Strand:
Receptiveness to language
Strand unit:
Oral language: developing receptiveness to oral language
The child should be enabled to
- experience challenging vocabulary and sentence structure from the teacher
- listen to stories, descriptions, instructions and directions and respond to them
- listen to sounds and respond to them
- become more adept in using appropriate verbal and non-verbal behaviour in order to secure and maintain the attention of the listener
eye contact, facial expression, audibility and clarity of enunciation, tone of voice - use gesture and movement to extend the meaning of what he/she is saying
- express in mime various emotions and reactions, and interpret the emotions and reactions of others.
Strand unit:
Reading: developing strategies
The child should be enabled to
- continue to experience the reading process being modelled
- engage in shared reading activities
- visit the school library and the local library
- continue to build a sight vocabulary of common words from books read and from personal experience
- engage in activities designed to increase awareness of sounds
focusing on the sounds associated with letters and letter-clusters, patterns of sounds in words - learn about the sounds associated with the part of a word or syllable that allows it to rhyme with another word or syllable
| | d - ock | t - able |
| | s - ock | c - able |
| | cl -ock | f - able |
- learn about the sounds associated with the beginning of a word or syllable
- learn to connect the beginnings of words and syllables with their rhyming parts as an auditory and visual exercise
| 'onset and rime': | r - at | c - at | m - at |
| different onsets | | | |
| | single consonants | r - at |
| | consonant blends | pl - an |
| | digraphs | ch - at |
different rimes| | vowel digraphs | tr - ee |
| | vowel-consonant | |
| | combinations | h - and |
- learn about common word endings, word families and roots of words
- use knowledge of letter-sound relationships (grapho/phonic cues), grammar and syntax (syntactic cues) and surrounding text (contextual cues) when attempting to identify unfamiliar words
- self-correct reading errors when what he/she reads does not make sense
- develop reading skills through engaging with reading material appropriate to his/her stage of development
- adapt his/her reading style for different purposes
browsing, simple scanning and skimming.
Strand unit:
Writing: creating and fostering the impulse to write
The child should be enabled to
- experience a classroom environment that encourages writing
personal writing collections
class library
writing corner
displays of writing - observe the teacher as he/she models writing stories
- seek help from the teacher in order to achieve accuracy and an appropriate standard presentation
- experience how a story structure is organised by reading and listening to fiction
- write regularly for different audiences
personal purposes
the teacher
other children
the family - choose topics to write about
- explore different genres
a story
an invitation
a letter - work with other children when writing
- have writing valued
hearing it praised
having it displayed
sharing it with others.
Strand:
Competence and confidence in using language
Strand unit:
Oral language: developing competence and confidence in using oral language
The child should be enabled to
- talk about and reflect on past and present experiences, and plan, predict, anticipate and speculate about future and imaginary experiences
- experiment with more elaborate vocabulary and sentence structure in order to extend and explore meaning
experimenting with descriptive words
combining simple sentences
elaborating simple sentences - experiment with word order and examine its implications for meaning and clarity
- focus on the subject under discussion and sustain a conversation on it
- initiate discussions, respond to the initiatives of others, and have practice in taking turns
- engage in real and imaginary situations to perform different social functions
greeting others
receiving and giving compliments
using the telephone
making requests for information.
Strand unit:
Reading: reading for pleasure and information
The child should be enabled to
- read from a range of children's literature, choosing material for reading during silent reading periods
- engage in personal reading
- learn to find books in a classroom or school library
- read aloud to share a text with an audience
- find information and share it with others
- perform simple information retrieval tasks
using a table of contents
using a simple index.
Strand unit:
Writing: developing competence, confidence and the ability to write independently
The child should be enabled to
- experience an abundance of oral language activity when preparing a writing task
- realise that first attempts at writing are not necessarily the finished product and learn to undertake second drafts in order to improve writing
- understand that the conventions of punctuation help to make meaning clearer in writing
full stops, capital letters - spell words in a recognisable way based on an awareness of the most common spelling strings and patterns
simple words with short vowel rimes: dog, mill, rock
simple words with regular patterns: street, came, float
two-syllable words with regular patterns: robber, happen
words with common prefixes and suffixes: display, wonderful - use approximate spelling as an interim measure in mastering the conventions of spelling
- spell correctly a range of familiar, important and regularly occurring words, and use a variety of sources as aids to spelling
words displayed in class
words compiled in personal dictionaries
words learned in reading - choose topics for writing after conferring with the teacher
- have regular opportunities to write for himself/herself or for others
- decide whether or not to re-draft a piece of writing
- confer with the teacher and others on the quality of presentation
- write notes and messages to different audiences
teacher
friends
parents.
Strand:
Developing cognitive abilities through language
Strand unit:
Oral language: developing cognitive abilities through oral language
The child should be enabled to
- give a description, recount a narrative or describe a process, and answer questions about it
- listen to other children describe experiences and ask questions about their reactions to them
- become increasingly explicit in relation to people, places, times, processes and events by adding elaborative detail to what he/she describes and narrates
- listen to a story or narrative and ask questions about it
- engage in real and imaginary situations involving language use
explain, persuade, enquire, report, agree, dissent, discuss a point of view,
justify opinions
provide solutions to problems - ask questions that will satisfy his/her curiosity and wonder
who? where? what? when? why? how? what if?
Strand unit:
Reading: developing interests, attitudes and the ability to think
The child should be enabled to
- pursue individual interests through independent reading of fiction and non-fiction
- adopt an active approach to a text by posing his/her own questions
- give recommendations to and receive recommendations from the wider community of readers on the choice of reading material
parent, teacher, librarian, other children - develop comprehension strategies
recalling details and events
assimilating facts
retelling stories - perform alphabetical order tasks
- predict future events and outcomes in a book that is being read aloud
- express a more formal response by giving a considered personal opinion of a book in oral or in written form
- use information technology to increase motivation to read and to enhance reading development.
Strand unit:
Writing: clarifying thought through writing
The child should be enabled to
- write in a variety of genres
stories, diaries, poetry, charts, lists, captions,
cards, invitations, simple letters - write a version of a story told by the teacher
- write about something that has been learned
- write the significant details about an event or an activity
a game I played
my birthday - write an explanation for something
- re-read work, confer with the teacher or others about it, and then rewrite it
- write a simple sentence and add words to it to extend its meaning
- listen to a story and write down questions to ask about it
- write answers to questions asked by the teacher.
Strand:
Emotional and imaginative development through language
Strand unit:
Oral language: developing emotional and imaginative life through oral language
The child should be enabled to
- describe everyday experiences and events
- express feelings in order to clarify them and explain them to others
- tell stories in his/her own words and answer questions about them
- listen to, read, learn and recite a varied and appropriate repertoire of rhymes and poems
- re-create stories and poems in improvisational drama
- use play and improvisational drama to sustain imaginary situations
- listen to and say nonsense words and unusual words
- listen to, learn and tell riddles and jokes
- clap the rhythms of poems and rhymes
- listen to, read, learn and recite more sophisticated nonsense verse and rhymes
- recognise and re-create sounds in the environment
- create real and imaginary sound worlds
- use imaginative play to create humorous characters and situations.
Strand unit:
Reading: responding to text
The child should be enabled to
- continue to listen to and enjoy stories and poems being read aloud
- engage in spare-moment reading and browsing by having ready access to reading material
- engage with a wide variety of text
picture books, poetry, stories, informational material - experience enhanced levels of self-esteem through success in reading
- listen to entire stories read aloud in instalments
- respond to characters and events in a story
talk and discussion, writing, drama, visual arts - explore different attitudes and feelings by imagining what it would be like to be certain characters
- engage frequently in informal discussion of books with teacher and others.
Strand unit:
Writing: developing emotional and imaginative life through writing
The child should be enabled to
- express feelings in writing
happiness
sadness
excitement
pride
anticipation - write about experiences
enjoyable
funny
annoying
frightening - listen to the experiences of others and express reactions to them in writing
- draw and write about sensory experience
sight
hearing
taste
touch
smell - write about feelings experienced in drama activities
- draw and write stories and poems
- express in writing likes and dislikes about events and characters in stories and poems
- listen to music and write about it.