WEEK 3 – LEARNING TO LEARN GRAMMAR AND READING SKILLS

Quotation of the week:

"Grammar is simply the word for the rules that people follow when they use a language. We
need those rules in the same way as we need the rules in a game." Unknown

UNIT AIM: This unit aims to train English language learners to

 Be aware of the importance of English grammar as the basic foundation for

English language skill development.
 Explore and find way(s) to learn and use grammar and reading skills
effectively

Task 1 (Brainstorming)

Look at what these learners say about English grammar and brainstorm the questions that
follow

“I think English is difficult. It’s illogical. There are too many

exceptions to any rules” Lan, International Studies Student, Hanoi
University

“I don’t think grammar is the most important thing. There are

other things, like vocabulary, body language, culture and so on
which are just as important to know about. We can still
communicate without knowing all grammatical rules” Tam,
Computer Science Student, Hanoi University

“I don’t think you can learn to speak a language

without learning the grammar first” Ha,
Tourism Student, Hanoi University

“I hate it. I think it’s boring but I

suppose it’s necessary” Hue, Banking and
Finance Student, Hanoi University.

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 Question 1: How do you feel about learning English grammar? Do you agree or disagree
with them?

Question 2: In groups, find out what other people in your group feel.

Task 2 (Reading)

Read the following passage on “Why English grammar is important?” and find out the
reason(s) why you need to study English grammar:

WHY IS ENGLISH IMPORTANT?

Grammar is very important, no matter how much the rules change, as it is what makes it
possible for us all to communicate and understand what we see, and what we say.

Learning Grammar Rules

We learn basic grammar when we start to put sentences together as children. But, the actual
‘knowing’ of grammar is much more complex. Grammar teaches us how to build sentences,
about the types of words that we use and when we should use them. Grammar also tells us
what type of word we are using in any particular sentence. There are lots of different aspects to
English grammar, and each is as important as the last. It is English grammar that will allow you
to be a better communicator, listener, thinker, reader and writer. Having a knowledgeable
understanding of grammar will let you have a potentially rewarding career in many fields of
work.

Logic and Grammar

To put it simply, grammar is a way in which we organize words, clauses and phrases into
meaningful conversation and communication. The organization of grammar all depends on the
logic. And, understanding grammar will mean you can think more logically. Grammar without
logic and organization means you cannot clearly put across your message. The more grammar
rules you understand, the clearer your communication is. This makes it easier for you to be
heard and to tell your story. Having an advanced knowledge of grammar is something
everyone should have.

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Style and Grammar

Our grammar style is how we communicate with others. Your particular style when using
grammar shows a lot about you. An advanced knowledge of grammar means you can create
witty, clever and interesting pieces for people to read. It also means you can be totally unique
as everyone’s style is different.

People will pay more attention to what you have to say if you can communicate well with
others. Just look at some of the world’s famous authors and public speakers; they will have a
unique and stylish way of using grammar.

You can learn a lot from reading other writer’s work. Even children’s books use grammar in its
simplest form. The best way to learn about the practical use of grammar is to see it in practice.
Read, read, read; you will soon understand the relationship between writing and English
grammar.

Grammar within Personal Relationships

You may have amazing ideas, but if you have little to no knowledge of English grammar, how
are you going to communicate them? The simple answer is that you aren’t going to.

You will be able to fully appreciate how to get a message across if you can understand English
grammar. From reading complex writings to children’s books, grammar will enable you to
fully understand what you are reading or writing. Some people who are learning English as a
second language make one simple, but massive mistake; they forget to learn English grammar.
Even basic grammar is better than none, and the advance learning can always come later. Don’t
limit the way in which you can communicate with others by not learning all about English
grammar.

Once you have mastered English grammar, you will be able to communicate with everyone and
anyone. You will be able to understand the complex and the simple. So, yes, grammar is vitally
important – and that is definitely an understatement. (Word count: 559 words)

Adapted from http://www.howtolearnenglish.co.uk/why-english-grammar-important.html

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Share your opinion about the importance of learning English grammar and give the
reason(s) for your choice.

In my opinion, learning English grammar is/ isn’t important

Because ………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Task 3 (Discussion)

In groups, discuss the following statements. Do you think they are true or false? Justify your
answers

1. It is always easy to obtain the information you may require when using a grammar
book.

2. One of the most common causes of grammatical errors is the failure to write verbs in
their correct forms

3. It is not necessary to study examples of grammatical rules. It is important to learn rules

by heart.

4. Helpful information about English grammar can be found in several English

dictionaries for learners of English.

5. Editing written work is one important language skill that helps enhance your English
grammar usage.

Task 4 READING SKILLS

Is Reading English Hard? How to Improve English Reading with 8

Easy Steps
by YULIYA GEIKHMAN
Did you read anything in English this past week?
How much of it did you understand?

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“Reading comprehension” refers to how much you understand of what you read. Even if
you read an English book every week, it doesn’t help your learning much if you don’t know
what the words on the pages are saying.
So you may be wondering how to improve English reading beyond just…reading more books.
That’s exactly what we’ll discuss in this article.
We will help you learn English reading with smart strategies. You’ll discover exactly how
to read English books in a way that will actually improve your skills.

How to Improve Reading and Understanding English

It’s easier to learn English reading than you think! Here, we will discuss how you can improve
using staircases and scaffolding.
When a house is built, it doesn’t all get done at the same time. Workers have to build some
temporary structures to help keep the house standing up and to help them work on the higher
parts. These structures are called scaffolding.
Scaffolding is also a method of learning. The idea is that, to learn a skill well, you need to learn
smaller parts that will help you “build” your knowledge and skills.
This is true for reading comprehension too! To really understand what you read, you might
need to work on other skills first. You might need to practice reading quickly (or slowly). You
might need to stop choosing very difficult books, and start choosing the right books for your
skill level. Start easier, start smaller and slower, and then gradually increase the difficulty.
Remember this when you’re working to improve your reading comprehension—and any other
English language skill!
The steps below will show you exactly how to improve reading skills the right way. Use these
tips and you’ll be understanding a lot more of what you read.

Is Reading English Hard? How to Improve English Reading with 8 Easy Steps

1. Always Make Special Time to Read

Reading for fun can be done anywhere. You could take a fun book out on a bus, in bed or at the
office, and you can enjoy it.
However, if you’re reading to improve your comprehension, you need to focus and study.
This means you need to make a special time for this reading. Making time for your reading will
let you focus well without risk of being interrupted. This time should be quiet, and you should
avoid being distracted.
You should try to spend at least 30 minutes every day on focused reading.That’s how to
improve your reading skills seriously and successfully. The more you read, the more you’ll
improve.
Try this:

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Turn your reading process into a ritual, something you repeat every time you sit down to focus
on reading English.
Follow these steps, or any other steps that you’d like to make a part of your reading process:
 Find a quiet, comfortable spot with bright lighting to sit.
 Get everything you might need ready before you sit down. For example, you
might want to have a pen, your notebook, a dictionary and something to drink.
 Decide how long you will read. (30 minutes is a good minimum amount of
time.)
 Put all your electronics on silent mode (or turn them off) and put them away.
Turning off the sound on your electronics might not seem important, but it’s something you
really must do!
If you have a specific process for preparing to read, then your brain will know when you’re
about to read and you’ll be more focused before you even start.
2. Read the Right Books

If you dislike science fiction, you might not want to read a book about a man stuck on
Mars. When you’re choosing books (and other texts) to read, keep two things in mind:
1. What you’re interested in
2. Your reading level
Whenever you can, you should read things that you enjoy. You should also choose books that
are at an English level just above the one you’re most comfortable with. You want to challenge
yourself just enough to learn new things, but not enough to get frustrated with your reading.
3. Ask Yourself Questions While Reading and After Reading

Learning how to read English books is about more than just reading the words!
There are a few things you can do before, during and after reading to help you better
understand the text.
Before you read, browse the text. That means you should look over the text quickly without
actually reading every word.
Take some time after you read too, to browse again and summarize what you remember. Try
to quickly say or write a few sentences that describe what the text was about.
Thinking about what you read will show you how much of it you really understood, and help
you figure out if you still have questions.
Try this:
Before you read, here are a few questions you can ask yourself as you browse, to help you
prepare for reading:
 Are there any words in bold or italics?
 Are there titles or subtitles?
 What are some of the names mentioned?
 Is there a lot of dialogue?

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  Are the paragraphs short or long?
After you read, the questions below can be used to help you think about what you did and did
not understand:
 What was the text about?
 What are the most important things that happened in the text?
 Did anything confuse you?
 Did anything surprise you?
 Are there any parts you didn’t understand?
You might have some more questions depending on what kind of text you were reading, but
these are good basic ones to start with.
4. Improve Fluency First

Reading. Is. Fun.

Do you notice how you stopped every time you saw the period?
Now imagine reading an entire article or even book like this, stopping after every word. It
would be difficult to understand, wouldn’t it?
It’s hard to form an understanding of what you’re reading when you read word-by-word
instead of in full sentences. That’s why, to improve your understanding, it’s important to
improve your fluency first.
Fluency is how smoothly you can read. When you read in your head, you should have a certain
rhythm to the words. The words should flow together naturally, like when somebody is
talking. That’s how to read English books like a native speaker would.
Improving fluency can be as simple as choosing slightly easier texts to read, or it might take
some time and practice. If you take some time to improve how fluently you read, though, it
will help you in the future. You’ll improve your reading and even your speaking. It will also
make reading feel more fun and natural.
Try this:
Many of the words you find when you’re reading are actually “sight words.” These are words
that you should know by sight and should not have to think about how to read them.
You can practice sight words very quickly. Just find a good list of sight words, like this
one, and take about a minute or two every day to read the words as fast as you can.
If you don’t know any of the words it’s a good idea to look them up beforehand, but remember
that this exercise is about reading faster, not understanding more. Once you can read at a
comfortable speed, you can focus on understanding.

Task 5 ( You Remember) – It works

 Be aware of grammar. Think about grammar. Notice the aspects of English grammar
that are the same as or very similar to those in your language (Vietnamese).

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  Read a lot of English

 Concentrate on the aspects of grammar you personally find most difficult

 Apply the grammar rules that you have learnt in your own speaking and writing

A WEEKLY MINI-PROJECT

Select your effective ways of learning English Grammar. Demonstrate them (both orally and in
written form) with evidence and justifications

USEFUL STUDY RESOURCE FOR FURTHER STUDY

Search this web link: http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/

- END OF CLASS ACTIVITIES -

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