Course Overview

Goal of the course

This course is designed to prepare you to teach grammar to students who are learning English as a Second Language (ESL). In doing so, you will develop:

Knowledge of a wide variety of different grammatical structures commonly taught in ESL classrooms
An understanding of how context can affect the use of different grammatical structures in English
Skills in providing feedback on ESL students' grammatical errors
Skills in creating and delivering materials, activities, and lessons for teaching grammar in the ESL classroom

structure of the course

It is my belief that the best learning occurs in contexts in which students can actively engage with material in a supportive, collaborative environment. To that end, this course employs a flipped classroom design. I expect students to complete the readings and watch my pre-recorded lectures before class. This will help prepare them for class meetings that involve discussions and other hands-on tasks designed to help students engage with the material and develop a deeper knowledge of that material.

Textbook

To help us explore the nature of English grammar and how to teach it, we will use the following textbook:

Cowan, R. (2008) The Teacher's Grammar of English: A Course Book and Reference Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Additional Resources

In addition, the following books might be helpful as you develop materials and lesson plans. These are available through Course Reserve in the library:

de Oliveira, L. & Schleppegrell, M. (2015). Focus on Grammar and Meaning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Folse, K. (2016). Keys to Teaching Grammar to English Language Learners: A Practical Handbook (2nd Ed.). Ann Arbor, MI: Michigan University Press.

Larsen-Freeman, D. & Celce-Murcia, M. (2016). The Grammar Book (3rd Ed.). Boston, MA: Heinle Cengage Learning.

Nassaji, H. & Fotos, S. (2011). Teaching Grammar in Second Language Classrooms. New York: Routledge.

Parrot, M. (2010). Grammar for English Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Yule, G. (1998). Explaining English Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Course Modules & Schedules

This course consists of 12 modules, each roughly corresponding to one week in the course. The first two modules cover basic information about the approach to grammar taken in this course and basic concepts and ideas in the teaching of grammar to ESL students. The rest of the modules focus on a wide variety of grammatical structures commonly taught in ESL classrooms and the different strategies for teaching those structures.

Basics of Grammar (Week 1)
Teaching Grammar (Weeks 1-2)
Phrases and Clauses (Week 3)
Questions and Negation (Weeks 3-4)
Nonreferentials and Pronouns (Weeks 5-6)
Multi-word Verbs and Prepositions (Weeks 6-7)
Determiners and Articles (Weeks 8-9)
Adjectives and Adverbs (Weeks 9-10)
Modal Verbs (Week 11)
The Tense-Aspect System (Week 12)
Passive Voice (Week 13)
Relative Clauses (Week 14)

For a detailed schedule of the modules, including assigned readings and course learning tasks, follow the link here (Spring 2024 syllabus).