Ratna

The Grammar Translation Method


Introduction

The grammar translation method is not new. It has been used by language teachers for many years . At one time it was called the “Classical Method” it was first used in latin 7 greek ( chastain 1988) Erlier in this century, this method was used for the purpose of helping students need and apreciate foreign language, students would become more familiar with the grammar of their native languange and that this familiarity would hael them speak and write their native languange bettter


Experience

as we enter the clasroom, the class is in the midlle of reading in their text book. And the teacher do the methode like :

Each student is called on to red a few lines from the passages.
After they have finished reading they are asked to trasnlate to indonesia the few lines they have just read . The teacher help them with new vocabulary items .
The teacher ask student in their native language if they have any question.
Ask the students to write out the answer to reading comprehension question
The teacher decides wether an answer is correct or not , if the answer not correct the teacher select another student to get the correct answer.
Student translate new words from english to native languange, for exampel translate from enlish to indonesia
Students are given a grammar rule for the use of direct object with two words verbs
Student apply a rule to example they are given
Ask the student to memorize vocabulary
Ask the students to state the grammar rule
Students memorize the present tense, past tense, and past participle forms of one set of irregullar verbs.



The goals of the tecahers who use the grammar translation method is a fundamental purposes of learning a foreign languange is to be abble to read literature written in the target language. To do this, students need to learn about grammar rules vocabullary of the target language. The teacher is the authority in the class, and the students do as she says so they can learn what she knows. Students are taught to translate from ano language to another.






Reviewing the techniques

Below is an expanded description of some of these techniques :

Translation of a literary passage
student translate a reading passage from the target language into their native language. The reading passage then provides the focus several classes : vocabullary and grammatical structures in the passage are studied in subsequent lessons

Reading comprehension questions
students answer question in the target language based on their understanding of the reading passage. Often the question are sequenced so that the first group of question asks for information contained within the reading passage. In order to answer the secon group of question, student will have make inferences baseo on their understanding of their passage.

Antonyms / Synonims
students are given one set of words and are asked to find antonyms in the reading passage.

Cognates
student are taught to recognice cognates by learning the spelling or sound patterns that correspond between the language

Deductive application of rule
Grammar rule are presented with example. Exception to each rule are also noted. Once students understand a rule, they asked to apply it some different examples.

Fill in the blank
students are given a series of sentences with words missing.they fill in the blank with the new vocabullary items or with items of particullar grammar type , such as prepositon or verbs with different tenses

Memorization
students are given list of target language vocabullary words and their native language equivalent and are asked to memorize them. Students are also required to memorize grammatical rukes grammar paradigms such as veb conjugations

Use words in sentences
In order to show that students understand the meaning and use of a new vocabullary item, they make up, they make up sentences in which they use the new words


Composition
The teacher gives the students a topic to write about in the target languange. The topic is based upon some aspect of the lesson. Sometimes, instead of creating a composition, students are asked to prepare a precis of the reading.