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

Setting I 88

The dialogues are considered the base for the development of oral
communication skills; they are texts of conversations between children,
peers and adults illustrated with pictures, and present events of day-to-
day family and community life (see list and examples in Annexes 3.2 to
3.5>. They aim at giving samples of genuine language interaction in L2.
Lexicon and structures introduced in the dialogues are to be consolidated
through controlled oral practice. Oral skills are to be developed before
and alongside the introduction of literacy; reading and writing
instruction begins in Unit 8, that is at the beginning of the 14th week
of school.

This is the sequence of classroom activities recommended to develop oral
skills throughout the 1st year <cfr.IEDE∕XEC, TM 1:14-19):

1. The teacher introduces the pictures (in posters or in the textbooks)
illustrating the dialogue, and reads it twice, pointing to the
characters;

2. he identifies and labels the things, people, animals etc. in the
pictures, using gestures or real objects;

3. he explains the new words or grammatical patterns;

4. having understood the dialogue, the pupils repeat its sentences with
the correct intonation;

5. the pupils repeat the dialogue in the correct sequence with the help
of the pictures, in order to memorize it;

6. the pupils use lexicon and structures of the dialogue in a small drama
session, so that learning is consolidated;

7. the teacher uses the dialogue for controlled oral practices (questions,
games etc.) so that pupils will apply the acquired lexicon and
structures to different situations (systematic exercises).

This methodology presents some difficulties for children without previous
exposure to the L2, and point 3 in particular is very problematic.
According to the Manual, the teacher gives the explanation in Portuguese,
providing a variety of gestual, vocal and visual clues to the
interpretation of the situated meaning of the new words he introduces. It
is acknowledged that many teachers do use the children's Ll or a lingua
franca in their explanation, although this is never offered as a

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