Page 115 - Teaching English at Primary Level: From Theory into the Classroom

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Teaching Grammar and Vocabulary

Chapter Objectives
• Examining different approaches to developing vocabulary and
vocabulary learning strategies
• Analysing different approaches to teaching grammar to YLs
• Understanding the interrelation between vocabulary and grammar

Vocabulary and grammar are close friends and we store them together in
typical combinations rather than in isolation. In fact, the more we know
about a particular word, the more we move into grammar. Effective speak-
ers do not store and retrieve individual words, but rather whole chunks of
language. For example, native speakers of English are very good at retriev-
ing whole pieces of language, they make grammar and vocabulary combi-
nations such as ‘What’s up mate?’ or ‘Let’s have some coffee.’ without con-
sciously thinking of grammar or vocabulary. This implies that the best way to
teach and learn grammar and vocabulary is by considering them together.
In addition, the teaching of vocabulary and grammar is integrated in the
development of the four skills – listening, speaking, reading and writing.
The interrelation between vocabulary and grammar is especially relevant
for young language learners who are not yet aware of the different aspects
of language and can only be taught grammar and vocabulary using a holistic
approach (Pinter, 2006; Cameron, 2001). In the two chapters below, we focus
first on vocabulary development and then grammar, but always bearing in
mind that these two aspects of language are tightly related and that one can-
not be taught without the other. We focus on this aspect in the third chapter
in which we present examples of a holistic approach to teaching grammar
and vocabulary.

Vocabulary Focus
Vocabulary is not just about learning words; it is also about learning how
these words function together and the contexts in which they are used.
When teaching an FL, it is important to understand that recognising words
does not automatically mean knowing them. For example, YLs might be able
to connect the word ‘turtle’ to the picture of a turtle in a worksheet but will
find it difficult to retrieve it when asked about the name of the animal in En-
glish. In order to ‘know’ the word, we need to expose learners to deliberate

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