Ray: Can I have another Give me another doughnut.

Gr form : request
doughnut, honey? Informal register, honey:
pragmatic information
about interlocuter’s
relationship
Julie: You keep it up and you’re Don’t eat another. Gr form: conditional
gonna look like one. Sociocultural sensitivity
about weight: pragmatic
information about
relationship
Ray: Just gimme the box. Just hand me another Gr form: directive
doughnut. Switch from polite request
to directive: pragmatic
meaning of exasperation
aggression, authority
Julie: [hands him the box] Go If you want to die be my Gr form: directive
ahead. Kill yourself. guest. I can’t stop you. Open rudeness:
Sociocultural meaning of
closeness of relationship
ASSESSING
GRAMMAR
Why assess?
Assessment for learning Assessment of learning
- Measures pupils’ abilities as part of a - Measures the product of pupils’ learning
process
- Is part of an effective planning of T&L
- Focuses on HOW pupils learn
- Is sensitive and constructive
- Takes account of importance of pupil
motivation
- Helps pupils know how to improve
- Develops pupils’ capacity for self-
assessment to become reflective and
self managing
- Recognises the full range of
achievement of all learners.
In the Malaysian curriculum
What does the Year 3 DSKP say about assessment?
ISSUES IN ASSESSING
GRAMMAR
 ◦ Grammar tests test the ability to recognize or
produce correct grammar and usage but do
no test the ability to use the language to
express meaning. (Kitao, 1996; Purpura, 2004;
Issues in Larsen-Freeman, 2009)
◦ Washback effect. If an examination is focused
assessing exclusively on grammar-based multiple-choice
items, teachers may overuse such items in their
grammar teaching which may override their own beliefs
about what good learning and teaching
should be like. (Harmer, J.. 2015)
ASSESSING
GRAMMAR
STRATEGIES
Grammatical test task
◦ Any activity designed to elicit scorable grammatical performance domain where
without the requisite knowledge or ability the test-taker would no be able to complete
the task successfully.
(Purpura, J.E. (2004). Assessing grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.)
Mechanical assessment (indirect test
items)
◦ Multiple choice
◦ Error correction
◦ Word/Sentence order, Reordering
◦ Completion, Gap filling
◦ Transformation
◦ Word changing
◦ Sentence combining
Multiple choice
◦ The elephants use their trunks to ………. up things.

A. pick
B. picks
C. picked
D. picking
Reordering

Put the words in order to make correct sentences.

called / I / I’m / in / sorry / wasn’t / when / you

……………………………………………………………………
Gap filling
Transformation
I am sorry that I didn’t get her a birthday present.

I wish ………………………………………………………………………………….

We offer a ………………. of different types of coffee in our restaurant. (select)

Authentic assessment (direct test
items)
◦ Performing direct tasks e.g. writing a letter, summarising, oral presentation, role plays

DSKP Year 6:
Grammar items:
Grammar items:
Grammar items:
Grammar items:
UPSR
◦ Paper 1
◦ MCQ
◦ Cloze passages

◦ Paper 2
◦ Writing

(Please refer your WA for sample questions)

 DEALING WITH
GRAMMAR ERRORS
What are grammar errors?
◦ Grammar is one of the language features errors that pupils can produce.
◦ Others are pronunciation, vocabulary, register or a combination of all.
◦ Avoid OVER-CORRECTION.

◦ Decide if the errors are slips, error or attempts.

◦ Slips: pupils have the language ability but the mistakes due to slip of tongue or
carelessness.
◦ Errors: consistent mistakes
◦ Attempts: errors made in the process of acquiring a language (SLA)
Dealing with errors
◦ ONLINE (on-the-spot) CORRECTIONS
◦ OFFLINE (after-the-event) CORRECTIONS

◦ Choice is made by the teacher depending on the focus of the event.

◦ Decision should not hamper pupils’ attempts to communicate or stop the language
activation process.
Tutorial
A
◦ In pairs, select a grammatical item to assess.
◦ Design a set of 5-item mechanical questions and 1 authentic question on the
grammatical item of your choice.
◦ Share this with another pair.
B
◦ Answer the set of questions given to you by your friends.
◦ Write comments and give feedback on the assessment questions.
◦ Present it to the class.