CLIL Methodology II - Unit 3 & Unit 4 |

Practice Task

Unit 3 - Teaching through English

UNITS
Unit 4 - Language Demands in the Classroom

NAME Pablo Cavestany

STUDENT SUBJEC Computing

T

LEVEL Training school

THE 3As and THE 4Cs FRAMEWORKS

One of the basic CLIL principles is the 4Cs, as you know well by now. According to
Professor Do Coyle (2000, 2002) the relationship between content objectives and
language objectives have a conceptual representation, the language Triptych, which
makes these connections clear. It takes into account the need to integrate
cognitively demanding content with language learning and using. The Triptych
supports learners in using language through analysis of the CLIL vehicular language
from three interrelated perspectives: the three As. It analyses the language of
learning, adds the language for learning and applies the language through
learning.

The Language Triptych: the THREE As.

ANALY Language needed

SEEEE for conceptual
learning:
systematic
content analysis
for key words,
ADD grammar
structures,
APP
concepts & LY
Language specialist
functions, vocabulary Language
discussing,
OF that comes
giving reasons, out in the
presenting, process. It is
reporting, etc. spontaneous
Language and
needed for task unpredictabl
completion and FOR THROU e
class GH
management.
CLIL Methodology II - Unit 3 & Unit 4 | Practice Task (Rev. V170522)
Learners are supposed to know the everyday or less formal language, the language
of instructions and of class management that they have learnt in their English
classes and that is also needed in a CLIL class. What they do not know is the
language of the curricular subject they will do in English. Depending on the content,
the required cognitive level and the assigned tasks, teachers must supply students,
after a thorough analysis, the content specific vocabulary, the grammatical
structures and the functional language they need to apply in every case.

In addition to the three As tool, Professor Do Coyle provides us, as you have already
seen, with another very powerful framework for this same purpose. It integrates
four contextualised building blocks, the well-known 4Cs.

As a summary of what you have already read in Module I, Do Coyle’s 4 Cs stand for:

Content which refers to the subject you teach.

Cognition which refers to the thinking skills (LOTS and HOTS – Bloom's
Taxonomy) or the kinds of activities students should be able to do.

Communication which refers to the language skills learners need to

develop to understand, interiorize and communicate what they learn to
show their level of competence.

Culture to contextualize what is being learned in a broader perspective to

promote international awareness and understanding.

Since 2005, when Professor Do Coyle designed these tools, many more Cs need to
be taken into account, specially the C for Competence since at present many
curricula are competence oriented.

Competence which refers to the “Can-do” statements that describe the

capacity to apply the acquired knowledge, skills and abilities required to
successfully perform in different contexts and situations.

And, of course, at least 3 more Cs should be taken into account when preparing
CLIL lessons:

Creativity, the highest cognition level (Bloom’s Taxonomy) to which

students’ activities should tend to.
Collaboration which involves groups of students working together to solve
a problem, complete a task, or create a product.
Connectivity which encourages students to question, investigate and act
as global citizens.

CLIL Methodology II - Unit 3 & Unit 4 | Practice Task (Rev. V170522)

One of the main objectives in CLIL is to make Content accessible through Language.
We can here apply the so well-known formula: learning to use language and using
language to learn. In CLIL, Communication goes beyond the grammar system. It
involves learners in using the language in a way which is different from language
learning lessons. Subject teachers are not Language teachers but they have to
involve learners in learning language too, although in a different way. Teachers have
to plan language carefully according the language students will need to understand,
learn and communicate the new content. The language that comes through the
process, as it is spontaneous and unpredictable, is the most difficult to plan.

Let´s see an example of these three types of language: the Language OF, the
Language FOR and the Language THROUGH, applied to an activity related to the
Water Cycle:

THE WATER CYCLE

http://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclesummary.html

CLIL Methodology II - Unit 3 & Unit 4 | Practice Task (Rev. V170522)

 GO TO THE NEXT PAGE

Language OF: Nouns:

water, sun, lake, river, evaporation, vapour,
Specific Vocabulary of the Content condensation, precipitation, collection,
and grammar. runoff, etc.

Verbs:
to heat, to evaporate, to rain, to condense,
to store, to heat, etc.

Verb Tenses: Present Simple, Future

Simple

Connectors: First, then, after that, finally,

etc.

Language FOR: (In this example students are asked to

explain, but depending on the content and
Language needed for the different context of your activity and what you want
required functions: explaining, students to do, you should provide the
describing, comparing, adequate language needed for describing,
hypothesising, reporting, etc. narrating, hypothesising, comparing,
reasoning, etc.)

Explain what the water cycle is.

(Students should be given a guiding text,
some models, some frames, etc., to scaffold
the language needed for an explanation.)

Example:

The water cycle describes the existence and

movement of water on, in, and above the
Earth.

The water cycle has no starting point. We

will begin in the oceans. First, the sun
heats......

Then some of the water.........

When ..............., it condenses into clouds.

After that the vapour rises.....

Air currents......

Finally, some of the water re-enters the

ocean, where the water cycle ends, well,
where it begins again.

CLIL Methodology II - Unit 3 & Unit 4 | Practice Task (Rev. V170522)

Language THROUGH: Where does water come from?
What does condensation mean?
Spontaneous language during the Can you please tell me how.....?
learning process. OK, I understand now…
I believe…., I think...., I don’t know......
I don’t quite understand.....
Oh, I see now! I didn’t know that, etc....
So, I can say that.....

etc.

EXERCISE #1:

In order to practise the three types of language:

a. Think of a curricular activity related to the topic you have chosen in Task
1 that you will develop in your Didactic Sequence (Final Task of this
Module).

One of the activities would be to see a video and, afterwards, answer some
questions.

b. Analyse the kind of language your students require to do the activity: the
language OF, the language FOR and the language THROUGH.

c. Fill in the grid below with what you will ask them to do in the activity. If you
ask them to do a hypothesis, you will have to provide them with the language
to express a hypothesis, to refute it and so on. If you want them to explain, to
report, to summarise, to compare, etc., you will need to give them the
language and structure of an explanation, of a report, of a summary, of a
comparison, etc.

Note: You do not have to write the whole explanation of what you ask your students
to do in your activity, just some guide of how you would scaffold the language, as in
the example given

CLIL Methodology II - Unit 3 & Unit 4 | Practice Task (Rev. V170522)

Title: First steps in Electricity
NOUNS:
electricity, electronic, analogue electronic, digital
electronic, direct current, alternating current, current,
voltage, resistance, Ohm s ́ law, electrical energy,
power, Joule effect, series circuit, parallel circuit,
mixed circuit

VERBS:
Apply, Change, Consist, Consume,
Express, Happen, Induce, Lose, Obtain, Produce,
Reduce, Repeat, Represent, Use,
Allow, circulate, decrease, depend, direct, flow,
increase, interrupt, maintain, oppose, pass, protect,
Language OF: provide, simplify, transform

VERBS TENSES:
Present Simple, Future Simple

CONNECTORS

First, First of all, Second, Third, Eventually,

Afterwards, Finally, At last, Furthermore, Moreover,
Meanwhile, Next, …..

The students will have to describe the circuits and

its elements. So they will use expresions like:

 This circuit shows / There is / In the circuit I

can see … /On the right / On the left / At the
top / Next to / In front of / Behind

 This element is / The best solution for this

Language FOR:
circuit is / A critical element of the solution
to this problem is / The most important
element is..

 Let's break this circuit into parts. First ../

Another way of looking at this problem is …/
In order to solve this circuit....

CLIL Methodology II - Unit 3 & Unit 4 | Practice Task (Rev. V170522)

  Can you please tell me how.....?

 Where does direct current come from?

 I think/believe that ... maybe/perhaps...if...

 In my opinion, it might be that...

 Based on my experience, I think . . .

 To my mind, the thinner conductor must

be...

 I guess that . . .
Language THROUGH:
 What do you think about ...?

 What answer did you get?

 How can we solve the problem?

 Do you agree?

 Do you understand me?

 Is it clear/ok/right?

 Any questions so far?

Below you can see an example of the 5 Cs of a CLIL Didactic Sequence organized in
a MindMap, corresponding to one of the three units of a 15 hour Didactic material of
Social Science called Roman Civilization by Joan Andreu Martí of the IES Bisbe
Berenguer.

You can find the whole Unit at:

http://www.xtec.cat/monografics/cirel/pla_le/nile/jandreu_marti/

CLIL Methodology II - Unit 3 & Unit 4 | Practice Task (Rev. V170522)

EXERCISE #1:

 Analyse this MindMap carefully paying special attention to how the 5 Cs are organised:

CLIL Methodology II - Unit 3 & Unit 4 | Practice Task (Rev. V170522)

 Produce a MindMap that corresponds to the Didactic Sequence you will present as your Final Task.

- Your Mind Map doesn’t need to be as extensive as the given model but it should include the 5 Cs: Content, Cognition,
Communication, Culture and Competence.

- You can include the activity you have developed in exercise one as part of the communication aspect.
Although in the example above the Language Through has not been included, you can add it if you feel it is necessary to
understand better your sequence.

- You can find the curricular competences that correspond to your subject in the curriculum of your autonomous community.

- To do your MindMap you can use a free MindMap generator such as the ones given below or any other that you know of:

 Mindmap free: http://mindmapfree.com/#

 Bubble us: https://bubbl.us/

CLIL Methodology II - Unit 3 & Unit 4 | Practice Task (Rev. V170522)

CLIL Methodology II - Unit 3 & Unit 4 | Practice Task (Rev. V170522)