Developing Materials to Support EAL Pupils in Secondary Schools: PART 1
Focus for materials’ development
The project focused on developing the language skills pupils need to access the curriculum, while using the curriculum to develop language skills. Teachers looked at the roles of the four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) in the classroom.
As pupils progress through the education system, the focus for their work moves
increasingly from oracy to literacy, and achievement is measured principally through written assignments and examinations. Pupils may be disadvantaged by this if the level of their literacy skills is a barrier to them demonstrating their understanding of curriculum content.
Pupils’ learning will be supported if teachers are aware of the linguistic demands they are making of pupils, and if they can structure tasks and activities to gradually increase that demand. Teaching materials which initially focus on listening and speaking activities will ensure that pupils have interacted with the focus text, and gained some understanding of it, before being asked to commit anything to paper.
The target strategies of the project were:
Developing active listening and reading
While listening and reading can be described as receptive skills, this does not mean that they should be passive. Active listening and reading means that pupils are asked to listen to or read some information, then do something with that information to show their
understanding. Often this will involve transforming the information from one form to another, for example reading a text and then drawing a diagram or table, or listening to a text and responding to it in writing.
The use of writing frames
Even when pupils have gained an understanding of the content of the curriculum being taught, for many it is a daunting task to begin to commit that knowledge to paper. Writing frames are one method of offering the pupils a framework or scaffold to shape their writing.
A writing frame provides a structured prompt to support writing, often in the form of opening phrases of paragraphs, and may include suggested vocabulary.
This approach is evident within the National Literacy Strategy, and, in providing templates for particular genres of writing (e.g. discussion, reporting, persuasion), is applicable to
developing language skills across all curriculum areas.
Listening and speaking activities
It is often assumed that listening and speaking will occur spontaneously in the classroom.
This may well be the case, but such interaction is not necessarily work-focused. It is necessary to plan for listening and speaking to take place within the context of the curriculum. This does not mean, however, that such activities will inevitably take a lot of preparation time. The amount of focused oral work in the classroom can be increased simply by the teacher looking for opportunities for pupils to talk within the framework of lessons already planned.
One opportunity regularly missed is in putting questions to the class. If pupils are asked to respond individually to the teacher, only one pupil at a time is having the opportunity to talk.
If pupils are given time to discuss the question briefly, they will all be involved in curriculum- focused talk, and will have an opportunity to try out answers in the security of a small group of their peers. There will still not be time for all pupils to feedback to the teacher, but all pupils will have been actively involved in preparing answers, and each contribution elicited by the teacher will be the work of at least two pupils.
Pupils should be given clear indications of what their discussion should produce, and imposing and adhering to time limits is useful in focusing the pupils on the task.
Examples:
Pupils were given one minute to list all the ways they could think of to become a millionaire (without breaking the law!).
(Preparation for writing list of suggestions)
Pupils were given two minutes to think of two reasons why King John was a good king, and two reasons why he was a bad king.
(Preparation for discursive writing)
Pupil A chose one of the elements from a table both pupils had just completed. Pupil B had to question A to find out which element was chosen. Pupil A was only allowed to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Pupil B then chose an element for A to guess.
(Consolidating knowledge of atomic structure)
Pupils in groups were numbered 1 – 4. They were asked to describe three properties of a triangle.
After discussion, the teacher chose which number was eligible to answer, e.g. ‘An answer from the Number 4s this time, please.’
(Consolidating knowledge about shapes)
One of the most widely used listening and speaking activities was one which required pupils to listen to each other reading facts and repeat what they had just heard.
Example:
Pupils were each given a numbered short fact about plants:
1 The roots absorb water from the soil.
2 Plants are made from cells.
3 Plants have four main organs.
4 Food is stored in the leaves of plants.
↓ etc
The pupils did not show their facts to anyone else (other than the teacher, if they needed help with reading). The teacher chose a number, and the pupil with that number (Pupil A) read out her fact.
Pupil A then chose another number (Pupil B).
Pupil B repeated the gist of Pupil A’s fact - exact repetition was not essential.
Pupil B then read his fact, and chose a third number (Pupil C).
Pupil C repeated Pupil B’s fact, read her own fact, and chose a fourth number.
The activity continued until all facts had been heard at least once.
(Introducing a new topic)
Variations
This activity can be used to introduce a new topic, as above, in which case the teacher creates the fact list.
It is also useful for feedback from pupils, in which case each pupil thinks of one fact they have learned about a recent topic, or from a video or visit.
Pupils choose each other by name.
Teacher chooses pupils by name.
When all the facts have been heard, pupils have to remember and repeat a fact other than
their own.
Pre-listening/pre-viewing tasks
These tasks are useful in focusing pupils on what they will be listening to or watching, and provide an opportunity to pre-teach any new vocabulary necessary for the understanding of the presentation.
Examples:
Before watching a video, pupils worked together to produce lists of advantages and disadvantages of allowing industry into the Brazilian rainforest.
Key words (including new vocabulary) were written on the board, and pupils were asked to
try to work out what the video they were going to see was about. New vocabulary was
explained at this point.
Watching/listening frameworks
Note-taking is one of the higher order skills pupils are required to master, requiring the ability to listen, assimilate, prioritise and condense information, and to write it down in a format which will later be intelligible and meaningful. When pupils are asked to take notes from a video or other presentation, the process of note-taking can take over from the understanding of the content.
Before such a note-taking task frameworks can be provided which have key prompts to help pupils focus on important areas. These prompts may take many forms, including true/false questions, multiple choice items, tables to complete, and diagrams to label. The framework gives pupils a genuine reason for watching and listening, while focusing their effort on the content rather than the process.
Examples:
Example 1 – all the questions in this framework are in a multiple choice format, so pupils do not have to do any writing. The framework focuses the pupils closely on specific detail in the video. The detail was selected to move the pupils towards an understanding of the living conditions of the peasants.
THE PEASANTS’ REVOLT – VIDEO NOTES
John and Joan’s house was:
big small clean dirty well-furnished poorly-furnished
John and Joan have:
plenty to eat nothing to eat very little to eat
John is in the forest:
hiding walking catching food
Example 2 – this framework requires more sophisticated note-taking skills. It guides pupils through the video, making them aware of the key issues, and helps them to organise the information into a form which will later support them in their writing.
THE PEOPLE OF THE RAINFOREST – VIDEO NOTES
1 How do you know that the Tikuna Indians have been influenced by Developed Countries (e.g. U.S.A.)?
2 How do the Tikuna fish?
3 What is a Tikuna village like?
4 Why do the Tikuna have to cut down trees?
5 When the Tikuna clear land for farming, why do they leave the tree stumps and burn the tree debris?
6 What is shifting cultivation?
The success of such frameworks depends on the pupils being able to follow them while
watching the video. It is important to read through the framework with the pupils before
watching, both to ensure understanding, and to begin to make pupils aware of the key points
they are looking and listening for.
Information-gap activities
Pupils will develop their language skills by being required to use them in meaningful contexts.
Structured paired activities offer such opportunities, when each partner knows something the other doesn’t, and they have to talk to each other to complete the task. The information gap between the two partners creates a context for genuine communication.
Such activities help to develop pupil independence, as the teacher is no longer seen as the keeper of all knowledge, and the interaction between pupils helps to develop their social skills.
Examples:
Pupils working in pairs were each given a sheet of facts about polygons. There were gaps in pupil A’s sheet to which pupil B had the answers, and pupil A had the answers for the gaps in pupil B’s sheet.
The facts were arranged in a different order on each sheet to ensure that pupils worked together to find the correct solutions, rather than simply copying.
e.g. Pupil A
Fact number 1 A polygon is a __________ sided shape.
Pupil B
Fact number 10 A ____________ is a many-sided shape.
Pupils watched a video about the Brazilian rainforest, and, working in pairs, were asked to answer questions on what they had seen.
Pupil A was given the odd-numbered questions and pupil B the even-numbered questions before they shared their answers to make sure they had all the information.
Pupils working in pairs had outline maps of France which included different details e.g. pupil A’s map had the names of the major rivers included, but not the names of the major cities, while pupil B’s map had the cities named, but not the rivers. The two pupils had to work together to complete their maps.
The demands of this activity can be increased by telling pupils not to look at each other’s maps, and by requiring the use of specific language (e.g. ‘the river running west from Orléans is…’).
Pupils working in pairs were given information about electrolysis. Pupil A had a text including a partially-labeled diagram of an electrolytic cell. Pupil B had a text describing the process of electrolysis. Both pupil texts had gaps in them, the answers to which were in the other pupil’s text.
The pupils had to work together to complete both texts.
Half the pupils in the class researched the lifestyle of the Tikuna Indians in Brazil, while the other half researched the lifestyle of the Caboclos Indians. The pupils then worked in pairs to compare and contrast the lifestyles of the two groups.
HEADING T
houses and village
hunting and fishing
food
farming
clothes
forest
location
The key element in the examples given above is the fact that pupils are required to talk to each other to complete the task.
Once pupils have become familiar with this way of working, the activities become ‘self- policing’ – the genuine need to communicate is a motivating factor, and pupils encourage and elicit responses from each other.
The planning and preparation these activities require is rewarded by opportunities to observe
and evaluate what pupils are doing, and focus intervention on supporting understanding.
Jigsaw activities
A jigsaw activity is a more sophisticated type of information gap.
Example:
Pupils worked in ‘expert’ groups to research a particular topic - the six main countries fighting in the First World War (one group became experts on Austria, another on Britain, others on France, Germany, Italy and Russia).
The information had already been selected (Sheet A), the pupils’ task being to read, understand and select the appropriate information, and each group was given the same key questions to answer (Sheet B).
The pupils were then re-grouped so that there was one expert on each subject in each new group. Each expert took it in turn to tell the others what she had found out, and the information was collated by all pupils on a summary sheet (Sheet C).
The activity can be differentiated for more able pupils by giving them a range of source materials to research.
GERMANY Sheet A
My country wants to become a very powerful country. I believe
‘our future lies beyond the Hello, my name is Kaiser Wilhelm II. I rule Germany, a new country
My country rules 2.5 million km2 colonies, which include areas in Africa. However, I would like more colonies, as they would make Germany much more powerful. My army and navy are very large compared with those of my European neighbours. The last time I counted, I had 2,200,000 soldiers and 40 battleships (which means I have the largest army
Sheet B Sheet C
Country
Who is the leader of this country?
How old is this country?
Who are this country’s allies?
How big is the army?
How big is the navy?
What does the leader want for his country?
Austria Britain France Germany Italy Russia
leader
new/old country
allies
colonies
army and navy
ambitions
Vocabulary development
Developing pupils’ confident and competent use of subject-specific vocabulary was identified as a key issue across the curriculum areas. Specifically, pupils need to know and understand new vocabulary (e.g. ‘photosynthesis’, ‘appeasement’, ‘apex’), and to be aware that words which may already be part of their vocabulary may have a different meaning in the context of the curriculum (e.g. a solution in chemistry is very different to a solution in maths).
Examples:
Pupils in an MLD school working towards the SEG Secondary Science Certificate were having difficulty with the subject-specific vocabulary. The teacher (not a science specialist) developed vocabulary lists for each unit of work, with the aim of explaining the scientific terms in language his pupils would use. He collaborated with science-teaching colleagues to ensure the scientific validity of the definitions.
Unit 4 - Materials and their uses Key words What do they mean?
materials solid liquid gas
particles solution
dissolve
solubility
very soluble not soluble natural materials man-made materials properties
the stuff that things are made from material that has a fixed shape material that can flow
material that can flow and fill up all the space that is available
what materials are made of
a mixture of a solid and a liquid, when you can’t see the solid, like the salt in the sea.
when you make a solid disappear by mixing it with a liquid
the way you describe how easy it is for the solid to mix with the liquid
this means the solid mixes easily
this means that the solid doesn’t mix at all things that can be found in the world around us
things that have to be made from other stuff
what materials are like, or what things you can do with
Difficulty in understanding instructions in examinations was identified as a barrier to pupils being able to show their understanding of curriculum content. A list of instructions that might be used in an intermediate exam was ‘translated’ into a register more familiar to the pupils.
CALCULATE work out
SOLVE work out the answer to
COMPLETE fill in the gaps
CONTINUE carry on
CONTINUES carries on
FIND THE VALUE OF x what is x
FIND A SOLUTION work out an answer
FIND THE VALUE OF work out the answer
INVENT make up
GIVEN THAT if
ILLUSTRATE show
FIND THE SUM OF add up
FIND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN take away
Pupils were having difficulty with the subject-specific vocabulary of maths. The teacher began to put definitions on a ‘word wall’, which pupils developed as new words arose.
CIRCUMFERENCE
distance around the outside of a
circle
PERCENT
out of one hundred BISECT
cut exactly in half
