Teaching French Grammar in Context

Book excerpt: ?Something needs to be done about grammar.” Katz and Blyth have written this book with the hope of changing the way French instructors teach and conceive of grammar. Intended to help teachers and teacher trainers develop an understanding of French discourse that is grounded in recent theoretical and sociolinguistic research, this book is devoted to informing teachers-in-training, as well as experienced teachers, about cutting-edge methods for teaching grammar. It also describes the grammatical features of the French language in its social context. At the same time, it provides suggestions for applying such abstract knowledge in practical pedagogical ways, for example, how to structure grammatical explanations, devise classroom activities, and take advantage of resources that give students greater exposure to French as it is truly used in various discourse environments.