Level 6

Intermediate-Low 6 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 entering this level function satisfactorily in the use of English in basic survival situations related to their needs.

Approach

Emphasis is on fluency and communication; however, the instructor begins to encourage students to check themselves when they use basic grammatical structures. More emphasis is placed on a balance between practice of listening/speaking skills and reading/writing skills. Students develop critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills. In addition, Intermediate Low students use strategies that help them to detect bias, determine the factual accuracy of a statement, and make plausible inferences.

The methods of instruction at Intermediate Low follow those of Beginning High, such as the use of dialogs, role playing, information gap exercises, pronunciation work, spelling exercises and games. Extensive reading and context-based vocabulary development is done. Both guided and unguided writing are implemented at this level. When possible, students should be given an opportunity to use computers for general language learning or to develop writing skills.

Extensive pair and group work should be encouraged. Group methods such as cooperative learning maximize opportunities for student participation, facilitate risk-taking and help students to develop tolerances for inaccuracies and pronunciation difficulties of both other non-native speakers and themselves. Also, a classroom atmosphere should be created which fosters an understanding and 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 chosen in accordance with students' goals: general, vocational, academic. Informational sources, skills and topics at this level include:

Information Sources	Skills	General Topics	Vocational Topics
Dictionary	Alphabetizing	Medicine labels	Pay checks
Telephone directories	Test-taking	Food recipes	Job applications
Newspapers	Scanning	Shopping	Job search strategies
Tests	Skimming	Banking	Work schedules
Maps	Map reading	Holidays & celebrations
Want Ads		Nutrition
		Recreation
		Autobiographies
		Famous people
		Multi-cultural awareness

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

Culture

Rules of etiquette common in routine social situations in U.S. culture outside the classroom environment are taught explicitly by focusing on ways the rules contrast with customs in each student's own culture and the cultures of other students in the class. Appropriate content at this level might be forms of address based on social status. Jokes and puns might be introduced at this level.

Language Functions:

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

*	Factual information: express obligation, explain, indicate certainty, express ability or inability
*	Social and interpersonal relations: apologize, make excuses, express worry and disappointment, give and get permission, make offers
*	Suasion: suggest, advise

Language Skills

Listening: On exit, students will be able to:

C	Demonstrate understanding of simple questions and answers, statements, and face-to-face conversations in standard dialects containing some unfamiliar vocabulary.
C	Recognize basic constructions such as subject-verb agreement ("He work." versus "He works.").
C	Demonstrate understanding of telephone conversations on familiar material in familiar contexts.
R	Follow instructions for multiple-step procedures and directions to specific destinations in face-to-face exchanges.
R	Follow instructions for multiple-step procedures and directions to specific destinations by telephone.
R	Demonstrate understanding of reduced forms: [gonna ].
R	Recognize that meaning is affected by sentence-level stress and intonation.
R	Demonstrate comprehension of general meaning without understanding every word.
R	Demonstrate understanding of implicit information: place, time, relationship of speakers.
R	Demonstrate comprehension without reliance on translation.
R	Demonstrate an ability to listen in spite of interference.
N	Demonstrate understanding of organizational cues used in speaking: {first, next, then, later, finally}
N	Predict what might be said next in a specific listening situation.

Speaking: On exit, students will be able to:

C	Participate in simple face-to-face conversations dealing with basic survival needs and minimum courtesy requirements (thanking, meeting, apologizing).
C	Ask and answer questions in simple present, past, and future tenses on familiar topics.
C	Participate in simple telephone conversations.
C	Describe a sequence of events in the past on a topic related to their personal lives.
R	Respond verbally when spoken to.
R	Use projection, pitch, intonation, stress and elision: I opened it. [I open dit.]
R	Give unsolicited information or messages.
R	Use appropriate register (formal/informal) in conversation.
R	Use common interruption words and turn-taking in conversation: May I say something?
R	Repeat or rephrase questions, requests and statements to clarify or confirm.
N	Add information to keep conversation going.
C	Discuss employment history.

Reading: On exit, students will be able to:

C	Interpret simplified short narrative and descriptive passages on familiar topics.
C	Interpret simple narrative and descriptive passages on unfamiliar topics if material includes visuals or other aids that orient students to the passages.
C	Scan for specific information in simple life-skill materials (ads, schedules, signs, forms) related to immediate needs.
C	Predict meanings of unfamiliar vocabulary in material rich in contextual clues.
C	Interpret newspaper headlines on familiar topics.
C	Interpret abbreviations for words previously learned in context of specific topics--employment and housing, for example.
C	Recognize graphic format of paragraphs and conversations.
R	Recognize graphic format of personal letters.
N	Recognize graphic format of simple business letters.
C	Demonstrate ability to distinguish between statements of fact and opinion.
R	Demonstrate understanding of implicit information.
C	Recognize prefixes, roots, suffixes.
C	Recognize common transitional words.
C	Demonstrate comprehension of general meaning of text without understanding every word.
N	Demonstrate ability to preview news articles for main ideas from titles, subtitles, illustrations and captions.
C	Read for enjoyment.
C	Recognize major divisions and subdivisions of reading material.

Writing: On exit, students will be able to:

C	Write related sentences to form paragraphs on a topic.
C	Write telephone messages.
C	Write short thank-you notes.
C	Complete simple forms (job application, banking).
N	Complete simple forms (medical history).
N	Take notes on familiar material transmitted orally.
C	Write personal letters.
N	Write simple business letters.
N	Write structure and vocabulary taught at this level with proper spelling, punctuation and capitalization.
R	Write under a time limit.
C	Revise content of writing.
C	Edit for style and meaning.
C	Proofread for errors.

Language Forms

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

Sentence Types

C	Exclamatory sentences: What a beautiful day!
N	Requests: Would you mind + v-ing/ Do you mind + v-ing
N	Suggestions: Why don't I/we/you + simple verb; Let's + simple verb
C	Compound sentences with {so}
C	Adverbial clauses of time: {when, before, after}
C	Adverbial clauses of reason: {because}
N	Adverbial clauses of reason: {since}
N	Direct speech: He said, "It's time to pay the rent." (reading and writing only)

Verbs

R	Simple past
C	Past continuous: I was taking a shower when he called.
C	Present perfect
C	Present perfect continuous
C	Future conditional
C	{used to}: I used to live in Mexico.
C	Modals: {might/must (deduction)}
R	Modals: {have to}
R	Modal combinations: {had to, had better, ought to, would like to}
N	Modal combinations: {have got to, would rather, would rather ... than}
C	Two-word verbs: separable/inseparable
C	Verbs followed by gerunds: She enjoys swimming.
N	Verbs followed by gerunds and/or infinitives. She decided to go to Hawaii. They like going/to go to movies.
C	Linking verbs

Nouns

R	Singular and plural nouns: Count/noncount
C	Nouns that are always used with plural verbs: groceries, glasses, media
C	Nouns that are always used with singular verbs: news, politics, the United States
C	Gerunds as subjects and objects

Pronouns

C	indefinite {it} as subject
C	{ones}

Adjectives

C	{other, another, the other, neither, either}
C	No article for generalization with plural count or noncount nouns
C	{a/an} with singular count nouns for generalization
C	{the} for specified nouns
N	Comparative with full syntactic expansion: Mary is taller than her sister (is).
N	Superlatives: regular and common irregulars

Adverbs and Adverbials

R	Chronological order: {afterwards, later, next, then, finally}
N	Frequency: {rarely, recently, already, lately, yet, just, seldom}
C	Negative frequency adverbs and word order, mid-sentence adverbs with {be} and with other verbs: {not ever, ever, hardly ever}
C	{too} and {enough} with infinitives; contrast {too} with {very} and {so}
N	intensification of comparative adjectives with {much}
C	Adverb phrases: since 10:00, for two hours
N	Sequence of adverbs: I sometimes go downtown by bus in the morning.
N	Comparative adverbs: She sings more beautifully than her sister. He types faster than the secretary.

Prepositions

N	Review and introduce as appropriate.

Conjunctions

{because}

Evaluation

Please see web pages under Assessment.