Lee, a teacher I coached for 15 sessions last year, now has a new job. Here’s what he’s dealing with:

I have a new a job teaching at a relatively small school. The curriculum is grammar-based, but the principal is open to modifications. My question is—how does a teacher like me, who’s drunk the Kool-Aid of CI, teach in that environment while also providing the students with the grammar-based instruction that they’ve paid for and that I’m being paid to do? This isn’t entirely dissimilar from teaching at my former school in that regard, but I was wondering if you had any advice for me in this moment.
Thank you for your time,
Lee

Here’s my immediate response:

I’ve been in similar situations where the curriculum is grammar-based, and I know scads of teachers that have been there too. A few questions: Are there mandatory discrete point grammar tests at your school? Are the required summative tests communicative? Do the assessments focus on recognition and production of grammatical forms apart from meaningful communication? If so, that could change parts of my answer, but here are some options for you:

1) Ignore the curriculum and “Teach for June,” as they say, which means the students will get  the grammar and much more soon enough if you concentrate on teaching for communication and comprehension rather than piles of grammar rules. But this is risky and may even be unethical. You could be dismissed from your job for not following the curriculum. Still, if you’re focusing on the long-term goal of comprehensible input and authentic communication, and can also convince the powers that be that this approach is valuable both for learning and retaining students, it can work. I’ve done this at a school where the world language teachers were not checked up on much and the results were fabulous, but it can be potentially perilous for job security.

2) Teach grammar on Friday. Monday through Thursday teach vocabulary and focus on stories, personal interaction (a la Special Person interviews), songs, culture, history, art, food, and other engaging and useful content—all in the target language. Then have students open their textbooks while you read aloud. Comment when necessary. Little to no homework for grammar. Students will pick up the grammar they are ready to acquire—just like they would if you focused exclusively on grammar. Let students that so desire take home textbooks.

3) Integrate grammar with engaging content. Use your best communication- and comprehension-based techniques and interweave them with the required grammar in the school curriculum. This compelling input approach combined with limited grammar instruction has worked well for me, particularly with stories and Special Person questions that set up certain grammar as a requirement in answers and discussion. It also differentiates instruction, allowing students that struggle with memorizing grammar rules to engage with each lesson.

Here are some examples of integrating specific grammar with stories:

• Spanish 1 Level: Interpretive task with controlled vocabulary in present tense and past tense based on the familiar folk  tale Hansel and Gretel: https://www.brycehedstrom.com/product/ebook-hansel-and-gretel/

• Spanish 2 Level: Easy-to-follow story and unit introducing the past tenses with controlled vocabulary: https://www.brycehedstrom.com/product/ebook-la-mujer-triste-introducing-the-past-tenses/

• Spanish 2 Level: This is a reading and writing assignment that contrasts the preterit and imperfect tenses in an easy-to-follow story: https://www.brycehedstrom.com/product/ebook-un-caballito-nuevo/

• Spanish 3 Level: Special Person interview with questions focusing on the present perfect tense and therefore requiring answers mostly in that tense: https://www.brycehedstrom.com/wp-content/uploads/QUESTION-DRIVEN-GRAMMAR-IN-SPECIAL-PERSON-INTERVIEWS-Jayme.pdf

• Spanish 3 Level: Unit and extended story introducing the present subjunctive: https://www.brycehedstrom.com/product/ebook-expressing-desire-teaching-the-subjunctive-1/

• Spanish 4/AP Level: Extended lesson and engaging story introducing the troublesome past perfect subjunctive and conditional perfect combo: https://www.brycehedstrom.com/product/ebook-el-cuento-tragico-de-mark/

• Spanish 4 /AP Level: Lessons, vocabulary and guided reading of Harry Potter in Spanish. This integrates grammar with short quizzes for each chapter: https://www.brycehedstrom.com/product/ebook-read-harry-potter-in-spanish/

The first level 3 example above is free to download from my website, all the others are eBooks that are on sale right now.

Does this help? Does this answer address your situation adequately?