Level 4

Beginning-High 4 Legend:

Italics	taken directly from the Model Standards
{item or items}	specific vocabulary to be taught
N	objective to be introduced
C	objective to be continued
R	objective to be reviewed
(receptive only)	teacher uses structure/vocabulary without grammatical explanation and does not expect students to produce

Student Profile at Entry

Students enter the Beginning High level with limited ability to read and write in English; they function in the use of English in a very limited way, speaking in English in situations related to their immediate needs.

Approach

At this level, fluency and communication begin to be emphasized. The instructor begins to assist students in correcting their errors.

In Beginning High, although the major emphasis remains on oral and aural skills, more attention is given to reading and writing. There should be a transition from using reading and writing for reinforcement of oral/aural skills to reading and writing as independent skills.

Tapes are useful for exposing the students to and fostering a tolerance for a variety of non-standard English. Pair and group work should be encouraged. Methods such as cooperative learning will aid the students in developing tolerance for inaccuracies and pronunciation difficulties of both other non-native speakers and themselves. Activities such as task based assignments and roleplaying naturally address the overlap between listening and speaking.

As students receive feedback on written work from their teachers, they develop a sense of responsibility for and competence in the learned material. Whenever possible, students will be given opportunities to use computers for general language learning or to develop writing skills.

Vocabulary should be taught through context and reflect not only the students' survival needs, but their need to express themselves as adults. Students are refining and further practicing the critical thinking skills learned in Beginning Low. At this level, they learn to use strategies that help them to detect bias, determine the factual accuracy of a statement, make plausible inferences, and reason.

Classroom atmosphere should foster acceptance of human differences and beliefs.

Course Content

Topics

Course content is relevant to the lives of the students. It integrates language functions and language forms with informational sources, skills, and topics. Topics are chosen in accordance with students' goals: general or vocational. Informational sources, skills, and topics at this level include:

Information Sources	Skills	General Topics	Vocational Topics
Telephone directory	Alphabetizing	Housing	Job skills
Simple maps	Test-taking	Transportation	Classified ads
Test forms	Categorizing	Emergencies	Job safety
Signs	Scanning	General Health
Advertisements		Shopping
Personal Forms		Banking
		Recreation
		Postal Services
		Holidays & celebrations
		Multi-cultural awareness

Additional topics and vocabulary based on student needs should be added.

Culture

Social customs (standing in line or expressing politeness in handling everyday situations, for example) are taught explicitly through modeling positive and negative examples and through controlled practice, such as role-playing.

Language Functions

On exit, students will be able to use English for:

*	Factual information: ask for information, describe, express necessity, ask permission, agree, disagree
*	Social and interpersonal relations: compliment, express preference, express wants/desires
*	Suasion: direct, invite

Language Skills

Listening: On exit, students will be able to:

C	Demonstrate understanding of simple words and phrases drawn from learned topics.
N	Identify the main topic of conversation in familiar material.
C	Demonstrate understanding of non face-to-face speech in familiar contexts, such as simple phone conversations and routine announcements.
C	Recognize words that signal differences between present, past, and future events.
R	Respond appropriately to short emergency warnings: Be careful!; Slow down!
C	Follow multiple-step instructions and directions to specific destinations face-to-face.
N	Follow multiple-step instructions and directions to specific destinations by telephone.
C	Recognize reduced forms such as [gonna.]
N	Recognize that meaning is affected by sentence level stress and intonation.
C	Demonstrate comprehension of general meaning without understanding every word.
C	Demonstrate understanding of explicit information through appropriate response.
C	Demonstrate comprehension without reliance on translation.
C	Demonstrate an ability to listen in spite of interference.

Speaking: On exit, students will be able to:

C	Answer simple questions related to basic needs using previously learned phrases or simple sentences.
C	Make statements in the past, present, and future tenses related to basic needs and common activities using previously learned phrases or simple sentences.
C	Ask questions related to basic needs using previously learned utterances.
C	Communicate simple personal information on the telephone.
C	Respond verbally when spoken to.
C	Use projection, pitch, intonation, stress, and elision: I opened it. [I open dit.].
N	Give limited unsolicited information or messages. S: I can't come tomorrow. I have an appointment.
C	Use appropriate register (formal/informal) in conversation.
C	Use common interruption words, such as Excuse me, and turn-taking in conversations.
N	Repeat or rephrase questions, requests, and staements to clarify or confirm
N	Relate a personal experience with a beginning, middle and end.
C	Use English to communicate effectively with teacher and classmates.

Reading: On exit, students will be able to:

C	Interpret isolated words and phrases in familiar contexts (traffic signs, store ads, fast food menus).
C	Interpret terms on simplified forms (personal identification, school registration, checks, change of address).
C	Scan for numerical information (the time a store opens, for example) and other specific information in simple life-skill materials related to immediate needs (ads, schedules, signs, forms).
C	Use strategies such as predicting or phonics decoding to interpret new words in familiar contexts.
C	Read and demonstrate understanding of short, simplified narrative paragraphs on familiar topics containing previously learned vocabulary and sentence patterns.
N	Identify the sequence of a simple narrative passage.
C	Find words in alphabetical sequence.
C	Recognize graphic format of titles and paragraphs.
N	Recognize table of contents and major divisions in reading material.
N	Demonstrate understanding of simple implicit information: Text: Jill put on her raincoat and went to work. Question: How's the weather?
C	Recognize common prefixes and suffixes.
R	Recognize graphic format of personal letters.

Writing: On exit, students will be able to:

C	Copy materials that are meaningful to the students (recipes, directions, stories generated during language-experience activities).
C	Write lists (grocery or laundry items, for example).
C	Write simple sentences based on personal or familiar material.
N	Write a simple telephone message or note (a note to a child's teacher, perhaps).
N	Write a series of related sentences based on personal experiences or familiar material.
C	Write words in alphabetical sequence.
N	Write the structures and vocabulary taught at this level with proper spelling, punctuation and capitalization.
C	Fill out simple forms such as money orders and change of address.
C	Make corrections based on teacher's correction marks.
N	Write under a time limit.
N	Copy sentences into paragraph form.

Language Forms

On exit, students will be able to use the following structures:

Sentence Types

R	Simple statements, simple questions, long & short answers, questions with or, and Wh-questions with structures taught at this level
N	Questions with which, how, what kind of
N	Questions with will you, would you, could you, shall I/we.
N	Short answers with so: I think so, I hope so, I guess so.
C	Compound sentences with and...too, and...either, and or: I like this and Maria does, too. I don't speak Chinese, and Maria doesn't either. *Do you want to study English, or do you want to study math?

Verbs

C	Future: will: I will call you tonight.
R	Simple present
C	*with general truths: Water boils at 212deg.F.
N	*with verbs of sensory and mental perception: John understands the lessons. This hamburger tastes great.
R	Simple past
C	*with more irregular verbs
R	Present continuous: He is studying.
C	Verbs followed by infinitives: He wants to dance.
N	Verb + adjective + infinitive: English is easy to learn.
C	Subject-verb agreement with noncountable nouns
C	Modals: {have to, could (as past of can), should, must, may, and would} I have to study. I could not come to school yesterday. You should see the doctor. I must get a driver's license. You may stay up late. Would you open the window?
C	Two-word verbs
C	*Separable/inseparable with noun object: Put your jacket on. Put on your jacket
N	*with pronoun object: Put it on.

Nouns

C	Countable/noncountable with corresponding subject/verb agreement
C	Nouns as adjectives: bus stop

Pronouns

C	Nominalization of possessive pronouns: Her pen is blue. Mine is red.
R	indefinite as subject and object: one, some, any, everyone, someone, anyone, no one, none, everybody, somebody, anybody, nobody, everything, something, anything, nothing
R	{It} with weather and time expressions
N	Direct/indirect object word order
N	Reflexive pronouns: {myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves}

Adjectives

C	{both}
C	Comparative: regular and common irregular
C	Multiple adjective word order before a noun

Adverbs And Adverbials

C	Manner, including some irregulars: He drives fast. She speaks slowly.
C	{too, enough}, and intensifiers with {not}
N	Chronological order: {afterwards, later, next, then, finally}
C	Frequency: {once a day, twice a week, 3 times a year, several times, many times}

Prepositions

C	into, through, over, underneath, beside, across, around}

Conjunctions

N	{or} in compound sentences: Do you want to go to the movies or do you want to go dancing?
N	Correlative conjunctions: {either...or}; {both...and}

Evaluation

Please see web pages under Assessment.