Guided Induction
Create your own grammar lesson that follows an inductive approach to teaching.
The following lessons were created by our participating language teachers. Noted below each lesson, for your reference, is at least one important feature that is representative of an inductive approach to teaching grammar.
Measure Words (Chinese)In step 2 of this lesson plan, students were provided with a language sample to analyze the features of number marking in Chinese. As a possible variation, students can be provided with a native speaker's language sample instead of a learner's sample.
Sentence Markers (Chinese)In part 1, steps 1-3, the instructor engages the students in the overall analysis of the sequence of steps to making dumplings as presented on a video. Subsequently, in step 4, the teacher provides the students with the script of the video to help them analyze in detail the target grammatical feature. Steps 1-3 allow for the contextualization of the grammatical feature under analysis.
Imperatives (Spanish)The language sample provided to students to help them analyze the target grammatical feature (commands) was given in the form of a chart. The use of a chart helps students see more clearly the specific formal changes in verb endings according to two different dimensions (formal-informal, affirmative-negative) that would have made the analysis of text in any other format too complex.
Imperatives (German)The language sample used to engage students in the search for the imperative form is provided by a Calvin & Hobbes cartoon. What is notable in this lesson plan is that the cartoon is first used to review a previous grammatical point (modal verbs), and then used again to introduce the use of the imperative form.
Wenn Clauses (German)In this lesson plan, the instructor guides the student to use a sample sentence to generate more sentences associated with clothing and weather conditions. What is interesting here is that the students are creating their own language sample.
Past Tense (Dutch)In this activity, the instructor asked students to listen to a popular song several times, each time going deeper into the analysis of language form, finally asking them to derive the infinitive from the past tense forms. This sequence of steps is the opposite of traditional forms of grammar teaching, and it serves to highlight the nature of a data-driven (inductive) approach to grammar learning.