Title of the research:
Using coloured caterpillars to help young learners in writing the correct singular and plural
tenses.
Aims:
- To help young learners to discern correct singular and plural tenses based on the
subjects given.
- To provide alternatives to pupils in learning to determine the correct tenses.
- To teach pupils in writing correct singular and plural tenses by using a more effective
and memorable method.
Intended grammar items:
Singular tenses:
a. -s
b. -es
c. -ies
Plural tenses:
Maintaining the original form of the verb
Background of the research:
It is very common among young learners, especially those learning English as a
second language, to have a hard time in discerning and determining the correct singular and
plural tenses to use. The underlying problem here is that they cannot determine the
singularity and the plurality of the preceding subjects. This poses a problem to young
learners as they often have a hard time in constructing correct simple sentences.
The pandemic worsens this underlying problem and poses a lot of challenges for
teachers to explain this abstract concept to young learners. They are usually caught in
between really understanding this concept or just making mere guesses, in hope of getting
them right by luck.
Hence, in tandem with the SEAMEO challenge, I have formulated an original idea to
help my young pupils in determining the singular and plural tenses correctly and way more
efficiently. The method that I determine to use is using coloured caterpillars to help them to
determine which singular tenses or plural tense to use. The colours that I decide to use are
red, yellow and green.
To further explain this concept, red-coloured caterpillar will be utilised to help my
pupils to determine whether to add -s at the verb based on the subjects given while yellowcoloured caterpillars will be used to help my pupils to determine whether to add -es at the
verb based on the subjects given. Last but not least, green-coloured caterpillars will be used
to help my pupils to determine whether to add -ies at the verb based on the subjects given.
A pre-test instrument was given to my pupils in order to determine their level before
the research. Explanations and hands-on activities were also given and conducted after the
pre-test. Pupils were given extensive practices before the post-test instruments were
distributed to them.