Learning Grammar

If someone asks me grammar is important with young learner, I would say ‘yes’. I know it is said that grammar has no place in young learner classroom, that it is too difficult for children or not relevant to their learning, but as a teacher we have to open up the idea of ‘grammar’ and to explore grammar from learners’ perspective because there is no need to rush into technical rules and labels that will confuse.


The chapter says we can teach young learners for developing grammar in the foreign language, not by teaching grammar directly, but by being sensitive to opportunities for grammar learning that arise in the classroom. A grammar-sensitive teacher will see the language patters that occur in tasks, stories, songs, rhymes and classroom talk, and will have a range of techniques to bring these patterns to the children’s notice, and to organize meaningful practice.

In my opinion, the matter of consequence , especially teaching English in young age, is teach them in interesting approach. One of the ways can be teaching grammar through children’s stories in structural, communicative and mixed approaches. Recently, there are many English centers reflecting this trend. They emphasis on doing extensive reading to students, at the same time they try to teach grammar through stories. Depends on centers, the way of they are doing can be pattern drills or incidental learning.

Recently, I found a useful site entitled “http://www.kidsfreesouls.com”. It is a site of teaching grammar through stories and its main users will be young learners. It provides famous stories with grammar exercise as well. The questions are like; ‘Write the Answers in brief & underline the Adjectives’, ‘Find out the verbs in the story & underline them. Now, Make your own sentences with these verbs’, ‘Fill in the blanks with prepositions : in, on, near, under, above, from, after, into, etc.’, ‘’, and etc. I found myself not only this site, this kind of sites found it useful in that it provides useful grammar activities with teaching worksheet and I am using for my students as well.

In addition, other language practice activities that offer structuring opportunities as well. For example, questionnaires, surveys, quizzes, information gap activities, chants can be good ways of teaching grammar. Proceduralising activities is also effective. Learners automatise their use of the grammatical form so that it is available quickly and effectively for use in communication.