Appendix: Areas of experience and related topics – suggested
Possible areas of experience and related topics are listed here for teachers to consider. This is not an exhaustive list – teachers and students will have further ideas for organising language learning programmes. Students should be encouraged to explore their own interests within a particular focus, and to make creative links with other areas of the curriculum.
Many of the ideas in this list overlap. Most, however, can be used at any level and, over the learning period, can be organised to provide a spiral curriculum. Vocabulary and structures can be revised, reinforced, and extended by using more complex activities to match the language competence of students. Open-ended activities within individual topics enable students to work at their own ability level, and thus cater for multi-level teaching in the classroom.
| Areas of experience |
Topics |
| Personal and social life relations with other people, social attitudes, institutions) |
- personal history
- health and fitness
- family
- family histories
- friendships
- growing up
- peer groups
- peer relationships
- roles and duties
- stereotyping
- customs and behaviours
- festivals and celebrations
- religious beliefs
- political events
- institutions (school, clubs, church)
|
| Everyday activities |
- domestic routines
- school routines
- hobbies and interests
- holiday activities
- sports
- pets
- travel and transport
- shopping
- entertainment
- food, drink, cooking
- eating out
|
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| World around us |
- houses and housing
- home / town / city
- rural/city life
- land / sea
- industry
- local projects
- environmental issues
- migration
- plants / animals
- geography
- architecture
- history
- indigenous peoples
|
| World of work |
- family occupations
- holiday work
- finding jobs
- writing letters
- local jobs / trades
- career plans / hopes
- tourism
- business projects
- farming / fishing
- unemployment
- money / exchange
- banking
- goods and services
|
| Communications and technology |
- letters
- telephoning
- postal system
- television and radio
- print media
- comics and cartoons
- graffiti
- advertising
- computers
- benefits/problems of technology
|
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| International world |
- overseas travel
- exchanges
- national customs
- languages
- groups / organisations (United Nations
- co-operation / conflict
- contributions to arts, science, technology
|
| Imagination and creativity |
- designing / making
- music / dance
- fashion / jewellery
- film / theatre
- circus / puppets
- street performers
- games / toys
- folklore / stories
- superstitions
- fiction / poetry
- drawing / painting /
- sculpture / pottery
- crafts
|
| Cross-curricular content (areas and topics related to studies in other subjects) |
- other languages
- art
- career studies
- economics
- English
- environmental studies
- geography
- history
- home economics
- music
- science
- social studies
- technology
|
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