Teacher Alessandra´s homework: "Teaching Grammar"

The article "Teaching Grammar", by Jeremy Harmer defends the idea of approaching grammar through a realistic way. He says that we, teachers, should give students what and need; but especcially we need to know about the grammar we are asking our students to learn. According to Harmer, we need to know what we´re talking about, but not be afraid to have to study areas we are less sure of.
Jeremy Harmer stresses that we need to respect our students' own attitudes whilst not, thereby , automatically abandoning our own approaches. Jeremy reinforces the idea that we should be pragmatic in our choice of grammar activity depending on the level and type of our students and, on the type of grammar under consideration.
Like Harmer said very well " Teachers are not perfect" and definitely we have to be able to acknowledge that we don´t have all the information at our fingertips but that we will either find a good answer or refer students to where that information can be found. Students will end up respecting us far more than teachers who invent spurious explanations which are later seen to be unreliable.
I agree with the author and I conclude saying more once a time that we, teachers should teach grammar based on our students' needs, to be always getting ready to learn and choose the best way to deal with the barriers to teaching grammar. Motivation and interaction is a good invitation!

Homework  Workshop: Oral, writing and pronunciation development

“Pass the Paper”

Name:­­________________________________________

Part 1


Write one question in a circle on your paper. Then pass it to the student on your right. When you receive a paper from left, read it and add one new question.



Where do you live?




Part 2

Find your original paper. Read the questions. Choose four you want to answer and cross out six you don’t want to answer.

Part 3

Number the questions in the order you want to answer them.

Part 4

Write a paragraph.


Part 5

Read the paragraph for the group.


* Photocopy the page above (one copy per student). Give each student a handout. Have them write their names in the top-right hand corner of their handouts.

* Divide the class into groups of five or six. Have each group sit in a circle.

* Focus Students attention on Part 1 of the handout. Explain that, in preparation for the writing assignment, they will write questions for each other (e.g., Where do you live?).

* Students write a question, pass their handout from their left. Each time Students receive a handout, they write one question and pass the handout to the right.

* Students carry out the task until there are ten questions on every handout.

* Focus Students’ attention on Part 2. Students find their original handouts.

* Students read the questions and choose four they want to answer. They cross out the other six.

* Focus Students’ attention on Part 3. Students number the questions in the order they plan to answer them.

* Focus Students’ attention on Part 4. Have Student’s write their paragraphs.

* Focus Students’ attention on Part 5. Have Student’s read their paragraphs.


Rationale: Having a plan heps students organize their writing. This fun game enables students to think about what to write and how to write it using language.
Material: Xerox

Homework: An overview of the structures of the English Language

Activitie 2:
The hands of a man
Building his home; raising a flag; petting a dog; burning a flag. A man’s hands. Hiding his face; saying goodbye; robbing the poor; pointing up “I”. A man’s hands. Skaking his friend’s hands; saving a life; digging a grave; picking tomatoes. A man’s hands. Holding his son; aiming a gun; teasing a woman; killing a man. A man’s hands. Over his head; folded in prayer; shackled in shame; nailed on a cross. God motivates them... The Devil takes them... The hands of a man.

(An Open Letter, by Victor Lundberg, Liberty Records Inc. L.A.,CA, USA.)

I would work the text “The hands of a man” this way:

1) Interpretation
Students should check your reading. For example:
1. According to the text, a man’s hand’s are used for:
a. a good and evil. c. well and bad. e. good and bad. b. God an bad d. God and evil.
2) A flag is not:
a. an identification. c. an emblem. e. a card. b. a signal. d. a symbol.

3) When the hands of a man are folded in prayer it indicates:
a. education. c. devotion. e. motivation.b. protection. d. correction.

4) The text doesn’t present:
a. contrasts. c. antitheses. e. differences. b. apologies. d. opositions.

5) A man with shackles around his hands is probably a:
a. policeman. c. detective. e. cop.b. soldier. d. prisoner.

2) Grammar
2.1 Students shoud underline the Possessive adjective his (home/face/head) and object pronoun them (the Devil takes them).
2.2 Teacher would use the text to teach the Genitive case.
3) Vocabulary
The text shows many new verbs and helps the to revision the spelling of words with the suffix –ing. The teacher could teach or revise some verbs: to raise ( levantar (transitivo direto): Raise your hands. To rise( levantar-se (intransitivo); The sun rises in the east. To rob( roubar (alguém ou algum lugar); Those men will rob the bank and the clients. To steal( furtar (levar algo de alguém sem premissão); Look! That man is stealing the lady’s money. To dig( cavar, “curtir”; They are digging grave is the cemetery. She digs Iron Maiden. You can still explore the following verbs: To say, to tell, to save (salvar; economizar), to take (tomar, pegar, levar). To pet (to touch, to caress), to burn (to incinerate), to hite (to put out of sight, cover), to tease (to excite), to pick (to choose), to nail (to fix with nails), to hold (to embrace).
( Teacher could use flash cards).
4) Conversation and interaction.
4.1 Students should play of mime.
4.2 Teacher could write the phonetic simbols of some words of the text on the blackboard or in cards. Students guess what is the word.

Homework: An overviewof the structures of the English Language

Activitie 1:
Tom’s diner
I am sitting in the morning / At a diner, on the corner / I am waiting at the counter / for the man to pour the coffee / And he fills it only half way / And before I even argue / he is looking out the window / at somebody coming in / “It is always nice to see you” / says the man behind the counter / to the woman who has come in / she is shaking her umbrella / and I look the other way / as they are kissing their hellos / and I’m pretending not to see them / and instead I pour the milk / I open up the paper / There’s a story of an actor / Who had died while he was drinking / It was no one I had heard of / And I’m turning to the horoscope / And looking for the funnies / When I realize someone watching me / And so I raise my head / There’s a woman on the outside / Looking inside, does she see me? / No, she does not really see me / Cause she sees her own reflection / And I’m trying not to notice that / She’s hitching up her skirt / And while she’s straightening her stockings / Her hair has gotten wet / Oh, this rain, it will continue throught the morning as I’m listening / to the bells of the cathedral / I am thinking of your voice / And of that midnight picnic / Once upon a time before the rain began / And finish up my coffee and it’s time / to catch the train
Tom’s diner ( Suzanne Vega, Solitude Standing, Polygram, 1987.)

I would work the song “Tom’s diner” this way:
1. Listening
Students should listen to the song.
2. Grammar
2.1 Prepositions
While the students listen to the song they should circle the prepositions.Example: on, at, in, for, up and so on.
2.1.1. Verbs
Students should underline the verbs wich are in present continuous. Ex:I am sitting; I’m listening; I’m trying; etc.
3. Vocabulary
3.1 The teacher would use the song to do the students to check the difference between this words: diner (pequeno restaurante) x dinner (jantar); on the corner/ at the corner/ around the corner (na esquina) in the corner ( no canto); to realize = to realise (perceber) x to release (liberar) x to achieve (realizar); to raise (levantar); erguer) to rise (levantar-se); to notice (notar) x to tell the news (noticiar).
3.2 Phrasal verbs; look out (olhar para fora) x look inside (olhar para dentro); look for (procurar) x look the other way (virar o rosto).
( Teacher could use flash cards.
4. PronunciantionTeacher should stress the pronunciation of some works like; diner/ dai n? /; dinner /di n?/; horoscope /h?:r?skou?p ; notice; straighten / streit?n/ cathedral/ ka?i:dr?l/.
5. Conversation
5.1 The teacher would talk with the students about yours routines. For example: What time do you have breakfast? What time do you get up? What do you do after breakfast?( Students could play of hot potato.
5.2 The teacher would talk with the students about Suzanne Vega. For example: Do you know this singer? Is she na American singer? What is your repertoire? What are her hits?( Students could write a biography or article about Suzanne Vega.
Note: Suzanne Vega is an American singer whose reportoire tends for the folk music. Yours hits like “Luka”, Tom’s diner”, “Solitude standing”, etc., make more succes in Inglaterra than in U.S.A. Some yours songs were theme of films: Fame, Pretty in Pink, Stay Awake.