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CURRICULUM RECEPTION-GRADE 5
Pupils enter the primary section of the school with no knowledge
of English, but leave it, ready to go on to Grade 6, and thus
the IB Middle Years Programme, a large part of which is taught
in English. By the time they reach the end of Year 10, pupils
will also be on course to have enough English to be able to
consider entering the IB Diploma Programme, in which the
language of instruction is English.
To meet these demanding objectives the school has developed its
own model of staged bilingualism. In the priary school while
pupils work, on the one hand, on the development of their
literacy and numeracy in their first language, they also enter
an EFL programme. This EFL programme increases in weight, in
terms of both time allotted and in terms of content, as the
child moves up through the years. At the same the emphasis
within the lesson moves gradually from a language arts to a
topic-based approach, such that children are not only learning
English, but are also learning to do things with English and to
learn in English. In grades 4 and 5 as well as learning English
through a topic based approach pupils are also offered a
separate course, i.e. "Life Skills", which is completely taught
in English.
The "Life Skills" course itself is an interesting feature of the
curriculum. It consists of a series of units designed to get
children using English for a range of activities, including IT,
problem solving with mathematical operations, measuring, using
maps and reading and writing about science, that will stand them
in good stead for their future academic development.
In addition to "Life Skills", all grade 5 and some grade 4
classes have two hours of drama which is held in English..
English is taught through themes and the students provide most
of the information from their families and their own experiences
for the class to use instead of using ready prepared material in
textbooks. We include projects that require the students to work
outside the classroom during the school day and we make use of
the school facilities, especially those that are challenging to
the students and that enable them to use more initiative.
The aims of Primary School English (PSE) are described based on
the four skills; writing, reading, listening and speaking.
Students are introduced to basic skills practice even in
pre-reception and continue to practise and build on these skills
as they progress through PSE. The general aims of the program
are as follows:
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To enable students to communicate effectively in a variety of
situations,
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Through the course books and children's literature, to
introduce students to a variety of cultures and to bring about
an increased awareness, tolerance and understanding of other
cultures,
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To expose students to a variety of literary texts,
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To expose students to both fiction and non-fiction texts,
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To make students aware of and sensitive to the moral and
social values within literature,
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To foster an appreciation of the value of literature,
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To make students aware of effective learning strategies in
order that they can continue their learning outside the
classroom and start to progress from dependent to more
independent learning,
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To develop an interest in and an enjoyment of the language,
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To develop the four skills and to provide opportunity for
practice in relevant and meaningful ways, through a variety of
interactions, thereby maintaining the interest and motivation
of students.
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To develop students' linguistic competence. Through the course
books, to provide a solid grammatical and lexical syllabus and
to use the literary texts not only as an object of literary
study but also as a language teaching resource.
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To enable students to analyse and question, to compare and
contrast, to express their own opinions with reasons, to
develop an argument with supporting evidence and to respond to
opposing arguments, to talk about their own feelings and
personal experiences, in a logical and coherent manner.
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To encourage students to listen to and respect the opinions of
others.
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CURRICULUM
GRADES 6-12
English is taught as Language B Advanced at Eyüboğlu Schools and
it plays an important role since the medium of teaching for
mathematics and science is English. Those graduates of Eyüboğlu
Primary School , who have had 5 years of English, reach Grade 6
equipped with basics in the language. The aim of the English
programme is to help each student develop communication skills
to his/her fullest potential by providing a curriculum geared to
enhance listening, speaking, reading and writing.
It is very important that students understand their own culture
and those of others; gain a deeper understanding of human
nature; develop problem solving strategies; and reinforce
critical thinking. Emphasis is also placed on developing
self-esteem and confidence of the students so that they become
independent learners.
Writing
The writing component of the course aims to enable students to
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select and develop information, ideas and arguments with a
good level of organisation, accuracy and a good range of
vocabulary;
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write in the form and register appropriate to the subject
matter and task;
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develop the students' creative potential allowing for free
expression;
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provide students with opportunities to practise a variety of
writing tasks.
To achieve these aims students are taught to view writing as a
process and acquire the ability to write in the following
styles:
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descriptive
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discursive
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narrative
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expository
Reading
The reading component of the course aims to
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expose students to a variety of text types and genres;
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enable students to progress from short simplified literary
texts to longer more complex texts, including original texts;
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reinforce knowledge of grammatical structures and recycle
vocabulary through literary and non-literary texts for both
receptive and productive purposes;
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enable students to identify important points, main ideas,
supporting details, and literary devices;
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to provide students with opportunities to respond to the
texts in a variety of ways.
Students have exposure to the following genres:
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novels
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short stories
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poetry
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magazines
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newspapers
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plays
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biographies
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diaries
Students are encouraged to reflect personally, creatively and
critically on what they have read through discussions, drama,
illustrations, essays and projects.
Listening
The listening component of the course aims to
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encourage students to develop strategies to deal successfully
with a listening text;
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provide students with an opportunity to practise listening
for different purposes;
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enable students to do a variety of tasks.
Listening is practised and developed through a variety of
listening-text types which reflect the variety in the
English-speaking world.
Speaking
The speaking component of the course aims to
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provide students with the opportunity to practise speaking
accurately and fluently;
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enable students to practise speaking in a variety of
situations for different purposes;
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create a secure environment in which students grow in
confidence and feel motivated to contribute their own opinions
and experiences;
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enable students to use appropriate register, pronunciation,
and intonation.
Students get the following practice:
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Exchanging personal information in a variety of situations
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Describing pictures
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Summarising
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Narrating events
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Giving a talk or speech (formal and informal)
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Completing an oral task in pairs or in groups
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Presenting projects
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Participating in class discussions
Grammar and Vocabulary
Students revise and extend their understanding of grammatical
and lexical systems for both receptive and productive purposes.
Research Skills
Students get practice in narrowing down a topic, taking notes,
and recording sources. They learn how a library is organised and
how and where sources are located.
To reach all of these aims, a variety of methodologies are used,
taking into account the different types of intelligences.
Instruction ranges from teacher-led to more student-centered
through presentations, debates, pair work, group discussions,
projects, research, library visits, etc. Students keep
portfolios. A Self-Access Center is available, where students
are provided with the opportunity to study independently and
develop their English by playing a variety of games, using
CD-ROMs and watching videos. Teachers send in students, who they
believe will benefit from this centre, to work under the
supervision of two specialists who target such students'
weaknesses and monitor their development. Students may study in
the Self-Access Center during lunch breaks and after school by
appointment.
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