Grammar teaching in Portugal

Abstract

Although some studies evidenced a divide between the practices and the curricular guidelines for first language teaching, in the Portuguese curriculum, there was always some place for grammar teaching. The debate focuses on the questions "why teach grammar?", "what to teach?" and "how to teach?" In the Portuguese case, answering to the first question, we may identify the development of linguistic awareness and the construction of explicit knowledge about the language, in order to form linguistically and discursively competent citizens, using language proficiently in oral formal and public contexts, in reading and in writing. Through an overview of the curricular guidelines, as well as other official documents, the answer to the second question points at what is taught about grammar in the Portuguese curriculum. Finally, since it is one of the grammar teaching approaches with more empirical research, the Grammar Lab is presented as being a good practice.