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Technique |
How... |
1 |
Even more so than with vocabulary, people tend to learn grammar by experience in listening and in reading.
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Encourage the children you tutor to read every day! Ask them to tell you about what they read since the last time. Take them to the library on campus. |
2 |
Learning of grammar is reinforced through using it personally.
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Engage the child in writing activities. Ask them to write at home and go over the results together. Use a text editor to outline and start writing and proofreading. |
3 |
Many dictionaries discuss 'usage' of words as well as the meanings of words.
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If a child makes a grammatical error, try looking up a word in a dictionary to see if there's a rule about it (this is recommended for between sessions so that you don't waste precious tutoring time in what might be a futile or a long search). |
4 |
Reading several articles from each of two different 'genres' can be used to discuss stylistic differences, such as the use of dialog and the passive for example in scientific material vs. novels.
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You can use the web and/or the library to find two or more different genres reflecting a topic of interest to the child. |
5 |
Especially for children who are still learning English, games/drills focused on grammar can be useful.
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There are some online grammar activities and the center may soon have some literacy software in this area. |
6 |
One of the very first steps in comprehension is realizing what you don't understand! Periodically ask about the meanings of phrases and paragraphs. For non-native speakers, pay particular attention to idioms.
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Make it a game by explaining that you will occasionally ask. If the child doesn't understand something, it is 'free' to ask. But if they haven;t asked and you ask a question they can't answer, they pay a point. |
7 |
Try beginning to teach about parts of speech by taking a paragraph and hiding all the content words (nouns and verbs).
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You can start by asking the child to read the parts that are left and guess at the words. Later, try the party game where they have to name a color, an animal etc. and then read the resulting nonsense paragraph together. |
See the chapter on Text Editors.