I’ll never forget watching “Layla” lean over a pile of sentence cards, using her finger to separate them and making that little clicking noise in her throat that always meant she wasn’t quite sure if she approved of something. Her groupmate “Chen” kept picking up cards, then putting them down, and muttering in Mandarin. Then Layla’s eyes got wide. “WAIT. It’s the TIME! Look at the time words!”
Chen grabbed three more cards and examined them closely. His head started nodding itself so fast I thought it might fall off.
They figured out for vs. since in present perfect without me saying a single word about it.
That’s what linguistic investigations can do. And yeah, I’m about to tell you how to get your students to teach themselves grammar…not to the point where they won’t need you. Don’t worry; I’m not making you obsolete.
Your students ask you about EVERYTHING, and it’s exhausting, right?
Does this sound familiar? You explain a grammar rule. Students nod, and they seem to get it. And then the next day, someone raises their hand and asks you to explain it again. And again. And again.
They’re not lazy. (Well, maybe they are a bit lazy.) They’re not stupid. (Definitely not.) They’ve just learned that YOU are the source of all grammar knowledge, so why bother figuring it out themselves?
Here’s the thing—the better you get at teaching grammar to adult ESL students, the less they should need you. I know that sounds backwards, but your real success is when they need you less and less for basic grammar questions. (Don’t worry, you’ll still have a job. Other students will want what your successful students have.)
So how do you stop being the grammar answer key? Linguistic investigations.
Wait, you want me NOT to teach them?
I know what you’re thinking. “I have 47 things to cover this week, and you want me to let students fumble around trying to figure out grammar on their own?”
Yes. That’s exactly what I want.
You see, when students discover a rule themselves, they remember it. When you tell them the rule, they forget it by tomorrow and ask you again next week. You know this is true.
Linguistic investigations teach students that grammar has patterns. They learn that they can examine those patterns and solve the mystery without you spoon-feeding them the answer.
Plus, once they know how to do this, it’s the PERFECT activity for when you’re being observed. Minimal teacher talk, maximum student engagement, group work, speaking opportunities… all the things that make administrators happy. You’re welcome.
Here’s how to create linguistic investigations
I know, it sounds like something difficult, but it’s not.
First, you’ve got to pick something specific.
Don’t try to tackle “present perfect” as a whole. That’s too broad, and your students will drown. Pick one distinct aspect, like “for” vs. “since”. Or have vs. has. Or “already” vs. “yet”.
The narrower your focus, the easier it is for students who’ve never done this before. You can go bigger once they know what they’re doing.
Now it’s time to create the materials.
Make two lists of sentences, about half using “for” and half using “since.” Mix it up with positive statements, negative statements, yes/no questions, and information questions. This matters because if you only give them statements using “for” but have some questions using “since”, they might conclude that “for” never appears in questions. Don’t set them up to draw false conclusions.
Type these sentences into a table to create cards. Don’t handwrite them unless you’ve got calligraphy skills you want to show off and way more time than I do. You’ll need multiple sets, one per 2-4 students.
Make the cards big enough to handle easily but small enough to fit on a desk. Use a large, readable font so multiple students can read the same card at once.
Print them, cut them apart, and put each set in a plastic sandwich bag.
Pro tip: Use different colored paper for each set. When cards inevitably get mixed up (they will), you’ll thank me for this.
How can I use a linguistic investigation in class?
Okay, so you’ve got all your cards, and you’re ready to go.
Set up your groups
Divide students into groups of 2-4. Have them clear everything off their desks or tables. Tell them they’re about to investigate grammar like detectives looking for clues at a crime scene.
The first time you do a linguistic investigation with your students, you’ll need to give a lot of instructions. The fifth time? You’ll barely say anything. That’s the beauty of this, it gets easier for you every single time.
Give them a framework (but not the answer)
For the for/since investigation, tell them to read the cards and figure out what they all have in common. If they’re stuck, hint that they should look at the verbs.
Once they realize all the sentences are in present perfect (or “have/has plus verb three” if they don’t know the term yet), ask them to divide the cards into two groups.
Now, they might sort them into statements and questions. That’s fine! Congratulate them and challenge them to find another way to divide them.
When they finally get them into a “for” pile and a “since” pile, ask them WHY some sentences have “for” and some have “since.” You can mention patterns in the time expressions if they’re really stuck, but give as little help as possible.
For the first few investigations, I use facial expressions and sounds to guide them. An encouraging “a-haaaa” when they’re on the right track. A skeptical “eeeehhhh” when they’re heading in the wrong direction. Sometimes I’ll say “you’re getting warmer” like we’re playing hot-and-cold.
It feels weird at first, being quiet while they struggle. But trust me on this.
Let them tell YOU the rule
This is the moment. Your students will explain the rule to you, the rule you never told them.
“Since is for a point in time, and for is for a duration!”
Unlike when you lecture about it, they’ll remember it tomorrow. And the next day, and the next week…because they figured it out themselves.
Plus, they’ve just learned something bigger than for vs. since. They’ve learned that grammar has discoverable patterns. They might not consciously realize this yet, but they will after a few more investigations.
But I don’t have TIME for all this!
I hear you. You have curriculum to cover, students at different levels, materials to prep, and about 17 other fires to put out.
You can’t do linguistic investigations every day or for every grammar concept. Only you know how often this fits into your teaching situation.
But here’s what I’ve found: the more often you do them, the faster students get at completing them. The first investigation might take 30 minutes. By the fourth one, they’re done in 15.
And it’s not just how fast they become…they will start to look for patterns on their own, meaning they will catch on to new concepts before you even have to explain them. All of them will? Naa…this activity is great, but not THAT great. But the more students you have who don’t need your grammar hand-holding, the more time you have to focus on something or someone else.
And remember that observation thing I mentioned? When your coordinator schedules a classroom visit, this is your ace in the hole. Minimal teacher talk, high engagement, students discovering concepts on their own. This is how you get written up in a positive way.
One more thing: if you have quiet students who never participate, try rewarding the group that talks the most rather than the group that finishes first. When they don’t know which strategy will win, they’re more likely to engage.
The Bottom Line
Your students don’t need you to be a walking grammar textbook. They need you to teach them how to solve grammar puzzles on their own.
So print those cards. Divide those groups. Stand back and let them investigate.
Then watch them teach themselves.
That’s it from me. See you in the next post!
P.S. Want some ready-to-go linguistic investigations?
Click here to see a bundle of them in my TpT store!
Each is also available separately.
Read more about teaching adult ESL!
Teaching Adult ESL: Real Talk for New Teachers
2 Ways to Get Adult ESL Students to Try New Strategies
Conversational Visits: Why Your Students Need to Talk to Someone Besides Each Other
Conditionals Worksheets: 6 Quick Ways to Make Them FUN!
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