LEARNING OUTCOME 4: LANGUAGE & VOCABULARY

Proficiency with words has to be attained through: researching pronunciation; understanding spelling patterns, rules and conventions; preparing a personal spelling list; explaining denotation, connotation and implied meanings; using synonyms;  using antonyms; distinguishing between homophones; distinguishing between homonyms; using rhyming words for different purposes; applying knowledge of roots to determine meaning; applying knowledge of roots to understand doublets; applying knowledge of prefixes to determine function; applying knowledge of suffixes to determine function; understanding how words are compounded; understanding and using collocations; understanding and using phrasal verbs; distinguishing between polysemes; understanding how a semantic shift occurs; understanding how words are coined; distinguishing between words that are often confused.

Grammar knowledge must be acquired to demonstrate that learners can: identify and use adjectives, adverbs, nouns, verbs and gerunds accurately and meaningfully; understand and use prepositions correctly; use verb forms and auxiliaries to express tense and mood accurately; use negative forms correctly.

Use the following Search Engine for information on spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar:

In home language use, a high degree of accuracy and appropriateness is expected. This should not be dealt with in isolation but in terms of language-in-action (in other words, language in texts and context). At additional language levels, accuracy and appropriateness remain important but at a less demanding level. The communicative approach to language teaching should be used.

● The learner should realise that critical and analytical thinking, sensitivity to others and sound language development has its foundation in the choice of the appropriate word, sentence structure, tone and register.

● The learner develops critical awareness to language by understanding the nuances of both word choice and sentence construction.

● Spelling is important. Learners develop own spelling and vocabulary lists assisted by regular use of the dictionary.

● The learner should be able to speak about language and have knowledge of the relevant language terminology (metalanguage).

● Accurate language use enhances communication.

The four Learning Outcomes also have the function of developing literacy through constant interaction.

People often distinguish between different kinds of literacy:

● Literacy . the ability to process and use information for a variety of purposes and contexts and to write for different purposes. It is the ability to decode texts and to make sense of the world.

● Information literacy . the ability to access information from a wide range of oral, written and multimedia texts.

● Visual literacy . the ability to understand and produce visual texts such as pictures, photographs, films and cartoons.

● Media literacy . the ability to understand and produce texts based on media, such as television, video, newspapers, magazines and advertising.

● Computer literacy . the ability to use computers and to understand and create texts using a computer, such as computer games; multimedia texts that incorporate written text, visual images and sound; graphic texts and e-mails.

● Critical literacy . the ability to understand and analyse how texts (oral, visual, audio, audio-visual, written, multi-modal) construct meaning and their effects. The teaching of critical literacy should be rooted in the world of the learner. Learners make sense of their world and bring this knowledge to their reading of texts. This does not mean that texts should be limited to those about learners. immediate world . texts should constantly extend learners. experience. Learners will make sense of these texts from the perspective of their world but texts will also enable them to reinterpret and rewrite their world. In order to develop critical literacy:

• Learners should draw on existing knowledge to make sense of texts.

• Teachers should appreciate that there is more than one interpretation of a text.

• Teachers should ensure that learners understand the literal meaning of texts . the information contained in the text such as when, where and how did this happen, who did it and why.

• Teachers should ask questions that give learners the opportunity to respond personally to texts such as:

  • Have you ever had an experience like that?

  • Have you ever felt like that?

  • Teachers should ask questions that enable learners to think critically about texts, such as:

    • From whose point of view was the text written or the photo taken?.

    • Are there alternative points of view?

    • Why was this one chosen?

• Teachers should give learners opportunities to rewrite texts to create alternative possibilities.

• Texts that deal with the same issue from differing points of view should be compared and critiqued.

Integration is achieved within and across subjects. The four Language Learning Outcomes address the skills of listening and speaking, reading and viewing, writing and presenting and knowledge about language and how it functions. Skills and knowledge are interdependent and integrated when language is used to communicate effectively for a range of purposes and audiences.

The teacher should integrate all aspects of language learning through the creation and interpretation of texts. Languages can also be integrated with other subjects for purposes of enrichment.