Familiarisation
Training
Primary
Overview
essions 1 and 2
Introducti
on to the
CEFR and
the aims
of the
course
Listening:
Primary
Interlocutor
Perspectives
and the CEFR
The six
referenc
e levels
The
Cambridg
e Baseline
2013
Session 1
Terminology
CEFR
Common European Framework
of Reference
CEF
Common European Framework
(of reference)
CFR
Common Framework of
Reference
The CEFR:
view of language learning and the six
reference levels
The core view of language learning in the CEFR is that learning a language is essentially
a process of learning to use language to perform communicative acts - either in
social contexts with others or in private contexts in communicating with ourselves.
These are shaped by the different forms of language activity of which they are
comprised, which can be described in terms of four broad categories: reception,
production, interaction and mediation. The process of engaging with texts - spoken or
written - in these different ways requires language users to draw on a range of
communicative language competences [linguistic, socio-linguistic, pragmatic] to
negotiate communication with flexibility in a variety of contexts. Performing tasks in
different contexts, to the extent that these tasks are not routine or automatic and
subject to different conditions and constraints, will require learners to use
different strategies for their successful completion. It is this broad conception of
language use and emergent communicative competences that underpins the action-
Proficient user
B2
B1
A2
A
1
Independent
user
Basic user
Handout 3
C2 Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information
from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a
coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and
precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.
C1 Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit
meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious
searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic
and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex
subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive
devices.
U
se
r
In
d
e
p
e
n
d
e
B2 Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics,
C2 Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise
information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and
accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently
and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex
situations.
C1 Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit
meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious
searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social,
academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text
on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and
cohesive devices.
In
d
e
p
e
n
d
B2 Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract
topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with
a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native
speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text
on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and
disadvantages of various options.
B1 Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly
encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to
arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple
connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe
experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and
A driving metaphor
The mechanics of
driving
Core linguistic
knowledge
A range of driving
situations
A range of communicative
situations
Proficient user
B2
B1
A2
A
1
Independent
user
Basic user
Handout 5
A
2
A
1
language competences
and
strategies exhibited by learners at different
levels in relation to different
language
activities
Handout 6
language
activities
Handout 7
Reflection
Go back to your KWL chart:
1. Can you move any post-it notes from
W to L on your chart?
2. What are the key aspects that may be
challenging for you to apply in your
classrooms?
3. Which aspects do you find helpful.
How do you think you can apply these
to your own classrooms?
Overview
Session 2
The
Cambridg
e
Baseline
2013
Spoken
interact
ion
Qualitative
aspects of
speaking
Spoken
productio
n
Session 2
Key aims
Undertake a comprehensive
review to understand the
current performance and
challenges
Create a 2013 baseline in
order to:
Create an evidence-based
language policy and
strategy
Participants
5.2m students,
10,000 schools,
70,000 teachers
End of Pre-school,
Year 6, Form 3, Form
5, Form 6
Results by state,
school type,
location, grade,
Two-stage
stratified
gender
sample design
16 states, 426
schools, 20,000+
students, 1,000+
teachers
41 schools, 78
classes visited.
Speaking tests,
classroom
observations,
interviews
Methodology
Positive findings
Approximately 85% of students
agree that they like their English
classes at school
Approximately 95% of teachers
agree that they like teaching
English
Many sampled teachers have a
high level of English and a good
knowledge of teaching
Some students have a high level of
English
Form 6
At A2/B1
Form 5
At A2
Form 3
At A2
Year 6
At A1
Preschool
Below
A1
59%
60%
50%
45%
40%
31%
30%
27%
19%
20%
14%
13%
10%
6%
1%
0%
0%
0% 0%
Pre-school
Year 6 0%
B1 and above
1%
Form 3
B2 and above
2%
Form 5
C1 and above
Form 6
100%
94%
88%
90%
80%
70%
70%
66%
60%
56%
50%
41%
40%
41%
30%
27%
20%
14%
10%
0%
Pre-school
Year 6
A2 and below
Form 3
Form 5
A1 and below
Form 6
Achievement gaps
60%
53%
50%
40%
% learners at C EFR level
30%
24%
20%
11%
10%
2%1%
0%
60%
49%
50%
40%
39%
30%
20%
17%
20%
10%
0%
1%
2%
Teaching knowledge
Strong on establishing a good rapport with
students
Weaker in planning, managing and
monitoring learning
A range of classroom management
techniques from teacher-dominated to
learner-centred
Some excellent examples observed
Teaching practice
Reflection
Discuss in groups what the
implications of these findings are
for you and your teaching.
In what way can the CEFR help
you address some of the issues
raised in the study?
Session 2
Concepts
Approaches
Interlanguage
Language transfer
The input
hypothesis
Comprehensible
output
The silent period
Cognitive
Sociocultural
Individual factors
Adult and child
learners
Output
Language of the
carer
Child-directed
speech (CDS) or
baby talk
Language of the
immediate
environment
Language routines
in the home
Optimum
opportunity to try
out
Opportunity to
work out
(comprehensible
output)
Evolving
interlanguage
Output
Teacher modified
language (TML)
Language of the
school or home
environment
Language routines
in the classroom
Reformulated and
repeated language
Opportunity to try
out
Opportunity to
work out
(comprehensible
output)
Silent period
Teacher talk
contextualised language
language contingent on gesture, picture
and action
support of class routines
Teacher Modified Language (TML)
appeal of methods like TPR
positive reinforcement
affectively engage
power of song and movement.
Overall Listening
Comprehension Scale
A2
Can understand enough to be able to meet needs of a
concrete type provided speech is clearly and slowly
articulated.
Can understand phrases and expressions related to areas
of most immediate priority (e.g. very basic personal and
family information, shopping, local geography,
employment) provided speech is clearly and slowly
articulated.
A1
Can follow speech which is very slow and carefully
articulated, with long pauses for him/her to assimilate
meaning
Listening to announcements
and instructions
B1
Can understand simple technical information, such as
operating instructions for everyday equipment.
Can follow detailed directions.
A2
Can catch the main point in short, clear, simple
messages and announcements.
Can understand simple directions relating to how to get
from X to Y, by foot or public transport.
A1
Can understand instructions addressed carefully and
slowly to him/her and follow short, simple directions.
Meaning-focused early
listening input formats
Instructions
Direct questions
Learners given
worksheet and tick the
correct option of three
according to teachers
descriptions.
length of text
language in text
sentence length
number of distractors
picture support
language needed for
answers
Handout 9
wrap a present
learn a dance step
sing along
how to sign
perform a trick
make projected puppet
shapes
draw cartoon characters
making paper hats
Reflection
Look at the questions we began this session with:
1. Why is spoken input so important in Primary
Language learning?
2. How can teachers modify input, instructions to
make them comprehensible?
3. What type of listening activities within CEFR PreA1, A1 and A2 ranges are most likely to engage
young learners?
4. What does a CEFR-based, action-oriented English
only classroom look like ?
Which question would you most like to research
more?
Handouts 10 and 11
Overview
Sessions 3 -6
Primary
Learner
Speaking
Competen
ces
CEFR
Reading
scales and
early
literacy
breakthroug
CEFR
h
scales and
early
written
productio
n
Text level
Reading
Activities and
CEFR
Session 3
Spoken Interaction
A1
A2
can communicate in
simple and routine tasks
requiring a simple and
direct exchange of
information on familiar
topics and activities.
can handle very short
social exchanges even
though I cant usually
understand enough to
keep the conversation
going myself.
Handout 13
A2
Can give a simple
description or
presentation of people,
living or working
conditions, daily
routines,likes/dislikes,
etc. as a short series of
simple phrases and
sentences linked into a
list.
Handout
14
Speaking construct
Two Way
Three-way
Handout 15
INTERACTION
RANGE
FLUENCY
ACCURACY
COHERENCE
Handout 16
Handout
17
Correction/recasting
techniques
Positive reinforcement
Finger correction
Correction images/symbols/spaces
Recasting
Avoid echoing
Drilling
Session 4
Handout 18
Handout 19
A simplified version
A model of
Reading
Word
recognition
Lexical search
Syntactic
parsing
Meaning
construction
Discourse
construction
Quick quiz
1. How many sounds are there in English ?
2. How many characters are there in the
English alphabet?
3. How many consonant clusters are there in
English?
4. How many consonant clusters can occur
both at beginning and end of English
words?
5. What is a digraph?
6. Why have UPPER CASE letters increased
in importance in the last few years?
a e i o u
Sounding and sound
pictures
bdtpmgcfh
Frequency
me
key
beach
me
tree
pony
key
beach
pony
Frequency
cat
kitten
kitten
queen
duck
school
school
cat
queen
Mid-Primary
move to proper vowel digraphs:
r ai n
make learners aware of initial, mid- and final position sound
picture potential:
st o p
l o st
Higher Primary
present variation: dog egg
present overlap: snow now
Key skills
Blending:
Blend sound pictures (letters) to make words
h o t
t r y
Segmenting:
Segment words in to sound pictures
th / a / t
l / igh / t
Phoneme manipulation:
Manipulate sounds in and out of words.
__ a p
c a __
These skills are reversible: they work for both reading
and spelling.
Phono graphix
Four principles
English is a sound to grapheme code: think
sound pictures:
t g
Some sound pictures are represented by more
than one letter: ch sh ae
There is variation in the code - some sounds are
represented by more than one sound picture: g
gh gg
There is overlap in the code - some sound
pictures represent more than sound: h ea t gr
ea t
Following a phonographic
approach means:
you teach sound - sound picture
relationships in a fixed order
you teach encoding and decoding at the
same time
key skills are reversible
you reject the idea of silent letters,
exceptions to rules
you can add a sight word approach which
allows early access to meaning through
texts and books
Skills framework
sounds and sound pictures
motor skills
names
sight words/environment words
be multi-sensory: hear look say touch move
write
letter patterns and spelling
integrate with wider listening and speaking work
following stories being read (whole books)
Reflection
Lets return to our question:
What are effective approaches for
helping children to decode?
Discuss these terms in small groups:
sound picture
blending
sounding
encoding
segmenting
sight-word phoneme
manipulation digraph
Session 5
Orthographic control
A1
Can copy familiar words and short phrases e.g.
simple signs or instructions, names of everyday
objects, names of shops and set phrases used
regularly.
Can spell his/her address, nationality and other
personal details.
Grammatical Accuracy
A1
Shows only limited control of a few
simple grammatical structures and
sentence patterns in a learnt
repertoire.
phonologi
cal
lexic
al
morphologi
cal
Spelli
ng
graphe
mic
etymologi
cal
kn-
-gh
igh
ow
aw
mad - made
us
- use
Sam - same
not
- note
hat
- hate
igh
day
low
wrong
loose
heavy
r
l
t
h
n
ee
ea
le
es
ck
tion
which
bicycle
Visualising: ps and bs
Piaget discovery
get learners into the habit of looking with intent
point out that print is all around them
take an interest in words as you read/ come across
them (sounds like/looks like but.../word families)
encourage learners to take mental photos of
words/hold the image in their mind/break it down into
sound pictures
get learners to write down words and see if it looks
right
air write / back-write words
be multi-sensory: hear look say touch move
sound write
Sticks and
Tails (word
shape)
Mnemonic
recording
Word
within a
word
Pattern log
Highlightin
g the
problem
phoneme
Emotive
Spelling
Handout 20
Session 6
Text level reading activities and the
CEFR: Extending to the primary context
Reading purpose
Readin
g
activitie
s
Reading
strategi
es
Reading
purpose
s
Handout 21
A2
Handout 22
A simplified version
A model of
Reading
Word
recognition
Lexical search
Syntactic
parsing
Meaning
construction
Discourse
construction
Handout 23
perceptual skills
memory
decoding skills
inferencing
predicting
imagination
rapid scanning
referring back and forth
interpreting
as in C1
C1
B2
Can obtain information, ideas and opinions from highly specialised sources within
his/her field.
Can understand specialised articles outside his/her field, provided he/she can use a
dictionary occasionally to confirm his/her interpretation of terminology.
Can understand articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems in
which the writers adopt particular stances or viewpoints.
B1
Can identify the main conclusions in clearly signalled argumentative texts. Can
recognise the line of argument in the treatment of the issue presented, though not
necessarily in detail.
Can recognise significant points in straightforward newspaper articles on familiar
subjects.
A2
Can identify specific information in simpler written material he/she encounters such
as letters, brochures
and short newspaper articles describingHandout
events. 24
A1
Can get an idea of the content of simpler informational material and short simple
We read different
texts or parts of texts
differently according
to the type of reading
activity we are
engaged in
[ These different types of skills are described across the CEFR illustrative reading
scales ]
Active learning
Broad early reading activity types:
Listen , Follow and Read
read and use computer menus
activities
word patterns
whole books
read and do digital
picture dictionaries
read and do
Active learning
Picture dictionary quest
Find the animal by looking in the dictionary.
Active learning
Key class phases in story activity
Pre:
pre-teaching/eliciting vocabulary
introducing characters
story-telling setting: mat, props, hats, puppets, signs,
etc.
While:
images, animation, reinforcing language
listening and reading along
audience participation/pantomime
Post:
show feeling for character/voice consolidation
consolidating language
drama, craft, display
Active learning
CEFR can-do oriented early
Reading ideas
Now I can:
solve letter puzzles
read and write my name
read and make labels for display
spell CVC words aloud
read and make English signs
use a picture dictionary
read and point
read and say what comes next
read and follow picture stories
read and do crosswords
read and follow animations with subtitles
read cartoons and add/match captions
Reflection
What are key concepts from sessions
3 - 6 that may be challenging for
teachers to grasp? What, if any,
additional activities would you need
to do to help teachers understand
these aspects?
Session 3 - 6 concept
review
Discuss in groups how these ideas are
connected to the CEFR:
orientation
clues
integrated tasks
enabling skills
range
discourse construction
lexical
daily routines
sight-word
Overview
Session 7
Text level
Writing
activities
and CEFR
Communicativ
e language
pedagogy and
the role of
assessment
CEFR
language
knowledg
e scales
CEFR and
assessment :
Assessing
Primary
Learner
Speaking and
Writing
Session 7
Handout 25
Handout
27
Multi-sensory writing
air writing
back writing techniques
caption
matching/completion
Session 8
Handout 28
Cross-curricular links
Active learning
Responding to learners
needs
Learning
conversations
Collaborative learning
Differentiation
E-learning
Error correction
all errors and mistakes should be immediately corrected by the
teacher
immediate peer-correction should be systematically
encouraged to eradicate errors
all errors should be noted and corrected at a time when doing
so does not interfere with communication
errors should not be simply corrected, but also analysed and
explained at an appropriate time
Discuss
mistakes which are mere slips should be passed over, but your
systematic errors should be eradicated
view in
errors should be corrected only when they interfere with groups ?
communication
errors should be accepted as transitional interlanguage and
ignored.
Developing teacher
assessment literacy
Handout 29
Developing learning-oriented
assessment practices
Basic principles
Learning-oriented
assessment
(LOA)
objectives
Adjusting
teaching
cycle
Interpreta
tion
Performa
nce
Observati
on
Adjust
teaching
cycle
Set clear
learner
objectives
(by the
end of the
lesson my
students
will be
able to)
Using a
framewor
k of
reference
(e.g.
Provide
feedback CEFR)
or
encourage
selfassessme
nt
Set tasks
to elicit a
Performa
nce
Collect
and
interpret
evidence
Setting goals
Collecting evidence
Giving feedback
Differentiated learning in
practice
It is not just about:
individualising instruction e.g. through
worksheets or homework tasks
OR
balancing group work with individual work
so as to support different learners differently
Effective differentiated
learning
Effective differentiated learning is more about noticing how
different learners react to different techniques...responding
and adapting to thismodifying and varying activities within
the teaching mix, keeping all learners involved in lesson
outcomes.
Differentiated by support
Different amounts of support can be offered
to learners in many ways.
Weaker learners can be supported through
instruction modification
The stronger learners will need to feel
challenged too. Their input could provide
help for weaker learners; they could be
given more challenging instructional tasks,
or they could be given additional
contextualised problems.
Differentiated by task
Tasks are set according to learners abilities.
What they can do may differ in content or
structure.
This may be as simple as having a choice
between a variety of questions getting
progressively more difficult, or learners can
try completely different tasks on the same
topic.
Digital
Virtual
Differentiated by outcome
Each learner is set the same investigative, creative and/or openended task. Learners produce a variety of solutions/designs
dependent on their ability, strengths and preferences in learning.
Pre-school learners could be given tasks of different complexity
in the production of a group class display that teacher then talks
about in English
Pre-school learners can keep their own English portfolio using
pictures to record what they can do in English
http://elp-implementation.ecml.at/
Session 9
Language awareness
I want to sell many dolls. (a lot of)
Why do you give those information
in an advertis(e)ment? (this)
I will move to other city so I want to
sell it. (another)
It was really interesting to hear about
all the different people and theirs
[backgrounds]. (their)
Grammatical Accuracy
A2
Has a sufficient vocabulary
for the expression of basic
communicative needs.
Has a sufficient vocabulary
for coping with simple
survival needs.
A1
Has a basic vocabulary
repertoire of isolated words
and phrases related to
particular concrete situations
A2
A1
Handout 31
Handout 32
Lexical progression
TAKE
[tr.]
A1
A2
B1
B2
C1
Take a
book
Take a bus
Take part
Take a
deep
breath
Take the
matter
further
Take a
picture
Take an
exam
Take care
Take place
Take
sb/sth
seriously
Take a
keen
interest
correct adj
cousin n
cow n
crocodile n
cross n + v
cupboard n
D
dad(dy) n
day n
desk n
dining room n
dinner n
dirty adj
Pedagogic Grammar
Can you say at which level
Starters working towards A1
Movers A1
Flyers
A2
These structures would first appear as part of the specification:
If clauses (in zero conditionals)
If its sunny, we go swimming.
Adjectives Including possessive adjectives
Hes a small boy. His name is Bill
Handouts 33 &
34
Session 10
CEFR and assessment scales:
Assessing Primary Speaking and Writing
skills
Learner
Handout 36
B1
Can convey information and ideas on abstract as well as concrete
topics, check information and ask about or explain problems with
reasonable precision.
Can write personal letters and notes asking for or conveying
simple information of immediate relevance, getting across the
point he/she feels to be important.
A2
Can write short, simple formulaic notes relating to matters in
areas of immediate need.
A1
Can ask for or pass on personal details in written form.
A2 writing scale
Band
5
Marking criteria
Very good attempt at the task.
No effort is required of the reader.
All elements of the message are fully communicated
Good attempt at the task.
Minimal effort is required of the reader.
All elements of the message are communicated
Satisfactory attempt at the task.
Some effort is required of the reader.
All elements of the message are communicated. OR
One content element omitted but others clearly communicated