View KLA Structure for all Levels

Communication

In stage S3, the focus of the Communication substrand is to provide intensive opportunities for ESL students to develop their English communication skills such that they can interact purposefully in school-based and interpersonal contexts. Teachers integrate the development of English language skills by guiding students to interpret and respond to texts in the context of topics about Australia and from across the curriculum.

Aspects of language

Contexual understanding

In stage S3, the focus of the Contextual understanding substrand is to support students who are coming to terms with a new language and its sociocultural context. At the beginning of this stage many ESL students are having their first experience in the main school, for example, having arrived from an English Language School or Centre, and they may need encouragement to use and value the linguistic and cultural knowledge they bring to the classroom.

Linguistic structures and features

In stage S3, the focus of the Linguistic structures and features substrand is to help students consolidate and extend their basic knowledge of English structures and features and to draw on this knowledge to express a range of meanings. A considerable amount of recycling and reinforcement of basic grammar, and features of pronunciation, stress, rhythm and intonation is required at this stage. Through a mix of activities focusing on function and form (in a meaningful context), students gain some control of the basic grammar of English. After oral and written practice, teachers explicitly outline how key grammatical structures are formed and when or why they are used. This helps students develop a language to talk about language, for example when discussing corrections to a draft.

Strategies

In stage S3, the focus of the Strategies substrand is to consolidate and develop student strategies that enhance the learning of language. Teachers create a dialogue for language learning, by discussing the purpose and relevance of new tasks and information, and by teaching students the language to talk about language. They support students in the planning and organisation of their work, encourage them to take risks, to responsively adapt first attempts and to monitor their progress. Students vary in the ways they learn best, and teachers need to employ a range of teaching approaches to accommodate different learning styles.