English -Suggested Guidelines (Grade 6-8)

 

DRAFT

 

ENGLISH (Grade 6) - Suggested Guidelines

 

COMPETENCY A: Oral Communication Skills

Standard 1: Students will be able to develop competence in listening and spoken language to enhance the effectiveness with which they are able to communicate across a range of contexts and to a range of audiences

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Listen to and comprehend a variety of listening texts individually and through collaborative exercises.
  • Speak for a variety of purposes, such as to explain, describe, narrate, explore, analyse, imagine, discuss, argue and persuade.
  • Recite poems or read prose aloud with proper intonation and expression to engage the audience.
  • Develop the ability to listen courteously to others and be sensitive to turn-taking
  • Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade-level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Knowledge:

Students will:

 

  • Listen to and comprehend different types of texts (fiction/non-fiction/stories/poems) or information presented orally and visually through other media:
  • determine/identify main idea/key ideas or details from the text.

 

 

 

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

 

  1. Listen to and comprehend different types of texts (fiction/non-fiction/poems) or information presented orally and visually through other media:
  • ask and answer grade level questions about key details across comprehension levels (factual, inferential, and evaluative- e.g make predictions, make inferences about the purpose, intention, theme, compare and contrast, categorize and classify, distinguish between cause and effect, draw conclusions, identify different points of view, identify a problem solution relationship etc.)
  • retell main idea/key ideas or details from the text orally
  • paraphrase and summarize the text orally and present naturally.
  1. Identify and evaluate the credibility of the speaker/source.
  2. Listen critically to distinguish fact from opinion.
  3. Interpret and critique a speaker’s intent/purpose (e.g., to instruct, to inform, to persuade).
  4. Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support points.
  5.  Evaluate a speaker's delivery (pace, volume tone, stress, mood/emotion) from the text and body language.

 

  1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade level topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly:
  1. follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles
  2. come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion
  3. pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others
  4. review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions.
  5. respond with suggestions, feedback, and different points of view (e.g. provide positive verbal and non-verbal feedback, give comments/interject when appropriate, agree/disagree appropriately and politely, offer simple evaluative comments on peer performance/presentation etc.)
  6. use roles of participants in group work effectively (for e.g. know the roles of facilitator, advisor, timekeeper, encourager, writer, the speaker in the group).

Assessments

 

Formative Assessment

Conduct a hot seat activity where one student takes the hot seat and assumes the role of a character. Other students ask questions about the character’s motives and feelings at key points in the story. A similar activity can be conducted to do a recap of a topic learnt in class.

 

Summative Assessment

Roleplay: Students can create situations where people interact with each other in a focus group dialogue on a topic of choice. Rules can be set to interpret and critique the speaker’s intention through pace, volume tone, stress, mood/emotion) from the text and body language.

Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support points.

A checklist can be used to mark each speaker during the dialogue to show the extent of development of skills.

 

 Learning Activities

  • Start the lesson with a discussion around the topic of the lesson and then conduct any other activity.
  • During class and group discussions, the teacher can motivate students to explain ideas clearly and in a structured way using appropriate vocabulary, expression and tone. The speaker should be able to hold the attention of the listeners and engage them fully. speak confidently in formal and informal contexts, pay close attention to what others say and follow the rule of turn-taking to avoid any miscommunication. Students must be encouraged to ask pertinent and thought-provoking questions.

 

For Facts and Opinion: The teacher will read aloud a passage for the students which will have both opinions and facts. She will divide the class into two groups.

Group A: Opinions.
Group B: Facts.

 

She will ask the students of Group A to make a note of the opinions in the passage that she is reading and students of Group B to make a note of the facts. After she is finished reading the passage out loud, different members of both groups will tell which sentences were opinions and which were facts.

Students will correct each other’s responses if needed.

 

To talk about fact and opinion, the teacher explains the difference between a fact and an opinion to the students.

  • Fact: a thing that is known or proved to be true.
  • Opinion: a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.
  • The teacher then writes a few sentences on the board such as
  • Fact: The sunsets in the west.
  • Opinion: The sunset looks very beautiful today.
  • The teacher then asks the students to think about some facts and opinions. She makes two columns on the board and as the students give her their statements, she asks them whether to write those in the ‘Facts’ column or the ‘Opinions’ column. Conclude this activity by highlighting the importance of understanding the difference between facts and opinions, especially in order to contain the spread of rumours or misinterpretations which may cause misunderstandings or conflict.

 

Layout a situation for the students, and the students will make a prediction (what will happen?) with reasons based on the information provided to them. This will be an individual assessment and can be done in oral or written form.

For example, the teacher will read out the following prompt:

Sara and Alia are taking a test. Sara is very honest with her work and was well prepared for the test. Alia was watching the match last night and couldn’t study for the test. Alia and Sara are very good friends. Alia wants to copy Sara’s answers and calls out to her. What will Sara do and why?

  • An appropriate prediction made (e.g. whether Sara shows her answers to Alia or helps her cheat).
  • A valid reason for their prediction is based on the information provided in the text (this could be any reason as long as it makes sense e.g. she helped her because they were friends).

The class can be divided into two groups: Those who say Sara will help her cheat will join one group and those who negate it will make another group. Have a debate on this. The group with the most valid points is considered a winner. Criteria for the type of language to be used, body language and roles of each group member will be defined. For example, the group leader makes sure that all members take an active part and contribute positively. The recorder or timekeeper will ensure time is managed justifiably and no one digresses from the topic. The scribe or presenter can present the final work to the whole class. Divide more roles as per need.

 

Use of prompt cards: Teachers can use prompt cards to help students organise and order their thoughts. Students can write words, phrases, ideas to look at when making a speech or presenting the work.

 

  Competency A: Oral Communication Skills (Continued)

Standard 1Students will be able to develop competence in listening and spoken language to enhance the effectiveness with which they are able to communicate across a range of contexts and to a range of audiences.

Student Learning Outcomes

 

  • Carefully select dialogues/speech/gestures and movements to convey real meanings.
  • Present knowledge/ideas and interact with others using a variety of speaking skills and incorporating essential components of speech delivery
  • Develop the ability to listen courteously to others and be sensitive to rules of turn-taking and discourse analysis.

Knowledge:

Students will:

Speak clearly, confidently and with correct meaning as intended.

Skills:

Students will be able to individually or collaboratively…

  1. Report on a topic (e.g., give a speech), or present an opinion sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
  2. Use effective introductions and conclusions.
  3. Self-adjust planned speech, monitor, and revise speech to adjust and improve speech based on intended purposes and the response of the listener immediately after and upon reflection.
  4. Use appropriate oral and/ or visual forms (e.g., skits, oral reports) to convey facts, ideas and points of view for different purposes and audiences.
  5. Incorporate and maintain in speech:
  1. use of appropriate voice qualities (e.g., pace, tone, volume, style, stress, and enunciation)
  2. use of appropriate eye contact and posture while speaking
  3. confidence while speaking before different audiences (i.e., small group, class)
  4. use of appropriate verbal and non-verbal cues to convey meaning
  5. clear and fluent delivery with accurate pronunciation
  6. focus on the gist/main idea in a presentation
  7. use of appropriate register for formal and informal contexts
  8. Emphasis on key points to guide listeners in following important ideas

 

  1. Ask and answer questions of personal relevance.
  2. Ask questions for information.
  3. Express reasons for likes and dislikes.
  4. Express opinions/ideas with reasons.
  5. Express feelings (e.g., pleasure and displeasure).
  6. Show willingness and unwillingness to do something.
  7. Express personal needs.
  8. Use sentences for different communicative purposes (offer and respond to greetings, compliments, invitations, introductions and farewells.
  9. Ask and restate directions.
  10. Make and respond to queries.
  11. Give advice/suggestions using multiple sentences.

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

 

The teacher can do this exercise in groups of three or four.

In this assessment, the teacher will show some flashcards to the students. The flashcards will have pictures of people thinking about different problems such as:

“My friend is not speaking to me because I yelled at her. What should I do?”

“I think it was my mistake as well. What should I do?”

 “I fought with my brother. Now he is crying. What should I do?”

“He told the teacher that I was lying but I was not! What should I do?”

 

Ask the groups to discuss each situation and come up with advice/suggestions for the people in these flashcards. After the small group discussions have a class discussion to discuss each group's answers.

 

Students will be assessed based on correctly using the sentence structures you should….., you must….. I think/maybe you should….. etc. to give advice/suggestions.

 

Summative Assessments

 

In this assessment, the teacher will assess whether they can back their opinions with proper facts and ideas. She will ask the students to pick one of the two options:

 

  1. Indoor learning or outdoor learning. She will ask the students to stand up, and using appropriate and logical facts and ideas, make a case for the option they have chosen. They need to prepare a few sentences but their sentences must have their opinion backed by a fact and some details so that the listener can understand their opinion completely.

The teacher will give an example:

I like indoor classrooms because I have all the chairs and desks here.

 

She will take a round of the class and ask each student to give their answer. She will question them about their opinion, facts and ideas as they speak.

Learning Activities

 

In this activity, the teacher will ask the students to play a game called ‘Detective Detective’. The students will be divided into pairs or groups of three or four.

The teacher will tell the students that they will have to solve the case of a lost laddu. The teacher will draw Man A and Man B on the board. She will tell them that Man A has just returned home from school and is very hungry. Man B has woken up and is craving the laddu. There was a laddu in the house but it isn't there anymore. She will ask the students to form a proper opinion as to who ate the laddu. Their opinion must be backed with facts and ideas.

 

The teacher will tell the students to think about the following questions:

  1. In your opinion, who ate the Laddu? Do you think both of them had it?
  2. Why do you think so?
  3. What do you think was the reason behind him/them eating the laddu?
  4. When do you think he/they ate the Laddu? Give a sequence of events.

 

Each pair/group will get time to discuss the above brainteaser and come up with their opinion backed by ideas/facts.

Each pair/group will then give a two-minute presentation to present their opinion to the class.

 

The teacher will then explain to the students that they have stated their opinions and tried to back it with ideas. She will ask the following questions:

  1. Do you think you should take everyone’s opinion before reaching a decision?
  2. Do you think opinions can be both right and wrong?
  3. If you have conflicting opinions, what will you do?

 

She will conclude the lesson by focusing on the value of listening to everyone’s opinions respectfully.

 

Speech: Teacher should share rules of speech delivery: skills to be developed from the SLO. Each student should be given a chance to speak on a topic of choice in front of the audience, initially in class in front of class fellows then school assembly. Participate in interschool competitions.

 

 

 

  Competency B: Reading And Critical Thinking Skills

Standard 1:  Use knowledge, skills, and strategies related to word identification/decoding and fluency to discover and comprehend meaning from a variety of informational and literary texts, develop a positive attitude towards reading for fluency, meaning, detail and enjoyment.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Look for familiar patterns in an unfamiliar word, mark vowel sounds to decode it and pronounce it correctly. Identify any silent letters, suffixes and prefixes in the word.
  • Read aloud short and simple texts (fiction and non-fiction) frequently with sufficient accuracy, some expression and correct pronunciation. Identify the writer’s purpose and what makes it interesting.
  • identify the parts of speech
  • Look for the meaning of words from the text in a dictionary and compare them with the meaning of those words in the text.

 

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • decode(skill) the unfamiliar words to pronounce them correctly using vowel sounds and any silent letters. 
  • know that sounds of the letter change as words are extended
  • know that all text have an audience and a purpose.

 

 

 

 

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  • Use combined knowledge of letter-sound correspondences, syllabification patterns, and morphology (e.g. roots and affixes) to accurately read unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.
  • Identify, make and practise words with the prefix un-, re- and suffix -ed, -en, able
  • Identify the main idea and audience of the text.
  • recognize silent letters in words 
  • /k/ changed to /?/ (sh) (music/musician, magic/magician i.e. adding -ian) 
  • /t/ changed to /?/ (sh)(connect/connection, select, selection i.e. adding -ion)
  • /k/changed  to /s/ or /?/ (sh) (critic/ criticism, clinic/ clinician)
  • /s/ changed to /?/ (sh) (office/ official, specific/ special)

 

            silent letters e.g.

  • c-fascinate, ascend, descend, scientist, scissors, scene, scent 
  • l-calm, psalm, balm, half, yolk 
  • t-isten, soften, often, moisten, whistle, glisten, thistle 
  • u-guess, guest 
  • w-wrinkle, wrong, who  
  • n-autumn, column, condemn, damn, hymn, solemn 
  • k-knife know knowledge 
  • identify parts of speech of the words and use them in sentences correctly.

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

  • Students are asked questions about the main idea of the text, characters in the text and who do they think is the audience of the text. What is the writer trying to convey in this passage?
  • Match words with definitions. Students can be given a flashcard each. half of the cards will have words on them, other half will bear definitions. Each student will be given one card and they will be asked to look for the definition of the word they have. 

 

Summative Assessments

  • Written tasks to make sentences and a short story using the new words learnt.
  • Give an unseen text to the students to identify their learning of the new concept. give word bank to insert a correct word in the fill in the blanks.  
  • Take dictation of the new vocabulary.

 

Learning Activities

 

  • The teacher may use a piece of text to help students identify the words and decode them. Sample text has been given below to develop the knowledge and skills required to achieve the SLO. Identify the words with the prefix un-, re- and suffix -ed, -en, able, -ion
  • break the word into parts: prefix-root word-suffix e.g. re-ject-ion.
  • look for the meaning of root words and then the meaning of the whole word in the dictionary.
  • read the text again and see if the meaning given in the dictionary is similar to what it is meant for in the text.
  • Maintain vocabulary bank in the notebook to learn all new words with their meaning and practice them by making sentences of their own. Use the newly learnt words in writing tasks.
  • the teacher must use brainstorming and discussion to identify the mood and feelings of the writer and why he felt rejected.  This can be connected with how they feel if they are rejected.
  • read the text aloud with them with clarity and correct pronunciation. give a little pause before the words with prefix un-, re- and suffix -ed, -en, able, -ion to emphasise correct pronunciation. students must repeat the words and practice them.
  • Make questions to answer the text: simple knowledge and understanding based questions to those that show implied meaning to understand the writer’s perspective.
  • students should also be encouraged to identify the parts of speech of the words and make sentences using the words correctly.

 

 (This is a sample text which may be used by the teacher or she may select one of her own choices)

Rejection

I sat by my bedroom window watching the raindrops tip off the broken window shade that was yet to be rebuilt. Father was too busy with his work, while my mother was helping my little sister with her homework. It was a gloomy day today which reminded me of the gloomy day from a week ago. I walked away from the window, reverting to my sleepy and sluggish mode. I was in no mood to talk to anyone.

One week ago, I was untouchable. I was unstoppable. My confidence was resounding. I returned home from the cricket trial matches for the school team. I thought I had played an excellent game, but the coach must have seen something else. 

The following day, I read and reread the final names for the team. I was nowhere on the list. I had been rejected. Unfortunately, there were no further trials. The selection was final. There would be no retracting of the list that was posted. 

“Hassan, dinner is ready. We are waiting for you” my mother called to me; something she’d been repeatedly doing for a few days. She knew how sad I had been for being rejected on the school team. She had been trying to calm me down, listen to my complaints and wipe away my tears. bringing me up reheated food after the family would eat. Today, I decided to go downstairs. 

My little sister was reciting her math tables. “7x8 is 46,” she retorted confidently. 

“Sana, that’s not the answer!” I responded immediately. Then, I walked over to help her review her answer.

Maybe it was the way I explained it or my polite attitude or the sense of accomplishment I got from helping her. She quickly learnt it and thanked me. I suddenly felt rejuvenated. I felt relieved and happy. This feeling of reinvigoration came over me. 

 

I could join the peer tutoring club at school in place of cricket! 

How did Hassan change from the beginning to the end of this story?

  • Help students understand the origin of words. For instance: Latin Prefix: “re” meaning back or again
  • Develop students Word Fluency by reading words and identifying the target prefix or suffix in each: e.g. retract, revert, rebuilt, reduce, rejuvenate, reheated, decided, explained, unstoppable.

 

Sample activity:

 

Sort the words below based on their part of speech.

 

Word Bank: reduce, recede, retract, redemption, revert

Nouns

(people, places, things, ideas)    Verbs

(actions or states of being)

           

Pick one word from above and explain why you placed it where you did:

 

Make a sentence using the word.

 

Standard 2:  Use a variety of reading strategies appropriate to the reading purpose, meaning and type of text to comprehend and analyse a range of literary (prose, poetry and drama) and informational texts (expository, persuasive, procedural, and functional texts).

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Skim the text to extract the main idea and relevant information from a text/paragraph.
  • Predict the content of a short piece of text from topic/ picture, title/headings, bold/italicized print etc. by using prior knowledge, asking questions and contextual clues (topic sentence, synonyms, antonyms, definition, explanation, restatement).
  • Categorize literary works as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama. 
  • Present a response by retelling the story, rating the book, sharing opinions.
  • Select, collate and summarise ideas from texts by paraphrasing them in the simple but correct language.

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • the purpose of skimming and scanning text to discover meaning, the main idea of a text and the purpose of the writer.
  • that every text has a specific genre and is written accordingly.
  • the purpose of reading strategies at different stages to deduce meaning (implied and explicit)

 

 

 

 

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

Pre-Reading

  • Preview key sections of the text (e.g., heading(s), illustration(s), first sentences of paragraphs), and chapter review questions in the given text. 
  • Make predictions or ask questions based on text type, literary genre, and/or prior knowledge of the topic or reading context.
  • Categorize literary works as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama. 

 

While-Reading

  • Ask and answer higher-order questions to guide/assess reading (e.g., Why is the author saying this right now? Why did the author choose this word? How is this different from what I read somewhere else?). 
  • Use contextual clues like synonyms, antonyms definitions or restatement of words/phrases to understand the meaning. 

 

Post-Reading

  • Present a response by, e.g., retelling the story, rating the book, sharing opinions/ reflections
  • Provide a summary of complex concepts, processes, or information by paraphrasing them in the simple but correct language.  

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

Divide the class into small groups. Assign a part of the text to each group to identify the character development, storyline, problem and resolution as relevant to that piece of text. Each group checks each others’ work and helps improve their own work. This task will be completed in notebooks as a class test.

 

Summative Assessments

Write a story or a piece of text of your own choice of the genre with proper paragraphs that have a topic sentence and supporting details.

 

Learning Activities

  • Teacher and students hold the book to explore the cover page by previewing key sections like heading, illustration, list of contents, chapter review questions in a given text. 
  • Make predictions or ask questions based on text type, literary genre, and/or prior knowledge of the topic or reading context.
  • Categorize literary works as fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama. 
  • Students are given different genre text extracts to differentiate from each other. Discussion to be held around typical genre features (and examples)  like a fairy tale; science fiction; detective/crime; horror; mystery/suspense; fantasy; story or drama 
  • Give a piece of text, preferably from book to skim through the main idea of the passage.
  • Help students identify the topic sentence to understand the main idea.
  • Start with brainstorming about the topic. Generate ideas from real-life experiences. (Teacher must have studied the text in advance so she can ask questions related to the text, yet connected with real life. E.g. if the text talks about water, then students must be able to talk about the significance of proper use of water, and how water is wasted in real life. Then connect with what the writer says in the text).
  • Prepare a chart with four columns as follows and ask students to work in pairs to complete the table with at least 5-6 words from the text. Use of dictionary and thesaurus is a must.

             Word meaning synonym antonym

 

  • Using summarising skills, students should collate important points from the text by numbering or underlining them, put them in sequence and then paraphrase in their own words to give a summary of the text.
  • For creative tasks: ask students to change the ending of the story, or the beginning of the story. Retell the story in your own words using knowledge of correct grammar, fluency and pronunciation rules.

 

 

  Competency C: Vocabulary And Grammar

Standard 1: Use vocabulary and structures accurately and appropriately in context to communicate meaning in familiar and unfamiliar settings.

Student Learning Outcomes

Find out the meaning of words using dictionary and thesaurus.

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • The effective way in which dictionary is used to find the meaning of words.
  • Use dictionary to look for denotative meaning and then compare with connotative meaning to understand the meaning in context.

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  • use a dictionary to find the meanings of words.
  • use the thesaurus to find synonyms and antonyms.
  • locate the word in the dictionary using dictionary skills.
  • divide words into syllables and identify vowel sounds correctly to mark syllables.
  • identify the part/s of speech of a word in the dictionary.
  • find meanings of abbreviations in the dictionary.

Assessments

Teachers can assess students’ understanding, skill and ability gained through the concept taught in learning activities. Teachers can check the students’ learning and correct their misconceptions.

 

Formative Assessments

Teachers can provide the students with a list of words to pick meaning from the dictionary. Take dictation of words.

Spelling Bee competition at a class, school or inter-school level can be held.

 

Summative Assessments

Teachers can test the students’ use of the dictionary by asking them questions about the technique of finding words in a dictionary, synonyms and antonyms in the thesaurus.

 

Learning Activities

  • Students can play a game with the dictionary. The teacher makes two teams and gives each team a set of questions for the other team to answer. Possible questions can be made around finding the meaning of a word; looking for a synonym; identifying part of speech; making a sentence with a word; identifying guide words on a page; correcting the alphabetical order of words as they appear in the dictionary etc.
  • Students can maintain their own mini dictionary to maintain all new words and phrases read and learnt.

 

 

 

Standard 2: Understand and use punctuation, syntax, grammatical functions, rules and applications for developing accuracy and meaning in their spoken and written communication.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Recognize and use nouns that are written in plural form but are in fact singular e.g. scissors.
  • Recognize and demonstrate the use of words that have the plural form only.       
  • Sort the nouns by gender i.e. masculine, feminine, and common (e.g. baby), neuter (e.g. property).

Knowledge:

Students will…

  • Recognise nouns learnt in plural form with singular representation.
  • Identify that nouns also represent gender.

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  • Effectively use the plural forms of nouns.
  • Classify nouns in gender form.

Assessments

Teachers can assess if the students can recall the use of nouns by presenting the students with wrong sentences and asking them if it is correct or not. They can be engaged in self and peer assessment of the work completed.

 

Formative Assessments

Teachers ask the students to come to the front of the class and talk about a day spent in school doing different activities. They should use a variety of nouns, their plural forms and plural nouns represented s singular. They must also use gender nouns in their speech. The focus is to use nouns correctly.

 

Summative Assessments

 Teachers can provide a passage with wrong nouns (singular form, plural forms, gender) written. The students will read the passage thoroughly and point out the corrections (edit) and then re-write the correction version.

Learning Activities

 Focusing on the usage of nouns, activities such as the one given below can be used by the teachers.

  • Divide your class into groups of four to five students.
  • In each group, distribute 8-10 cards for all students – the cards should have sentences written where different forms of nouns are used in a short meaningful paragraph.
  • The first student starts playing a card. For example, if the card says, 'I was sitting on the chair…'
  • The next student must play a correct noun card and add to the sentence, such as, 'I was sitting on the chair with a blank piece of paper and a pair of scissors to...'
  • The next student added another card to the narrative.

This activity can also be done without the cards. Students will have to make their own sentences and share correct ideas to complete the narrative.

 

 

 

  Competency D: Writing Skills

 

Standard 1:  Create grade-level pieces of writing which are focused, purposeful and show an insight into the writing process; expressing increased fluency, coherence and cohesion, correct grammar and legibility, grade-level vocabulary, punctuation and spelling, for a variety of purposes.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Follow the technique of writing topic sentences and supporting details: recognize that a paragraph comprises a group of sentences that develop a single idea. Write a simple unified paragraph on a given topic: 

• Write a clear topic sentence using specific words, vivid verbs, modifiers, etc. 

• Add adequate supporting details to complete the idea.

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • Tell the difference between topic sentence and supporting sentence.
  • Pick main idea from the topic sentence.
  • Know each paragraphs has topic and supporting sentences and paragraph talks about one main idea only.

 

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  1. write topic sentence and its corresponding appropriate supporting details.
  2. use specific words and verbs to convey the main idea correctly and completely.
  3. Locate the connectives/transitional devices in sentences to make an order in the flow of thought.

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

  • Students write short paragraphs with topic sentence, supporting details, concluding sentence relevant verbs, transitional devices and share with other groups for peer assessment and feedback.
  • Students correct their work after receiving feedback before final submission of work to the teacher.

 

Summative Assessments

  • Term Tests, Quizzes, Exams
  • Spelling and punctuation to be an indicator in writing assessment rubrics.

Learning Activities

  • The teacher writes a sentence on the board and asks students to share their understanding of the sentence. What is the main idea given in the sentence?
  • Teacher provides a list of topic sentences to students to identify the main idea. This activity can be conducted in pairs.
  • After identifying the main idea, the pair of students write 2-3 sentences to support the main idea and a concluding sentence. 
  • Teacher may divide the class into small groups and given strips of sentences to each group. They reorganise into correct order with topic sentence coming first followed by supporting details, and then a concluding sentence. Knowledge of transitional devices will help sequence the order. 
  • Make a poster/chart/graphic organiser to show topic sentence and supporting details and concluding sentence for reference in class. Display in class.

 

 

Standard 2: Apply skills and strategies for idea generation, selection, development, organization and revision for a variety of writing purposes and text types.

Student Learning Outcomes

 

Write informative/explanatory text like a book blurb, poster to examine a topic and convey ideas and information.


a. Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in short paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustration to convey meaning effectively.

 

  1. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.

 

  1. Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, because).

 

  1. Use precise language and Competency-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

 

  1. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • Identify the purpose of informative texts
  • Design a poster/book blurb and make it nteresting to attract the reader and convey complete meaning in fewer words possible
  • Describe and use facts as an important informational piece to create their own writing.

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  • Follow the steps of the process approach to plan for writing the paragraph: brainstorming, mind mapping using a variety of graphic organizers, mind mapping, note-taking.
  • Use vocabulary appropriate for a book blurb/poster
  • Structure the text and illustration in an emphatic manner

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

Quiz students on how they can generate ideas before writing. Students prepare a mindmap and design posters or book blurbs for competition.

 

Summative Assessments

Exams and term tests.

Writing competitions.

Specific questions of brainstorming may be given.

Before every writing assignment, students are to be assessed on whether they did any idea generation or not using any method.

Assess whether students have followed guidelines when using a graphic organizer, whether they have used the brainstorming to bring structure to their work (like separating it into paragraphs).

 

Learning Activities

  • Teacher must primarily use brainstorming technique to generate ideas on the board or a graphic organiser.
  • Show samples of book blurbs and posters. Conduct activities in groups to make them interesting.
  • Teacher should bring samples of book blurbs and posters in class to show to the students. A separate lesson each can be conducted for each of the informational text.
  • Teacher needs to explain that book blurbs need to be short, simple and story like to tell main theme of the book.
  • Students complete writing tasks in pairs, groups or individually. They can then present their work, read it aloud, display it in a gallery walk, issue a class magazine of their writings, etc. The writing process should be followed with idea generation happening first, then composing the piece, and lastly reviewing and editing it (in multiple rounds).
  • Make the writing topics interesting and relatable for the student and make the environment tolerant to making errors. Encourage students to apply their writing skills in real-world scenarios, for example, by taking part in writing competitions, submitting their writings to publications/weekly children magazines of newspaper sections etc

 

 

 

 

SNC - ENGLISH (Grade 7) - Suggested Guidelines

  Competency A: Oral Communication Skills

Standard 1: Students will be able to develop competence in listening and spoken language to enhance the effectiveness with which they are able to communicate across a range of contexts and to a range of audiences.

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Listen to and comprehend a variety of listening texts individually and through collaborative exercises
  • Practise speaking fluently and explore complex ideas and feelings, both in-depth and at length to:
  • Provide suggestions, conduct a discussion, drawing together ideas and promoting effective sharing of ideas

Knowledge:

Students will:

 

  1. Listen to and comprehend different types of texts (fiction/non-fiction/stories/poems) or information presented orally and visually through other media:

b. determine/identify key ideas or details from the text orally

 

 

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

 

  1. Listen to and comprehend different types of texts (fiction/non-fiction/poems) or information presented orally and visually through other media:
  1. ask and answer grade level questions about key details across comprehension levels (factual, inferential, and evaluative e.g. make predictions, make inferences about the purpose, intention, theme, compare and contrast, categorize and classify, distinguish between cause and effect, draw conclusions, identify different points of view, identify a problem solution relationship etc.).
  2. Summarize the text orally.
  3. interpret the text and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study

 

  1. Identify and evaluate the credibility of the speaker/source.
  2. Listen critically to distinguish fact from opinion.
  3. Interpret and critique a speaker’s intent/purpose (e.g., to instruct, to inform, to persuade).
  4. Explain how the speakers' claim is supported by reasons and evidence.
  5. Evaluate a speaker's delivery (pace, volume tone, stress, mood/emotion) from the text and body language.
  6. Use knowledge of language and its conventions to:
  1. recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English (e.g. simplicity/complexity of sentence structures, formality/informality of register, use of more/fewer first person references).

 

  1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly:
  1. follow rules for discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed
  2. come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion
  3. pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed
  4. review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing
  5. respond with suggestions, feedback, and different points of view (e.g. provide positive verbal and non-verbal feedback, give comments/interject when appropriate, agree/disagree appropriately and politely, offer simple evaluative comments on peer performance/presentation etc.)
  6. use roles of participants in group work effectively (for e.g. know the roles of facilitator, advisor, timekeeper, encourager, writer, speaker in the group).

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

Assign a text or situation to students which is a mix of perspectives, facts, opinions and requires students to think critically and share their own viewpoint.

After the students have discussed the text and questions in their small groups, two groups will share ideas with another group. Students will discuss each question and have an exchange of ideas/answers. They will be required to ask questions to get more information from the other group (for example, they have mentioned a statistic, where did they get it from?) and students will respectfully answer questions or address comments.

After a ten-to-fifteen-minute discussion amongst groups, one or more members from each group will review and state the findings/conclusions of the other group including any difference in ideas and perspectives that were discussed.

At the end, the members can also give positive and constructive feedback to the other group on the quality of their comments made, anything that stood out, group dynamics, or negotiation skills etc.

 

The groups will be assessed on:

  • Reviewing and expressing the other groups ideas in a clear and coherent manner.

Clearly expressing their own point and the difference of ideas/perspective of the other group.

Quality of feedback/suggestions for the other group.

Listening critically and distinguishing fact from opinion.

 

Summative Assessments

  For the summative assessment, the students will be divided into groups of three or four and will be exposed to on a new listening         text/video:

The video/text will be played/read two times (this could be once before the questions are introduced and once after the questions are introduced).

  • Is the speaker/source credible? How can you tell?
  • What is the speaker’s purpose (to instruct, inform, persuade)?
  • Identify any two facts and opinions.
  • How is the speaker’s claim supported by reason and evidence?
  • Evaluate the speaker’s delivery (emotion, tone, volume, stress conveyed in the text).

 

The students will discuss these questions within their group and write down the answers on a sheet of paper. The teacher will award points based on correct answers and collaboration standards (followed rules, of discussion, taking turns, etc.).

 

Note: The teacher will not deduct marks based on spelling errors or grammatical errors. Since this is not a writing assignment, the students will not be assessed on the technical aspects of writing.

Learning Activities

 

Theme: Digital Citizenship/Racial Discrimination

 

In this activity, the students can be exposed to a video in which a student who looks different than everyone else is being bullied/made fun of online. The video also shows how you can uplift someone online or through digital means if they are a victim of cyberbullying.

For this activity, the teachers can use the following UNICEF video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asTti6y39xI or create a passage based on this video and read it out loud to the students.

The teacher will have a small class discussion with and ask the following questions:

  • What do you think is happening in this video/passage? What are the characters doing in this video/passage?
  • Why do you think the main character is feeling? Why is she feeling this way?
  • What are the emotions of some of the other characters?
  • Based on what this video/passage shows, what themes are covered in this video/passage? (Hint: There are 2).

 

The students should discuss the questions posed above as a class and eventually identify the two broad themes covered in the text: Racial Discrimination and Cyberbullying. The teacher can provide guiding questions/hints to help students identify these themes.

 

She will then ask the students what these two terms mean? The students will define the terms in their own words and contribute further to the class discussion. The teacher will then define the two terms for the students.

 

Then the class will be divided into groups of three and four and the students will engage with the text using the following questions:

  • How is the girl being discriminated against in the video?
  • Based on this video and your own research/knowledge (for this question, the assumption is that the teacher instructed students to read up or research on these topics beforehand), do you believe that discrimination is a significant problem in the world and in your country? If so, why?
  • How is discrimination through cyberbullying shown in this video? How are the characters bullying the girl online?
  • Do you think cyberbullying is prevalent in our society? If so, why?
  • How do characters in the video help the girl who is a victim of cyberbullying?
  • Based on your research/knowledge (the assumption here is that students were asked to conduct research beforehand) what are the different kinds of ways (digital awareness campaigns, online support etc) in which we can help someone who is experiencing cyberbullying?
  • Do you know of someone who has been or is being cyberbullied? What did they experience? Did you do something to help this person? What did you do?

 

The activity does not conclude here and dives into the formative assessment mentioned above.

  Competency A: Oral Communication Skills (Continued)

Standard 1Students will be able to develop competence in listening and spoken language to enhance the effectiveness with which they are able to communicate across a range of contexts and to a range of audiences.

Student Learning Outcomes

 

Present knowledge/ideas and interact with others using a variety of speaking skills and incorporating essential components of speech delivery

Knowledge:

Students will:

Identify purpose and audience of any speaking and listening activity and speak accordingly using appropriate vocabulary, logic and rules of speech delivery.

 

  • recognize appropriate expressions and etiquettes for different situations (e.g. making polite introductions, requesting to repeat the message, checking understanding of message, taking and leaving a message in a telephonic conversation).
  • Recognize different moods (e.g., mood showing appreciation, pleasure, displeasure etc.).

Skills:

Students will be able to individually and collaboratively…

 

  1. Identify the purpose and audience of speaking and representing, and set goals in the context of assigned or self-selected topics.
  2. Present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically, using appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details to support main ideas or themes.
  3. Present on a topic or text, sequencing ideas logically, using appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details to support main ideas or themes.
  4. Use effective introductions and conclusions
  5. Self-adjust planned speech, monitor, and revise speech to adjust and improve speech based on intended purposes and response of the listener immediately after and upon reflection.
  6. Use appropriate oral and/ or visual forms (e.g., skits, oral reports) to convey facts, ideas and points of view for different purposes and audiences.
  7. Incorporate and maintain in speech:
  1. use of appropriate voice qualities (e.g. pace, tone, volume, style, stress, and enunciation)
  2. use of appropriate eye contact and posture while speaking
  3. confidence while speaking before different audiences (i.e., small group, class)
  4. use of appropriate verbal and non-verbal cues to convey meaning
  5. clear and fluent delivery with accurate pronunciation.
  6. focus on the gist/main idea in a presentation
  7. use of appropriate register for formal and informal contexts
  8. emphasis on key points to guide listeners in following important ideas

 

  1. Use knowledge of language and its conventions to:
  1. choose and use language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely
  2. speak according to mood and ettiquette.

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

The teacher will dedicate a class for this and two pairs of students will work together. Students will be expected to come prepared with their role play script to do a rehearsal for the other group/pair. Each group will be expected to carefully listen and pay attention to the performance of the other group. They will then be asked to give feedback based on the following criteria (these are examples, the teacher can tweak them around based on their requirements for the class):

  • Appreciate what they liked about the performance.
  • Have the groups covered all the points mentioned in the guidelines.
  • Do you think the points covered are presented accurately and researched in depth? If not, what do you think is missing? How do you think they can improve their content?
  • The speaker’s delivery (e.g., Did they say their dialogues properly? Could you feel the expressions of the speaker? Were they loud enough, did they enunciate their words? Was their posture correct? Were they confident enough Etc.).
  • Did you like how the script was written? (for e.g. did it flow well, were the transitions smooth, did it have a good opening and conclusion etc.).
  • And any other question that the teacher feels appropriate to add.

 

The group that will be performing will take notes of the feedback provided and discuss by making comments or asking questions. This exercise will be repeated between both pairs where each will get a chance to give feedback.

 

The teacher will then ask each group to present the feedback that was provided to them and how they plan to make changes based on the feedback that was provided. They will be assessed on the following basis:

  • The presentation/summary of the feedback that was given to them.
  • What changes (e.g. further research, improvement in delivery) based on the feedback that was provided to them will they incorporate in their role play?
  •  Is there any point from the feedback that the group did not agree with and will not incorporate in their feedback? Why do they not agree with this point and what is their alternate suggestion to tackle this point?
  • What is their plan/pair strategy from here on to make these changes in their role play (e.g. more practice, a schedule for more rehearsal, division of roles if more research is required, responsibilities and timelines etc).

 

Summative Assessments

Each pair will perform their role play in front of the class and will be evaluated by the teacher on the following points (these are just examples and the teacher can include and exclude these based on their discretion:

  • use of appropriate voice qualities (e.g. pace, tone, volume, style, stress, and enunciation).
  • use of appropriate eye contact and posture while speaking.
  • confidence while speaking before different audiences (i.e., small group, class).
  • use of appropriate verbal and non-verbal cues to convey meaning.
  • clear and fluent delivery with accurate pronunciation.
  • focus on the gist/main idea in a presentation.
  • use of appropriate register for formal and informal contexts.
  • quality of the script (does the content flow etc).
  • Did the pair make appropriate introductions and conclusions (this will be assessed on two fronts: within the content of the script and within the content of the presentation itself, e.g. did they introduce themselves and the topic to the class before beginning, and did they thank the class after ending?).
  • quality of the research/content presented.
  • use of correct sentence structures to ask and give advice/suggestions.

 

The teacher will also allow the class to gain points based on the questions asked in the Q and A session after each performance. A student can gain additional points if they ask a question or make a comment after a performance (this is to ensure that students pay attention when other students are performing).

Learning Activities

 

Students will be asked to prepare for a role play activity where one person will play someone being bullied/harassed online or in school and they have come to the other person for advice to handle this situation: Students will work in pairs to create a script which will contain the conversation the two characters will have and should focus on the following areas (these are only examples and the teacher can include and exclude these based on their discretion):

  • Using appropriate sentence structures to ask and give advice/suggestions correctly (e.g., What do you think I should do, I think you should…, maybe you should…., you must…., I think it would help if you…, etc.).
  • The victim should express how they feel because of their experience using different feeling words in sentences (e.g. angry, frustrated etc.).
  • Identify the different ways in which a person can be bullied/harassed online (e.g. trolling, harassment, stalking etc.).
  • Students will be required to look up/research rules or laws that outlaw cyberbullying/harassment.
  • Through their conversation, educate their audience about the ways in which a victim of cyberbullying/harassment can access help (This would contain advice with regards to talking to a trusted someone etc. This portion will also require students to conduct primary and secondary research where they will either gain first hand information from people working in organizations that work against cyberbullying/harassment [for e.g. the digital rights foundation] or conduct secondary research on the internet/newspapers to find avenues where victims can lodge their complaints and get legal/rehabilitative help].

 

Students can also put in any additional information they want to incorporate.

Students will also be at liberty to choose the nature of the relationship between the two characters and approach their script accordingly (two friends, two colleagues, a parent and a child, a sister and a brother, a therapist and patient, etc.).

 

 

 

 

  Competency B: Reading And Critical Thinking Skills

Standard I: Use knowledge, skills, and strategies related to word identification/decoding and fluency to discover and comprehend meaning from a variety of informational and literary texts, develop a positive attitude towards reading for fluency, meaning, detail and enjoyment.

Student Learning Outcomes

Apply strategies to comprehend questions by marking keywords, verbs, figurative language and tenses in a variety of literal/ textual/ factual questions that require interpretation and personal response.

Knowledge:

Students will:

 

  • Read questions carefully and pick keywords to answer the variety of questions.

 

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  • Identify the keywords in questions to look for explicit and implicit answers 
    • cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text to answer the questions.
  • determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative meanings and use of tenses
  • show awareness of how the writer’s use of language (e.g., choice of words) varies according to the purpose and audience for the writing to interpret correct meaning and give personalised response.

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

 Assign pieces of texts to groups to answer questions with implicit and explicit meaning.

 

Summative Assessments

 Reading comprehension test

Learning Activities

 

  • The teacher follows the question-answer relationship method to guide students to answer the questions. Teacher designs questions that are a) literal; b) factual; c) research questions; d) search for meaning; e) personal experience based questions; and, f) opinion-based questions.
  • All questions can be answered in sequence initially to motivate students to read and complete the task.
  • Divide the class into pairs of groups for questions that require detailed answers and interpretation of the text. Students read the passage and answer the assigned questions.
  • Teacher uses probing technique to facilitate students to answer questions with implicit meaning.

 

Sample Text-Dependent Questions

  • Teacher can ask questions based on text. For example:
  • How do paragraphs 4 or 4 contribute to the development of ideas in the text?
  • Which detail from the text best supports the character’s viewpoint?
  • How does the author organize the text?
  • What is the author’s likely purpose in the text?

Discussion Questions

Questions can be set to talk about the various aspects of text put in real life. Students give their opinions and prove their viewpoint.

 

Standard 2: Use a variety of reading strategies appropriate to the reading purpose, meaning and type of text to comprehend and analyse a range of literary (prose, poetry and drama) and informational texts (expository, persuasive, procedural, and functional texts).

Student Learning Outcomes

Read and identify relevant points, collate, synthesise and summarise ideas from different parts of the text to understand contextual meaning of language.

Read and view a variety of reading-age-appropriate and high-interest books and texts from print and non-print sources. 

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • the purpose of each text type.
  • Present ideas in summary form.

 

 

 

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

• Read and view a variety of reading-age-appropriate and high-interest books and texts from print and non-print sources: #
a. Poetry (e.g., rhyming poems, haiku, cinquain)

Personal recounts (e.g., diary entries, biographies)

Narratives (e.g., fables, historical fiction, scientific fiction)

Procedures (e.g., recipes, directions, instruction manuals)

Information reports (e.g., project reports, fact sheets)

Interpersonal/transactional texts (e.g. informal and formal letter, notices, email, advertisement, interviews)

Factual recounts (e.g., eye-witness accounts, newspaper article)

Drama (play scripts)

Explanations (e.g., how something works)

Expositions (e.g., book, movie reviews, arguments)  

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

Exit ticket, sorting and matching activities, warm-ups, think-pair-share, turn-and-talk, pre/free-writing, response boards, homework, total physical response, sentence starters and graphic organizers, journals, know–want to know–learned (K-W-L), role-play, etc. Traffic light (Red, yellow, green to indicate agreement or understanding). Self- Assessment and peer assessment

Writing competitions in groups.

  

Summative Assessments

Class test

Learning Activities

  • Reading abridged articles about access to clean water
  • Drawing conclusions about graphs, charts, and videos about access to clean water
  • Analyzing and using the language of facts/evidence and opinions/claims
  • Analyzing and using the language of cause and effect 
  • Identifying and using sequence signal words
  • Studying simple present tense statements, and questions with auxiliary and modal verbs

Students will be able to write a script and create a short video about the challenges to and benefits of access to clean water around the world. They will be able to:

  • Discuss opinions/claims and facts/evidence about clean water access.
  • Use cause and effect language to explain the effects of a lack of access to clean water.
  • Use cause and effect language to explain the benefits of access to clean water.
  • Make linguistic choices (considering discourse, sentence, and word/phrase dimensions) about how to best process and produce language regarding the issue of access to clean water. 

Focus of the video:

Goal—Raise awareness of the global clean water access problem.

Role—Advocate for clean water access.

Audience—School community on World Water Day (March 22) with an optional fundraising component.

Situation—You have been asked to present the challenges to and solutions for those in countries without access to clean water in a PSA.

Product performance and purpose—You are writing, appearing in, and designing a PSA to raise awareness in the school community about the world clean water crisis. 

Reflection can be given as Yes/no question checklist

Teacher can divide class into different groups and allocate one text type to each group to analyse and prepare answers to given questions.

Teacher may use a template to summarise a text with key words/ideas picked from each paragraph to collate the ideas and summarise them in own words.

 

 

 

  Competency C: Vocabulary and Grammar

Standard 1:  Understand and use punctuation, syntax, grammatical functions, rules and applications for developing accuracy and meaning in their spoken and written communication.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Use sentences with direct and indirect objects
  • Identify and differentiate between sentences, clauses and phrases and sentence patterns:

SVO- Subject-Verb (transitive)-Object (direct)

SVOO – Subject-Verb-Object (indirect)-Object (direct)

SVOC- Subject-Verb-Object (direct)-Complement

  • Identify and differentiate between main and subordinate clauses.
  • Identify and construct complex and compound sentences.

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • the difference between complex and compound sentences.
  • the structure of a sentence using different patterns as given in SLO.

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  • write sentences with different structures.
  • write different types of sentences.

Assessment

Formative Assessments

Use the strategy Write, pair, share. Ask students to do the task individually, then pair up with a partner to correct it and share with whole class as a presentation/poster.

 

Summative Assessments

  •  class test

Learning Activities

  • The teacher can make a puzzle to join the pieces together to make a correct sentence using direct, indirect object, clause, phrases and sentence patterns.
  • The teacher can make a poster and display the variety of sentence patterns and sentence types and display in class.
  • The students should be able to pick the correct order of the structure e.g. SVO. Teacher could also explain that in Urdu language the sentence structure is different hence when they translate the language incorrectly the meaning may change.
  • Divide class into pairs and pick a short fiction paragraph from the book to identify different sentence types, structures phrases and clauses used in the sentence, connectives and punctuation used to differentiate between compound and complex sentences. Students can use colour pencils to highlight the variety for better understanding.
  • Play a game in teams with sentence types (correct/incorrect) and variety of sentence types. Winning team can be allowed no h.w. for a day. Losing team will be required to write a story with the knowledge gained. Winning team will give feedback and improve the story.

 

  Competency C: Vocabulary and Grammar (Continued)

Standard 1: Use vocabulary and structures accurately and appropriately in context to communicate meaning in familiar and unfamiliar settings.

Student Learning Outcomes

Use prefixes and suffixes to build words that express abstract concepts.

Knowledge:

Students will:

 

  • recognise the use of prefixes and suffixes to make new words.

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  •  Write words that express abstract concepts
  • Use prefixes and suffixes correctly.
  • Identify abstract nouns and then make words.

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

The teacher can assess students by calling some volunteers to the front of the class and asking them to describe their previous day or the current day or any activity by using the news words learnt.

Teachers can handout a newspaper article to the students or a short story from a magazine and ask them to circle the words with prefixes/suffixes.

 

Summative Assessments

Class test of words and their meaning and dictation

  • Learning Activities
  • The teacher should prepare a chart to show the meaning of prefixes such as size, quantity, relationship, position or quality.
  • Play bingo game or scavenger hunt with prefixes and suffixes. Whoever wins gets a chance to sit with 2 students to teach/clarify the concept to them, hence collaborative learning.
  • Students can make a picture book with the new words learnt.
  • Students to be given cards. One card has word on it. Another card has meaning. Mix up the cards. Each student gets one card. Then play the game: I have… Who has… to find meaning of the words. Use dictionary for help.
  • Teacher will give cards with meanings of prefixes and suffixes, students will find the meanings from dictionary and make new words.

 

 

 

  Competency D: Writing Skills

Standard 1:  Apply skills and strategies for idea generation, selection, development, organization and revision for a variety of writing purposes and text types.

Student Learning Outcomes Write a descriptive composition (giving physical description and characteristics/traits of a person/object/place moving from general to specific), using correct punctuation and spelling, by using the process approach - brainstorm, mind mapping, writing a first draft.

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • Plan a composition and write accordingly using writing strategies.
  • Know the purpose of planning, writing, editing and proofreading work before final submission.

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  1. Write descriptive composition with sufficient details.
  2. Use correct punctuation and spelling

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

Essay competition

Summative Assessments

  • Term Tests, Quizzes, Exams
  • Spelling to be an indicator in writing assessment rubrics.

Learning Activities

  • Encourage the use of dictionaries to check spellings
  • Reinforce the use of spelling strategies to improve spelling
  • Follow pre-writing strategies using mindmap to brainstorm ideas. Teacher should bring few objects in class and begin with simple descriptions, followed by detailed descriptions using words and phrases to describe and object. Teacher must help students recall their knowledge of adjectives, adverbs, adjectival phrases, noun phrases
  • Objects can be kept in front on the desk to look at and describe its features. Students should be encouraged to use knowledge of figures of speech to elaborate on descriptions and creative emotive sense.

 

Standard 2: Apply skills and strategies for idea generation, selection, development, organization and revision for a variety of writing purposes and text types.

Student Learning Outcomes Compose texts to express ideas on a variety of genres.

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • know the structure of paragraph.
  • Use correct syntax to write good sentences.

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  1. Write multiple paragraphs on a single topic (on the given text types), using correct punctuation and spelling, by using the process approach - brainstorm, mind mapping, writing a first draft, seeking peer feedback, developing a final draft.
    1. Use appropriate pronoun-antecedent relationship and transitional devices within a paragraph.
    2. Use chronological/sequential order of arranging detail.
  1. Add adequate supporting detail to the topic sentence (example, definition or evidence) to develop the main idea.

Assessments

Writing improves when teachers...

  • Provide feedback to improve student writing.
  • Teach students how to assess their writing.
  • Monitor students' writing progress on an ongoing basis.

 

Formative Assessments

Groups of students check work the of their peer group and give feedback for improvement.

 

Summative Assessments

Term Tests, Quizzes, Exams

 

Teachers to use assessment rubrics/checklists to assess each writing type. Correct use of vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation and capitalization, organization, coherence may be included in assessments.

 

Learning Activities

  • After brainstorming and writing the first draft, students use a simple writing checklist to review their work.
  • Write a second draft after review.
  • The teacher share with students, a list of transitional devices with their purpose and use in writing. Students use transitional devices in their written task
  • Cut out strips of events happening in a text. Ask students to rearrange them chronologically. This activity should be done as pre-reading task. After completion of activity they can compare their work with the original text.

 

  • Students complete writing tasks in pairs, groups or individually. They can then role-play their written work, present it, read it aloud, display it in a gallery walk, issue a class magazine of their writings, etc. The writing process should be followed with idea generation happening first, then composing the piece, and lastly reviewing and editing it (in multiple rounds).
  • Make the writing topics interesting and relatable for the student and make the environment tolerant to making errors. Encourage students to apply their writing skills in real-world scenarios, for example, by taking part in writing competitions, submitting their writings to publications, writing letters or emails to people, etc.

 

 

 

 

SNC - ENGLISH (Grade 8) - Suggested Guidelines

  Competency A: Listening and Speaking Skills

Standard 1: Students will be able to develop competence in listening and spoken language to enhance the effectiveness with which they are able to communicate across a range of contexts and to a range of audiences.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Listen to and comprehend a variety of listening texts individually and through collaborative exercises
  • Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly

Knowledge:

Students will:

 

  1. Listen to and comprehend different types of texts (fiction/non-fiction/stories/poems) or information presented orally and visually through other media:

b.   determine/identify main idea/key ideas or details from the text

 

 

 

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

 

  1. Listen to and comprehend different types of texts (fiction/non-fiction/poems) or information presented orally and visually through other media:
  2. Identify and evaluate the credibility of the speaker/source.
  3. Listen critically to distinguish fact from opinion
  4. Interpret and critique a speaker’s intent/purpose (e.g. to instruct, to inform, to persuade)
  5. Evaluate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not.
  6. Evaluate a speaker's delivery (pace, volume tone, stress, mood/emotion) from the text and body language.
  7. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly:
  1. follow rules for discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define

  individual roles as needed

  1. come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion
  2. pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed
  3. review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing
  4. respond with suggestions, feedback, and different points of view (e.g. provide positive verbal and non-verbal feedback, give comments/interject when appropriate, agree/disagree appropriately and politely, offer simple evaluative comments on peer performance/presentation etc.)
  5. use roles of participants in group work effectively (for e.g. know the roles of facilitator, advisor, timekeeper, encourager, writer, speaker in the group)

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

 

Students will be exposed to an audio/video about a social issue. Students will be expected to discuss in groups and determine the different kinds of causes (social, political, economic, cultural, religious etc.) and the effects/repercussions this has (emotional, financial, physical, etc.) on the individual and society as a whole.

 

Note: This activity assumes the students know and understand these different parameters. If they do not, the teacher should ensure that students understand how a social phenomenon can have different kinds of causes and different kinds of effects/repercussions. Further the students should also know what the different kinds of causes/effects entail/mean. If the teacher expects them to identify different kinds of causes (e.g. social, political, economic etc.) and effects (emotional, financial etc.) they should have the knowledge to identify those from the text. Go over these definitions before the assessment/or in the previous lesson. Teacher can ask students to discuss some of these issues and concerns with family at home to develop a perspective and they may be able to come up with some ideas to class.

 

If the students do not have this prior knowledge or cannot discuss with family then she can just ask them to outline the different types of causes and effects as given in the listening text in the book.

Summative Assessments

Students will listen to an audio/watch a video (conversation, advertisement, story etc.) and answer multiple choice questions (factual, inferential and evaluative) or true/false/doesn’t say questions about key ideas/supporting details, facts, opinions, claims etc. mentioned in the text. This will be an individual exercise, however the teacher can change it to a group exercise based on their discretion.

Learning Activities

In this activity, the teacher will play a video/audio in which the students will listen/see a conversation two people are talking about a new invention (e.g. a car that runs on electricity/water, a new digital gadget or a new smartphone etc.). The two people will talk about what the new invention is and share their opinions and views on the invention (e.g. utility, cost, pros and cons, whether this invention is better than its older version or is the old one preferred).

The students will work in pairs or groups to analyze and discuss the text keeping the following features in mind (these are only examples and the teacher can feel free to include/exclude these questions as deemed fit with the object of the lesson. The teacher can also add her own questions as required:

  • Determine the main idea being presented in the conversation. What is happening?
  • Distinguish between facts and opinions (e.g. features of the text and the opinion of the two people about the features).
  • Distinguish between opinions supported with evidence and reason from those that are not.
  • Present their own opinion about the invention. Which person do they agree with more? Or do they agree with both on different fronts? If so, what are those aspects and why do you agree or disagree with them?
  • How useful do they think the invention is in our context (keeping in mind the struggles of Pakistan with infrastructure, cost). Justify their answers with reasons/data.
  • Identify the audience that this invention will cater to. Who will be left behind? (e.g., People who suffer from financial insecurity, people living in rural areas etc.) How will this impact their lives? 
  • Is this invention somehow contributing to a larger/global cause? If so, what is it and how is this invention helping that cause (e.g. environmental sustainability, greater access to information, gender equality etc.).
  • Does this passage help the reader understand exactly how this invention works? Did you face any confusion? Are there any gaps in the conversation that you would like to discuss?
  • What is the tone of the two speakers? Are they passionate/emotional, aggressive, objective etc.
  • Determine the credibility of the speaker? Why should we listen to these two speakers' opinions? Does the text state the credibility of the speakers? Can we infer it somehow from the text?

 

The students will be instructed to take notes while the audio is being played for better recall. To aid this process, the teacher can provide the questions to the students beforehand. If needed, the teacher can provide the guiding sheet to students which gives an outline of the main plot (not a lot of details), so students have something to visually refer to for better recall after the recording has ended.

 

The students will discuss these questions in pairs/groups of three to four for some time. The teacher will then discuss these questions as a class with them.

  Competency A: Listening and Speaking Skills (Continued)

Standard 1: Students will be able to develop competence in listening and spoken language to enhance the effectiveness with which they are able to communicate across a range of contexts and to a range of audiences.

 

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Present knowledge/ideas and interact with others using a variety of speaking skills and incorporating essential components of speech delivery
  • Use speaking and listening as a method of preparing for written assignments, exploring a wide range of subject matter with precision and effect.
  • Explore complex ideas and issues in drama, establishing roles and applying dramatic approaches with confidence.

Knowledge:

Students will:

Speak confidently, appropriately with proper ettiquette, mood and effect.

Skills:

Students will be able to individually and collaboratively…

 

  1. Identify the purpose and audience of speaking and representing, and set goals in the context of assigned or self-selected topics.
  2. Present arguments, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with valid reasoning and well-chosen details.
  3. Use effective introductions and conclusions.
  4. Self-adjust planned speech, monitor, and revise speech to adjust and improve speech based on intended purposes and response of the listener immediately after and upon reflection.
  5. Use appropriate oral and/ or visual forms (e.g., skits, oral reports) to convey facts, ideas and points of view for different purposes and audiences.
  6. Incorporate and maintain in speech:
  • use of appropriate voice qualities (e.g. pace, tone, volume, style, stress, and enunciation)
  • use of appropriate eye contact and posture while speaking
  • confidence while speaking before different audiences (i.e. small group, class)
  • use of appropriate verbal and non-verbal cues to convey meaning
  • clear and fluent delivery with accurate pronunciation.
  • focus on the gist/main idea in a presentation
  • use of appropriate register for formal and informal contexts
  • emphasis on key points to guide listeners in following important ideas

 

  1. Use knowledge of language and its conventions to:
  • choose and use language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy

 

  1. Ask and respond to questions of personal interest and general everyday aspects.
  2. Express needs and requirements by giving reasons.
  3. Express dissatisfaction, disapproval, and disagreement politely.
  4. Agree/disagree partially.
  5. Ask, restate, and simplify directions and instructions.
  6. Acknowledge others' contributions.
  7. Identify a problem and propose a solution at an age and grade appropriate level.

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

The formative assessment is based on the learning activity mentioned in the template below.

 

Students will do a small presentation before their final debate to present their debate preparation plan/process to the teacher. This exercise can be done in the initial stage of their preparation time, for example, a day or two after the topic is announced or closer to the final presentation. If done in the initial stages, the students will tell the teacher what steps they expect to follow/have planned. If done near the final stages, the students will tell what they have done to prepare.

 

In this presentation they will be assessed on the following parameters (the following are only examples, and the teacher can feel free to include, exclude or add questions based on their discretion):

  • Clarity on the topic and the arguments the students plan to make.
  • What kind of sources will the students use to conduct their research and gather evidence?
  • How have the roles been divided amongst group members? Is the division fair with an equal amount of workload on each student in the group.
  • Whether the students rehearsed for the debate. How were these rehearsals conducted (frequency, location etc).
  • Did they face any problems or conflicts in their group task? If so, how was it resolved?
  • Was feedback from the group incorporated in the debate. If so, give an example of the feedback and how it was incorporated.
  • Any questions or clarifications that the students had which were resolved through discussion or are still there.

 

 

Summative Assessments

This summative assessment is based on the learning activity mentioned below.

 

Students will present their debate in front of the whole class or a larger audience. They will be assessed on the following parameters (the following are only examples, and the teacher can feel free to include, exclude or add questions based on their discretion):

 

  • Speech delivery (confidence, eye contact, posture, appropriate verbal and non-verbal cues to convey meaning, clear and fluent delivery using correct pronunciation, emphasis on key points etc.).
  • Language choice: whether the speaker expressed ideas precisely and concisely, recognizing and eliminating wordiness and redundancy.
  • Use of effective introductions and conclusions.
  • Quality of the arguments made (well researched, supported by evidence etc.).
  • Coherence in presentation of arguments (logical flow and structure).
  • Time management.
  • Quality of the rebuttals made.
  • Whether they incorporated feedback provided by the teacher in the formative assessment exercise (this will be judged from the information presented and feedback given as a result of the formative assessment).

Learning Activities

 

Students will work in groups of three or four to prepare a debate on a given topic (e.g. Social media has helped improve human contact/communication). One group will be for, and the other group will be against for the given topic. To make the class more interesting the teacher can also assign two to three different topics so each for and against group is working on a different topic for the debate. 

To prepare for the debate, students will be expected to (the following are only examples, and the teacher can feel free to include, exclude or add questions based on their discretion):

  • Brainstorm ideas and conduct preliminary research.
  • Divide roles and areas of research amongst different group members.
  • Structure their arguments logically.
  • Use appropriate and concise language to convey their ideas.
  • Have clear introductions and conclusions.
  • Support their claims with evidence (statistics etc).
  • Discuss each claim with their team members and get feedback.
  • Conduct rehearsals and time themselves.
  • Summarize their ideas in the conclusion.
  • Brainstorm and apprehend claims from the other side and prepare possible rebuttals.

 

NEWSROOM

A mock newsroom can be created in the class where groups of students interact in the form of a talk show on a certain topic or current issue. This can be in the same pattern as talk shows aired on Television. However rules of spoken discourse will be followed to ensure that the skills mentioned with the SLO are achieved.

 

Alternatively they can prepare a reality show and practice it to air in front of large audience in school.

 

 

 

 

  Competency B: Reading And Critical Thinking Skills

Standard 1: Use knowledge, skills, and strategies related to word identification/decoding and fluency to discover and comprehend meaning from a variety of informational and literary texts, develop a positive attitude towards reading for fluency, meaning, detail and enjoyment.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Read a wide range of texts with accuracy, appropriate rate, and variation in voice appropriate for characters and expression in successive readings, both orally and independently.
  • Express preferences and opinions openly.

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • learn to read with expression

 

 

 

 

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  • Read a wide range of texts with accuracy and proper expression using voice modulation.
  • Identify characters through voice and expression
  • Read orally and silently for meaningful purposes
  • Express preferences and opinions openly.

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

 Role play

 

Summative Assessments

Written task: students can be asked to change the conclusion/ending of the text with sufficient detail and impact.

  • Learning Activities
  • Chain reading strategy should be used to read the text aloud with expression and accuracy.
  • Teacher should prepare a vocabulary wall with new words from the given text and practice correct pronunciation with students.
  • Pair reading strategy to be used. Student A reads a paragraph, while student B listens and underlines new words. Then student B summarises what he has listened and understood. Swap the roles and read next paragraph with partner B taking lead this time. In this way whole class will be reading at the same time to each other.
  • Emphasise on correct pronunciation and volume.
  • Students should be trained on reading and changing voice modulation according to the characters.
  • Written or discussion task: students give opinions and judgements with reasons about the happening in the story/text. They should be able to prove their point with evidence.
  • An open dialogue/debate can be conducted on similar topic as that of the text to express opinions openly while taking ideas from the text.

 

Standard 2: Use a variety of reading strategies appropriate to the reading purpose, meaning and type of text to comprehend and analyse a range of literary (prose, poetry and drama) and informational texts (expository, persuasive, procedural, and functional texts).

Student Learning Outcomes

Analyse larger paragraphs with abstract concepts to identify sentences that support the main idea through:

• evidence,

• cause and effect, and/or

• comparison and contrast.

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • Recall prior knowledge of paragraph writing and its structure.
  • Identify types of supporting details.

 

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

 

  • Analyse paragraphs to identify sentences that show cause and effect relationship
  • Analyse paragraphs to identify sentences that show similarities and differences or some evidence to prove the point.

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

  • Individual task to identify main idea, topic sentence and supporting details.
  • Identify the types of supporting details
  • Students make their own paragraphs with supporting details that show cause and effect, comparison and contrast. Engage in peer checking and after receiving feedback they edit their paragraphs for final version.
  • Students work can be pasted on student board.

 

Summative Assessments

 Class test

Learning Activities

 

  • Pre-reading strategies of prediction and brainstorming must be conducted on the theme/topic of the text followed by while reading tasks.
  • The teacher should elaborate on the concept of cause and effect through a diagrammatic representation to show that cause leads to effect and chain reaction is created. The poster can be pasted in class for future reference.
  • Give short paragraphs to students to identify causes of effects through reasons and consequences in the given text. After practicing this on short paragraphs, students work in pairs to do similar task on longer paragraphs which have more implied meaning and abstract concepts.

 

 

 

 

  Competency C: Vocabulary And Grammar

 

Standard 1:  Use vocabulary and structures accurately and appropriately in context to communicate meaning in familiar and unfamiliar settings.

Student Learning Outcomes

Understand and utilize similes, metaphors, personification, imagery, hyperbole, oxymoron, mood, meter, rhyme scheme, alliteration: assonance and consonance given in the text. Use these devices in writing tasks also. 

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • recognise figures of speech correctly.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of different figures of speech in their writing.

 

 

Skills:

  • Students will be able to…
  • Differentiate between similes and metaphors
  • Identify imagery, hyperbole, oxymoron, mood, meter, rhyme scheme, alliteration: assonance and consonance in a poem or prose.
  • Use similes, metaphors personification and imagery, hyperbole given in the text in their own writing.
  • Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  • Take dictation of words of familiar and unfamiliar words
  • Keep a record of words (e.g., word wall, word bank)"      

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

 

  • Convert similes into metaphors and vice versa in a piece of text.

 

Summative Assessments

 

  • Objective type multiple choice questions text.
  • Correct the false statements.

Learning Activities

 

  • The teacher should bring a chart of figures of speech as given in SLO with the meaning and examples. Paste in the class for future reference.
  • Using brainstorming to recall prior learning of figures of speech, ask students the meanings of these terms.
  • Write a few sentences on the writing board and ask them to identify figure/s of speech in each sentence. Teacher can play this as a game between two teams.
  • Divide the students in groups or pairs to find similes, metaphors, personification, oxymoron, hyperbole in a text.
  • Students can write poems using these figures of speech. Students can make illustrations of the figures of speech used in the poem.
  • Students are encouraged to read aloud poems and identify assonance, alliteration and rhyme scheme. Teacher can bring a sample poem with these sounds of language highlighted on the poem and read aloud with expression and accuracy. Volunteer student read.
  • Play a game: prepare a set of cards with a figure of speech written on it. Distribute the cards to the students so each student gets a card. Teacher starts a story and passes on the story line to a student. Whatever card he has, he adds detail to the story using that figure of speech. Teacher can help if a student gets stuck. Pass on the turn to next student and repeat with the card till all get a chance to make a story. 
  • All student write their own story using some examples of figures of speech used by class fellows in the story making game.

 

 

 

  Competency D: Writing Skills

 

Standard 1: Create grade-level pieces of writing which are focused, purposeful and show an insight into the writing process; expressing increased fluency, coherence and cohesion, correct grammar and legibility, grade-level vocabulary, punctuation and spelling, for a variety of purposes.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Apply editing and proofreading skills to a range of different text and contexts; punctuate paragraphs and longer pieces of text correctly.
  •  

Knowledge:

Students will:

  • Rules of punctuation and punctuate correctly.
  • To use knowledge of letter-sound correspondences, syllabification patterns, and morphology (e.g. roots and affixes) to accurately spell unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.

 

 

 

 

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  • Recognize and rectify faulty punctuation in given passages and own work.
  • Use commas to separate an introductory element from the rest of the sentence.
  • Recognize and use colon to introduce a list of items and a long quotation.
  • Recognize and use semicolon to emphasise parts of a series of clearly defined units.
  • Recognize and use quotation marks to enclose a direct quotation/ /dialogues
  • Recognize and use hyphens to indicate the division of a word at the end of a line.
  • Recognize and use dash as a separator to indicate that a sentence has been broken off and an indicator of a new direction of thought.
  • Recognize and use parenthesis (Round Brackets) to enclose numbers or letters in enumerations in the text, express an amount in numbers previously expressed in words and mark off explanatory or supplementary material.

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

Students punctuate a larger piece of continuous writing to punctuate it correctly. They correct partners’ work also for peer assessment.

Summative Assessments

  • Add Colons and commas where necessary in the sentences.

 The bookstore specializes in three subjects art, architecture and graphic design.

Asiya has all the ingredients he needs to make biryani rice food colour potatoes meat water spices tomatoes and onions.

Teacher should make similar activities as short texts to assess punctuation.

Learning Activities

  •  Teacher can assess prior knowledge of punctuation by giving a short piece of text with faulty punctuation. Students complete the task individually and then conduct peer checking. Teacher can display correct paragraph on board for all students to check their partner’s work.
  • Teacher can make a punctuation song and sing with students in class. The song will have punctuation marks, their meanings and correct use so students can learn these rules in fun manner.

 

Standard 2:  Apply skills and strategies for idea generation, selection, development, organization and revision for a variety of writing purposes and text types.

Student Learning Outcomes Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through selecting relevant content.

Knowledge:

 

 Students will:

Follow techniques of pre-writing and writing strategies to create informative text.

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  • Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aid comprehension.
  • Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
  • Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
  • Use precise language and competency-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

Quiz students on how they can generate ideas before writing.

 

Summative Assessments

Exams and term tests.

Writing competitions.

Before every writing assignment, students are to be assessed on whether they did any idea generation or not using any method.

Assess whether students have followed guidelines when using a graphic organizer, whether they have used the brainstorming to bring structure to their work (like separating it into paragraphs).

Learning Activities

  • Students are to be asked to do brainstorming for all writing that they are assigned. Use note-taking method of creating an outline of the composition.
  • After generating ideas at random, it is useful to make an outline of the text before writing it. This can be used when the student is not using a graphic organizer for the writing.
  • Students make an outline in the form of a mind map by branching out separately on the mind map for each paragraph separately. Add some points and details that will necessarily go into a specific paragraph. Give headings on mindmaps for clarity. Utilise prior knowledge of transitional devices and types of supporting detail to prepare the mindmap.
  • Teacher should decide a topic and divide class into small groups. Assign one paragraph to each group to create a meaningful paragraph.
  • Followed by this display the paragraphs and each group reads the paragraphs to make corrections and amendments needed.
  • Later writing task may be done in notebooks in pairs or individually.

 

 

 

Standard 2 (continued): Apply skills and strategies for idea generation, selection, development, organization and revision for a variety of writing purposes and text types.

Student Learning Outcomes Review and revise written work.

Knowledge:

 

 

 

Skills:

Students will be able to…

  1. Review, revise and proofread a paragraph to ensure that it has a topic sentence, supporting sentences, uses transition words to establish connection, includes an introductory and closing sentence; has correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Assessments

 

Formative Assessments

Students to do a self-check using a writing checklist at the end of their work. The teacher can observe and double-check if they are identifying errors correctly.

 

Summative Assessments

Students to be marked on whether they have used a checklist to review their work and edit it after review. Marks to be given on the use of this checklist, and whether the use was correct or not.

Learning Activities

After brainstorming and writing a first draft, students to use a simple writing checklist to review their work.

Write a second draft after review.