Salvador Rodríguez Almendros CEIP BARRUFET (Barcelona) Generalitat de Catalunya Departament d'Educació LIFE UNDER THE SEA (Postgraduate Certificate in CLIL) Salvador Rodríguez Almendros CEIP BARRUFET (Barcelona)

INTRODUCTION * ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING TIMING * CLIL? WHAT IS IT? * SCHOOL CONTEXT * ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING TIMING * CLIL? WHAT IS IT? * LET’SSS: OUR PROJECT * MY UNIT: CONTENTS * TOOLS USED FOR DESIGNING THE UNIT * CONCLUSIONS

School Context Situation: Barcelona city, in the district of Sants-Montjuïc. Building: old factory with the original chimney (also library). History: 40 years old (teacher’s cooperative  state school). Educational levels: Pre-Primary and Primary (two form entry). Number of students: 450 (25 per class group). Languages: Catalan, Spanish and English. Origin of the families: mainly Catalan but also foreign.

English Language Teaching Timing (+ workshop time) 1h 30’ (small group) 3/4h 1h 3rd 4th 5th 6th 1h 30’ 3/4h (half group) 2nd 1st Weekly hours Language Workshops 3rd Language Session Language Session 1st Language Session Level 2h (small group) 1h 30’ (small group) The school applied for an Experimental Plan on Foreign Languages 3 years ago: CLIL methodology was then introduced.

Content and Language Integrated Learning, but... CLIL? What is it? Content and Language Integrated Learning, but... ? OR content language language content INITIAL DOUBTS: Do we have to plan all the language we use? How do we explain the tasks? Do we need to use a lot of visual support? Having problems? WHAT WE DID: To read articles and books about CLIL theory. To analyse local/foreign Primary school experiences. To surf the Net searching for good resources. Look for solutions!

‘Learning English Through Science and Social Studies’ LET’SSS: our project ‘Learning English Through Science and Social Studies’ METHODOLOGY AIMS SESSIONS To integrate curricular contents To improve foreign language skills To develop new teaching methods Natural contact with the language Meaningful and real contents Cognitive and cooperative learning 1 hour a week from 3rd to 6th grades Division of groups (2 teachers) Part of a new topic every term Our UNITS so far cover contents such as plants, water pollution, recycling, nutrition, global warming, the respiratory system, vertebrates, native Americans, cultural aspects BCN-London, School camp topics... LIFE UNDER THE SEA

MY UNIT: contents LESSON 1: types of marine life LESSON 2: real facts on sea flora & fauna LESSON 3: food chains LESSON 4: species of fish and their characteristics LESSON 5: the art of fishing LESSON 6: fishing technique and methods LESSON 7: the impact of fishing LESSON 8: fish for eating LESSON 9: the dissection of a sardine LESSON 10: having fun in the sea depths (assessment)

Tools used for designing the unit: 4 Cs framework: content, communication, cognition & culture 3 As for lesson planning: analyse, add, apply Cummins’ matrix: cognitive and linguistic demands Bloom’s taxonomy: for task and activity design Scaffolding: both language and content Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory: collaborative learning Gardner’s multiple intelligences: learning styles

4Cs framework : the mindmap

3 As lesson planning tool (communication process) Language of learning - Key phrases needed - Key vocabulary Language for learning - Learning how to learn - Language for pair group - Understanding instructions - How to deal with not understanding Language through learning - ‘Dictionary use’ for vocabulary extension COMMUNICATION Language OF learning: * Key vocabulary: fish, octopus, dolphin, starfish, jellyfish, shark, angelfish, living/non-living things, sunlit, twilight and midnight, eat/ live in/live up to/weigh/jump/ swim up to. * Key structures: under the sea, in the water, are the main enemies of..., can it breathe/move/excrete/ get food/reproduce? Language FOR learning: I can see, We can find, there is/are. I would like to know more about... Language THROUGH learning: - Language needed to express previous knowledge and experiences related to the sea depths

Cummin’s Matrix ? 3 4 2 1 High cognitive demands (LIFE UNDER THE SEA) High linguistic demands Low linguistic demands 2 1 ? Low cognitive demands

Bloom’s Taxonomy High order Low order

Scaffolding the language the content

Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory

Gardner’s multiple intelligences (learning styles: teaching notes and resources)

Conclusions - It is really important for teachers to have time for reflecting on their daily practice to improve their teaching methods. If proper scaffolding is set, language should not be a problem to explain content. Substitution tables are a very useful tool. Regardless the subject being taught, there is always a type of language and a cultural background associated to it. The 4Cs framework refers to the most important ‘Cs’ but there are some others to take into account: context, competences, curriculum, ‘collegiality’, curiosity, coherence, confidence, etc. ‘Learning English Through Science and Social Studies’ or ‘Learning Science and Social Studies Through English’? Answer: ‘use languages to learn and learn to use languages’

Thank you very much for your attention And remember... ‘Teachers open the doors but students enter themselves. Do not underestimate them since they are not empty bags. They are full of ideas to exploit and no-one better than pupils to help you see what they really need and can cope with.’ Success is up to you, so bear this in mind when planning a CLIL unit. Thank you very much for your attention