The Natural Approach
Class Level Beginner/ First Class
Number of students:
6
Teachers Della Abrahams, Natalie Brandt ,Glenda Burns,
Chong Woo
Lesson Objective(s)
1. Students will be able verbally introduce themselves in target language.
2. Students will be able to choral repeat with teacher.
Time Groupin
g
Activity/Procedures
Rationale
Skill(s)
Materials
Teacher maintains use in target
language to allow students to
hear the language, to be
immersed. Choral repetition
allows students to practice
listening/speaking.
Begins to build community.
Allows teacher to give personal
attention to student’s
pronunciation.
Clarify input where needed.
Opportunity to correct teacher’s
pronunciation of student’s name.
Listening/
speaking
none
Listening/
speaking
None
All
Teacher says, “My name is Glenda,
12:06 Together what is your name?” Asks students
to respond by saying, “My name
is….”
Students can practice target
Listening/
phrase and become familiar with Speaking
the different phonemes.
None
12:08 All
Teacher repeats “My name is…”
Together and writes down name on card. SS
have cards to write individual
names. Teacher demonstrates how
to write out the card, while
explaining instructions in target
language.
Students practice listening to the Listening
directions in target language, are
able to follow along because
teacher is demonstrating.
Cards, markers.
12:00 All
Teacher introduces self in target
Together language. “My name is…” Begins
choral repetition with “My name
is…”
Teacher goes around the room and
asks each student to repeat the
12:03 Individual phrase “My name is…”. Teacher
checks pronunciation, individually.
Uses hand gestures and TPR to
express assessment.
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The Natural Approach was designed by Tracy Terrell and Stephen Krashen. It was published in 1977.
Krashen and Terrell believed the following about language acquisition:
Language:
 Language is an unconscious process.
 Use language meaningfully.
Learning:
 The focus is on implicit learning. Grammar rules are not taught, there is no explanation of syntax or structure.
 The goal is to achieve communicative competence in target language and target culture.
 Comprehension precedes production; there will be a silent period.
 Benefits are found by listening to sounds, vocabulary and structures in target language.
 Students are not expected to immediately produce in target language, assessments can be observed through appropriate
actions.
 Understanding can be found through actions as well as verbal responses.
Teaching:
 A classroom should be safe, not intimidating and have a low anxiety level.
 As teachers, we have to provide understandable, comprehensible input in a safe and inviting environment.
“The goal [of the Natural Approach] is that the members of the group become genuinely interested in each other’s opinions, feelings,
and interested and feel comfortable expressing themselves on the topics of discussion in class.” -The Natural Approach to Language
Teaching: An Update T.D. Terrell (1982)
*Students that are beginners are best served with this method.
*This method would not be appropriate in an intermediate setting or for a grammar specific classroom. Rather, this method is
appropriate for an entry-level ESL or foreign language classroom so that the students can be exposed to as much target language as
possible.
References
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003). Beyond methods: Macrostrategies for language teaching. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
Kiymazarslan,V. (1995). The natural approach: what is it? Retrieved from http://naturalway.awardspace.com/articles/article002.htm
Romeo, K. (N.D.). Krashen and Terrell’s “natural approach”. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/~kenro/LAU/ICLangLit/NaturalApproach.htm
Terrell, T.D. (1977). A natural approach to second language acquisition and learning. The Modern Language Journal, 61(7), 325-337.
Terrell, T.D. (1982). The natural approach to language teaching: an update. The Modern Language Journal, 66(2), 121-132
Ur, P. (1991). A course in language teaching: Practice and theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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