Syllabus Design and Development

Extract from a draft syllabus for children aged 8-10

Curriculum content

The Primary English Curriculum is designed to be delivered in 420 periods of

40 minutes over the academic years Grades 3, 4 and 5.

The content is designed to ensure that the students develop their

communicative competences in a supportive learning environment that accords
with their level of cognitive and linguistic development.

5.1. Themes
The overarching theme of the primary English curriculum is “Me and My
World”. This main theme is subdivided into 4 sub themes which are addressed
through topics. These sub themes are revisited each year through different
topics so that students can consolidate and extend their developing language
skills.

The sub themes are:

• Me and my friends

• Me and my family

• Me and my school

• Me and my community

5.2. Communicative competences

The themes will act as a vehicle for enabling the students to develop their
communicative language competences in all the four language areas of
listening, speaking, reading and writing. This will enable them to understand
and use different language forms and functions appropriate to the context.

For example: The social context of introducing oneself to others.

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 Students will learn a number of different ways (forms) of introducing
themselves to other people (functions) in English so that other people are
able to understand them (meaning).

5.3. Linguistic knowledge and skills

The themes act as a vehicle for introducing language knowledge and skills.

The language knowledge and skills are:

5.3.1. English vocabulary: relating to the themes and topics.

There is a target vocabulary of around 500-700 vocabulary items across

a range of parts of speech including nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives
and connectives. This will include some of the most common words in
spoken English. The students will have a wider passive (receptive)
vocabulary (words they understand) than active vocabulary (words they
can produce). They will be able to read and understand words and texts
and to write using their known vocabulary.

5.3.2. Phonology.

In the domain of oral language, this covers the ability to speak using
English vowel and consonant sounds, word stress, rhythm and sentence
patterns, and to recognize these when listening to others.

In the domain of literacy it includes ability to use the letter-sound

correspondence to learn to read and spell words.

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5.3.4. English grammar

Understanding and producing different types of utterances and texts;

awareness of word order; use of verb tense phrases (e.g. simple present:
I go; simple past tense: I went; and simple future tense; I will go); use of
the most frequent modal verbs (e.g. I am eating ice cream).

N.B. It is important to stress that for Primary students there should be no

formal teaching of grammar. The students should be introduced to
different language structures in meaningful phrases in naturalistic
contexts.

5.3.5. Linguistic Skills: 4 skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing (See Table
1: Learning outcomes, p.10)

6. Assessment

Students’ achievement in English should be based both on the results of

summative and formative tests, and on evidence of competences and
performance recorded by their teachers throughout the year. Progress in the
four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing should be recorded.

Assessment of students should be designed to appraise the competences of the

students based on the learning outcomes of the curriculum as detailed below.
The assessments should be both formative and summative. The format of the
assessment needs to be diverse in nature and must include oral as well as
written activities.

Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes at the end of each grade are detailed in table 1.

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Table 1. Learning outcomes
Listening Speaking Reading Writing
Grade Recognize familiar simple Speak using words they Read and understand familiar Write words and phrases
3 words and phrases. understand, recognizing that simple words and phrases. legibly using vocabulary
(A1.1) Understand and respond English is pronounced Recognize letters in the already learned.
to very simple differently from XXX alphabet and know their sound Use basic punctuation
instructions in class. Ask and answer very simple value. appropriately.
Understand and respond questions about themselves Read and understand very Write responses to very
to very simple questions and others. simple sentences. simple questions on
on familiar topics when Ask and answer commonly Read and understand very familiar topics.
other people speak slowly used questions in class. short and simple texts on Write one or two simple
and clearly. Use very simple familiar topics with support. sentences on familiar
Listen to and understand words/phrases about familiar topics.
simple texts read aloud to topics.
them. Sing simple songs.
Performance at the end of Grade 3 is equivalent to level A1.1 of the CEF.

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 Listening Speaking Reading Writing
Grade Understand and Give simple instructions Identify the main characters, Write simple letters and
4 respond to simple and make simple events and place in a short, postcards.
(A1.2) instructions in class. requests. simple story. With support, write simple
Listen to and Speak simple sentences Read and understand short sentences on familiar
understand simple with correct texts on familiar topics. topics with many correct
songs and rhymes. pronunciation. Read and understand short spellings of the most
Understand and Ask and answer simple and simple texts on familiar frequent words.
respond to simple questions on familiar topics, identify specific
questions on familiar topics. information
topics. With support, talk about
Understand specific familiar topics using
instructions in very simple words.
short and simple
listening texts on
familiar topics.
Performance at the end of Grade 4 is equivalent to level A1.2 of the CEF.

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 Listening Speaking Reading Writing
Grade Understand and respond to Give simple instructions and Read and understand the main Write legibly using
5 simple instructions in class. requests appropriately for ideas of short and simple texts accurate punctuation with
(A1.3) Understand and respond to others to respond to on familiar topic. mainly correct spelling of
simple questions on Ask and answer simple Identify the main characters, the most frequent words.
familiar topics. questions on familiar topics. actions, places and the Write different simple
Listen to and understand Talk in a simple way progress of a variety of short genres such as a short
simple stories read to them. provided that other people and simple stories. postcard; fill in simple
Understand key and repeat or express facts again Use a simple Students’ forms with personal
specific information in at a slow speed. Dictionary to support information.
short and simple listening Tell simple stories with understanding when reading. With support, write a
sessions on familiar topics. support. Read and understand short simple text with more than
Have simple conversations written texts on familiar topics one sentence using about
with others about familiar and identify specific 50 words on familiar
topics. information. topics.
Performance at the end of Grade 5 is equivalent to level A1.3 of the CEF.