How can we use contrasts to make grammar as accessible as possible through movement, comparisons, and context?
Since I’ve started using the TPRS method in my Italian classes at School of Hospitality, I’ve realized that my students don’t become more fluent simply by discussing grammar rules. Instead, it’s more effective to explain grammar within context. For example, instead of saying “nouns ending in –(d)ad are always feminine,” I point to words in sentences and explain their use through stories. So, when we see the word “parlO,” I explain that it is the first-person singular because the story is about “me.”
At first, I provide explanations, but after I’ve highlighted the same phenomenon several times, I ask students to give the explanations themselves. When we analyze a sentence like “Ieri Giovanni è andato al mercato,” I want students to notice the past tense “è andato.” I constantly repeat the combination “ieri” and “è andato” until students can answer on their own why the word “è andato” was used (answer: because the action happened “ieri”).
I also like to present grammar through contrasts, by comparing different grammatical structures in different contexts. For example, after the sentence “Ieri Giovanni è andato al mercato,” I pose a contrasting question: “Giovanni è andato al mercato ieri or Giovanni va al mercato oggi?” In this way, through repeated questions that include two different time markers, I try to convey the meaning of the tenses to my students.
Another way to make different grammatical structures more memorable is to link them with physical actions. I divide students into groups that represent different verb tenses, such as “today,” “yesterday,” and “tomorrow.”
When I tell different scenes from the story (“Giovanni è andato al mercato”) and change them into parallel versions – “Giovanni va al mercato” or “Giovanni andrà al mercato” – I ask the groups to stand up when their version is mentioned. I can also assign students to go to the appropriate group each time I mention a sentence or scene.
Do you also have some interesting examples in your language? Help your colleagues and share it here!