of - OSEA-CITE

1 -Other titles of interest include ELLIS, Rod Classroom Second Language Development ELLIS, Rod Second Language Acquisition in Context KRASHEN, Stephen Language Acquisition and Language Education KRASHEN, Stephen Second Language AcqUisition and Second Language learning KRASHEN, Stephen Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition NEWMARK, Peter P. Approaches to Translation NEWMARK, Peter P. A Textbook of Translation NUNAN, David Language Teaching Methodology PECK, Antony Language Teachers at Work ROBINSON, Pauline ESP Today: A Practitioner's Guide ROBINSON, Gail Crosscultural Understanding WALLACE, Catherine learning to Read in a Multicultural Society WEIR, Cyril Communicative Language Testing WEIR, Cyril Understanding and Developing Language Tests WENDEN, Anita and Joan RUBIN Learner Strategies in Language learning YALDEN, Janice ; "r.

2 : 'The Communicative Syllabus i$.. ~ .y The natural approach Language Acquisition in the Classroom STEPHEN D. KRASHEN University of Southern California TRACY D. TERRELL University of California at Irvine ~ PHOENIX ELT PRENTln" HALL MACMILLAN New York london Sydney Singapore INDIANA UNIVERSHV SOUTH BEND SCHURZ LIBRARY Published 1995 Hall Europe Campus 400, Spring Way __ Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 7EZ _ A division of -Simon & Schuster International Group First. published 1983 by Alemany Press Published 1988 bv Prentice Hall International Prentice Hall Europe All rights reserved.

3 No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WIP9HE. Printed and bound in Great Britain _ TJ. International Ltd, Padslow, Cornwall. Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Krashen, Stephen. The natural approach . Includes index I. Language arts. I. Terrell. Tracy D.

4 II. 1982 428'.007 82-12193 ISBN a-13-{)()9934--3 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Krashen, Stephen. The natural approach . 1. Modem languages - Study and teaching I. Title. II. Terrell, Tracy 418'.07'1 PB35 ISBN 0-13-609934--3 9 8 7 6 1999 98 97 TABLE ofCONTENTS Preface 1 Chapter One 5 Traditional and Non-Traditional Approaches to Language Teaching Introduction 7 An Overview: Theory and natural approach 18 Chapter Two Second Language Acquisition Theory 23 The Theoretical Model: Five Hypotheses 26 Factors Which Influence Second Language Acquisition 39 Chapter Three Implications ofSecond Language Acquisition Theoryfor the Classroom 53 Implications of Second Language Acquisition Theory 55 The natural approach .}

5 Guidelines 57 The natural approach and Language Acquisition Theory 59 Chapter Four Getting Started With The natural approach 63 Curriculum Organization 65 Classroom Activities in Early Stages 75 Managing Classroom Activities 86 Chapter Five Oral Communication Development Through Acquisition Activities 95 Affective-Humanistic Activities 100 Problem-Solving Adivites 108 Games 121 Content Activities 123 Grouping Techniques for Acquisition Activities 124 v Chapter Six AdditionalSources 0/Input/or Acquisition and learning The Place of reading in The natural approach How Should reading Be Taught?

6 A Non-Interventionist reading Program Intervention Teaching for Monitor Use Writing Television and Radio as Input Sources Homework Vocabulary Chapter Seven Testing and Classroom Management Testing Order of Grammar Rules Error Correction Modification for Age Differences Modification for Second Language Instruction Bibliography vi PREFACE This is not the first attempt to present a new approach to the teaching of s,econd and foreign languages based on a new theory of language. Earlier attemJ1fS. most notably audiolingual approaches, have not met with great success.

7 We think that 129 this has happened for several reasons. A major problem was that the theories 131 were not actually theories of language acquisition, but theories of something else; 131 for example. the structure of language. Also, the application of the theory. the 136 methodology, was not always adequately field-tested. What looked reasonable 138 to the university professor on paper did not always work out in the classroom. 142 The natural approach , we hope, does not have these weaknesses. It is based149 on an empirically grounded theory of second language acquisition, which has 153 been supported by a large number of scientific studies in a wide variety of lan 154 guage acquisition and leaming contexts.

8 In addition, it has been used by many 155 classroom teachers in different circumstances teaching various languages and this experience has helped to shape the approach over the last seven years. The central hypothesis of the theory is that language acquisition occurs in only 163 one way: by understanding messages. We acquire language when we obtain 165 comprehensible input, when we understand what we hear or read in another 174 language. This means that acquisition is based primarily on what we hear and 177 understand, not what we say. The goal, then, of elementary language classes, 178 according to this view.

9 Is to supply comprehensible input, the crucial ingredient in 179 and to bring the student to the point where he or she can understand language outside the classroom. When this happens, the acquirer ("im utilize the real world, as well as the classroom, for The natural approach , then, is a way to do this. It is for beginners and is designed to help them become intennediates. We do not pretend that the natural approach is the only approach to language instruction which is capable of accomplishing this goal; there are other fine approaches which provide com prehensible input in a variety of innovative ways and which have been demon strated to be effective.)

10 The natural approach , however, is relatively simple to use and it is easily adapted to a variety of situations ( foreign language, second language, public school, adult education, bilingual programs, etc.) and can be easily modified to deal with different types of students ( adults, children) with different cognitive styles. The natural approach , unlike some newer ap proaches, need not be adopted in whole; we are encouraged by instructors who have initiated natural approach in part within their regular programs and who report dramatic improvement in their students' abilities to use their new language for communication and in their attitudes toward language study in general.