• Can repeat/ask for repetition. • Can ask for/give the spelling/meaning of a word. Can make sense of the organization of reference books (dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks) in order to look for help. • Can check the spelling of unfamiliar words. UNIT FOCUS From the beginning of the year, students should be exposed to English at all times during the lesson. This implies that the teacher should use the language continuously, and give students the tools to communicate in English as much as they can. This unit is of utmost importance, as it will establish the type of work that will be conducted during the three years of secondary education. Therefore, it will be essential to familiarize students not only with basic classroom language, but also with the patterns of interaction, ONGOING ACTIVITIES AND CLASS ROUTINES, as well as evaluation tools that will be frequently used. The nature of the functions suggests that there should be an emphasis on oral (listening and speaking) work. However, there is an excellent opportunity to develop reading skills by working with dictionary entries. This is also a way of developing a set of skills that students should be using during the whole of secondary education. Function I.1 can be taught first and independently during the first two days of classes. Functions I.2 and I.3 can be taught simultaneously and be integrated with other types of work. For example, it would be a good idea to have students explore and get to know their textbook (different sections and contents of each section, where to find some information they are looking for, etc.) and other reference materials (e.g. the dictionary included in the “Biblioteca de Aula”), while practicing following instructions or finding information. Rather than formally evaluating students, this should be an opportunity for the teacher to introduce the different processes through which students will be assessed. Some time can be devoted to explaining the function of portfolios and to designing one. As a first product, students could write a reflection (in Spanish) about how they feel in their English class so far and include it in their portfolio.
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