Discourse Patterns in First Language Use at Hcme and Second Language Learning at School: an Ethnographic Approach

Setting I 87

majority of the children beginning school, Portuguese is a second
language. Because of this, its learning will have to be different,
[i.e., from the way it is learnt at school by native speakers!
(JJREZWC,lθ83; TM 1:2)

According to the Teacher’s Manual, 'on completing Grade 1 the pupils
should be able to use Portuguese in situations related to the life of the
school, the community and the area where they live' <UTEZWC,1983,TM1:8),
in particular they should be able to:
. understand and use about 400 words;

. understand and use about 50 [grammatical! patterns in communicative
situations;

. express concepts of space and time;

. enact the dialogues [of the textbook!;

. know the 19 graphemes studied, through key words;

. write, in running handwriting, words and short sentences using the
graphemes learned;

. read words and short sentences written in running handwriting and
type;

. copy words and short sentences from a model, in order to Improve
handwriting;

. use capital letters at the beginning of sentences and names.

It is explained that when the language of instruction is not the child's
LI, oral communication skills in L2 have to be 'taught' : oral
comprehension is developed through the dialogues presented in the
textbook, and oral production through systematic exercises (i.e.,
controlled oral practice) and dramatization, according to the following
model: iΠfDE∕XEC_t1983,TM 1 14)

_c ------_{4            oral} SKILLS            -------»        P

0                                                             R

Ml    2   0

P                Dialogues         Systematic Exercises          D

R           ---------------------------------------- U

E                   3                         4                   C

H                 Reading                 Writing                 T

E                                                                            I

I                                                               0

SIOH        -------» LITERACY SKILLS ------»           H

<<   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   >>

More intriguing information