Teaching grammar in context makes sense in theory, but putting it into practice often feels messy. Maybe you’ve tried weaving grammar into communicative tasks, only to see students slip back into memorizing rules or asking for charts. You’re not alone. Let’s look at some practical first steps and scaffolds that make grammar instruction feel more natural and effective so that students build accuracy while staying focused on communication.
The foundation to teaching grammar in context starts with this:
Grammar instruction should be anchored in communication, not separated from it.
When students learn grammar in the context of meaningful input and purposeful output, it becomes more than rules on a page. It becomes a tool that they use to understand and to be understood.
So instead of asking, “How do I teach this rule?” try asking:
- Where does this structure show up naturally?
- How will learners use it to communicate?
That’s the essence of teaching grammar in context.
2 Ways to Teach Grammar in Context
Here are two practical, beginner-friendly pathways to make the shift to teaching grammar in context.
The “Grammar-First” Pathway
Here is a framework to follow:
- Choose a grammar focus: Decide which structure you want students to notice and practice (e.g., future tense, adjective agreement).
- Select a text that features the grammar: Use an authentic or teacher-created resource where the structure occurs naturally. Students and teacher read and engage with text with the focus on comprehension.
- Engage students in understanding the text: Focus on comprehension first: meaning, gist, and key details.
- Highlight the Grammar Structure: Highlight the grammar structure.
- Guide students to notice patterns: Draw attention to how the structure appears naturally in the text.
- Reinforce through communication: Have students use the grammar in tasks that mirror or extend the text’s communicative purpose.
Students still learn the form, but they’re using it to describe, interact, and communicate, not just filling in blanks. They also see the structure modeled in a communicative context.
The “Text-First” Pathway
This pathway flips the order: start with meaningful input and let the grammar emerge from it. Here is a framework to follow:
- Select a meaningful text: Choose a short reading, listening, or viewing resource rich in communicative value.
- Identify essential grammar: Highlight structures that are crucial for making sense of the text (e.g., past tense for a story, comparisons in a description).
- Engage students in understanding the text: Focus on comprehension first: meaning, gist, and key details.
- Highlight the Grammar Structure: Highlight the grammar structure and guide students into finding the pattern.
- Guide students to notice patterns: Draw attention to how the structure appears naturally in the text.
- Reinforce through communication: Have students use the grammar in tasks that mirror or extend the text’s communicative purpose.
Here, grammar is discovered, not delivered and it sticks because it’s embedded in context and meaning.
Your Turn
If you are starting with a grammar point, most likely at novice and lower intermediate levels, you will use the grammar-first framework and find or create a text. With more advanced students you will likely begin with a text on the unit theme and then use the text-first framework.
Go Further
If these approaches resonate with you, my 30-minute Quick Win PD course: First Steps in Teaching Grammar in Context gives you the tools and guidance you need to make it happen.
In just 30 minutes (and only $10), you’ll learn how to:
- Define what “grammar in context” means and why it supports communication
- Explore two practical entry points: grammar-first and text- first
- Use a planning template to align grammar, text, and communicative tasks
What your $10 gets you:
- An audio walkthrough—listen anywhere
- A note sheet to guide your thinking
- Examples for novice, intermediate, and advanced classes
- A reusable planning template
- A PD certificate to document your hours
You can get the individual course or the Quick Win PD Growing Bundle, which gives you all 10 current courses plus all future ones.
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