TEACHING GRAMMAR TO YOUNG LEARNERS

Composed to fulfill one of the requirements to obtain the Final

Examination of Early Childhood and Theories at the English
Education Program, Language and Art Department,
Faculty of Teacher Training and Education,
The University of Jember

By:

DEZTYA AYU NING WINTY

150210401015

ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

LANGUAGE AND ARTS DEPARTMENT

THE FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION

THE UNIVERSITY OF JEMBER

2017
Introduction

Teaching English as a foreign language especially to young learners is not

easy things to do. As we all know young learners are very different with adult
learners, young learners are special. There are so many myths about young
learners we must concern about them as teachers. Young learners can easily
express their feelings about the way the teachers teach them. They can honestly
tell their teacher whether they like the way the teacher teaches them or not.

For all this time, grammar is known as one of language components that
has crucial roles in language use. According to my experience, teaching grammar
is very challenging. Most would agree with that statement, especially in teaching
grammar to young learners. Based on Kalivoda in Teaching Grammar in the
Target Language (1990) shown the nature of grammar learning as a process which
is complex and under considerable debate. He claimed, "It is not clear how much
learners need to be told about grammar nor how much practice they require. If the
grammar presentation is highly detailed, especially on the beginning level, L1 is
likely to be used."

For young learners, grammar can be learned for them from the simple one
to make them familiar to use it in using language correctly. The problem is the
way to teach grammar to young learners is wrong and it makes a stereotype that
grammar is very difficult and bored to learn by young learners. There are so many
research articles giving opinions that teaching grammar, especially to young
learners, is very challenging.

To fill in the gap, this paper tries to giving some ways or activities that can
be applied in the classroom to teach grammar more fun to the young learners. This
paper is focused on giving some fun ways or activities to teach grammar to young
learners effectively.
Theory and Discussion

Theory
Theory about Young Learners
Wendy A Scott assumes that young learners are very different
with adult learners, they more likely have a short concentration span,
they are very logical, they can easily imitate what the teachers do.
It makes the teacher more challenging in teaching young
learners, especially in teaching grammar.
What is grammar?
Based on the Cambridge dictionary grammar is (the study or
use of) the rules about how words change their form and combine with
other words to make sentences. There are so many responses from the
students while they are learning grammar. Most of them will feel
learning grammar is such boring and it is a very hard work especially
to the young learners.
After I read some of the articles, books and other references
there are so many aspects we must concern in teaching grammar,
especially to young learners.
a. Deductive and Inductive Approach.
Brown (1972) claimed that some degree of both inductive and
deductive learning is necessary. He suggested, Both types of learning can
lead to boredom and failure: our deductive explanations are often too
long, abstract and unclear; our classroom discussions sometimes center
about one small detail which interests only one or two students He also
claimed, our carefully planned inductive drills lack that bit of zest that is
needed to keep things lively and fresh.
A deductive approach is an approach that can be used to teach
grammar to the students by giving the pattern first, then asked the students
to make examples such as sentences based on the pattern already taught by
the teacher.
 An inductive approach is an approach in teaching grammar to the
students differently with the deductive approach did. In this approach, the
teacher provides the examples of the sentences then the students need to
identify what kinds of patterns based on the sentences. Then, the teacher
makes an evaluation and corrections.
b. Contextualization
Nunan (1998) stated an opinion and claimed, If learners are not
given opportunities to explore grammar in context, it will be difficult for
them to see how and why alternative forms exist to express different
communicative meanings.
c. The Use of Pictures and Realia in Teaching Grammar to The
Young Learners
It is very important to relates the material through the use of realia
as Schneider (2005) suggested that bringing community issues into the
classroom can be effectively used to teach grammar. He claimed, It offers
a way to give local culture and local concerns a prominent place in the
English language classroom and provides an opportunity to make
learning more engaging and relevant, because students have the
opportunity to understand new material in terms of their own lives and
realities.

d. The Use of Total Physical Response in Teaching Grammar to

Young Learners

As we all know, mostly young learners learn best through learning

by doing. They like to learn by expressing what they want to do with total
physical respons, it can help the students to learn grammar more fun.
Scrivener (1994) claimed, TPR, in fact, a whole methodology and has
proved to be very successful, especially at low levels. Initially learners are
given restricted exposure to a large number of instructions. Gestures and
demonstration quickly help learners to understand the meaning.
Discussion

According to the theories mention above, to teach grammar in the

second language to the young learners effectively, we can use some of the
theories. As I told you before in the Introduction grammar is one of the
most challenging. The reason is that it is not easy to motivate students,
especially young students to learn grammar.

Here are some techniques that I recommend to teach grammar

effectively especially to the young learners

a. Using Inductive Approach

In order to make the young learners more interesting in learning

grammar, it is better for the teacher to use inductive approach. The
example of the activity can be applied in the classroom:

At first the teacher provides some examples to the students. For

instance, in the class the teacher pointed at a student and asked them,
What is his name? They replied Nicholas. Then the teacher pointed at
other students and asked their names. After that the teacher started
pointing at different things such as chairs, tables, and white board and
asked them what those things were. The students answered her questions.
After listening to their reply the teacher told them that everything has a
name. These naming words are called noun.

b. Using Contextualization

The second theory explain about contextualization, it is better to

teach young learners related to their context.

For example, the teacher asks the students to say something about
their vacation or write 2 up to 3 sentences about their vacation. It is
better for the young learners to learn related to context rather than
learn through isolation sentences.
 As the teacher we can teach them grammar implicitly. Instead of
teaching them the sentence structure, the teacher made the students write
an essay about their best friend.

The teacher provided them with some questions and asked them to
write the answers in their copy.
Then the teacher helped them to make sentences from those
questions. For example, the teacher asked Can people live alone?
students replied no.
After that, the teacher replaced people with not and added
people at the beginning of the sentence.
Then the teacher told them that a sentence would usually start with
a subject.
The teacher also informed them that people was the subject of
this sentence.
So they should put it at the beginning of the sentence and add a
not after can to make it negative.
Then the teacher instructed the students to copy the statement from
the board. The teacher told them that it would be a good
introduction for their essay.
Then the teacher provided them with more questions such as Does
everyone have friends? and Do you have friends? and helped
them to write the answers.

c. Using Pictures and Realia

We also can use pictures and realia to make the students more
interesting in learning grammar. For example of using picture to teach
grammar In the class can be done by

the teacher has drawn a flower on the board to get attention of the
students.
 Then the teacher asked them to name the things they can see in the
picture.
When the students replied, the teacher asked them to describe the
flower. The students came up with different words such as, nice,
beautiful and lovely.
Then the teacher informed them that words like these are called
adjectives.
Finally, the teacher gave them the definition of adjective and taught
them how an adjective can be identified.

Here is the way to use realia to teach grammar to young learners.

For example to teach adjective adjectives by comparing things.

At first the teacher pointed towards the teachers chair and

described it as a big and brown chair.
Then the teacher pointed towards a students chair and described it
as a small and red chair.
After that the teacher asked the students to compare their school
bags.
During this discussion the students came up with more adjectives.
Then the teacher asked the students some questions to find out if
the students have any confusion regarding adjectives.
And finally the teacher wrote some questions and answers on the
board.

d. Using Total Physical Response ( Through Games)

Grammar can be taught using total physical response rather than

explanation, young learners will easily get bored. Total physical response
can be practiced by games. Here are some games can be used to teach
grammar especially to young learners.
1. Hot Potato Games
a. Use a foam or inflatable ball, and start up a fast-paced
round or two of hot potato.
b. The objective, of course, is to pass the ball around in
a circle as fast as possible. Before passing the ball to the
next student, the student holding the ball must show off
their English grammar skills.
c. When a student catches the ball, they must quickly
think up a word that fits your given criteria, spit it out
and pass the ball before the allotted time runs out.
d. For example, tell students learning the present tense that
they must each say one verb conjugated in the present
tense, using first person singular or I form. Each
student will then have to say something like, I run, I
dance or I cry. The ball gets passed around and
around, with students being eliminated whenever they
draw blanks or conjugate their verb wrong.
e. For easier games, give each student 6-8 seconds.

2. Word Chain
a. In this tricky game, students will have to think quickly
and creatively.
b. Start the class off by giving them a word which fits
your desired theme. Restrict them to only certain parts
of speech, such as nouns or verbs. For an extra
challenging session, limit the words to certain moods
and tenses. For example, every word given might need
to be in present or past tense. If youve been practicing
nouns in class lately, say a noun.
c. The student who starts off the game will have to think
of a word that begins with the last letter of the word you
 provided. If youre practicing nouns and said, food,
then the student could say dog or dish. If youre
practicing with adjectives and started with beautiful,
then the next student might say lazy or loud.
d. Go around the classroom playing this way and
eliminating students who can not think up words
quickly enough.
Conclusion

From the explanation above we can know the ways to teach

grammar effectively especially for young learners because young learners
learn differently from adult learners. As we all know, grammar is not easy
to teach especially to young learners, but there are some ways can be
applied to make it interesting to young learners.

There are some aspects we must concern about teaching grammar

to young learners. Here I recommend the teacher to use inductive approach
in teaching grammar to young learners, because it is can be more fun. Not
only applying inductive approach, the teacher expected can teach gramar
through contextualization. Using pictures or realia can be very useful to
make the young learners interesting in joining grammar class. The teacher
can also use some attractive games related to the total physical response to
motivated and make the students learn grammar unconsciously.

At least, we can conclude that teaching grammar to young learners

is very challenging. But, with some activities suggested in this paper
hopely can make the young learners interesting in joining grammar class
and the teacher can teach grammar effectively to the young learners.
 References

Brown, H. D. (1972). The Psychological Reality of Grammar in the ESL

Classroom, TESOL Quarterly.

Kalivoda, T. B. (1990). Teaching Grammar in the Target Language,

Hispania.

Nunan, D. (1998). Teaching grammar in context, ELT Journal

Schneider, J. (2005). Teaching grammar through community issues,

ELT Journal

Scott, Wendy A. (2004). Teaching English to Children. London: Longman

Education Texts, New York

Scrivener, J. (1994). Learning Teaching: The Essential Guide to English

Language Teaching (3rd ed.). Oxford: Macmillan Publishers
Limited.

Pengelley, James, Teaching grammar for young learners: children

learn languages differently to adults , Posted on 3rd January 2017
(accessed on 21st May 2017, retrieved from http://www.Hongkong
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Pesce, Andrea, Young Learners and Grammar, How to Do It Right,

posted on 5th November 2016. (accessed on 21th May 2017,
retrivied from http://busyteacher.org/23394-young-learners-
grammar.html).