TotemTaalA task-based curriculum for five grades

of primary school: designing reading comprehension tasks

Task selection: what goals?

No traditional needs analysis by the developers themselves

But: Official Attainment Targets= Goals set by the governement Goals are compulsoryGoals developed by teachers and Goals necessary to adequately function in a

school (+ daily life) –context

Task selection: what goals?

Plus Before developing: Feedback on the previous

task-based syllabus: more gradual increase of complexity, more focus on form, better teacher support.

During development: Intended user feedback for each grade in the form of sit-togethers (developers, teachers and publicer)

Task selection: what goals?

Official Attainment Targets: parameters

Skill Level of cognitive processing Type of text Public/audience

Core curriculum reading

The pupils are able to find the information (level of processing = description) in:3.1 instructions for a range of activities intended for them;3.2 the data in tables and diagrams for public use;3.3 magazine texts intended for them.

The pupils are able to arrange information (level of processing = structuring) which is found in:3.4 school and study texts intended for them and instructions for

school assignments;)3.5 stories, children’s books, dialogues, poems, children’s magazines and youth encyclopedias intended for them;

The pupils are able to evaluate information based on their own opinions, or information based on other sources (level of processing= evaluating) which is found in:3.6 different letters and invitations intended for them;3.7 advertising texts which are directly related to their own world.

Task design

functional: language as a means to reach a motivating goal

motivational: goal, theme, content, didactical approach

relevant: working towards official attainment goals of Dutch

challenging: with maximal potential for (language) learning

promoting task-based interaction (Van den Branden, 2006)

Task design

But: functionality, motivation, relevance, challenging,

peer interaction+ goals from OAT= too general characteristics to start developing:

Inquiry from previous TBLT-methodWhat is motivating for a child of 8, 9, 10, 11, 12?Offical Attainment Targets = target tasks? What is maximal potential? How big can the gap

get?

Task design

What is motivating, relevant, challenging?

These characteristics needed fine-tuning:

Fine-tuning for different gradesFine-tuning within a grade

Task design

Fine-tuned by Selecting relevant thematic content: unit and

texts Technical adjustments: not 'too' challenging:

Technical reading difficulties ('avi')Post-hoc analysis of lexis

Intended user feedback: comments on text lenght, text difficulties, amount of time spent on focus on form, early introduction of peer interaction

What is motivating?: Unit selection

7/8-year olds : How to become a knight?texts such as: Knights and princesses

To be a knight, now and before; How to make your own castle, How to dress one’s knight; Diary of Thomas, page

8/9-year olds: Pirates and highwaymen9/10-year olds: Screenscamps10/11-year olds: Elect the person most fiery!11/12-year olds: Ice-cool

Challenging: Technical adjustments: AVI Gradual increase of technical reading difficulties

(indicated by 'avi') over the syllabus:

beginning middle end

grade 2 avi 2avi 3 avi 4 avi 5

grade 3 avi 5 avi 6 avi 7grade 4 avi 7 avi 8 avi 9grade 5 avi 9 avi 9 avi 10grade 6 avi 10 avi 10 avi 10

Challenging: Technical adjustments: lexisrelevant CALP in a unit concerning knights, post hoc inspection:

CALP already present

polite, promise, to protect, dark, poem, helmet, castle, moment, (im)polite, knight(s), stamp, tower, false, to fight, weapon(s),

CALP put more into the light

voice, battle, fat, minute, ditch , aid, daughter, cardboard, most important, river

Task design: a unit about knights

functional: proof to be chivalric through different tasks, to finally take the knight's vow

motivational: a topic of interest for 8 year olds relevant: through reading texts (with goals

corresponding to the OAT) challenging: controlled technical difficulties, but

sufficiently complex in (gradually more complex) interaction with

other learners(Van den Branden, 2006)

Complexity:tasks with identical goals

Goal description according to the official attainment targets:= identical parameters for tasks with different complexity

levels

Goals

skill level of processing

text-type public attainment goal

► reading comprehension

evaluative comics intended for pupils

3.5

1. Read these comics. What is happening?

2. Which comic do you prefer?

D: Nice of you to bring me home, Suske.

S: That is my job, as a knight. I am to protect princesses. D: You are a real hero.

S: A brave knight like me never gives up.

D: Wiske, I am bringing him home. He could no longer stand on his own two feet…

Do you sometimes play knight and princess?

1. Read these comics. Some text are missing.

2. Find the missing texts. Choose between:

Please? I bought an icecream. I did not have an icecream. I don't believe you! Can you read what is written on the

trashcan? Look at the mess around you. No, I am reading.

Comic(al)?

Complexity:tasks with identical goals

Goal description according to the official attainment targets:= identical parameters for tasks with different complexity

levels

Goals

skill level of processing

text-type public attainment goal

► reading comprehension

evaluative questions and answers

intended for pupils

3.5

Complexity:tasks with identical goals

A- grade 2, unit 7

Complexity:tasks with identical goals

B- grade 5, unit 7

Complexity: analytic framework

(Ramaut en Duran, 2006)

Framework for complexityWorld

Perspective (concreet vs. abstract) +/-Degree of visual support +/-Information density +/-

Cognitive demandsLevel of processing of information +/-Outcome modality +/-

TextVocabulary +/-

Syntax +/-Text structure +/-

Text lenght +/-

Complexity: parameters

Extra parameters necessary

Goals

skill level of processing

text-type public attainment goal

► reading comprehension

evaluative questions and answers

intended for pupils

3.5

Complexity: parameters

Goals

skill level of processing

text-type public attainment goal

► reading comprehension

evaluative comics intended for pupils

3.5

Extra parameters world functionnutritional facts (d)

find the right question for an answer

Task complexity

Parameters: Indicated by official attainment targets

language skill, level of cognitive processing, type of text, public/audience

Analytic framework of the CLE = + function or purpose (communication, conceptualisation, expression, pleasure, ...). = + ‘world’ (the kind of knowledge of the world + level of abstraction of the approach )

Task sequencing: variety of tasks

How to order these texts to get best learner results? within a unit throughout the syllabus as a whole

1. Read these comics. What is happening?

2. Which comic do you prefer?

D: Nice of you to bring me home, Suske.

S: That is my job, as a knight. I am to protect princesses. D: You are a real hero.

S: A brave knight like me never gives up.

D: Wiske, I am bringing him home. He could no longer stand on his own two feet…

Do you sometimes play knight and princess?

W: I am a princess. The knight who wins the fight, may marry me.

W: And he may also kiss me! S: I am hurt. The victory is Bert's. B: No, I am wounded. Suske wins the

fight. W: Well, boys, who is going to kiss

the princess? S & B: He is!

W: Worthless knights!

Do you sometimes play knight and princess?

Work in groups. Make your own castle…

Make your own castle

1. Read the text in silence. Each text deals with a different piece of garment.

2. Report to your group about your piece of garment. Show it also on the drawing.

3. Which piece of garment does the knight takes first? Which one after that? Find the correct order with your whole group. Write the correct number in the circles.

Help dressing your knight!

These are excerpts from the diary of Tobias. He is page in the castle of his uncle.

Read the excerpts and answer the questions.

Tobias has played knight. Which drawing fits this piece diary? Put a cross in the right drawing.___________________________________

Which two pages won? Write their names.___________________________________

Tobias feels bad that Tom got a nosebleed. Yes / No ___________________________________

Tom fell from his horse. Who was the horse? Write down the name of the boy._________________________________________

Thomas' diary

Task sequencing: throughout the syllabus No linear structure, but general increase of

complexity Cyclic structure: power of recurrence and

repetition AND: authentic, relevant, functional tasks in a

unit had to prevail

< NOT organised beforehand

Task sequencing

How could we still ensure maximum learning possibility?

Introduction of "dwarsdoorsnedes": "trans-sections"= screening of materials developed: every 5 units were checked for goals, target-types,

complexity and the gradual increase thereofWhich occur? Which were omitted or less

represented?Which combinations occur?How complex are tasks?

Task sequencing

Resulted in adjustments:Extra or adapted tasks if underrepresented or

omitted Task-outlines for the second part (that needed

developing)Guidelines for teacher support: managing

complexity: e.g: clarifying vocabulary, relations, ways to deal with the task, explicitly or implicit information

> a whole year's syllabus= balaced, gradual increase, incorporating all goals and target-types relevant for the age group

Teacher support: crucial

Teacher support for reading tasks = interfere with parameters that affect task complexitybut also: with functionality, relevance, authenticity, peer

interaction

Succes or failure of each and every (reading) task depends on teacher support