English language curriculum For Schools in India: A Proposal

1. English language curriculum For Schools in India: A proposal Early primary grades I-III ~LALITKISHORE

2. Curriculum The sum total of all planned experiences (age-appropriate and time-framed activities related to teaching -learning-evaluation continuum) to attain the learning outcomes is called curriculum

3. Curriculum construction model • Aims and, objectives and assumptions about learners (Why and who?) • Content and materials (what?) • Learning environment, methods and approaches (How?) • Evaluation (How far learning outcomes have been achieved?) • Quality ( Diagnosis, correction and improvement: What more requires to be done?)

4. Interdependent curriculum components • Aims and objectives • Content • Methods • Materials • Evaluation • Quality: Feedback and improvement of students’ learning

5. Organization of content Content is the subject matter or the context for a academic term that is pitched to the development level of a particular age-group of learners • Logical sequence: Movement from simple to complex with linkage to previous experiences and knowledge • Psychologically sound: Appeal to the diverse learning styles of students

6. Some common defects of English Instruction • Unrealistic curriculum (Lack of rural context and lack of linkage to culture and dialect) • Uniform textbooks with urban bias • Unqualified teachers • Emphasis on structural approach to learning English

7. Some principles of English Instruction • Listening, speaking , recognition, visual discrimination (Mental images) must precede pre-writing and writing skills. • Begin with the word method and sight vocabulary • Emphasis loud reading with emphasis on additional foreign sounds.

8. Bilingualism is a benefit : • Acceptance of teaching of English at primary level in most states of India. • English as one of the constitutionally recognized languages can work as a link language in a multi-lingual India. • Opens doors to diverse knowledge resources and higher education.

9. Why bilingualism in primary grades ? • Human brain specializes learning of a language, before the age of 10 years (afterwards: rigid / less receptive) • Flexibility of vocal organs and instinct of imitation are available. • Keen powers of observation and reproduction through a variety of ways (Singing, Dialogues, dramatization) and acceptable.

10. Emphasis on oral work in grades I and II : • Speaking can come naturally through spoken language environment. • Reading and writing are acquired. • Speaking helps learning reading and writing faster. • Begin with visuals combined with an oral-aural approach(look and say) • Picture reading exercises. • Dramatization and gestures • Language games.

11. Avoid letter method • Individual letter sound do not create mental picture and meaning. • Many letters do not represent the sound by which they are identified in the names given to them: • Mechanical , boring and lengthy; • Being analytical or part method produces halting and hesitant readers.

12. Look and say method : Most preferred Method • Words whose pictures can be made are the most convenient unit of recognition by the eye. • Smallest language unit with a meaning and suitable for word-pictures of sight vocabulary • Using flash cards object-names and action-names are first taught. • Leads to better acquisition of reading skills. • Builds vocabulary of simple every-day words.

13. Vocabulary Requirement (Faucett and Maki) • Grades I to V : Up to 600 words (Indispensable words) that requires. (i) Speaking; (ii) Reading ; (iii) Writing ; and (iv) Understanding at mastery level (4-fold mastery) • Grades VI to VII : Up to 1500 words (Useful Words) that require (i) Speaking; (ii) Reading ; (iii) Writing ; and (iv) Understanding at mastery level (Three-fold mastery) • Up to Class III : Class I • Transitional Level : Linkage with home language , clap rhymes; sight vocabulary of 15 words. • Clap rhymes for 10 objects and sight vocabulary of 20 words • Sight vocabulary with alphabets and alphabet recognition. • Capital alphabet writing with visual discrimination. • Short alphabet writing with visual discrimination.

14. Class II • Short vowel sound words : Speaking , reading and writing . • Long vowel sound words : Speaking , reading and writing . • Mixed vowel sound words : Speaking , reading and writing . • Sentences with this and that using object names • Singulars and plurals with the use of these and those for sentence formation. • Name of six fruits , flowers, colours, vegetables and animals each

15. Class III to V 30 lessons each with language art forms like • (a) Poems; • (b) Descriptions; • (c) Stories; • (d) Dialogues; • (e) Comic strips; • (f) letter writing; • (g) Essays; • (f) Language tables with exercises to enhance on understating and grammatical structures.

16. Developmental Approach to Language Learning and Teaching for the School Beginners • It is seen that children of ages 3 to 6 years talk a lot about objects. • According to Brown: objects, people and action and their inter-relationship pre-occupy the school entrants' language universally as an outcome of the sensory motor stages of their development

17. Eight stages of language acquisition • The research indicates that children generally do the following things using language almost in the following sequence • : i) They point out objects and name them (demonstrative stage); • ii) They talk about where an object is (location telling state); • iii) They talk about what they look like (attributive); • iv) Who owns them (possession); • v) Who is doing things to them (agent-object); • vi) Performed by people (agent-action); • vii) Performed on objects (action-object) ; and • viii) Oriented towards certain locations(action-location).

18. An Example With pictures one may have the text as: • A ball • This is a ball • The ball is on the floor • ******** • The red ball • The red ball is on the floor • The red ball on this floor is mine • ******** • A child; • The child has a red ball • The child plays with the red ball • ******** • Throw the ball to me • Play with the ball in the ground. …….and so on