With lots and lots of input, they got most parts of the verb without ever having to put it in a verb chart. I never assessed them on what part of the verb they knew (such as a “fill in the blank” or “match subject to verb” or “conjugate this”), but rather on what they could do with the language (click here for an example of performance assessment with an emphasis on what students can do as opposed to just demonstrating grammar accuracy). My students were communicating, doing well, I was on a roll, I was invincible…

via Authentic input versus grammar drills, a case study.

Language Input determines Language Output

If we want our students to be able to “order at a restaurant”, then giving them the forms for the verbs “to eat”, “to order”, “to drink”, “to bring” in the present and past tense will not give them the necessary input for this skill. However, if we show them video clips and audio clips of people of people ordering food, images with captions of restaurant situations, and practice asking them questions that a waiter would ask and guiding their answers, then they are much more likely to be able to achieve this skill.