CLIL Part 1: Language across the curriculum – trainer’s notes

Description
The aim of the activity is to raise awareness of the grammatical structures which
learners will hear, read, speak and write for their particular subjects. Participants play a
game in order to identify language forms used across the curriculum and decide why
they are used in the contexts described.
Time required: 50-70 minutes
Materials  Participant’s Worksheet 1 (bingo cards for 6 groups)
required:  Sample task (one for each participant)
Aims:  to know about language features used in CLIL subjects
 to be able to identify language features in sentences
 to be aware of language features used in participants’
subjects

Procedure
1. Before the session, copy Participant’s Worksheet 1 so there is one card for each
group of 3 participants.
If possible, each group should have a different card. Copy the 12 teacher’s cards
in the Answer Key and cut them up. Copy the Sample Task for each individual.
2. Write on the board: Food is chewed before it is swallowed. Underline ‘is chewed’
and ‘is swallowed’. Ask participants to identify the words underlined (passive
forms) and then ask why passive forms are used (for formal, impersonal
language to describe a process). This is one of the language features which is
tested in TKT: CLIL.
3. Explain they are going to play a CLIL bingo game in groups of 3 to identify
language features. Examples of language features tested in Part 1 of TKT: CLIL
will be read out. (There are 4 examples of each feature on different cards so wait
until all four are identified.)
4. Hand out one card to each group of 3 participants.
Tell them you will read out a language feature, they look at their card and decide
if they have an example of it underlined on their card. (See Key below for the list
of language features.)
If so, one of the groups puts up their hand and, when asked, reads it out. The
other groups listen to check if it is correct.
If it is correct, the group who put up their hand can tick the sentence.
The first group(s) to have all the features calls out ‘CLIL bingo’.
Explain there are four different examples of each feature.
5. SLIDES #1- 2: Show slides and introduce topic of session and aims.
6. SLIDES #3 - 4: Put participants in pairs to discuss the question, ‘What does
language involve?’ elicit ideas and play video
When we think of language learning, it’s easy to focus on obvious and familiar
elements, such as vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation, and grammar. We agree
these are important and necessary. But are they sufficient? I’d like to offer a
richer model of language, which includes these elements, but places them in a
wider sense of what it means to comprehend and participate in the kinds of
language demanded by different school subjects. We use a spiral to hold all
these elements together in an open, generative way. While the centre of the
spiral accounts for these smaller elements, its outer regions grow in scale to
consider and include larger aspects of language that will shape what’s
considered appropriate in the centre.
Thus, the choices made at the outer parts of this spiral affect what choices
should be made in the inner parts. With a richer model of what language entails,
we’re better prepared to think about what language learning involves.
SLIDES #12 – 13: Go through slides, highlight:
Genre - Common written genres used in school subjects include: the essay that
develops an argument; a narrative that tells a story; a recount of a sequence of
events; procedural steps in a particular order; a scientific report; a mathematical
proof; or a critical review.
Morpheme - the smallest unit of meaning e.g unlock has two morphemes un-
and lock. Point out to ppts that lock- in unlock is a free morpheme and is the
conceptual term that carries the key meaning, i.e. lock; un- is a bound
morpheme and has no meaning in and of itself and must be combined with a free
morpheme to have meaning.
7. Highlight the CLIL teachers and learners need knowledge of the language of their
curricular subject(s). Learners need to know the content-obligatory language,
i.e. the vocabulary, grammatical structures and functional language for specific
subjects.
Learners require this language to be able to understand the subject and
communicate ideas. For example, in geography learners need to know map
vocabulary and how to interpret evidence shown on a map.
Learners need to know the everyday, less formal language which is used in
subjects.
They may already know how to use grammatical structures (usually learned in
English lessons) which they can use while studying curricular subjects. For
example, in a map reading lesson they may use verbs such as ‘flow’ and ‘winds’
to describe the route of a river. They may also use a conditional to describe
cause and effect. These are examples of content-content language.
CLIL give learners opportunities to develop linguistic abilities during lessons,
including acquisition of vocabulary and grammar.
 Remember, the focus of a CLIL lesson is on understanding subject content not
on grammatical structures. Grammar is not explicitly taught during content
teaching as content and language are integrated. As grammar and vocabulary
are interdependent it is useful to focus on them as chunks of language rather
than separately.
8. SLIDE #14: Follow up activity
Ask ppts to discuss the language areas the two students are talking about. Elicit
answers and reasons why. (vocabulary: all these strange words … I needed
words; vocabulary: lists, and grammar: how to make the sentence together.
9. SLIDE #15: Key Concepts
Vocabulary
Learners have to understand and produce a large amount of subject-specific
vocabulary.
Show slide of four groups of vocabulary from a maths lesson. Ask participants to
discuss the difference between them.

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4

circle centre about sharp rise
circumference number across dramatic fall
diameter size many remain stable

We can see that some words are easier to understand than others
but learners will need to know all the groups to be able to answer maths
questions or follow instructions.

Group 1 content-obligatory or subject-specific vocabulary for talking

about the technical names for parts of a circle
Group 2 content-compatible or general vocabulary used in maths and also
in everyday situations
Group 3 high and medium frequency words or the most often used
vocabulary in general English and also used in curriculum subjects
Group 4 collocations (way words are combined) used in specific
combinations when we present curricular concepts, e.g. The
graph shows a sharp rise in the value of x

The same groups of vocabulary can be found in different CLIL subjects. There is
also academic vocabulary which we can find in all subjects. Examples of these
include: create, data, define, identify, interpret, analyse, etc.

SLIDE #16: In history, for example, the past tense is often used. Assuming that
the students have studied the past tense in English classes, they may simply be
having trouble recalling irregular verbs. To support students, a verb chart can be
created choosing verbs most likely used in history. When students make a
mistake using irregular past tense verbs, they can be invited to self-correct by
referring to the chart (see slide)

SLIDES #17 - 18: A corner of the classroom wall can be reserved for a word wall
that contain 10-20 words that you or students feel they need to retain during a
given week. Students can be encouraged to add to or subtract from the wall
every day. Students can be asked to explain why a word is so important that it
should be added to the wall. You can encourage students to write these words in
their personal dictionary for a given subject (can be expanded into expressions).

Another option is to bring out key content and vocabulary at the beginning of a
reading or listening passage or before giving out a written assignment with a
graphic organizer (show slide)

SLIDES # 20-21 Creating specific meanings across the curriculum -

discourse
In the previous step we looked at the idea of a spiral that holds all the elements
of language together, from the smallest building blocks such as morphemes and
words, to grammar structures and discourse. If a language learner is to succeed
at school, they will need to become proficient in knowing how to use all these
elements of language. But how does language present itself in schools and
subject classrooms?

In this section, we aim to answer the following question: how does the knowledge
about language that we presented in the previous step, help us understand how
specific subject meanings can be made available to our language learners? The
‘spiral’ view of language will be applied to the language found in schools and
subject classrooms, to show how understanding classroom language holds the
key to knowing how best to support our language learners.

When you are reading this article, write down some of the language
features used in texts in your subject area. How will you make these
features clear to your language learners to help them catch up?
Each subject area, such as geography, maths or computer science has its own
perspective on the world, or way of knowing. In other words, each discipline
has its own language or discourse.

For example, history aims to describe and explain events that happened in the
past. It uses eye witness accounts and documents to provide evidence and build
arguments. Pupils need to develop the language to analyse and present
evidence to support their claims. Some language learners may have had history
lessons in their own country, in which case learning the discourse and genres of
the subject may be easier to them. Other language learners may not be so lucky,
and might not have learned history before. They will need to learn its discourse,
or ‘way of knowing’, alongside the smaller structures of language such as
grammar and vocabulary.
Let’s look at another example. Science aims to describe and explain the physical
and living world around us. Scientists develop abstract concepts such as ‘energy’
and ‘life’ to be able to formulate theories that help them explain the evidence that
they generate from experiments. Scientists use not only verbal language but
also signs and symbols (such as graphs, diagrams and mathematical
formulae) to create meaning. Pupils need to learn how to read and
manipulate these symbols too. As a result, scientific language is very precise;
meanings that scientists ascribe to words and grammatical structures, tend to be
tightly shared within the scientific community. This means that there is a high
amount of new language to learn for all our pupils, not only for bilinguals.
Learning science is often said to be like learning a new language.

Each subject has its own set of purposes. In other words, in science we can find
a lot of descriptions and explanations. If we take a close look at how teachers
talk, we notice examples of this language. Here’s a science teacher giving an
explanation of the concept of heat energy and heat transfer:

The copper rod carries heat energy. The copper rod is made of particles, packed
quite closely together. When one end is heated, the particles in the solid vibrate
more quickly. These particles collide with the other ones, which then vibrate
more quickly, and that’s the way heat energy is transferred.

This explanation has a distinct structure to it. It starts by mentioning what the
phenomenon in focus is, namely heat energy: the copper rod carries heat
energy, then it describes some key features of the rod: the copper rod is made
up of particles, and the cause of the phenomenon: When one end is heated… If
we look at other examples of explanations in a science classroom by teachers or
pupils who’ve been learning the subject for a long time, their talk and writing
tends to display very similar structures or functional patterns in the
language. These are sometimes known as macrostructures. These will
develop in the minds of learners over time. However, we can speed this process
up if these patterns and structures are made explicit to our language learners
in our teaching. We’ve used an example from a science lesson to illustrate a
point, but this feature of language and language learning applies to all the
discipline

Creating specific meanings across the curriculum - grammar and

vocabulary
In the previous step we looked at how knowing about language can help us
understand how specific subject meanings can be made available to our
language learners. We looked at the discourse level of language and how
language patterns reveal themselves in larger chunks of language, or texts. In
this article we will focus on the next level down, the grammar and word level.
Again, as you read the article, note down some of the language features used in
texts in your subject area. How will you make these features clear to your
language learners to help them catch up?
First, let’s remind ourselves of the science explanation:

The copper rod carries heat energy. The copper rod is made of particles, packed
quite closely together. When one end is heated, the particles in the solid vibrate
more quickly. These particles collide with the other ones, which then vibrate
more quickly, and that’s the way heat energy is transferred.

We can see that the grammatical choices that the teacher makes in his heat
energy explanation, depend on the purpose behind what’s being said. So when
the teacher describes the rod, the verb forms are in the present simple tense e.g.
the particles in the solid vibrate or these particles collide with the other ones, to
create the effect that rods always have particles that vibrate and collide. To
introduce the cause, the teacher uses a conditional clause with a passive
construction When one end is heated… These habitual grammatical patterns
have a particular function and are inherently meaningful and purposeful.

What many teachers and pupils notice when they first start learning a new
subject is the subject specific vocabulary. Let’s look at the energy transfer
example again. Even in this relatively simple explanation we can find words and
phrases that the teacher will tend to repeatedly use to describe the heat transfer
process; the particles vibrate, packed closely together etc. Many of these
words will have a similar meaning in everyday English (vibrate, collide) but some
words will have a very different subject meaning from its everyday meaning. For
example, in maths the word mean, as in the mean score, takes on a very
different meaning to its everyday meaning e.g. I mean it! or she is a very mean
person.

Linguists often talk about these differences between the language of school, the
subject areas and the language of the playground or home as differences in
register. So, for example, we talk about the academic register (the language of
school or university), the scientific register or the everyday register. Everybody
who wants to succeed at school needs to learn the various academic registers.
Language learners tend to learn the everyday register relatively quickly, quite
possibly because they are keen to integrate socially and want to make friends.
This is referred to as Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills or ‘BICS’ for
 short. This is the register used in the playground, the shops, and between
friends. Your language learners might appear to have good language skills, if you
only attend to these kinds of interactions.

However, it can take a lot longer to learn the academic registers, or what’s known
as Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency or ‘CALP’ for short. You can
learn more about BICS and CALP in step 1.8.

If a learner arrives at your school at the age of 11 without speaking the target
language, they would need at least five years to catch up with their peers in their
control of academic registers. In many cases they may not catch up, but with the
help of a language aware teacher, they stand a much better chance of doing so

SLIDE #22: Structures and meaning

Grammatical structures are needed to communicate subject knowledge. We
therefore need to support learners by:
 Looking at structure and meaning
 Helping them to notice relevant and problematic language structures and
their meanings
 Providing examples of relevant and problematic language structures and
explaining the meanings of the forms to learners
 Correcting use of relevant and problematic forms.
In order to support learners, we need to be aware of the forms learners will meet
in the subjects we teach and to be conscious of those forms which might prove
problematic.
10. Which grammatical structures are relevant?
This depends on the subject but most grammatical structures are used in all
curriculum subjects. Some grammatical structures are used in subjects at the
start of the programme which are not taught in traditional ELT classes for several
years. It is also known that the conditional and passive forms are complex but
are needed for CALP (cognitive academic language proficiency)
11. How can we help learners improve their accuracy?
Mistakes in writing are often made with verbs. The bingo game played at the
beginning of the session contained examples of verb forms which are relevant to
our learners. Errors are often made because of L1 interference. If we can
analyse reasons for the errors, we can help our learners avoid them.
12. Key concepts and the classroom
Teaching language is part teaching the subject content. Although the main focus
is on learners’ understanding of subject content, as a teacher you can aid the
teaching of language by:
 highlighting vocabulary and chunks of vocabulary used in content subjects
to help learners build the wide range of vocabulary they will need
  modelling sentence (such as those in the bingo game) to help learners
see examples of language they need to produce
 allowing learners to be more relaxed about using the target language
because the focus is on meaning of curricular subjects
 correcting learners by recasting language immediately after they make
mistakes, especially with subject specific vocabulary
 analyzing errors to identify difficulties learners have when producing
English. Mistakes often occur because of L1 transfer (when words,
phrases, and structures are produced as they are used in the first
language.
13. SLIDE #23: Follow up activity/ reflection.
Show slide of statements. Participants discuss the statements. Do they agree or
disagree?
14. SLIDE #24: Discovery activities
Show slide. Learners in small groups discuss the statements. feedback
15. Hand out the Sample Task. They do it individually then compare their answers
with a partner.
16. Check answers together (see Key below]
17. Plenary.
Round up to summarise points covered. Ask participants:
 What is the TKT CLIL Module syllabus area for this lesson? (Language across
the curriculum)
 Which features of language do you use in your subject area?
 Which do learners find most difficult? (allow participants to share ideas)

Additional information • For CLIL : language across the curriculum includes:

the use of past and comparative modal verbs personal and
present future and for expressing impersonal
superlatives ability pronouns
forms
deduction obligation permission prediction preference
possibility probability prohibition speculating conditionals
passive forms imperatives questions reported certainty
speech
time connectors collocations synonyms opposites
expressions
CLIL Part 1: Language across the curriculum – answer keys
Key to Procedure Step 4
Language features for CLIL Bingo
present forms modal verbs of possibility
past forms modal verbs of obligation future forms
reported speech passive forms
sequencing adverbs
conditional forms connectors
comparative forms collocations
Key to Participant’s Worksheet 1
Present A solar eclipse happens when the moon moves between the earth
forms and the sun.
Look carefully at how the solution is changing.
The teams are taking part in an inter-school contest this term.
Separate the solids from the liquids then record your results.

Past forms Hundreds of years ago people fought hard for equal rights in many
parts of the world.
Some species of animals adapted to dry conditions.
The town had changed before the rise in tourism.
Demand was rising and profits were growing.

Future forms The leaders will sign the document next week.
The average temperatures are going to be higher.
The musician is performing tomorrow night.
The science lab closes in half an hour.

Passive Each area was controlled by a governor.

forms Forests were being cut down so timber industries were criticised.
The Earth’s crust is divided into different plates.
Some harmful substances are being thrown into rivers

Conditional Unless you add more shadow, the drawing will be quite flat.
forms Trade would be better if the leaders had started negotiating.
The information could be used if the data was accurate.
If you put salt onto watercolour paint, the salt soaks up the colour.

Comparative The graph on the right is drawn more clearly than the one on the left.
forms This data is just as accurate as the first set you presented.
Organic products are often more expensive than non-organic ones.
Some plastics are not as strong as others.
Modal verbs Sometimes it can be done without breaking but you have to be careful
of possibility using glass. The water may be cleaner now.
Customers might be attracted by the local produce on sale.
The gold could provide evidence of an ancient civilisation.

Modal verbs You must wear sports shoes in the gym.

of obligation Backup files should be on a different storage medium to the main
files.
You ought to clean up all the lab equipment after you use it.
I must remember to log off from the school computer.

Reported The teacher suggested that they estimate the amounts before using
speech calculators.
The scientist informed them that progress was being made to reduce
pollution.
We were told that our senses are affected by the noise and light we
experience.
The referee warned the player to stop pushing his opponent.

Sequencing Once a leader is appointed, a government is formed and eventually

adverbs laws are passed.
First, the water evaporates, and afterwards it condenses.
Before the lines dry, outline the shape then use pens to add details.
Think of a rhythm. Next clap it to yourself and later to a partner.

Connectors Maps are two-dimensional whereas globes are spherical

Either calculate the perimeters of the shapes or the areas.
Think of a rhythm. Next clap it to yourself and later to a partner.
Many people see zoos are prisons, however, others argue they keep
animals safe.

Collocations Take short breaks while using the computer as long-term use can
cause health problems.
Pay attention to the instructions or you won’t be able to do the
experiment.
When you do exercise regularly, your mind and body will feel better.
Don’t make mistakes when you’re copying your calculations onto the
answer sheet.

Key to Sample Task

1F 2D 3C 4A 5E
CLIL Part 1: Language across the curriculum – Participant’s Worksheet 1
Card 1
The graph on the The leaders will Some plastics are
right is drawn more sign the document not as strong as
clearly than the one next week. others.
on the left.

Hundreds of years
ago people fought
hard for equal
rights in many parts
of the world.
You ought to clean Take short breaks Sometimes it can
up all the lab while using the be done without Each area was
equipment after computer as long- breaking but you controlled by a
using it. term use can cause have to be careful governor.
health problems. using glass.

Card 2
Forests were cut He asked if he A solar eclipse
down so timber should use a happens when the
industries were spreadsheet or a moon moves
criticised. calculator between the earth
and the sun.

Once a leader is
appointed, a Unless you add I must remember to
government is more shadows, the log off from the
formed and drawing will look school computer.
eventually laws are flat.
passed.

Pay attention to the Maps are two

instructions or you dimensional
won’t be able to do whereas globes are
the experiment. spherical.
Card 3
The teacher
suggested that they The average
estimate the temperatures are
amounts before going to be higher
using calculators.

Look carefully at First, the water The Earth’s crust is

how the solution is evaporates, and divided into
changing. afterwards it different plates
condenses.

When you do Some species of

exercise regularly, animals adapted to The water may be
your mind and body dry conditions. cleaner now.
will feel better.

Card 4
The scientist Don’t make
Either calculate the informed them that mistakes when
perimeters of the progress was being you’re copying your
shapes or the made to reduce calculations onto
areas. pollution. the answer sheet.

The teams are Think of a rhythm.

taking part in an Next clap it to
inter-school contest yourself and later to
this term a partner.
.

Trade would be Customers might Separate the solids

better if the leaders be attracted by the from the liquids
had started local produce on then record your
negotiating. sale. results
Card 5
We were told that
The town had our senses are The information
changed before the affected by the could be used if the
rise in tourism. noise and light we data was accurate.
experience.

Some harmful This data is just as

substances are accurate as the first
being thrown into set.
rivers
.
Many people think
The musician is You must wear zoos are prisons.
performing sports shoes in the However, others
tomorrow night. gym. argue they keep
animals safe.

Card 6

The referee warned If you put salt onto Demand was rising
the player to stop watercolour paint, and profits were
pushing his the salt soaks up growing.
opponent the colour.
.

Before the paint Organic products The gold could

dries, outline the are often more provide evidence of
shape then use expensive than an ancient
pens to add details. non-organic ones civilisation.

Backup files should The science lab

be on a different closes in half an
storage medium to hour.
the main files.
CLIL Part 1: Language across the curriculum – Sample Task
For questions 1 – 5, match the examples of language used across the curriculum with
the language features listed A – F.
Mark the correct letter (A – F) on your answer sheet.
There is one extra option which you do not need to use.
Language features
A. past form
B. future form
C. passive form
D. conditional form
E. modal verb
F. comparative form

Examples of language across the curriculum

1. Explain why a swimming pool appears to be shallower than its real depth.

2. The light goes on unless you need to change the battery.

3. The machine has been redesigned because of a problem with the amount of fuel
it uses.

4. In three years, the Black Death killed nearly one-third of the population of
Europe.

5. Employers and employees should take reasonable care of their own and others’
safety.