Phase 1: Quiz Creation (Breakout Rooms)

1. Work with your assigned group in the breakout room.

2. Open one shared Google Doc for your group.

3. As a group, write 10 sentences.

4. In each sentence, underline ONE word only.

5. Across your 10 sentences, include all eight grammatical categories:

   • noun

   • verb

   • adjective

   • adverb

   • pronoun

   • determiner

   • preposition

   • conjunction

6. Repeat two categories (you will have 10 sentences total).

7. Do NOT organize sentences in category order. Mix them.

8. When finished, upload ONE document to Padlet under your group number.

❗Do not look at other groups’ documents yet.

Maftuna Xojixonova

Dilnura Parpiyeva

Laylo Nurillayeva

Sevarakhon

Saodat

Hamidjon

Maftuna Babayeva

Dilafruz

Mohinur

Nigora Masharipova

Shahlo

Madina Xotamirzayeva

Dilafruz

Maftuna Babayeva

Mohinur

Xabiba

Madina

Gulshoda

Zaxriddin

Rahima

Munavvar

Phase 2: Quiz Taking and Evaluation

1. Your group will be assigned one other group’s document.

2. As a group, review the assigned quiz and do the following:

First:

• Identify which of the eight grammatical categories each underlined word belongs to, based on its use in the sentence.

Second:

• Check for any grammatical errors in the sentences.

Third:

• Decide how effective each sentence would be on a grammar test.

• Suggest revisions if a sentence is unclear, misleading, or ineffective.

3. Be prepared to discuss your evaluation when we return to the main room.

1.    All marked words were not underlined, but they were bolded.

2.    All grammatical categories were given in order; they did not mix them.

3.    In third sentence two words were bolded, not one.

4.    The sentences are short and simple to use in grammar tests.

1. When you were writing your sentences, what strategies did you use to make sure the underlined word clearly fit one grammatical category?

2. What challenges did you face when creating the quiz sentences, and how did your group resolve them?

3. Which grammatical categories were easiest for your group to write clear example sentences for, and why?

4. Which grammatical categories were most difficult, and what made them harder to work with?

5. When you took another group’s quiz, what made some sentences easy or difficult to interpret?

6. What did this activity show you about the difference between writing a grammatically correct sentence and writing a good test item?

Nigora

Maftuna Xojixonova

Munavvar

When we were creating our sentences, our main strategy was to look at how the word works in the sentence, not just what the word is. For example, in “I put my backpack on the front porch,” the word my is very clear because it comes before a noun and shows ownership, so there is no confusion about its category.

However, some words made us hesitate. Words like nearby or joyfully were challenging because they can change their role in different sentences. For instance, in “Isabel shops nearby on weekends,” nearby works as an adverb, but in other sentences it could be an adjective. This forced us to slow down and really think about function and context.

We noticed that nouns and verbs were the easiest categories to work with because their roles are usually clear. But adverbs and determiners were more difficult, even though learners use them naturally.

When we looked at other groups’ quizzes, we also realized that some sentences were grammatically correct but not effective as test items. For example, “The glass is dirty” is correct, but it does not really test grammar. It is too simple and does not make the learner think.

Overall, this activity showed us that teachers need a deeper understanding of grammar than learners. Learners focus on using language, but teachers must analyze it, explain it, and design sentences that clearly test one grammatical feature. For us, this was a very valuable and eye-opening experience.

When we were creating our sentences, our main strategy was to look at how the word works in the sentence, not just what the word is. For example, in “I put my backpack on the front porch,” the word my is very clear because it comes before a noun and shows ownership, so there is no confusion about its category.

However, some words made us hesitate. Words like nearby or joyfully were challenging because they can change their role in different sentences. For instance, in “Isabel shops nearby on weekends,” nearby works as an adverb, but in other sentences it could be an adjective. This forced us to slow down and really think about function and context.

We noticed that nouns and verbs were the easiest categories to work with because their roles are usually clear. But adverbs and determiners were more difficult, even though learners use them naturally.

When we looked at other groups’ quizzes, we also realized that some sentences were grammatically correct but not effective as test items. For example, “The glass is dirty” is correct, but it does not really test grammar. It is too simple and does not make the learner think.

Overall, this activity showed us that teachers need a deeper understanding of grammar than learners. Learners focus on using language, but teachers must analyze it, explain it, and design sentences that clearly test one grammatical feature. For us, this was a very valuable and eye-opening experience.

2. What challenges did you face when creating the quiz sentences, and how did your group resolve them?

The main challenge was avoiding ambiguity, especially with words that can belong to more than one grammatical category. We resolved this by simplifying sentences, discussing multiple options as a group, and revising sentences until everyone agreed that the grammatical category was clear.

3. Which grammatical categories were easiest for your group to write clear example sentences for, and why?

Nouns, verbs, and adjectives were the easiest because they have clear roles in sentences and are familiar to learners. These categories are also easier to illustrate with concrete examples and everyday vocabulary.

4. Which grammatical categories were most difficult, and what made them harder to work with?

Adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions were more difficult because their meanings depend heavily on context. Some words could function in different categories, which made it harder to create sentences with only one correct interpretation.

5. When you took another group’s quiz, what made some sentences easy or difficult to interpret?

Sentences were easy to interpret when they were short, clear, and used familiar vocabulary. They were difficult when the sentence structure was complex, the context was unclear, or the underlined word could fit more than one grammatical category.

6. What did this activity show you about the difference between writing a grammatically correct sentence and writing a good test item?

This activity showed that a grammatically correct sentence is not always a good test item. A good test item must be clear, unambiguous, and focused on testing one specific concept without distracting the learner.

1. Decide your three learner groups (3 levels).
   Choose any system (CEFR / IELTS / TOEFL / WIDA / your own program levels).
   Write them as: Group 1 (lower), Group 2 (mid), Group 3 (higher).

2. Use Cowan (2008), Chapter 2 to choose:

   • 3–5 noun phrase (NP) topics for each learner group

   • 3–5 verb phrase (VP) topics for each learner group

3. For each choice, add one short reason:

   • “We chose this because… (necessary, high-frequency, prerequisite, common error, etc.)”

   • “We did not choose X because… (too advanced, low priority, assumed known, etc.)”

4. Be ready to share one key decision:

   • one topic you would teach early (and why), and

   • one topic you would avoid at the lowest level (and why).

Selected Noun & Verb Phrases

Determiner + Noun (a book, the teacher)

Reason: Cowan (2008) states that determiners are core elements of noun phrases and essential for basic meaning and reference.

Adjective + Noun (big house, good idea)

Reason: Adjective modification is introduced early and helps learners expand simple noun phrases.

Pronoun Noun Phrases (he, they, it)

Reason: Pronouns replace full noun phrases and reduce repetition, a key step in basic discourse.

Verb + Object (eat food, watch TV)

Reason: This basic VP structure reflects the canonical English SVO order emphasized in Chapter 2.

Auxiliary + Main Verb (is going, can see)

Reason: Cowan highlights auxiliaries as central to verb phrase structure and tense formation.

Group 1 — Lower Level (IELTS 4.5–5.5)

Selected Noun Phrase (NP) Features

Articles (a / an / the)

Demonstrative determiners (this / that / these / those)

Subject and object pronouns

Basic adjectival modification (Adj + N)

The reason why these noun phrase features were selected is that Cowan (2008) identifies determiners, pronouns, and basic modifiers as the core building blocks of noun phrase structure required for grammatical sentence formation at lower proficiency levels.

Selected Verb Phrase (VP) Features

Be verb (am / is / are)

Present simple tense

Basic negation and interrogatives

Adverbs of frequency

The reason why these verb phrase features were chosen is that Cowan (2008) emphasizes simple tense forms, auxiliary use, and basic verb–adverb combinations as foundational elements of verb phrase construction.

Excluded

Perfect tenses

The reason why perfect tenses were excluded is that they require control of tense–aspect distinctions, which Cowan (2008) associates with higher levels of grammatical development.

Group 2 — Mid Level (IELTS 6.0–6.5)

Selected Noun Phrase (NP) Features

Count vs. noncount nouns

Quantifiers

Comparative and superlative adjectives

Gerunds functioning as noun phrases

The reason why these noun phrase features were selected is that Cowan (2008) highlights countability, quantification, and gerunds as key areas in which intermediate learners develop greater grammatical precision.

Selected Verb Phrase (VP) Features

Present simple vs. present continuous

Past simple vs. present perfect

Modal verbs (can, should, must)

Basic passive voice

The reason why these verb phrase features were chosen is that Cowan (2008) notes that tense–aspect contrasts, modality, and passivisation are central to increasing clause complexity at the intermediate level.

Excluded Feature

Advanced relative clauses

The reason why:

The reason why advanced relative clauses were not prioritised is that Cowan (2008) treats them as higher-level noun phrase expansions more suitable for advanced learners.

Group 3 — Higher Level (IELTS 7.0–8.0)

Selected Noun Phrase (NP) Features

Complex noun phrase modification

Relative clauses

Appositives

Nominalisation

The reason why these noun phrase features were selected is that Cowan (2008) identifies complex modification, relative clauses, and appositives as markers of advanced grammatical range and academic style.

Selected Verb Phrase (VP) Features

Perfect and progressive aspects

Advanced passive constructions

Verb–complement patterns

Phrasal vs. prepositional verbs

The reason why these verb phrase features were chosen is that Cowan (2008) emphasises mastery of aspect, complementation, and passivisation as indicators of advanced syntactic control.

Topic: Adjective + Noun structure

Example: a big house, an interesting lesson

Reason:

At the B1 level, learners need to produce clearer and more detailed noun phrases. According to Cowan (2008), adjectives are key modifiers inside the noun phrase and typically appear before the noun. Teaching this structure helps learners avoid word order errors and expand simple noun phrases accurately.

Verb Phrase (VP) Topic

Topic: Auxiliary verb + main verb (tense and aspect)

Example: She is studying. / They have finished.

Reason:

Cowan (2008) explains that auxiliary verbs are central elements of the verb phrase. At the B1 level, learners are expected to use basic tense and aspect forms correctly. This topic helps learners express ongoing and completed actions more clearly and accurately.

Shakhlo

Hadija

Dildora

Selected Topics:

Noun phrases: Basic vocabulary like family members (mother, father, sister), everyday objects (book, chair, pen), and places (school, park, home).

Verb phrases: Simple present tense verbs such as eat, go, play, like, have.

Reasons for selection:

There are some several reasons to choose these topics. Firstly, learners at this level are beginners and need to learn simple, frequently used words to express basic ideas about their everyday lives. Secondly, family and familiar objects are easy to understand and useful for daily communication. Thirdly, simple present verbs help learners talk about routines and facts, which are essential at this stage. Finally, these topics are less complex and give learners confidence to start forming meaningful sentences without confusion.

Group 2 B2 level

Selected Topics:

Noun phrases: Common professions (teacher, doctor, student), hobbies (reading, swimming, painting), and emotions (happy, sad, excited).

Verb phrases: Present continuous tense (I am reading, She is swimming), modal verbs like can (ability) and must (necessity).

Reasons for selection:

There are enough reasons for this level to take these topics. For example: Mid-level learners can understand more detailed information and express what they are doing right now or abilities they have. Professions and hobbies allow learners to talk about themselves and others more fully. Present continuous tense is important for describing ongoing actions, which adds depth to communication. Modal verbs are key for expressing permission, ability, and obligation, expanding learners’ functional language use.

Group 3 C1 level

Selected Topics:

Noun phrases: Abstract concepts such as freedom, success, education, as well as complex compound nouns like science teacher, social media.

Verb phrases: Perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect), passive voice, and phrasal verbs (look after, give up).

Reasons for selection:

We choose these topics as it has different reasons. Higher-level learners are ready to use more advanced grammar to talk about experiences, opinions, and complex ideas. Abstract nouns help learners discuss topics beyond concrete things, useful for academic and formal contexts. Perfect tenses allow talking about actions with a connection to the present or past. Passive voice and phrasal verbs are common in natural English but often difficult, so learning them is important for fluency and exam readiness.

4. We decided to teach simple present tense verbs first and early because they form the foundation of English grammar. Most everyday communication requires the ability to talk about habits, routines, and facts, which these verbs express clearly. Starting with this ensures learners build a strong base before moving to more complex tenses and structures. This approach organizes learners by their proficiency and matches grammar topics to their needs. It balances simplicity for beginners with challenge for advanced learners. The reasoning behind topic choices ensures that what is taught is useful, relevant, and appropriate for each group’s level. This makes teaching more effective and helps learners progress smoothly.