Embedding Structure into Function and/or Content

1
Embedding Structure into Function and/or Content

• Project II
• Inha TESOL

2
Structure

• A structural syllabus is a syllabus that has a
  grammatical progression as its organizing
  feature. This kind of syllabus is concerned with
  usage.
• For example, if you are planning to teach
  present continuous tense today, past tense
  tomorrow, and passive voice the next day, you
  have a structural syllabus.

3
Functions

• A language syllabus can also be organized
  according to how the language is used in everyday
  situations such as
• giving advice
• asking for directions
• telling stories about the past
• talking about rules
• requesting information

4
Example Function Giving Advice

• If you were to teach a unit on giving advice, you
  might include the following items
•  I think you should . . .
• Why don't you . . .
• If I were you, I would . . .
• You'd better . . .

5

• Note the grammatical complexity of the
  previous examples.
• I think you should. . . (modals, noun clauses)
• If I were you, I would . . . (modals, adverbial
  clauses (if/then) and subjunctive mood)
• These structures would traditionally be
  taught to advanced students, yet functionally
  these are fairly common items.

6
Content-Based

• A syllabus can also be designed around a
  particular area such as movies, relationships,
  the Incas, womens rights . . . or whatever!
• A syllabus that covers the Solar System,
  Volcanoes, Dinosaurs and Earthquakes is an
  example of a content-based syllabus.
• Here the focus is on learning the content
  without explicitly teaching language.

7
Which syllabus to use?

• Without proof here (read Browns good book if you
  want to know more), a syllabus organized around
  function and content is more likely to produce
  language acquisition because students are
  naturally concerned with meaning. But it is still
  possible at times (though not always) to embed
  structure into a functional syllabus.

8
Examples We Have Covered

• Structure embedded into function.
• ? Passive voice embedded into the function of
  talking about rules. (We did a game on the board)
• ?Second conditional embedded into activities
  centered around hypothetically speaking.
• ?Past continuous embedded into an activity were
  we interrogated suspects.

9

• Structure embedded into content.
• ?Passive voice embedded into a retelling activity
  on the Incas.
• ?Past continuous embedded into a murder mystery
  at the Remington family mansion.

10
Examples without any structure

• Some examples we studied were purely functional
  or content-based. There was no structure covered
  whatsoever.
• The Franken fish/Franken monkeys retelling
  activity is one example of that.
• The Balance animation was another example. Here
  the focus was on the function of clarification.

11
Your challenge (Project)

• Working in pairs come up with a 20-30 minute
  activity that you will teach to the class that
  embeds a structure from the list I give you into
  a function or content or both. It can be a
  retelling activity, a game at the board, a
  presentation, a listening activity. I dont care
  so long as the function or content (or both) has
  a tight focus and the structure is present.

12
An example of structure Comparatives

• Comparatives are often taught at the middle to
  high school level.
• smart ? smarter
• big ? bigger
• beautiful ? more beautiful
• happy ? happier
• She is smarter than him.
• That painting is more beautiful than this one.

13
An example of functionComparison

• (traditional comparatives)
• She is faster than him.
• He is more intelligent than her.
• She is funnier than him.

• (other comparisons)
• She is as strong as he is.
• He is not as tall as her.

14
An example of content

• Korea has undergone many changes since the
  1950s.In general, people are more educated and
  wealthier now. There are fewer people living in
  the country and not as much hunger and poverty.
  However, the cities are more polluted and the
  traffic is much more congested.

15
Possible structures

• Present continuous
• Relative clauses
• Embedded questions
• Countables/uncountables

• Comparative adjectives
• Adverbial clauses (If-then)
• Present Perfect
• Simple past tense