LESSON 5: The Conceptual Framework of the

K to 12 English Language Curriculum

I. An Overview of the K to 12 English Language Curriculum Framework

Figure 1.0 Conceptual Framework of the K to 12 English Curriculum

The world is now in the “Knowledge age” where the challenge of education is to prepare
learners to deal with the challenges of the changing world. Students in this age must be
prepared to compete in a global economy, understand and operate complex communication
and information systems, and apply higher level thinking skills to make decisions and solve
problems.

The Language Arts and Multiliteracies Curriculum (LAMC) addresses these needs.
This is the rationale why Mother Tongue, Filipino and English follow a unified framework which
allows easy transition from acquiring and learning one language to another.

The curriculum has several components. Each component is essential to the learners’
ability to communicate effectively in a language leading them to achieve communicative
competence and multi-literacies in the Mother Tongue, Filipino and English. The diagram below
shows that the heart and core of LAMC is making meaning through language and aims to
develop graduates who are communicatively competent and multi-literates.

 Component 1 illustrates learning processes that will effect acquisition and learning of
the language. It explains the HOW of language learning and therefore serves as guiding
principles for language teaching.

 Component 2 describes knowledge and skill areas which are essential to effective
language use (understanding of cultures, understanding language, processes and
strategies) which will be developed through language arts (macro-skills).

 Component 3 shows the interdependence and interrelationships of the macro-skills of

the language (listening, speaking and viewing; reading, viewing and responding; writing
 and representing) and the development of thinking skills (critical thinking, creative
thinking and metacognition) allowing students to make meaning through language.

 Component 4 explains the holistic assessment of the Language Arts and Literacy
Curriculum which serves as feedback of its effectiveness to students, teachers, school
administrators, and curriculum developers.

II. Components of the English Curriculum Framework: A Detailed Discussion

 Component 1: The Language Learning Process

For effective language acquisition and learning to take place, language teachers must be
guided by the six (6) language teaching principles. These principles explain the natural process
of language development.

1. Spiral Progression
Skills, grammatical items, structures and various types of texts will be taught, revised
and revisited at increasing levels of difficulty and sophistication. This will allow students to
progress from the foundational level to higher levels of language use.

2. Interaction
Language learning will be situated in the context of communication (oral and written).
Activities that simulate real-life situations of varying language demands (purposes, topics, and
audiences) will be employed to help students interact with others thereby improve their
socialization skills.

3. Integration
The areas of language learning – the receptive skills, the productive skills, and grammar
and vocabulary will be taught in an integrated way, together with the use of relevant print and
non-print resources, to provide multiple perspectives and meaningful connections. Integration
may come in different types either implicitly or explicitly (skills, content, theme, topic, and values
integration).

4. Learner-Centeredness
Learners are at the center of the teaching-learning process. Teaching will be
differentiated according to students’ needs, abilities and interests. Effective pedagogies will be
used to engage them and to strengthen their language development.

5. Contextualization
Learning tasks and activities will be designed for learners to acquire the language in
authentic and meaningful contexts of use. For example, lessons will be planned around learning
outcomes, a theme, or a type of text to help learners use related language skills, grammatical
items/structures and vocabulary appropriately in spoken and written language to suit the
purpose, audience, context and culture. Learning points will be reinforced through explicit
instruction and related follow-up practice.

6. Construction
Making meaning is the heart of language learning and use. Learning tasks and activities
will be designed for learners in such a way that they will have time to reflect on and respond to
ideas and information. Learners will be provided with sufficient scaffolding so that they will be
able to reach their full cognitive, affective, and psychomotor potentials and become
independent learners who are good consumers and constructors of meaning.
 Component 2: Effective Language Use

There are three major applications of the macro-skills of the language (understanding of
cultures; understanding language; and processes and strategies). They are described as the
knowledge and skill areas which are essential to effective language use demonstrated through
the language macro-skills.

1. Understanding cultures
Learning language through text types and literary appreciation exposes learners to
different cultures of the world, including one’s culture. Learners develop sociolinguistic and
sociocultural understandings and apply them to their use of the language (Mother Tongue,
Filipino, and English). Sociolinguistic understanding refers to appropriate language use. It is
defined in this document as taking into account the social significance of linguistic forms and the
linguistic implications of social facts. Language is a complex social practice that reflects and
reinforces shared understandings about appropriate actions, values, beliefs and attitudes within
a community. These shared understandings determine not only what is communicated and
when and how it is communicated, but also who does the communicating. These collectively
constitute the sociolinguistic features of language.

Sociocultural understanding refers to knowing about the language speaking communities.

It means taking into account the non-linguistic features in the life of a society. Learners broaden
their frame of reference beyond their own social and cultural experiences. They gain insights
into different values and belief systems and acknowledge the cultural contexts which underpin
them. They make sense of the social fabric of the target language community. They understand
that the natural and physical environments – as well as the social, economic, historical and
political environments – influence the language speaking groups and their cultural traditions.

2. Understanding Language
Learners apply their knowledge of the system of the language to assist them to make
meaning and to create meaning. They come to recognize the patterns and rules of the language
which emerge as they interact with a plethora of texts (literary and informational) to make
meaning. They apply this knowledge and understanding to create their own spoken, written and
visual texts. Differences in language systems are expressed in a variety of ways: for example,
in grammatical differentiations, variations in word order, word selection, or general stylistic
variations in texts. By comparing the system of the language with the systems of other
languages, students understand that each language is different, but has identifiable patterns
within its own system.

3. Process and Strategies

Learners select from a repertoire of processes and strategies by reflecting on their
understanding of the way language works for a variety of purposes in a range of contexts. They
deliberate on how they use language and apply different language strategies, depending on
their purpose, context and audience. They use language as a way of coming to grips with new
ideas, resolving difficulties or solving problems. They use strategies such as brainstorming and
discussion as a way of developing ideas. They experiment, take risks and make approximations
with language as a way of developing their language skills. They clarify what they need to know
when seeking information for particular purposes. They use key-word searches and their
understanding of the conventions of informational texts such as tables of contents, headings,
indexes, forewords and glossaries as aids in locating information. They assess the usefulness
of information for particular purposes. They treat information and ideas critically and evaluate
information in terms of its reliability and currency. They make notes and graphic representations
of information and combine information from different sources into a coherent whole by
summarizing, comparing and synthesizing.

Learners reflect on ethical considerations in the use of ideas and information. They
recognize the importance of attributing sources of ideas and information, and of presenting or
representing ideas and information in ways which are not misleading. They use quotation and
sourcing conventions appropriately. They take into account the possible effects of and
responses to the presentation of ideas and information.
 Component 3: Making Meaning through Language

Language is the major instrument in communication (oral and written) and the heart of
which is the exchange of meaning. Language learning should focus on guiding students make
meaning through language for different purposes on a range of topics and with a variety of
audiences. Students must be able to adapt to various situations where communication
demands greatly vary.

The skills, grammatical items, structures and various types of texts will be taught, and
revisited at increasing levels of difficulty and sophistication. This design allows students to
progress from the foundational level to higher levels of language use.

The Language Arts and Multiliteracies Curriculum (LAMC) is composed of five (5)
intricately intertwined and integrated sub-strands (listening, speaking, reading, writing, and
viewing) that serve as building blocks for understanding and creation of meaning and for
effective communication across curricula (Matrix 1).

The revised curriculum re-organizes the Integrated Language Arts Curriculum according
to the content standards that must be met by all students at the end of basic education. This is
not inconsistent with the proposed 5 sub-strands of the Language Arts and Multiliteracies
Curriculum (LAMC) but fleshes out the areas that children need to learn and that teachers need
to teach in greater detail. Below is the matrix that presents the spread and alignment of the
language and literacy domains with the 5 sub-strands.

 Component 4: Holistic Assessment

Assessment is an important aspect of learning and teaching. It should be effectively

used to support the holistic development of our pupils. Our assessment practices should go
beyond summative evaluation and move towards a more holistic approach.

Holistic assessment refers to the ongoing gathering of information on different facets of a

child from various sources, with the aim of providing qualitative and quantitative feedback to
support and guide the child's development. Holistic assessment informs our teachers of their
teaching practices and guides them in the design and delivery of student learning. It will also
enable parents to support their children's development and growth.
Characteristics of Assessment:

1. Proximity to actual language use and performance

Assessment procedures should be based on activities that have authentic
communicative function rather than ones with little or no intrinsic communicative value.
These activities are based on actual performance in authentic situations which the learner is
likely to encounter in his or her daily life.

2. A holistic view of language

Assessment procedures are based on the notion that the interrelationships among the
various aspects of language, such as phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, among others
cannot be ignored. Also the four skills of language-listening, speaking, reading, and
writing-are seen to be parts of a structurally integrated whole. Assessment approaches should
be used for communication and self-expression. Assessment also takes into account the
whole learner and his or her social, academic, and physical context

3. An integrative view of learning

Assessment attempts to capture the learner’s total array of skills and abilities. It
measures language proficiency in the context of specific subject matter. Assessment
procedures are based on the idea that various aspects of a learner’s life, both academic and
personal, are integral to the development of language proficiency and cannot be ignored.
These dimensions include not only processes such as acquiring and integrating knowledge,
extending and refining knowledge, and using knowledge meaningfully, but also issues such as
varying student attitudes towards learning.

4. Developmental appropriateness
Assessment procedures set expectations that are appropriate within the cognitive, social,
and academic development of the learner. This characteristic of assessment makes it
particularly valuable for second language learners who come from culturally diverse
backgrounds and who may have atypical educational experiences.

5. Multiple referencing
Assessment entails obtaining information about the learner from numerous sources and
through various means.
For students, assessment should allow them to see their own accomplishments in terms that
they understand and, consequently, allows them to assume responsibility for their learning.
Assessment should allow parents to share in the educational process, and offers them a clear
insight into what their children are doing in school. For teachers, the primary advantage of
assessment is that it provides data on their students and their classroom for educational
decision-making. In addition, it reports the success of the curriculum and provides teachers
with a framework for organizing student’s works.