Programme Title: Module Title: Content Provider: General English - Beginner Junior High School - online Vital English Goal The goal of this course is to provide interactive language learning materials for Junior High School students, to complement their existing school text books and learning materials. Overview 1. The course has 32 units, each one designed for two hours of student learning. 2. Each unit has an associated paper-based test. 3. The package also contains many outlines of classroom-based learning activities that can be used in conjunction with the online material. 4. Each unit has a central task for students to complete. 5. Students can practise the four language skills, as below: Reading Students read English words and phrases in onscreen exercises and activities in each unit. Listening Through the media bar, students listen to native speakers giving instructions and announcements, and speaking in conversations and dialogues. They also listen to native speaker model answers in speaking exercises. Writing Students write words and phrases to complete exercises and to complete writing tasks such as filling in a form and writing a postcard or letter. Students write notes and sentences in onscreen notepads, in preparation for speaking practice. Speaking Through the media bar, students speak and record their own voice in response to questions from native speakers about a variety of topics. 6. The topics provide the context for the language and the task in each unit. Both teachers and students should find that the topics are familiar to them. 7. The main aim of this module is for students to gain a general knowledge of basic English through practising commonly-used vocabulary items and language chunks such as greeting others, introducing self and others, expressing likes and dislikes, and various other functions. Considerations The target audience for this Junior High School Year One course is students of English language as a second or third language in Junior High Schools. The course can be offered in two ways: as a stand-alone, online course as a blended-delivery course led by a competent facilitator. It is expected that facilitators will: have a minimum of one three-month ESOL teaching course leading to a qualification such as CELTA, Trinity, Cert ELT (Wintec) have worked through the online package themselves before delivering it to students be familiar with their own technology, to enable each student to access the materials be familiar with the main language points in each unit, including language patterns and vocabulary be familiar with the navigation from one unit to the next and from one activity to the next be aware that the task is the centre of each unit and that students will learn by doing be able to provide affective feedback for students.
Content Outline 1: Friends 1 Getready 5: Food 1 9: Movies 1 13. Plans 1 Friends 2 Food 2 Movies 2 Plans 2 2: Family 1 6: School Life 1 10: Feelings 1 14. Birthdays 1 Family 2 School Life 2 Feelings 2 Birthdays 2 3: School Buildings 1 School Buildings 2 4: Daily Routines 1 Daily Routines 2 7: Sports and Hobbies 1 Sports and Hobbies 2 8: Homes 1 Homes 2 11: Shopping 1 Shopping 2 12: People at School 1 People at School 2 15. Computers 1 Computers 2 16. Festivals 1 Festivals 2
17: Neighbours 1 Neighbours 2 18: Famous People Famous People 2 19: Health and Fitness 1 Health and Fitness 2 20: International Sports Events 1 International Sports Events 2 21: Health Care and Medicine 1 Health Care and Medicine 2 22: Personal Safety 1 Personal Safety 2 23: Clothing 1 Clothing 2 24: Weather 1 Weather 2 25. Space 1 Space 2 26: The Earth 1 The Earth 2 27: Oceans and Rivers 1 Oceans and Rivers 2 28: Trees and Plants 1 Trees and Plants 2 29: Travel and Transport 1 Travel and Transport 2 30: Language Learning 1 Language Learning 2 31: Art and Music 1 Art and Music 2 32: Book and Magazines 1 Books and Magazines 2 3
Teaching Objectives The key teaching objectives are: to enable students to improve their proficiency in the English language, by providing language learning tasks that stimulate students to use and learn language for the fulfilment of the tasks to enable students to use, learn and practise English language, through tasks whose associated language is graded and matched with the National Curriculum for Junior High School students to allow students to use and practise the four language skills listening, reading, writing and speaking with language points and vocabulary that are associated with familiar topics from their textbooks and the National Curriculum to stimulate students to become more autonomous in their language learning by providing languagelearning materials for online learning in which they can progress, practise and revise at their own speed to enable students to achieve the language-learning goals set out in the National Curriculum by providing stimulating, interactive units of learning content to allow students and teachers to measure student progress by providing tests related to the online materials to enable students with different learning styles to learn and practise English language in different styles through the provision of imaginative classroom-based activities to complement the online course. Learning Outcomes Listening: by the end of the first 16 units, students will be able to listen to and identify: target vocabulary linked to images key information in statements about interests, family relationships, jobs, buildings, routine activities, times, school timetables, days of the week, sports and hobbies, houses and furniture, movies, feelings, shopping and prices, body shapes, sports equipment, birthday parties, computer components, festivals. Reading: by the end of the first 16 units, students will be able to read: lists of target vocabulary simple texts such as a brief letter, a form, a family tree, a set of directions, a recipe, a school timetable, a description of a house, a brief movie review, a postcard, brief shopping conversations, a description of a school photo, a weather report, an invitation, computer helpdesk conversations and descriptions of festivals. Writing: by the end of the first 16 units, students will be able with the aid of models: to write simple texts such as a brief letter, a form, a set of directions, a recipe, a school timetable, a description of a house, a brief movie review, a postcard, brief shopping conversations, a description of a school photo, a weather report, an invitation, computer Helpdesk conversations and brief descriptions of festivals. Speaking: by the end of the first 16 units students will be able with the aid of models: to speak about their likes and dislikes, their family, their daily routine and their school timetable to order and buy food in a cafeteria, to give instructions for physical exercises, to talk about movies, to do an interview, to talk about feelings, to buy products,to talk about their school, to describe a photo, to make suggestions to a friend, to invite someone to a party, to give instructions about computers and to describe customs at festivals. 4
Instructional Strategies Instructional strategies used to teach this course include: Self-directed learning Students can navigate from any exercise, section or unit to the next one at their own speed. Doing tasks Each task presents cognitive and language challenges. The combination of cognitive and language demands enables students to work with language points for the purpose of solving problems. Guidance Suggested Learning Hours Each unit is designed for two hours of student learning time. Teachers and students can plan to spend at least two hours with this package each week of the school year as part of an integrated, blended approach to learning and teaching. Further time can be given to revision, tests and keeping a journal. Teachers can spend as much time as they choose with the classroom-based activities associated with this package. Estimated time for completion of the online Junior High School course is approximately sixty-four (64) hours. The teacher can guide students in their learning by answering questions or giving tips in any matter from technical advice and navigation to questions about English language. Collaborative learning In many of the productive exercises, students are required to work with a partner. Revision Students can redo exercises and tasks, practising language points in any unit Assessment The tests allow teachers and students to assess student progress. Reflection and goal setting Keeping a journal allows students to record their progress and to set goals for their learning. 5