Cambridge University Press

978-0-521-72961-1 - Primary Curriculum Box CLIL Lessons and Activities for Young Learners
Kay Bentley
Excerpt
More information

Primary Curriculum Box

Introduction
What is CLIL? a poem about animals from the Literacy section. The activities
are of different lengths, ranging from 20–60 minutes. Longer
CLIL, or Content and Language Integrated Learning, is an
activities can also be done in two shorter lessons.
umbrella term covering teaching contexts in which subject
content is taught through another language. Teaching The activities in Primary Curriculum Box are suitable for use
curriculum subjects in a non-native language is not a new with pupils who are learning other curriculum subjects in
idea in bilingual education. What is new is the way in which English. The activities can also be used for cross-curricular
CLIL approaches are gathering momentum in primary schools topic work with learners following traditional ELT courses. The
across the world. Primary Curriculum Box provides teaching activities can supplement course books or provide stand-alone
materials for these programmes and for English language curriculum lessons. The activities in each section have been
teachers interested in teaching cross-curricular subjects designed to develop knowledge of subject vocabulary and
through English. language forms, as well as encouraging the development of
communicative and cognitive skills.
Why teach curriculum subjects in
Who is Primary Curriculum Box for?
English?
Pupils are usually more motivated to learn a new language Teachers
when the new language challenges their thinking skills. Primary Curriculum Box is suitable for Primary teachers
Learning curriculum subjects in a new language provides of English, as well as for subject-specialist teachers who
that challenge. Understanding new concepts and curriculum teach curriculum subjects through English on content-based
subjects in another language makes demands on pupils and programmes. It is also suitable for Primary EAL (English as an
teachers, but these can be met with support strategies. Additional Language) teachers in the UK.
Another argument for content-based teaching is that
curriculum activities taught in English often support Learners
teaching carried out in the first language curriculum. Pupils’ Each of the five curriculum sections includes lessons for three
understanding of science, for example, can be enriched and age groups, suitable for pupils aged between six and twelve.
deepened when taught in another language. The different needs of pupils in the three age groups are
By exploring different curriculum subjects in English, pupils reflected in the types of activities and their cognitive demands.
can achieve more with the target language. Many say they The lessons are planned around the knowledge that children
learn more English than in the traditional English classes. In learn best when activities engage and challenge them at the
content-based teaching, teacher expectations are often higher same cognitive level as tasks in their first-language classes.
and this leads to higher pupil motivation too. However, depending on their length of exposure to the target
language, pupils in content-based learning contexts may
What is Primary Curriculum Box? be able to do activities for an older age group. Flexibility is
built into the activities through the Option headings in the
Primary Curriculum Box is a resource book of photocopiable
teacher’s notes which provide suggestions for variations so
materials and activities for pupils aged between six/seven
that teachers can tailor activities to their particular classes.
and eleven/twelve. It can be used with pupils from beginner
The age ranges and levels are therefore only a guide.
to pre-intermediate level. The book is divided into five sections
which correspond to five curriculum subjects: Science, The Language levels used in traditional young learner EFL contexts
Environment, Maths, The Arts (Art and Drama) and Literacy. may not be appropriate in content-based curriculum teaching.
They are a useful reference but pupils in CLIL contexts are
Primary Curriculum Box includes more than 50 photocopiable
exposed to a far wider range of vocabulary and functional
activities to help teachers develop pupils’ knowledge of
language. The language produced in the activities in this
content and language. All the activities have teachers’ notes
resource arises from the topic content. Language is therefore
with ideas for follow-up activities for further practice. The
integrated naturally in the topic or task. This may mean that
five sections are divided so there are materials for three
learners hear and use language which is not usually included
age ranges: six to eight, eight to ten and ten to twelve. The
in a traditional English language syllabus for the same age
curriculum materials gradually progress in difficulty, both in
group, but which is natural in this context. For example, it
terms of content, concepts and language level. In section 5,
might be natural to use will for prediction when doing Science
Literacy, the activities are cross-referenced to other activities
work. The structure can therefore be introduced in the context
in the book. Teachers using a page about grouping animals
of the experiment. The activities are carefully designed to
in the Science section, for example, can then easily also find

© Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-0-521-72961-1 - Primary Curriculum Box CLIL Lessons and Activities for Young Learners
Kay Bentley
Excerpt
More information

Primary Curriculum Box Introduction

support learners in understanding and using new language. ● Friend feedback forms Learners develop speaking
Level 1 corresponds to the first two years of learning English. skills after doing activities when they complete ‘Friend
The starting age can be between six and eight. feedback’ forms and comment on their partner’s work.
Level 2 corresponds to the second two years of learning
English (years 3 and 4).
Using the pupils’ L1 (first language)
It is acknowledged that pupils learning a second language
Level 3 corresponds to the third two years of learning English
in the early stages of Primary school need to develop
(years 5 and 6).
concepts in both their first and the target language. It might
therefore sometimes be appropriate for teachers to check
Using Primary Curriculum Box
concepts using both the L1 and the target language. Pupils
Developing communication can be encouraged to use the target language as much as
possible. Exceptions where only L1 use is appropriate may
Meaningful communication is one of the main aims of
occur in the introductory phase of lessons when teachers are
content-based teaching. In Primary Curriculum Box each
finding out what pupils know about a topic. To encourage
activity has ideas to encourage learners to talk. Classroom
communication, you may need to allow pupils to use some
communication involves three different basic types of
L1. In content-based learning there is acceptance of some
interaction: teachers and the whole class, teachers and
movement between target language to the first language and
individual learners, and learners with other learners.
back again. This is often referred to as ‘code-switching’. It is a
Teacher to learners natural stage in the development of partial bilingualism. Some
● Finding out At the beginning of each activity, teachers use of both languages is useful when comparisons are made
are encouraged to find out what learners already know between words in the two, or sometimes more, languages
about the content of the curriculum subject. The teacher represented by pupils in the classroom. This provides a rich
can then build on what is already known, and avoid linguistic experience.
repeating content knowledge.
● Thinking skills The teacher’s notes include questions the Developing thinking skills
teacher can ask to develop learners’ thinking skills. They Developing thinking skills is an important aspect of primary
progress from low order questions which develop concrete education. In all curriculum subjects, teachers need to help
thinking skills, to higher order questions which require learners move from lower order thinking skills (such as
more abstract thinking in order to develop reasoning and identifying, matching and sorting) to higher order thinking
evaluative skills. skills (such as evaluating, summarising and predicting).
● Round up Many of the activities end with a task which Providing tasks which challenge the pupils cognitively is also
rounds up the topic. Together, learners are encouraged central to keeping them motivated and interested in the topic.
to think about what they have learned and what they still In content-based learning, the thinking processes involved
have to understand about the subject. in a task are often made explicit. In the activities in Primary
Teacher to learner Curriculum Box, thinking skills are clearly featured in each
activity. These are:
● When teachers monitor work, it is important to use the
target language to encourage and support the work of ● identifying
individual pupils. Learners may need more reassurance ● matching
during content-based lessons, as the language and ● sorting
cognitive demands placed on them may be higher. ● applying known procedures
As a teacher, remember to praise the English used to
● sequencing
communicate their message. Similarly, if a pupil gives
the correct answer but uses inaccurate English, praise the ● comparing and contrasting
pupil for their understanding of the content. In order to ● classifying
take into account what pupils achieve in CLIL lessons, it’s ● summarising
necessary to balance a focus on the content with a focus
● finding solutions
on the language needed to communicate it.
● evaluating
Learners to learners
● making deductions
● Praise Learners are encouraged to develop speaking
skills by saying what they like about other pupils’ work. ● predicting results
They do this while they are involved in activities for pairs ● suggesting solutions
or small groups.

10

© Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-0-521-72961-1 - Primary Curriculum Box CLIL Lessons and Activities for Young Learners
Kay Bentley
Excerpt
More information

Introduction Primary Curriculum Box

Support for the teacher and the Game templates

Some of the games in the Science and Environment sections
learner
can be adapted for use with different topics and vocabulary.
Word and Sentence boxes Blank templates for these games, together with instructions for
Each activity has two language boxes: one is a Word their use, are included on pages 133–139.
box, the other a Sentence box. The Word box provides a
Friend feedback forms
useful reference for teachers as they can easily see which
For many activities, a ‘Friend feedback’ form is provided as
vocabulary is needed for the activity. The words from this box
one of the photocopiable pages. These forms give learners
can be written on the board by the teacher before the lesson
the opportunity to reflect on the task they have completed and
starts, during the lesson as the words are used, or at the end
provide a framework enabling them to comment on the work
for revisiting content vocabulary. The Sentence box enables
of their peers.
teachers to use the topic words in context.
Language ideas for classroom display
Learn about … boxes
Some activities have ideas about how to display pupils’
These give teachers information about the ideas and concepts
finished work in the classroom. Providing a language-rich
involved in the activities. For example, in the Science: Inside
environment while learning curriculum subjects is important.
us lesson, the Learn about … box gives information about
Suggestions for language which can be written beside the
the purpose of the skeleton. The information in these boxes
work are given in the teacher’s notes.
is primarily for the teacher but sometimes pupils may ask
questions which need short explanations in English.
Wordlists
Diagrams and visual organisers There are two wordlists on pages 141 and 142 of Primary
Curriculum Box. These are medium and high frequency
Many activities begin with brainstorming topic vocabulary
words in English, taken from the English National Curriculum.
or notes. Learners are encouraged to use mind maps for
Native-speaker pupils use the first list between the ages of five
recording their ideas.
and seven; the second list is used between eight and eleven.
You can photocopy the lists for pupils as a form of writing
support. They may be used as an alternative to dictionaries.
Mind map: see pages 22, 100, 129 Older pupils can learn to read the frequently used words and
test themselves or each other on the spelling or meaning of
them. As a learning strategy, pupils can highlight words they
often spell wrongly and focus on those. They can concentrate
on meaning by ticking the words they understand and use
in English. In this way, lists can also encourage learner
Venn diagrams: see autonomy. Activities for using the words are on page 140.
pages 18, 28, 91, 110
Audio CD
The Audio CD which accompanies the book includes
recordings of the Word boxes and Sentence boxes from
land animals water animals each lesson. It can be used as a model for learners of the
mammals lion whale pronunciation of new curriculum vocabulary and allows them to
hear the topic words in the context of natural language chunks.
birds dove, penguin penguin

Carroll diagram: see page 36

Time line: see pages 108 and 114

11

© Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-0-521-72961-1 - Primary Curriculum Box CLIL Lessons and Activities for Young Learners
Kay Bentley
Excerpt
More information

SCIENCE

Primary Curriculum Box

1.1 Our senses
CONTENT FOCUS Before class
learning about sense organs Photocopy worksheet 1.1, one per pupil. Bring blue and red coloured pencils to class for
and senses each pupil.
identifying living and non-
living things In class
1 Finding out Ask pupils to say six parts of the body (e.g. head, arm, leg, neck, foot, hand).
COMMUNICATION
stating facts As they say the words tell the rest of the class to point to that part of their own body. Then
ask the pupils to stand up and do the actions. Say Wave your arms, Clap your hands three
comparing with a partner
times, Shake your head, Stand on one leg. Then say Wave your head!, Clap your feet! and
COGNITION ask the pupils to make more crazy suggestions.
identifying
2 Say eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and point to them on your own body. Say the words
grouping again and this time the pupils point to their eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. Draw an eye,
matching an ear, a nose, a tongue and a hand on the board. Point to the pictures as you say We see
classifying with our eyes, we hear with our ears, we smell with our noses, we taste with our tongues
LEVEL 1 and we feel with our skin. Tell them these are the five senses.
3 Tell pupils to look around the classroom and say something they can see, hear, smell, taste
AGE RANGE
6–8
or feel. Write the suggestions on the board in a chart:

TIME see hear smell taste feel

45 minutes

LEARN ABOUT
SCIENCE 4 Give out worksheet 1.1 to each pupil. Say Look at the five senses: see, hear, smell, feel and
All humans have five taste. Read the first word, plant, and tell pupils to point to the senses they use. Ask for their
senses and five sense ideas. Tell them they are all correct. Continue with some more examples, then tell pupils to
organs. They help us to be draw lines matching the words and the senses. Tell them more than one sense is possible.
aware of our environment. When they finish, put the pupils into pairs and tell them to compare their answers. Ask Are
they the same? What’s different? Check answers with the class.
WORD BOX T2
Key 1 see, smell, feel 2 see, feel, taste 3 see, hear, feel (smell also possible) 4 see
ear, eye, nose, sense, skin, 5 see, feel 6 see, feel, taste, smell 7 see, hear, feel (smell also possible) 8 see (feel also
tongue possible) 9 see, feel, taste, smell 10 see, hear (feel and taste also possible) 11 see,
hear, feel, see, smell, taste hear, feel, smell 12 see, feel, taste 13 see, feel, taste, smell 14 see, hear, feel, taste
living, non-living 15 see, feel, taste, smell 16 see, feel
5 Ask Which are living things? (plant, tree, baby, cat, dog, butterfly, fish, bird). Tell pupils to
SENTENCE BOX
draw a red circle round them. Then ask Which are non-living things? (water, cheese, stars,
We feel with our skin.
We hear with our ears. the sun, apple, bread, eggs, onion). Tell pupils to draw a blue circle round them.
We see with our eyes. 6 Round up Ask pupils to say more examples of living and non-living objects for each sense.
We smell with our noses.
We taste with our tongues.

12

© Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org

Cambridge University Press
978-0-521-72961-1 - Primary Curriculum Box CLIL Lessons and Activities for Young Learners
Kay Bentley
Excerpt
More information

Our senses Primary Curriculum Box 1.1

1 Match the pictures with the senses. Draw lines.

1 2 3 4

eggs cat stars

plant

5 6

apple
see
tree
8
7
hear taste

butterfly
dog

9 10
smell feel

onion bird
11 12

fish
baby

13 14 15 16

bread water cheese

the sun
2 Circle the living things in red.
3 Circle the non-living things in blue.
Primary Curriculum Box © Cambridge University Press 2009 PHOTOCOPIABLE 13

© Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org