CONNECTING LANGUAGE LEARNING

TO THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM

A Good Story!Interpretive Listening and Reading

Pictures as Prompts

Pictures scaffold learning

Today’s learners are “imageators”

Check that the story is….

• age and culturally appropriate. (familiar)

• Is repetitive or highly predictable

• Can be dramatized or (not abstract)

• Lends itself to the use of visuals

TPR / Comprehension before production / Oller’s Episode Hypothesis / Folktales /

Learning Centers /

A Narrative Framework

Identify importanceFind binary oppositesOrganize the content in story

formConclusion Evaluation

The language experience chart approach

Teacher provides target inputTeacher checks comprehensionStudents retell with teacher helpStudents copy version into their

notebooksPermanent record is used in other

activities

Co-operative Learning

Assign roles

Decide on –

Target Vocabulary

The End Product

Scaffolding (How?)

Student evaluation

Follow up and Extension

Group dynamics

Learning Through Culture

Possible Approaches….

• Cultural products (folktales, legends, artists, celebrities, songs…..)

• Use of realia, real things.

• Cultural Practices / Customs (greetings, school/home life, families, holidays)

*** Using the students’ own cultural knowledge to facilitate learning is also a valid approach and highly motivating for young learners.

Contextualized Performance Assessment

It’s all about PERFORMANCE!Use formative assessment instruments - rubrics, checklists, peer/self forms

Possible “end products” -- storybooks and summaries, posters, booklets,

presentations, plays, short compositions

Assessment should be focused not just on the end product but the whole process.

SOPA / ELLOPA / IPA

THE END