NOTE: You don’t need to read this discussion until you reach the “Grammar Demo Lesson” this week.

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Please choose one of the grammar points from the list at the bottom of this post. Once you have chosen, post a reply stating your choice – this grammar point is now yours to teach. Before choosing, please check for replies to this post to see which have already been taken.

Ideally, please teach the other trainees on the course. Try to organise a short Zoom session together and teach your grammar point to them. 10 minutes maximum allowed!

If this isn’t possible, you can teach a few friends or family members gathered around the kitchen table or somewhere similar. If you can’t get two people together, then just teach one person.

Procedure:

1. Write the two model sentences you were given on the board.
2. Elicit the name of the tense / structure and write it on the board (e.g. “present simple”).
3. Elicit the function (“to talk about…”) and write it on the board. Use a timeline if you think it will clarify when the action happens.
4. Elicit the form and write it on the board.
5. Drill, so that the students sound natural (e.g. “she’s” not “she is”).
6. CCQ by asking questions or writing some incorrect sentences. Can you test both form and function with your questions?

After you’ve taught your grammar point, have a short discussion with your peers/students. Together, agree on what went well and how the teaching could be improved. What do you wish you had/hadn’t done? What have you learnt about teaching grammar?

In the forum discussion:

• Write a few paragraphs describing the experience.
• Post a second comment responding to another trainee’s entry.

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List of grammar points:

1. Present simple for habits and routines
   I go shopping every day
   Jake cooks a big lunch on Sundays
2. Present perfect simple for life experience (when we don’t say when the action happened)
   I have eaten snails
   Clara has lived in Japan
3. “ought to” for giving advice
   You ought to save some money
   She ought to stop smoking
4. Be going to + base form for future plans
   I’m going to run a marathon next month
   Aida’s going to get married on Saturday
5. First conditional for things that will possibly or probably happen
   If you revise, you’ll pass your English exam
   If you don’t eat, you’ll get hungry
6. Past continuous for actions in progress when another action happened
   I was waiting for the bus when I saw the accident
   I was having a shower when the phone rang
7. Second conditional for things that are very improbable
   If I saw a ghost, I’d scream
   If Toulouse lost tomorrow, I’d be amazed
8. Modal verb “can” for ability
   I can run a mile in 5 minutes
   Jamie can’t swim yet
9. Modal “have to” for obligation
   You have to show your passport there
   You have to train a lot if you want to win matches
10. Future simple for making offers
    I’ll take you to the airport
    Charlie will help you pack tomorrow
11. Third conditional for regrets
    If I’d worked harder I would’ve earned more money
    If I’d been sober I wouldn’t have lost my phone
12. Present perfect simple for the very recent past with a present result
    Ouch! I’ve cut my finger!
    Hi mum… I’ve missed my train…
13. Present perfect continuous for the unfinished past (when saying how long)
    I’ve been living here for a month
    Jake’s been learning Italian for 6 weeks