorn? [Pretend to eat popcorn one by one.]
Yes, I do!
Do you like pizza? [Pretend to hold a piece of pizza and eat it.]
Yes, I do!
Do you like popcorn pizza?
No, I don't. Yucky!
Do you like bananas? [Pretend to peel and eat a banana.]
Yes, I do!
Do you like soup? [Pretend to eat soup from a bowl with a spoon.]
Yes, I do!
Do you like banana soup?
No, I don't. Yucky! ♫

Based on this song children can create their own sentences, ask and answer each other. It brings out their creativity. This song never fails. Whenever a child doesn’t know the interrogative form of the Present Simple, I just remind him/her of this song and he/she remembers. It is amazing how songs facilitate grammar acquisition and create positive group dynamics.

When I teach Present Continuous I also use songs. ”Jonny’s playing football” ,“ What are you doing?”

Johnny's playing football
Johnny's playing football
He's wearing all his school clothes and getting very dirty!
He's wearing all his school clothes and getting very dirty!
Johnny, your mother's coming!
Johnny, your mother's coming!
Mary's eating chocolate
Mary's eating chocolate
She's eating lots of chocolate and now she isn't hungry
She's eating lots of chocolate and now she isn't hungry
Mary, the dinner's ready!
The kids are drawing pictures
The kids are drawing pictures
They aren't doing the exercises, they are just drawing pictures!
Kids, the teacher's looking!
The topic of the song is children telling on each other. Before listening to the song I show pictures to my class (playing football, eating chocolate) and I ask them to predict what the song is about. I also give the lyrics to them, but the words are not separated from each other. In pairs, they have to separate the words.

In my opinion, at elementary level, songs are the best way to introduce grammar. As I have said, at this level, where many children cannot read or write, a class without music would seem impossible to me. With a little initiative and imagination, a children’s song can be adapted. By slightly altering the vocabulary, grammar, or sentence structure while maintaining the original rhythm, a song can be adapted to suit a particular theme. Children of this age get bored so easily and it is impetuous to offer them variety.

Websites such as The Teacher’s Guide (http://www.theteachersguide. com/) or NIEHS Kids’ Pages (http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/) provide hundreds of children’s songs with lyrics for teachers to use. Other useful sites are: Super Simple Songs – Kids Songs, Busy Beaver, Pinkfong, Nursery Rhyme for Children, Little Baby Bum, and many more.

VI.3. Teaching the verb with the help of songs in secondary school

There are a lot of teachers who believe that once children get to 5th grade they won’t enjoy songs anymore. They think the children will not like the songs and they won’t be willing to participate in such activities. This couldn’t be far from the truth. While it is true that they will probably not want to sing “Old McDonald had a farm” with a lot of enthusiasm, it is our duty as teachers to adapt to their needs and tastes. Songs do not lose their importance, nor their usefulness. What’s more, due to the students’ level of knowledge, there are far more activities that can be based on songs. We mustn’t forget that even adults love listening to music and singing along because music motivates and people listen to music for pleasure. At this age group there is widespread interest in pop or rock songs and this can be very profitably exploited by the teacher. Songs can be used as a sample of language to be analysed. Students can answer concept questions about the grammar feature in one particular song. A song can also be used as an exercise. Students can be asked to fill in the gaps, to take notes, to spot tenses, to find errors, to put the lyrics in the right order, to transform from active to passive, from first person to third person, from present to past, etc.

Here are some examples of songs that have been successfully used in class and were enjoyed by my students and some possible exercises. There are many activities which can be done with the help of the songs, but I will only talk about those which concern the verb.

→What a Wonderful World-Louis Armstrong-Present Simple

I see trees of green…….. Red roses too
I see em bloom….. For me and for you
And I think to myself…. What a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue….. Clouds of white
Bright blessed days…. Dark sacred nights
And I think to myself….. What a wonderful world.
The colors of a rainbow….. So pretty.. In the sky
Are also on the faces….. Of people.. Going by
I see friends shaking hands….. Sayin.. How do you do
They're really sayin…… I love you.
I hear babies cry…… I watch them grow
They'll learn much more….. Than I'll never know
And I think to myself….. What a wonderful world
The colors of a rainbow….. So pretty.. In the sky
Are there on the faces….. Of people.. Going by
I see friends shaking hands….. Sayin.. How do you do
They're really sayin…*spoken*(I…. Love…. You).
I hear babies cry…… I watch them grow
*Spoken*(you know their gonna learn
A whole lot more than I'll never know)
And I think to myself….. What a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself……. What a wonderful world.

Possible exercises based on the song:

The teacher cuts out all the verbs in Present Simple and the students working in pairs should fill in the gaps.

The students working in pairs should transform the pronoun I into he, making the necessary changes.

→What a crazy day-Past Simple Irregular verbs

I woke up this morning

And I got into bed

Then I ate a cup of tea

And drank a slice of bread

Oh, what a crazy day!

Oh, what a crazy day!

I went to the bus stop

And caught the train to school

Then I rode my bicycle

In the swimming pool

Oh, what a crazy day!

Oh, what a crazy day!

Someone broke the telephone

So I rang my friend

We went to the football field

And swam from end to end

Oh, what a crazy day!

Oh, what a crazy day!

I came home this evening

And watched the radio

I lay down on the ceiling

And read a video

Oh, what a crazy day!

Oh, what a crazy day!

Possible exercises based on this song:

-underline the irregular verbs

-ask each other questions like: Did you eat a cup of tea?

-use the verbs to make sentences of your own

-in pairs write similar sentences.

→I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For-U2-Present Perfect

I have climbed the highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you

I have run I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for

Possible exercises based on this song:

-ask and answer each other questions like: Have you ever…?

-give the lines of the song in the wrong order and tell students to rearrange the lines.

→If you’re lonely-If Clauses-type 1

If you’re tired and lonely

I’ll come to you

If you need someone you can talk to

I’ll be there for you

If your friends desert you

I’ll be by your side

If you need a place to go to

My door is open wide

If you’re feeling cold

I’ll build a fire

If you’re feeling sad and low

I’ll take you higher

Possible exercises based on this song:

-underline the verbs in the main clause and the verbs in the if clause

-continue the song in the same style, writing about your best friend

→If I had a million dollars-If clauses Type 2

If I had a million dollars (if I had a million dollars)
Well I'd buy you a house (I would buy you a house)
And if I had a million dollars (if I had a million dollars)
I'd buy you furniture for your house (maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman)
And if I had a million dollars (if I had a million dollars)
I'd buy you a k-car (a nice reliant automobile)

And if I had a million dollars I'd buy your love
If I had a million dollars I'd build a tree fort in our yard
If I had a million dollars you could help, it wouldn't be that hard
If I had a million dollars maybe we could put a little tiny refrigerator in there somewhere
(You know we could just go up the and hang out)
(Like open the fridge and stuff and, girl, there'd be foods laid out for us)
(With little pre-wrapped sausages and things, hmm)
(They have pre-wrapped sausages but they don't have pre-wrapped bacon)
(Can you blame them? Yeah)

If I had a million dollars (if I had a million dollars)
I'd buy you a fur coat (but not a real fur coat that's cruel)
And if I had a million dollars (if I had a million dollars)
Well I'd buy you an exotic pet (yep, like a llama or an emu)
And if I had a million dollars (if I had a million dollars)

Possible exercises based on the song:

Write all the things the writer would do if he had a million dollars.

Finish the sentence: If I had a million dollars….

The possibilities of using songs for teaching the verb are endless. There isn’t a grammar structure for which, with a little effort, one cannot find a song. I believe we should take this great opportunity offered by music, that is, developing songs from activities into language learning tasks. I’d also like to point out how, with a little initiative, teachers can adapt songs to better suit their teaching goals. Songs can be used as a valuable teaching and learning tool. But the greatest benefit to using songs in the classroom is that they are enjoyable. Unfortunately, despite these advantages, simply singing songs will not really teach learners how to communicate in another language.

VI.4. Difficulties when using songs in class

Apart from the many advantages they offer, not all songs are suited for teaching. Just because a song contains a particular grammatical structure, it doesn’t mean it is usable. There are songs which contain difficult vocabulary and the student might feel intimidated by it. Other songs might not be suitable because, even if the vocabulary is at their level of understanding, the students wouldn’t be able to understand the theme of the song. There are songs which contain far too many errors made for the sake of rhythm and rhyme. In this situation, the students may feel confused and question their own knowledge.

Other problems might arise because of the students. Some students start giggling, especially when there’s a love song playing. This might disrupt the task. I believe that if the students get used to listening to songs, this problem will reduce. Another possible difficulty happens quite often in the case of younger students who might start dancing or drumming. In this situation, the teacher could lower the volume so that the students be compelled to stop. There are students who won’t sing. It is not a problem, we shouldn’t force them. They can “speak” the song if they wish to.

There are some people, especially parents, who may think that listening to songs is a waste of time. We all know the typical parents’ question” What did you do at school/English today?’’

If the child answers invariably.” We sang and played”, they might get the wrong idea. That is why it is important for the student to understand the lyrics, not just to be able to sing. A well-prepared teacher can patiently explain the doubting parents the reasons behind learning songs.

All in all the benefits of songs definitely outweigh the drawbacks. Songs help create that friendly and co-operative atmosphere that is so important for language learning. Songs can help students learn in a relaxing and stress-free environment.

CHAPTER VII-Survey

Conclusions

Appendices

Bibliography

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Electronic sources

www.witslanguageschool

www.education.com

www.songlyrics.com/super-simple-learning

www.wallstreetenglish.com

www.ukEnglish.org.uk

www.languageinindia.com/may2013/pradeepgrammarfinal.pdf

www.tribunainvatamantului.ro/posibile-dificultati-in-predarea-limbii-engleze-la-clasa-primara https://camtesol.org/Download/LEiA_Vol2_Iss1_2011/LEiA_V2_I1_11_Neil_Millington_Using_Songs_Effectively_to_Teach_English_to_Young_Learners.

https://busyteacher.org/classroom_activities-listening/songs_and_lyr