Approaches to learning English at Compass

International School Al Rayyan

Caroline Gould

dkdeekEnglish/Humanities teacher

4th October 2009hbiuhuuinjnjnjnd

Caroline Gould

SPEAKING

LISTENING

READING

WRITING

Speaking

Developing and adapting speaking skills and strategies in formal and informal contexts.

Use sustained standard English with the degree of formality suited to listeners and purpose.

Make a sustained contribution to group discussion, and illustrate and explain their ideas.

Developing, adapting and responding to dramatic techniques, conventions and styles.

Become confident with speaking.

Listening

Developing active listening skills and strategies.

Understanding and responding to what speakers say in formal and informal contexts such as discussions, assemblies and debates .

Be able to work on their own and with others to develop dramatic processes, narratives, performance or roles. For e.g. to be able to following a plot or play and make their character come into that play at the correct time.

How do we approach speaking and listening?Use of discussion techniques in lessons; responding to film/video; use of play scripts; debates; webcam with link schools; formal situations like assembly; MUN and Student Council.

How do we approach this? Using and reading websites, blogs and web pages of other link schools. In depth novel study per term and own book choices for book reviews. Use of shorter texts, narratives and play scripts from textbooks which practice grammar, vocabulary and spelling in context. Use of non fiction books and real texts in newspapers, leaflets, instructions booklets and brochures.

ReadingDevelop active reading skills and strategies such as extracting the main points of a text.

Read and engage with a wide and varied range of texts and be able to analyse writers and their styles.

Be able to read for meaning and respond to print, viewpoints, themes and purposes.

Writing

Writing for an audience and a purpose.

How do we approach this? Specific textbooks that teach writing skills- Six Traits series, Nelson Thornes series. Opportunities to write views, opinions, stories, poems, plays and non-fiction pieces.

Using the conventions of standard English, using grammar accurately, reviewing spelling, increasing knowledge of word derivations and patterns.

Improve skills in structuring, organising and presenting their writing.

ICT and English

Give students opportunities to develop their ICT skills during English lessons.

Opportunity for students to share their work, ideas and writing through the use of features such as web blogs.

Increase their interaction with students from link schools who are studying the same books, projects or themes.

How can I help my own child with their English language progress?

Homework Tasks and Researching

Assist your child to find the correct information from books or the web. Discuss the task with him or her and help them to make a plan for their work.

Set a time to do homework tasks

Help your child to practice his speech for assembly or his spelling test.

Use websites to practice spelling. Use the Look, Cover, Write, Check method. Play word games to enhance your child’s vocabulary.

Visit your child’s blog regularly so that YOU are involved in what your child is doing in the classroom.

Reading at home

Everyday reading is important such as the headlines in the newspaper, results of a football team, shopping lists, recipes and reading instructions.

It is important that children are still read to at night and/ or that they discuss the book with their parents. Parents taking an active interest in their own child’s reading are helping their child’s progress.

Children who have English as an additional language should still be reading in their mother tongue language. Recent studies have proved that a student who has a strong grasp of vocabulary in their mother tongue strengthens their second language acquisition.

Buy a newspaper and read the interesting stories and captions with your child or visit websites such as http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/ (UK based newspaper) www.gulf-times.com (Qatar based newspaper) (Newsround- a news programme for younger readers)  http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/default.stm 

ENGLISH AS ANADDITIONALLANGUAGE.

How can parents help?When doing research about a writer, period of history or a scientific concept, you can research and discuss these things in your mother tongue first. Then if possible reinforce this in English.

Useful resources: audio booksbilingual booksdictionaries

Websites:British Council:www.britishcouncil.org/learningenglish.htm

New Headway Online:www.oup.com

English clubwww.englishclub.com

We offer specific help from a EAL teacher and a tailored curriculum to enable students to improve their English rapidly.

Useful websites :

BBC Key Stage Three website (ages 11-14)http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/ useful for English, Maths and Science.

Learning beyond the classroom for ages 11-14 and 14-18. Ideas for English.www.readwritethink.org

Official scrabble websitewww.mattelscrabble.com