Basic 8 · English Language
Preparing for the Term in English Language
In this topic you will review the speaking, reading, grammar and writing skills you built in Basic 7, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and set clear personal targets for the term.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Recall key speaking, reading, grammar and writing skills from Basic 7
- Identify personal strengths and areas to improve
- Set specific learning targets for the term
What you already know
- English Language, Basic 7
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
- Strand
- English Language
- Sub-strand
- Term Preparation
Introduction
A new school year is a chance to build on what you already know. Before starting new work, look back at the English skills you learned in Basic 7 and decide what you want to achieve this term.
1. Review of Oral Language and Reading
In Basic 7 you learned to choose formal or informal register to suit the listener, the setting and the purpose. You practised active listening, turn-taking, giving directions, and using your voice and eye contact when speaking to an audience. You also studied short and long vowel sounds and practised minimal pairs such as "ship" and "sheep".
In reading, you used strategies that good readers use: monitoring your understanding, picturing scenes in your mind, predicting what will happen, asking questions, summarising main ideas and identifying text structures. You also learned to tell facts from opinions and to notice bias in non-fiction.
2. Review of Grammar and Writing
| Area | Key ideas |
|---|---|
| nouns and pronouns | kinds of nouns; subject and object pronouns; relative pronouns |
| adjectives and adverbs | kinds, order and comparison |
| verbs | tense and aspect; present continuous; past perfect |
| conjunctions | coordinating, subordinating and correlative |
| paragraphs | topic sentence, supporting sentences, coherence |
| writing types | personal narratives, descriptions, advertisements, process writing, informal and formal letters |
3. What You Will Learn This Term
This term you will use register for different audiences, read prose fluently, study types of characters, poems, monologues and dialogues, and improve your use of plurals, relative pronouns, adjectives and future verb forms. In writing, you will use cohesive devices, write effective introductions and personal narratives, and choose precise, sensory language.
4. Setting Good Targets
A good target is specific and can be checked. "I want to be good at English" is too general. "I will read for twenty minutes every day and write down five new words each week" is specific. Keep your targets in your exercise book and check them at the middle and end of the term.
5. Getting the Most from English Lessons
Bring a dictionary if you can, keep a vocabulary notebook, read something every day and practise speaking English with classmates. Do not be afraid of making mistakes when you speak, because mistakes show you what to practise next. Listen carefully to feedback from your teacher and use it to correct your work.
New words
- target
- A specific aim that you work towards.
- strategy
- A planned way of doing something.
- vocabulary notebook
- A book for recording new words and their meanings.
Summary
- Basic 7 English covered register, reading strategies, grammar and many types of writing.
- Specific targets, daily reading and a vocabulary notebook will help you improve this term.
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Which is a specific target?
- A. I will read for twenty minutes every day.
- B. I want to be good.
- C. English is nice.
- D. I will try.
Show answer
Answer: I will read for twenty minutes every day.It can be checked.2. Register is the choice of language to suit a situation.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueFormal or informal.3. A book for recording new words is a vocabulary ______.
Show answer
Answer: notebookWord record.4. Write two targets for your English this term.
Show answer
Answer: e.g. I will write down five new words each week. I will read one book each month.Specific targets.
Homework
- Write a paragraph about your strengths in English and your targets for the term.