View Learning Outcomes | Learning Outcomes and Indicators

Curriculum Focus

Communication

Through a variety of classroom activities students learn the basic vocabulary and structures required to interact with others in English in the classroom. Teachers introduce students to new language, accepting and encouraging a range of verbal and non-verbal responses and so creating a classroom environment where students gain confidence in their ability to be effective learners and to communicate through spoken English. Initially the teaching focus is on the English that students need to satisfy immediate needs, for instance, to interact and communicate with others and carry out essential tasks in the classroom and the community, such as providing important information, shopping or using public transport. The teaching focus then shifts towards introducing students to some of the basic oral English associated with subject-based curriculum. Through teacher modelling, students are introduced to and given opportunities to hear and use English for a wide variety of purposes. They are supported to understand these texts through the extensive use of visual materials, such as pictures and diagrams, and through non-verbal language. Students are also introduced to basic aspects of the English phonological system, such as stress, rhythm and intonation.

Aspects of language

Contextual understanding

Students at stage SL will already have an understanding of how to use their first language appropriately according to context, for example by using different forms for addressing people, depending on their relationships to them. Through regular classroom interaction and specific activities, such as simple role-plays and cued dialogue, teachers help to raise the students’ awareness of how English varies according to situational factors, for example by pointing out simple polite forms that students may use in different situations. Students become aware that the various language patterns they produce or respond to, deliver different types of messages, such as instructions, statements, requests and questions. Through planned activities and as opportunities arise, teachers assist students to understand the role of simple common non-verbal behaviours in English, like hand gestures, head movements and eye contact, and how their meanings may change depending on the context of the communication.

Linguistic structures and features

Through general classroom interaction and specific speaking and listening activities, such as role-play, communicative games, chants and songs, students acquire basic vocabulary and common structures as well as a range of basic formulaic expressions. Teachers model and give feedback to students about features of spoken English, such as volume, speed, rhythm and intonation. As students use their limited English repertoire to interact in the classroom, they experiment with their existing English in different learning contexts. Teachers support this experimentation, through encouragement and by negotiating and responding to the meanings students attempt to express. Where appropriate, teachers model the correct form rather than relying overly on error correction, which can stifle communication.

Strategies

In structured classroom tasks such as pair work and group activities, students develop confidence in communicating with their limited English repertoire. By fostering a supportive classroom environment and encouraging students to experiment with their developing English, teachers encourage students to take risks in their language learning and discover that making ‘errors’ is part of the learning process. Students memorise simple formulaic expressions and imitate models provided by the teacher and are supported to record what is learnt in written English. Students look for patterns in English structures through such activities as information-gap or problem solving. Teachers also provide students with strategies for communicating, for instance, using appropriate formulaic expressions for initiating conversations, turn-taking strategies and simple strategies for negotiating meaning.