Optional: Looking at Hyun–Chu’s Writing Sample

• Show overhead, Hyun-Chu's Writing Sample.
• Discuss with trainees the fact that a learner's writing or speech sample will not have only one grammatical problem, but perhaps have many.
• Have trainees critique the writing sample provided.
  
  Problems:
  
  
  • Verb tenses or (spelling of verb tenses): staied, eatted, swimmed.
  • Missing verbs: It was snowy.
  • Missing articles: I made a snowman. I swimmed in the pool.
  • Sentence fragments: The sentence should have read, "When I was here, it ... "
  • Missing commas: Then, I swimmed in pool.
    
    
• Discuss the importance of showing the learner her strengths.
  
  Good points:
  
  
  • Attempts to apply -ed rule to the past tense.
  • She understands that articles are important and uses "the" when talking about "the" city.
    
    
• Show overhead, What problems should I tackle first with the learner?.
• Discuss the criteria on the overhead, and brainstorm which problem Hyun-Chu's tutor should address first. Suggestions:
  
  • The past tense lesson about irregular verbs would be the preferred topic to discuss first. (It is easier to handle than other topics and more relevant to the introductory learner.)
  • "Y" as a common word ending that can change nouns into adjectives (snowy, rainy) could be the focus of a later lesson.
    
    
• Give optional handout, Irregular past tense verbs.