Masaryk University in BrnoPedagogical Fakulty

Department of English

Teaching Grammar at The Basic Schools

according to The Framework Educational Programme

Bachelor Thesis

Brno 2006

Supervisor: Author: PhDr. Helena Havlíčková Jarmila Šabatová

I. THEORETICAL PART

1. Introduction

2. The Framework Educational Programme

2.1 The Framework Educational Programme in the Czech Republic2.2 Language communication2.3 Key competences 2.4 Expected results in the language communication

3. Grammar and the language curriculum

3.1 Curriculum and communication3.2 The centrality of language 3.3 The grammar- centred curriculum

4. Identifying grammar

4.1 What is grammar4.2 Grammar in language teaching

5. Presenting and testing grammar

5.1 Presenting grammatical items

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5.2 Discovery techniques5.2 Practice techniques5.3 Testing grammar5.4 My own conclusion of presenting grammar

II. PRACTICAL PART

6. The Framework Educational Programme and the School Educational Programme

6.1 Making the School Educational Programme6.2 The School Educational Programme for 6th class

7. Grammatical units taken from the School Educational Programme

7.1 The list of grammatical units 7.2 Lesson plans for the main units

8. Teaching process

8.1 Hypotheses about each lesson plan8.2 Evaluation and experience from the lesson

9. Checking and testing knowledge

9.1 Test for students9.2 Anticipation of possible problems9.3 Evaluation of the tests

10. Conclusion

10.1 Advantages and disadvantages of using the School Educational Programme

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1.Introduction

I have been teaching English at the basic school for ten

years. My students are at the age from ten to fifteen. Basic

education in the Czech Republic has been organized by

several state educational and curriculum documents during

the period that I have been teaching. Two years ago, in

2004, a new educational document for basic schools has been

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published. It is called the Framework Educational Programme.

It offers a new view on our educational system. Main stress

is put on results and competences not on subject matter

during the process of education. It is obligatory for

schools to make their School Educational Programmes. A

school year 2007-8 has been established as the first year

for realizing these new School Educational Programmes. Now

it is the time for making them. This thesis solves this

problem in connection with teaching grammar in English. The

main aim of the thesis is to show how grammar could be

taught.

Theoretical part engages in this new document which is

described here in details. Then grammar is characterized as

a part of language teaching. Main types of presenting and

testing grammar are mentioned here. Relationship between

teaching grammar and language curriculum as a whole is

explained in theoretical part too.

Practical part firstly describes the process of making a

new School Educational Programme. Then attention is put on

the 6th class only. There is a table of subject matter

developed from the School Educational Programme. Two lesson

plans of main grammatical units are chosen for presenting

grammar. There are hypotheses and evaluation for each

lesson. In the last part there are tests for learners.

Anticipations of possible problems are presented here, then

evaluation of each test. Conclusion of this thesis comes out

the advantages and disadvantages of the Framework

Educational Programme for teachers and students.

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2.1 The Framework Educational Programme inthe Czech RepublicThe national curriculum (also called the Educational

Framework or the Framework Educational Programme) is the

national educational document which was edited by “VÚP” in

Prague in 2004. This document consists four parts.

Part A specifies the national educational programme

for the basic schools. Part B characterizes generally

the basic education in the Czech Republic. Part C

contains the key competences which are devided into

some educational areas. There are ten main educational

areas in part C.

Teaching English language belongs to the part which

is called Language and Language Communication. This

chapter contains two parts; Czech language and

literature and foreign languages.

2.2 Language and language communication

The educational part called Language and language

communication is taken as to one of the most important

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part in the educational programme. A high level of

language culture belongs to the basic items of general

education. Language learning supplies knowledge and

skills that provide possibilities to receive several

messages , it makes pupils understand these messages,

it makes them express new things properly. Students

should be able to use and enforce the results of their

knowledge. Foreign and the second foreign language

contribute to understanding and discovering the

realities that are above the experience brought by

mother tongue. These realities provide the basis of

language communication and assumptions for

communication in a scope of integrated Europe and the

world.

The language acquisition helps to reduce a language

barrier. It is useful for improving the mobility of the

individuals both in their personal life and in their

next professional carrier. The language acquisition

enables pupils to know the differences of the

traditions in foreign country. It intensifies the view

of importance of reciprocal understanding and tolerance

between countries. It facilitates cooperation between

schools in the international projects. The requirements

in foreign language education, that were formulated in

The National Curriculum of Basic Education in the Czech

Republic, are based on the Common Europe Referential

Scope for Languages (Společný evropský referenční rámec

pro jazyky). This scope describes different levels of

the language acquisition.

7

2.3 The aims of the language communication

The education in this area points to these key

competences:

pupils are expected:

● to receive language as a historical and cultural

fact

● to know the historical and cultural development of

the country and nation

● to make a positive view of mother tongue

● to use the language for receiving the information

● to require the main structures of communication

between people

● to make a positive view of foreign language in a

scope of multicultural communication

● to require the self confidence for presenting in

public

● to be able to read the literary texts

● to make a positive view of the classic literature

and other arts

● to require an emotional and esthetic cognition

2.4 The expected results

Level 1, the beginners, 1st period

RECEPTIVE, PRODUCTIVE AND INTERACTIVE SKILLS

A pupil

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▪ pronounces correctly, reads with proper

pronunciation

▪ understands simple instructions, reacts on them

▪ recognizes written and spoken form of the word

▪ understands the meaning of simple, slow

conversation

▪ uses alphabetical dictionary in a textbook

RECEPTIVE SPEAKING SKILLS, 2 nd period

A pupil

▪ understands known words and simple sentences

▪ understands the meaning of simple authentic

materials, uses them for his work

▪ reads loudly with proper pronunciation simple texts

with known vocabulary

▪ finds out useful information in a simple text,

makes the answer to the question

▪ uses dictionary

PRODUCTIVE SPEAKING SKILLS

A pupil

▪ forms grammatically correct written statement,

short text, an answer to the statement

▪ products orally the context of simple text, writes

simple text, products simple conversation

▪ changes short texts

INTERACTIVE SPEAKING SKILLS

9

A pupil

▪ reacts actively to the simple conversation, greets

and says good bye to a friend, provides information

Level 2, the intermediate

RECEPTIVE SPEAKING SKILLS

A pupil

▪ reads loudly, fluently with a proper pronunciation

▪ understands the meaning of simple texts in the

textbooks and in the authentic materials, finds known

words and phrases in the texts

▪ understands simple and clear speech and

conversation

▪ finds the possible meaning of the new words from

the context

▪ uses a dictionary and finds the meaning of the

words

PRODUCTIVE SPEAKING SKILLS

A pupil

▪ builds simple (written and spoken) statement about

situation in daily life, in family, at school and in

other topics

▪ writes grammatically correct sentences, changes

sentences and short texts

▪ briefly retells the story or the text

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▪ asks for simple information

INTERACTIVE SPEAKING SKILLS

A pupil

▪ is able to speak in the common daily situations in

a simple way

3. Grammar and the language curriculum

It has been suggested that the design of any language -

teaching curriculum is conceived as constituting the

answers to three interrelated questions; “What is to be

learned?” “How is learning to be undertaken and achieved?”

“To what extent is the former appropriate and the latter

effective?” (Breen and Candlin 1980, p. 89).

3.1 Curriculum and communication

There have been increasing efforts to bring curricular

objectives into alignment with language-functional aims and

learner- behaviour specifications. It has been found that

the goals of language-teaching programmes are often

articulated in terms of “communicative competence”, and

much discussed in the pedagogic research literature are the

so-called “communicative approaches” to language

instruction. The fundamental premise of most such

approaches is that the primary function of language is that

of “communication”. Certainly, the viability of any

“communicative curriculum” will need to be linked in

important ways to the validity of this premise; yet the

premise itself represents a belief about language function.

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(William E. Rutherford, 1987, p.

147)

One well-known researcher, F.Newmeyer, has this to

say:

Obviously, communication is a function of language-

perhaps, according to some plausible but still undervised

scale, its most important function. But communication does

not appear to be the only function of language. Language is

used for thought, for problem solving, for play, for

dreaming, for displays of group solidarity, for deception,

for certain specialized literary modes such as represented

speech…,and possibly to fulfill an instinctive need for

symbolic behaviour…; in fact, language plays an integral

role in virtually every conceivable human activity. Now

one might, of course, choose to call all these attributes

and abilities “communication”. But doing so, it seems to

me, takes from the word “communication” any meaning other

than “acting human”.

( Newmeyer 1983, p. 100)

According to William E. Rutherford there is nothing of

intrinsic language organization that can be identified,

isolated, and abstracted away for curricular representation

as the formal exponent of some set of “communicative

functions”. Grammar is in no sense amenable to such

procedures, and this is as true for product as for process-

oriented concepts of language form. These observations

argue then against any centrality within the curriculum for

systems of “communication” where decisions concerning

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grammatical focus are attendant upon “communicative” points

of departure.

3.2 The centrality of language

Letting language itself be at the centre of the

pedagogical plan would seem at first glance to represent

nothing new. Possible difficulties in accepting the value

of a language-centred pedagogical plan would very likely

stem from what we already know of so many such attempts in

the past- attempts whose apparent failure to lead to

desired goals has more recently, in the eyes of some

language professionals, discredited the notion of any kind

of curricular prominence for language organization.

William E. Rutherford says:

“There are two prime assumptions that are usually

identifiable throughout the history of language-centred

pedagogy. The first of these amounts to a belief about

language, the second about teaching {learning}:

1. the essence of language is an assemblage of

hierarchically-arranged constructs;

2. the essence of language teaching/learning is the

direct imparting of those constructs by teacher to

learner.”

3.3 The grammar-centred curriculum

We can say that the learner has to be exposed to the data

from which hypotheses may be formed and meaningful

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generalizations drawn. The exposure factor is a more

crucial one than might be supposed; it becomes even more so

where the classroom is the only source of target-language

date. The need for making the data available to the learner

therefore places a special burden of responsibility upon

the language curriculum and language syllabus. The

responsibility in curriculum planning has three parts to it

:

1) some kinds of decision must be made as to what aspects

of the grammatical system are the major sources for data

from which the learner may ascertain the most formal

generalizations (data identification)

2) choice of language content must be such as to ensure

the sufficiently timely appearance of the grammatical

aspects identified in 1

3) great care and sensibility must be exercised that

the pedagogical instruments maximize the probabilities

for learner receptivity.

The complexity of language means that if someone learns

language, it requires systematic direct contact with each

of its possible constructions. It cannot be necessary for

the learner to encounter the exhaustive set of target-

language constructions. One of the primary responsibilities

of the language-teaching curriculum would seem to become as

close as possible an identification of the grammar

properties of target-language lexicon. It is considered of

crucial importance for learner projection to well-formed

grammatical constructions.

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4. Identifying grammar

4.1 What is grammar

“The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines grammar

as the rules by which words change their forms and are

combined into sentences. There are two basic elements in

this definition: the rules of grammar; and the study and

practice of the rules. The rules of grammar are about how

words change and how they are put together into sentences.

The knowledge of grammar also tells the learner what to do

if he wants to put the some phrase into the sentence.

Grammar should be called the way in which words change

themselves and group together to make sentences.” (Jeremy

Harmer, 1991, p. 1)

4.2 Grammar in language teaching

Each teacher should think about these facts and try to

answer these questions before teaching grammar:

1) Children do not learn grammar rules when they acquire

their first language, so do they need to learn the rules of

grammar when they acquire the second language?

2) Pupils need or need not to be given details of grammar

rules to study English successfully.

3) Should pupils get enough chance to practice using a

language or should they learn grammar?

4) Should students be aware of grammatical information about

the language?

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A good teacher has several possibilities how to teach

grammar. There is a number of techniques for presenting and

practicing grammar. According to J.Harmer the grammatical

information can be given to students in two major ways. The

first one could be extremely covert and the second will be

made extremely overt.

Covert grammar teaching means that grammatical facts are

hidden from the students- even though they are learning the

language. Students may be asked to do any activity where a

new grammar is presented or introduced, but their attention

will be drawn to this activity not to the grammar.

Overt grammar teaching means that the teacher actually

provides the students grammatical rules and explanations-

the information is openly presented.

With overt teaching grammatical rules are explicitly

given to students, but with covert teaching students are

simply asked to work with new language to absorb

grammatical information which will help them to acquire the

language as a whole.

It is expected to do a lot of structures in teaching and

practicing, and less really free communicative activity at

the beginner level. The teaching of grammar is likely to be

fairly covert since the main aim is to get students to use

language as much as possible. On the other hand students at

intermediate levels should be involved in more

communicative activities and should have less grammar

teaching. The teaching grammar would probably be more

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overt. Then advanced students can actively study grammar in

more overt ways.

5. Presenting and testing grammar

5.1 Presenting grammatical items

Presentation means that students are introduced to the

form, meaning and use of a new piece of language (e.g. did

for past simple in questions). Students can learn how to

put the new syntax, words and sounds together. They learn

grammar that they will need for their most important

experience, applying it to themselves. It is useful to

mention the personalization, which means using a piece of

grammar to say things which really mean something to

learner. (e.g. using present simple to say what he does).

Presentation can take place using personalization

immediately, teacher uses the students and their lives to

introduce a new language ( e.g. personal questions).

Personalization can be the final part of a presentation

which is done through the use of texts or pictures (e.g.

using a situation in daily life, menu in a restaurant).

J. Harmer speaks about some characteristics of a good

presentation that should be mentioned here:

► a good presentation should be clear ( no difficulties

in understanding for learner)

► a good presentation should be efficient (students can

manipulate the new language)

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► a good presentation should be lively and interesting

(to get interest for students, their involving during a

presentation)

► a good presentation should be appropriate (not put so

much information)

► a good presentation should be productive (the

introduced situation should allow students to make many

sentences or questions with a new language)

5.2 Discovery techniques

We have said that a good presentation should be clear,

efficient, lively and interesting, appropriate and

productive. These can be fulfilled by many ways that are

given to students by teacher. It is only up to teacher how

he, she introduces the new grammatical item. Then students

repeat and use this new item. Discovery techniques are

possible ways where students are given examples of language

and then asked to find out how they work, it means to

discover the grammar rules. Students find out how grammar

is used in a text and they are actually acquiring a grammar

rule. By this students’ involving in the task of grammar

acquisition teacher makes sure that they are concentrating

fully, using their cognitive powers. Discovery techniques

are not just the teacher telling what the grammar is.

Students are actually discovering information for

themselves.

5.3 Practice techniques

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There are various ways of doing practice techniques,

which means that pupils do exercise through the techniques

which get them to practice grammatical item. There will be

mentioned four different types of oral practice and written

practice too, which are described by J.Harmer.

1) Drills are often done with the whole class, students

are given sentence with a new grammatical item and they are

asked for right repetition. It is practiced as long as it

is necessary for students to be able to say this structure

in a proper way. The aim of drill is to give students rapid

practice in using a structural item. Advantage is that the

teacher can correct any mistakes, can encourage pupils to

concentrate on difficulties. But this way is not very

creative.

2) Interaction activities are the ways of language

practicing which are more meaningful and more enjoyable.

Pupils often work together in pairs or in groups. They

exchange information in the purposeful and interesting way.

They are given some materials (text, picture, map) and

asked for some tasks when they use the grammatical item

that is introduced. Disadvantage should be that the teacher

has no control over all students. He, she can’t be sure

that all students understood the grammar.

3) Involving the personality is the way when pupils do

the exercise and at the same time talk about themselves.

They are asked to discuss things that involve their

personality and to use this subject matter as a focus for

grammar practice. Chain drill is one way of making a

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practice drill. It is closely drill but in more funny and

enjoyable way. It is more interesting than usual, because

students are asked for speaking about themselves.

4) Games are surely the most interesting and the most

favourite way how to practice grammar. Games are very

useful for grammar work. Students are given a new

grammatical item through the game, which is exactly the

most natural way especially for children. There are several

types of grammar games that will be mentioned later in this

work.

These were oral activities for practicing grammar. But

there are some written activities too. Since grammar

practice is often done through writing, it is very useful

too. Some types of written practices will be mentioned

here. These are fill-ins, written drills, word order,

parallel writing. Generally speaking, students need to

practice their grammar a lot, but it is only up to the

teacher how they will do it. A good teacher should remember

that students would do the tasks with pleasure not only as

a necessity.

5.4 Testing grammar

It has been said that pupils would do the exercises with

pleasure and in a funny way. But it is quite difficult to

test grammar in the same way. However it is difficult, it

is possible. There are several types of tests. Teacher can

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test students’ ability to speak or write, his reading or

listening skills. Of course, written tests take less time

and they are easier to administer. That’s why most tests

are based on written skills. This could cause some

problems, because so much teaching in the classroom is

based on oral work. Teacher should remember this fact and

try to make the tests suitable for students. Good test

shows both teacher and learner how well they are all doing.

Teacher who writes tests should bear in mind the rules that

are offered by J.Hamer:

► do not test what you have not taught

► do not test general knowledge

► do not introduce new techniques in tests

► do not just test accuracy

► do not forget to test the test

5.4 Own conclusion of presenting grammar

All grammar teaching should not be covert. Teacher should

not always draw students’ attention to grammatical facts

and rules. Sometimes pupils should discover facts about

grammar through problem –solving activities and sometimes

through practicing grammar. Teacher should not think that

the only best kind of grammar practice is written grammar

practice. Teacher should remember that it is not good to

test grammar only with accuracy. The main point in teaching

grammar is based on the fact that children do not learn

grammar when they acquire first language, so it could work

when they learn the second language.

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II. PRACTICAL PART

6. The Framework Educational Programme and The

School Educational Programme

6.1 Making The School Educational Programme

The Framework Educational Programme has been done

generally for all basic schools in our republic. It has

been developed as an educational document by the Institute

of Education in Prague. This document is obligatory

direction for making the own school programme. Each school

in the Czech Republic has to make its own School

Educational Programme, which will come from the national

form of the document. Each School Educational Programme is

expected to be a little different.

Firstly, the headmaster puts together several groups of

teachers according to their qualification. It means that

teachers who belong to the same educational area will work

together. Teaching English belongs to the educational area

which is called “Language and Language Communication”.

That’s why the teachers of Czech, English, German, Russian

and other foreign languages will work on this area

together.

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Each group of teachers is asked to solve several

problems. They should evaluate the position of a school,

its advantages and disadvantages, its offers, its

educational aims, projects etc. Then the teachers make the

list of expected school results and knowledge, which has

to come from the Framework Educational Programme and its

key competences. They are free in choosing the subject

matter. This will be set up according to the expected

school results. At the end they make a table for each

form, which will contain all these points. This is a very

hard work for teachers, if they want to do it the best

way. It takes a lot of their free time. The final product

should be used as an educational programme for this

specific area.

6.2 The School Educational Programme – 6th class

According to The School Educational Programme there is a

table of educational contents for 6th class, English

language. (appendix n. 1)

This table functions both as an educational and a time

plan for each teacher at school. It should be binding for

teachers. It is only a part of the School Educational

Programme but it is the most useful part for teachers of

English.

This table consists five columns:

►expected results and the key competences according to

the Framework Educational Programme - the key competences

are characterized here, some of the expected results

taken from FEP are put here.

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► expected results according to the School Educational

Programme - the specific results are described here,

these results were made by the teachers and they are the

most important part of this document, they are binding

for teachers and teaching.

►subject matter coming from expected results - there is a

list of grammatical units that should be taught and the

list of topics that should be solved during a school

year, the subject matter is optional for each school.

►evaluation, it is optional - it is prepared for

teacher’s notes, experience, evaluative points for the

next work, there could be mentioned a student’s and

teacher’s portfolio.

►notes, it is optional too - there are methods and forms

of work described, this is the place for noting and

realizing relationship between the subjects, subjects

should fade into one another.

7. Grammatical units taken from the School

Educational Programme

7.1 The list of grammatical units

There is solved and described teaching grammar according

to the Framework Educational Programme in this thesis.

Each school has to respect FEP and each teacher should

respect the School Educational Programme. It has been said

that the expected results are obligatory and the subject

matter is optional for teachers. Teachers have made these

documents themselves, so it should be useful especially

24

for them and their students. That’s why it is only up to

teacher in what way grammar will be presented. The

sequence of presented grammar is free, too. Teacher can

use several types of methods, even though he can use

several textbooks and authentic materials for his work. He

can choose different methods and materials but he has to

reach students’ expected results.

The list of grammatical units taken from the School

Educational Programme

Expected results Grammatical units

A pupil is able to:

- use indefinite article a, an

with the nouns

- recognize the single and

plural form of the nouns

-posses things to the person

NOUNS

- indefinite article a, an

- plural of the nouns ( regular

and irregular forms)

- genitive of the nouns

- put the adjectives correctly

into the sentence

ADJECTIVES

- a position of adjectives in

the sentence

- give the personal

pronouns to the correct

person

- use the object pronouns

in the sentence

- use the possessive

pronouns instead of

genitive

PRONOUNS

- personal pronouns –

subject and object form

- possessive pronouns

- interrogative pronouns

- demonstrative pronouns

( that, those, this,

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- ask with interrogative

pronouns

these)

- count the things,

animals and people

NUMBERS-NUMERALS

- numbers 0-100

- understand simple speech

and conversation about

personal details

- ask for personal details

- describe the place,

picture, photo

- describe a person,

animal, thing or a place

in a simple sentence

- ask for personal

description

- say what a person is /

isn’t able to do

- ask for permission

VERBS

- verb to be: statement,

negative, question, short

answer

- phrase there is/are

- verb to have got :

statement, negative,

question, short answer

- modal verb can,can’t

- put the prepositions

correctly into a sentence

PREPOSITIONS

- preposition of a place and

the time

- make simple sentence in

present simple

- follow the form of

English sentence

- use the auxiliary verbs

correctly

- make question in present

PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE

- statement, negative statement

( don’t, doesn’t), questions

( do, does), short answers

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simple

- follow the form of

English question

- make the sentence in

present cont.

- make the negative

sentence in present cont.

- make the question in

present cont.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

- statement, negative

statement, question

-describe what happens

frequently

- present tenses : using and

comparing

- describe what is happening

now

According to the School Educational Programme teacher

should proceed from the expected results, these are the

most important points in his work. This table shows how the

teacher makes a process. The results are done and the

subject matter is chosen by the teacher.

7.2 Lesson plans for the main grammatical units

1) Lesson plan 1 is based on these expected results from the

School Educational Programme: a pupil is able to describe a

place, thing and a person, to understand the short text with

27

description, to make sentence in present tense. The verb have

got has been chosen as a subject matter. The expected results

are used in a lesson plan as an aim of the lesson. Several

methods of teaching were used there. The covert grammar

teaching was used in presenting grammatical unit by using the

pictures and speaking about them. Drill was used in a game

“memory chain”. But it is covered in this game. The last part

of the lesson is based on children’s natural skill – drawing.

Lesson plan 1, verb to have got.

Aim: pupils will be able to use the verb in a sentence, they will be able to understand the sentence with the verb

in its two forms: have got, has got and negative forms haven’t got

and hasn’t got.

Age of students: 10 – 11 year-old children

Material: a blue ball for teacher, two pictures on the

plastic folio (a girl with a doll, a boy with a car), one

picture for each child with known vocabulary, a piece of

paper for each pupil, stick gum.

Time plan:

1. Introduction - teacher shows a ball and says: “ I have

got a blue ball.” Then points to the first picture and

says: “She has got a small doll.” Then points to the

second picture and says: ” He has got a red car.” Then

writes these three sentences under the pictures.

7 min.

2. Teacher asks children for repeating the sentences…..

3 min.

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3. Each child gets a picture, it is asked to make its own

sentence……. I have got an orange.

10 min.

4. Game: memory chain, teacher starts the game “I have got

a blue ball” and points to Tom, he says ”You have got a

blue ball and I have got an orange” Then the third

person is speaking “She has got a …….he has got an

…….and I have got a …………several children will be asked

for repeating the whole sentence. It should not be very

long.

7 min.

5. Piccasso dictation, teacher dictates the short text

with the verb to have got about the monster and

children are asked to draw it.

10 min.

6. Feedback, children put their paintings on the board and

they check their work together, they repeat the short

text about the monster. 8

min.

The text for children: This is a nice monster. It has got

a big head and a big body. It has got four long arms but

it hasn’t got any legs. It has got lovely green eyes, long

nose and a big mouth. It has got long pink hair. Its body

is green too. Each arm has got five fingers. It is our

friend. Its name is Fanny. (appendix n.2)

2) Lesson plan 2 respects these expected results, taken

from the School Educational Programme: a pupil is able to

make the question in present simple, to follow the form of

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question in present simple, to use an auxiliary verb do.

Again the aim of the lesson is based on these results. The

lead-in activity has been chosen as a revision from the

last lesson. The second reason is to introduce several

verbs that will be used later in questions. Coloured pieces

of paper with auxiliary verb, personal pronouns and with

full verbs should help children to remember the structure

of the question in present simple. The rule of making

question will be given explicitly to students. The

important point is mentioned in pair work, the same colours

of the words. During the individual practice children can

use the coloured pencils too. An important intention is

specified in this lesson plan. The students will be working

only with the auxiliary verb do and personal pronouns that

belong to.

Lesson plan 2, question in present simple

Aim: pupils will be able to make question in present

simple, to use the verb do for specific personal pronouns,

to follow the form of the question in present simple

Age: 10-11 year-old pupils

Material: coloured card with an auxiliary verb DO (green),

personal pronouns I, you, we, they (yellow), full verbs

(pink), collections of words for making the questions,

textbook – Project I, school exercise books, worksheets for

pupils.

Time plan:

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1. lead in activity, brainstorming: revision from the

last lesson, teacher puts pink cards with verbs on the

board and children read them, then children are asked for

making the statement about themselves in present simple

with these verbs. Pupil says the sentence, puts the card on

the board and writes the rest of a sentence.

7 min.

2. presenting a new grammatical item: teacher explains

the form of the question in present simple with using

coloured cards. Several examples are put on the board.

5 min.

3. then students are asked to make questions and write

them on the board, they use all verbs from the lead

activity

5 min.

4. pair work: each pair of pupils gets a collection of

the words in the same coloures as were used for

presenting, they are asked for making the questions in

present simple

3 min.

5. checking the task, each pair reads its question

loudly, the rest of a class corrects, all questions are

put on one desk for checking together

5 min.

6. individual practice: children are asked for writing an

exercise from their textbooks to their school exercise

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books. The task: complete the question according to a

picture. Children can use coloured pencils. After writing

the exercise they give it to the teacher for checking,

teacher checks it and gives advice for correcting.

5 min.

7. feedback: children get worksheets with two exercises

and try to do it themselves

7 min.

8. children change their worksheets and check them

together, they correct the mistakes and count the points,

then put mark to a friend

Materials for this lesson plan are presented as an

appendix n. 4a

8. Teaching process

8.1 Hypotheses for each lesson

Lesson 1 (according to lesson plan 1)

The main result of this lesson is characterized as a

pupil’s ability of describing something, ability for using

the verb have got, ability of understanding a short

description. So it is expected that children will be able

to use the verb at the end of a lesson. The lesson seems to

be enjoyable for children, because of a choice of

activities. Pupils are expected to behave well and to be

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interested in the activities. I assume that a lead in

activity will start a good atmosphere in a class. A new

grammatical unit will be presented as a cover grammar

teaching, which seems to be better way for this unit and

for young learners too. Drill, covered in a game, is

expected to be done with pleasure. Teacher should

anticipate some problems during this game. Especially weak

learners are expected to have problem with repeating the

whole sentence. I will pay attention of these pupils and I

will encourage them and help them. It seems to be helpful

if children stand up and show their picture to everybody.

Other children could remember the sentence easily with

visual support. Piccasso dictation is expected to be funny

and enjoyable for children, because they like drawing,

monsters and mystery. This activity seems to be useful way

how to fix the using of the verb have got. But for fulfilling

the results it is necessary to be very careful during this

activity. Children have to work themselves, so it would be

better if children sit alone. Then the teacher can check

their work fairly. Possible problems with using vocabulary

should appear during the dictation, but it is good to help

children with vocabulary. They will be able to concentrate

on understanding the forms of verb have got.

Lesson 2(according to lesson plan 2)

This grammatical unit is often difficult for children.

That’s why I assume that not all the children will be able

to make the question in present simple surely. Some

children are expected to need more time for practicing. I

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appreciate that the lead in activity is going to help

children to connect the verbs of daily activities with

using the present simple. Using the coloured cards,

coloured collection of words and the worksheets with

coloured words is assumed to be helpful for children. The

main intention is to fix these colours in children’s

brains. Firstly, the big cards with the words will be stuck

on the board (first support), then children will make the

questions with coloured small papers (second support), then

the worksheets are prepared to use colours again (third

support). I anticipate that most of the children will be

able to do exercises in the worksheets correctly.

8.2 Experience and evaluation

Lesson 1

The first part of a lesson has been taken naturally by

children without any problems. They listened carefully and

repeated the sentences well. Sometimes children did not

pronounce well, so I corrected them and ask for repetition.

After getting pictures in the next part of the lesson, some

children were confused with using a right word. It would be

better next time to name all the pictures together before

making sentences. An important point discovered during this

part. Children corrected the mistakes each other without

any bad intention. Children did not need a long explanation

for the game. They had known it from previous lessons. But

as it had been assumed, weak learners had a problem with

repeating the whole sentences. I tried to choose these

children at the beginning of this activity so that they had

34

not such a long sentence. Next important point of this game

was that children have to concentrate on the word order of

the things in a chain not on the using of verb have got.

They used a new grammatical item covered in the game

without specific concentration. The most enjoyable part was

surely “Piccasso dictation”. Children did not take it as a

dictation, but as a game again. Some of them tried to look

around but I explained to them what it is about. Weak

learners had a problem with vocabulary that they had not

learnt before. Next time it could be better to do this

activity in pairs, especially in this class because of

several dyslectic children. They would be more concentrated

on the grammar then on an unknown vocabulary. At the end of

the last activity children wanted to put their paintings on

the wall. They liked their monsters very much. I know that

this type of activities is very interesting for children.

Lesson 2

Lead in activity has been presented according to teacher’s

expectation. Children were able to use ten verbs in several

statements. Sometimes they needed help with using the right

prepositions. Then it was very useful that these verbs

stayed on the board. They were used immediately for

explaining the form of questions in present simple and the

function of DO. I paid attention to colours. It was very

helpful for children. They could change the cards on the

board easily. Most children understood quickly. Then in pair

work there were no problem with completing the sentences.

35

Children worked quickly and carefully. But during individual

work some problems came. Children made mistakes in using

right personal pronouns and in spelling. Those children who

had problems were asked for using colours again. Quite a big

surprise came during the work on worksheets. There were

twenty three children in a class and except two boys who are

both dyslexic children and need more time for this task all

children have done the tasks well. These two boys were asked

to finish it at home and bring it next time. I saw this

lesson as a big success because there always had been

problems with questions in present simple in each class.

Next positive point is that children are prepared for using

auxiliary verb does which is coming next time.

9. Checking and testing the knowledge

9.1 Test for students

Test 1, verb to have got, (appendix n.3a,3b,

5a,5b)

The first test is put together so that it checks

students’ skills and abilities that are characterized in

these expected results: a pupil is able to describe a

person, an animal, a thing and place, to understand a

simple description, to use the verb have got in simple

sentences in all its forms, to work with a short text with

this verb. The test has been made with known vocabulary,

according to the topics that have been discussed during

lessons. Several topics were taught within the verb have

got, that’s why the exercises in the test use different

36

topics (school subjects, days of a week, animals, colours

and things, personal details, parts of the body). The first

exercise is based on using the verb to have got for the first

and second person singular and plural only. Through the

knowledge of the school subjects and the days of the week

students should complete the sentences.

The second exercise asks student for answering four

questions about themselves. They should write true

sentences from their real life.

The task of the third exercise is to fill in the

conversation between two young girls. The main result is to

understand this conversation clearly so that the phrase

should be used in daily situation.

Exercise number 4 finds out how children can make sentence

with the verb to have got. All the words are written in

capital letters in order not to be recognizable which word

goes first.

Exercise number 5 is based on translation either form

Czech to English or from English to Czech. An easy

vocabulary has been chosen, because the translation is

often very difficult for children. The main intention is to

use the verb have got in a sentence, not to check the

vocabulary.

The last exercise is something like compensation for

children. It has been made for pleasure so that the

students will not be stressed so much during the test. At

the end of the test children could paint the pictures of

37

William and Wendy. (Taken from Project Grammar, mluvnická

cvičení, Carolyn Barraclough, by OUP,2004)

Children can reach maximum 44 points.

Test 2, present simple, (appendix n. 4b,6a,6b)

Test number 2 was made according to the result of

students’ being able to make simple sentence in present

simple tense, to follow the structure of question, to use

auxiliary verbs do and does correctly. Test is set up with

using known vocabulary. The main attention is put on

working with the sentence in present simple. There are

eight exercises in which pupils should present their

knowledge of present simple tense. In those exercises

several methods are used during the one topic, daily activities.

The first exercise pays attention on using the verbs in

statements. The knowledge of adding –s in 3rd person sing. is

expected.

Exercise n. 2 is based on making questions in present

simple. These questions come from the previous exercise.

There is an example of a question so that students could

follow it.

Next two exercises are connected. Students should match

two halves of these sentences and rewrite them correctly

with using our known colours.

The fifth exercise is about using correct form of

auxiliary verbs. It seems to be easier than in ex. N. 2,

because children can choose from two possibilities. As a

visual support there are coloured subjects again.(yellow)

38

Exercise n. 6 asks learners for using short or long

answer. Students are expected to use short forms of do not

and does not, when it is possible. They should be able to

make the whole answer.

Exercise n. 7 lets children find the correct words for

filling in this table. They should use auxiliary verbs do

and does, right subject, full verbs and the rest of the

sentence(time).

Last exercise is based on finding out grammatical

mistakes. The number of mistakes is done so that it is

easier for children.

Children can reach maximum 57 points.

9.2 Anticipation of possible problems with the

tests

Test 1, verb to have got

There are several topics used in the test, so it is

possible that children will have problems with vocabulary.

Exercise n.1 assumes knowledge of school subjects and the

days of the week. There could appear problems with pronouns

too. The second exercise is expected to be uneasy because

of making whole answer. This type of exercise often

requires a clear explanation. Exercise n.3 is expected to

be the most difficult from the test. Children always have

problems with filling in the conversations. On the other

hand there is an easy vocabulary used and a suitable topic

of dialogue for young learners. The fourth exercise seems

to be easy for children. The words are done and it is

39

easier than making the whole sentence. Possible problems

might be with the position of adjectives in sentences three

and four. Translation is expected to be the most difficult.

The most frequent mistakes are often being done in using

definite and indefinite articles and in the structure of

the sentence and question. Next problem would appear with

using personal pronouns in translation from Czech to

English. Last exercise, which should be enjoyable for

children, could make problems with some new words, but with

visual support children could understand them correctly.

Test 2, present simple

An easy vocabulary concerning one topic is used in all

exercises from the test. That’s why it is not expected that

students have problems with vocabulary. First exercise

should bring problems with using correct form of the full

verbs. Children often make mistakes in subject verb

concord. They do not recognize clearly to which pronoun

subject needs to be connected (her parents=they). I expect

mistakes with using do, does in exercise n. 2. Children often

forget to put auxiliary verb into the question. The third

and fourth exercises are expected to be well done because

of using colours as in lessons. Possible problems with

subject verb concord are assumed again in exercise n. 5.

Next mistakes should appear in using the right form of full

verb, right prepositions and the time in the sixth

exercise. Children are going to make sentence without any

help, that’s why there could be some errors. The table in

the next task should be made without any problems. The last

40

task anticipates finding grammatical errors. Students could

be disappointed with these mistakes. Not all the mistakes

will be found. The teacher should respect these problems

and will put attention on clear explanation. The teacher

will notice the importance of present simple and possible

mistakes. Children should not look for other mistakes.

9.3 Evaluation of the tests

The evaluation of the tests is presented in these four

tables. The students could reach total score of 44 points

for the first test and 57 points for the second one. Tables

1 and 3 show the evaluated data. Tables 2 and 4 present

evaluation according to the school expected results. These

tables show how teacher can evaluate the tests. This simple

way is quick, well-arranged. It provides clear image about

fulfilling of the expected results.

Table n. 1(verb have got)

Evaluative score (in

points)

Mark A number of students

44 – 40 1 2

39,5 – 32 2 11

31,5 – 20 3 3

19,5 – 10 4 3

9,5 – 0 5 3

2,70 22

41

According to this result the verb have got should have been

practicing more during the lessons and then next short test

should be offered to the children. The expected school result

of knowing the verb have got has been partially fulfilled. But

more frequent mistakes have been done in other grammatical

units (personal pronouns, indefinite articles).

Table n. 2(verb have got)

Exercise n:

Success (%)

More frequent

errors

Probable

reasons

Notes for next

work

1.

85%

-in the

sentence before

the last one,

using the long

form of the

verb have got

instead of

short form

- it is the

only one

sentence where

should be used

a long form

- practice more

the short forms

2.

60%

- using the

correct subject

in two last

sentences

-two sentences

use 2nd p.sing.

- mixed up the

subjects in the

sentences

3.

35%

- finding the

correct form of

the verb have

got

- using a short

and a long

forms of the

verb

- missing

knowledge of

the right

forms(subject

verb concord)

- more practice

of this type of

conversation

42

4.

45%

- putting the

indefinite

articles to the

right position

in the sentence

- paying

attention to a

verb have got

- revise

indefinite

articles, their

using and

position

5.

65%

- using the

articles in a

translation

from English

- translation

the subjects

( pronouns) to

Czech

- less practice

in the lessons

- missing

knowledge of

personal

pronouns

- practice the

translation

more often

- revise

personal

pronouns

6.

85%

- using the

short forms of

negative

without got

- less practice

during the

lessons, little

space for

children’s

writing

- practice the

negative forms

once more

Table n. 3 (present simple)

Evaluative score (in

points)

Mark Number of students

57-51 1 6

50,5-41 2 8

40,5-25 3 5

24,5-12 4 3

11,5-0 5 0

43

2,20 22

Table n. 4 (present simple)

Exercise n:

Success (%)

More frequent

mistakes

Probable reason Notes for the

next work

1.

65%

- adding –s in

3rd p. sing.

- without

coloures

- difficult to

recognize the

subject( Janet

and Jason)

- practice with

names and

different

subject, not

only with

personal

pronouns

2.

75%

- sometimes with

using correct

auxiliary verb

- no visual

support, the

sentences start

with

interrogative

pronouns

- practice with

interrogative

pronouns

3. and 4.

60%

- are connected,

if the child

made mistake in

3, it had to be

made in 4

- missing any

sentence element

in the sentence,

incorrect

- missing

knowledge of

using auxiliary

verb

- visual support

in 4 helps them

- use the

coloures in 3

too

44

auxiliary verb.

- often in the

fourth exercise

children found

out the mistake

and correct it

in ex.n.3

5.

75%

- only in

sentence with

your father and

children as

subjects

- your is

similar to you,

the word

children make

problems with

recognizing the

singular or

plural

- revise before

the test

singular and

plural forms of

the nouns

6.

85%

- only a few

mistakes in 3rd

and 4th

sentences( 3rd p.

sing.)

- many sentences

have been done

during the

lessons,

children are

used of them

- still pay more

attention to 3rd

p. sing.

7.

95%

- without

grammatical

mistakes, only

in spelling

…great!

- visual

support,

children are

used of it, it

helps a lot

- continue with

this method

8.

40%

- not

recognizing the

mistakes in

subject verb

concord

- no visual

support, too

long for

children, quite

difficult

- use the

coloures in this

exercise,try it

again, choose

shorter text

45

This table presents the fact that children are able to use

the present simple in different types of exercise. They

sometimes made mistakes, but the school result of knowing

the present simple was almost fulfilled. It needs to be

practised further in the lessons. It has appeared that the

method of visual support is very helpful for children.

That’s why it should continue.

10. Conclusion

Advantages and disadvantages of using the School

Educational Programme

Several advantages have been found during this thesis. The

Framework Educational Programme provides free and equal

opportunity for each school in our republic to present its

aims, skills, intentions, position of school in a hierarchy

of our state education. The fact that each School Educational

Programme will be little bit different seems to be very good

for future education. The parents could choose the suitable

school for their children. The schools could present

themselves. They can offer several possibilities of teaching

process. A fair competition between schools will start. The

School Educational Programme offers several methods of

teaching, the schools can choose various materials for their

education, different titles of textbooks, different authentic

materials. The teaching process seems to be more free and

46

enjoyable for children. Relationships between subjects appear

as a big advantage, too.

On the other hand there are several disadvantages, too.

This process of making and realizing the School Educational

Programme takes a lot of teachers’ time, not only during the

working time, but more often in their free time. It is very

difficult to do this work during the school year, during the

teaching process. The teachers need to work together but it

is often impossible during the teaching process. Next

disadvantage is that we can see the function of the Framework

Educational Programme in a few next years. It should be

evaluated as a whole after one generation of students finish

the basic school. Next problem surely come if the family

moves and a child has to change the school, because each

school can change the sequence of subject matters.

All these advantages and disadvantages here are just my

observations during studying the Framework Educational

Programme and during making of the School Educational

Programme. Of course, when this new educational document will

be fully transferred into the practical use it will surely

bring other possible advantages and disadvantages.

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