Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9 (Schools) - Grade Nine
Learning Area: Languages - Second Additional Language
Learning Outcome 1: Listening
The learner will be able to listen for information and enjoyment, and respond appropriately and critically in a wide range of situations.
Assessment standards
We know this when the learner:
- Listens to and responds to questions (e.g. ‘What did he tell you?’).
- Listens to a longer conversation.
- Listens to stories and factual texts.
- Listens to some short, authentic texts (e.g. a radio talk show).
- Distinguishes the sounds of the language (important for pronunciation, reading and writing).
- Recognises some features of intonation and stress.
- Writes a dictation (e.g. a letter).
Learning Outcome 2: Speaking
The learner will be able to communicate confidently and effectively in spoken language in a wide range of situations.
Assessment standards
We will know this when the learner:
- Responds appropriately to questions (e.g. ‘What did she tell you?’ ‘She told me that she had been to town and she had seen Marianne.’).
- Reports on what someone has said.
- Takes part in small-group discussion, where one person reports back on what the others have said.
- Asks for clarification (e.g. ‘I’m not sure I understand. Are you saying that...?’).
- Understands cultural similarities and differences (e.g. how you speak about love in different cultures, what kinds of things you can and can’t say and do, taboos).
- Role-plays some familiar situations (e.g. dealing with an abusive person).
- Holds a class debate (e.g. on the advantages and disadvantages of school uniforms).
Learning Outcome 3: Reading and Viewing
The learner will be able to read and view for information and enjoyment, and respond critically to the aesthetic, cultural and emotional values in texts.
Assessment standards
We know this when the learner:
- Reads different kinds of stories (e.g. adventure stories) and factual texts.
- Reads more challenging songs, poems, stories and factual texts.
- Reads some short authentic texts (e.g. a valentine card).
- Critically views an advertisement.
- Reads a number of graded readers (2500-3000 word level).
- Demonstrates a reading vocabulary of about 3000 words by the end of Grade 9.
Learning Outcome 4: Writing
The learner will be able to write different kinds of factual and imaginative texts for a wide range of purposes.
Assessment standards
We know this when the learner:
- Writes a short text for social purposes (e.g. a personal letter).
- Writes creatively (e.g. a short poem).
- Writes and performs a simple dialogue (e.g. asking someone for a first date).
- Designs a short text which includes written and visual material (e.g. a greetings card, a poster).
- Writes a short story.
- Translates a short text from one language to another (e.g. a brochure).
- Does some word puzzles and plays games (e.g. a crossword puzzle, Scrabble).
- Demonstrates a growing ability to spell accurately.
Learning Outcome 6: Language Structure and Use
The learner will know and be able to use the sounds, words and grammar of the language to create and interpret texts.
Assessment standards
We know this when the learner:
- Pronounces words, and uses word and sentence stress and intonation reasonably accurately.
- Understands and uses the past perfect tense (e.g. ‘By the time I arrived, he had gone.’).
- Understands and uses reported speech.
- Understands and uses the third conditional (e.g. ‘If I won some money, I would buy food.’).
- Uses word families to expand vocabulary (e.g. love, lovely, lover, loving, lovelorn, loveless).
- Records vocabulary in a personal dictionary.
- Demonstrates a reading vocabulary of about 3000 words by the end of Grade 9.