Page 129 - Teaching English at Primary Level: From Theory into the Classroom

Vocabulary and Grammar Combined

ticipate in this, they learn the meaning and pronunciation of nouns (horse,
bunny, fish, cat), verbs (gallop, hop, swim, walk), a sentence structure in the
present (I can + infinitive without to + like + a + noun) and four different
communicative patterns: Yes, of course., It’s so funny., If you wish., and Just
like that. They develop and practice all these language points without pay-
ing explicit attention to either vocabulary or grammar, only through active
participation.

I can gallop like a horse, I can swim like a fish
I can gallop like a horse, I can swim like a fish
Yes of course, If you wish,
yes of course, if you wish,
yes of course. if you wish.
I can hop like a bunny, I can walk like a cat,
I can hop like a bunny, I can walk like a cat
It’s so funny, Just like that,
it’s so funny, just like that,
it’s so funny. just like that.
MIAOW!

Besides stories and songs, the teacher can use different kinds of games
and classroom activities in which learners learn grammar and vocabulary in
combination. Surveys in which pupils go around the classroom and ask their
school friends different questions are especially useful for this purpose. In
surveys, learners are usually given a task with a clear purpose and a set of
vocabulary and language structures (e.g. ‘Can you play (football)?’ – ‘Yes, I
can./No, I can’t.’). Whilst the teacher will see the activity as grammar practice
and vocabulary development, the learners will carry out the task without be-
ing aware of the grammar focus.
A useful approach to teaching grammar and vocabulary to YLs is focus-
ing on chunks of language. Chunks are complete phrases or word combi-
nations which are very common in language and have specific meanings,
such as ‘I know what you mean.’ or ‘That’s what friends are for.’ They can be
fixed (‘What’s the time?’) or semi-fixed or partial (‘Have you got (a pet/any
cousins/a bicycle?’). Chunks function as single units so we do not need to
analyse and construct a phrase or clause by combining different words. As
such, they stick in our memory and can be retrieved when we need them.
The most important characteristic of chunks is that because they are learnt
as a whole, the grammar used is usually correct.

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