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    CLIL in languages other than English
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    Sample lessons plans

CLIL in languages other than English –
Successful transitions across educational stages

Sample lessons plans
facilitating vertical and horisontal transitions in CLIL LOTE

The sample lesson plans build on three previous ECML projects:

Language skills for successful subject learning. CEFR linked descriptors for mathematics and history/civics

The ECML project “Language skills for successful subject learning. CEFR linked descriptors for mathematics and history/civics” has, connected to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), developed descriptors for mathematics and history/civics from A2 to B2. Based on this project, we have developed language descriptors that facilitate CLIL LOTE transitions for mathematics and history/civics from Pre-A1 to B2, a CLIL Self-Assessment Grid for level Pre-A1 to B2 in CLIL contexts and sample lesson plans .
“These resources highlight challenges for young learners in subject classes where the language of instruction is not their first language. The focus is on minimum language standards in history/civics and mathematics for learners aged 12/13 and 15/16. The language descriptors are linked to CEFR levels A2, B1 and B2 and available in six languages.”
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Developed resources

The following resources were developed inspired by the Language descriptors project:

History/Civics:

Mathematics:

  • Kindergarten-Pre A1 (age 5, target language: Greek): Shapes, Worksheet
  • Kindergarten-Pre A1 (age 5, target language: Greek): Subtraction, Worksheets (1, 2)

A pluriliteracies approach to teaching for learning

The ECML project “A pluriliteracies approach to teaching for learning” has developed learning materials for Chemistry, Geography and History that establish links between content and language. The project takes progression into account: For all subjects, there are materials for novice, intermediate and advanced learners. All materials are in English. The History modules focus on English as a target language, but have been translated into German: Pluriliteralität im Geschichtsunterricht entwickeln. The learning material Analysing Otto Wels' Speech – Source and Tasks uses a German historical source, Otto Wels’ Speech.
“Pluriliteracies Teaching for Learning (PTL) shows teachers and materials developers ways of fostering deep learning by paying attention to the development of students’ subject specific literacies as well as their conceptual understanding and automatization of subject-specific procedures, skills and strategies. […] PTL not only makes the links between content and language learning visible, but it also shows how teachers can create learning trajectories taking students’ current abilities as a starting point, and tracing their progress along the learning pathway.”
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Developed resources

The following resources were developed inspired by the project:

Chemistry:

Civics, European Studies, History:

B1 (age 15-16, target language: German, French or Spanish, material available in 24 EU languages): Teaching Europe: How is the EU present & relevant in my life?


Content based teaching + plurilingual/cultural awareness (Conbat+)

The ECML project “Content based teaching + plurilingual/cultural awareness (Conbat+)” has developed 26 didactic units for CLIL, integrating diverse subjects and taking plurilingual education into account. The materials are written in English, French and Spanish and cover an age range from 6 to 18 years.
“The project acronym ConBaT+ means that content-based teaching needs to be complemented with activities enhancing plurilingualism and pluriculturalism. […] The aim of the "ConBaT+ " project is to produce materials in three languages, English, French and Spanish, to teach other subjects at primary and secondary level. […] Awareness of plurilingualism and pluriculturalism is the major aim of the project: how can this aim be achieved?”
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Developed resources

Two Conbat+ didactic units have been adapted to a different age group:
Japanese Calligraphy and Our home our world.

Japanese Calligraphy

This didactic unit, focusing on art/physical education and designed for mid/late Primary education (age 8-12), was adequated for early primary school children (age 6-8).

Our home our world

This didactic unit, focusing on civics and mathematics and designed for the end of primary school (age 10-12, B1), was reconstructed to cover a B2 (age 13-16).


Related resources

Furthermore, the resources integrate a teaching/learning scenario that was developed based on the European project Euromania (2005-2008), coordinated by Pierre Escudé, Université de Bordeaux.
Euromania

The Euromania project offers a school textbook for subject-based learning in Mathematics, Science, Technology and History for upper primary education (age: 9 to 12) and focuses on building bridges between the language of schooling and languages of the same language family, here Romance languages. The scenario proposes a vertical progression from upper primary (ISCED1) to lower secondary education (ISCED2). Furthermore, the scenario promotes horisontal transitions based on intercomprehensionIntercomprehension
In the approach termed Intercomprehension between related languages the learner works on two or more languages of the same linguistic family (Romance, Germanic, Slavic languages, etc.) in parallel. One of these languages is already known, being either the learner’s mother tongue, or the language of education, or even another language having been learnt previously. In this approach there is a systematic focus on receptive skills, as the development of comprehension is the most tangible way of using the knowledge of a related language to learn a new one. Of course, this does not exclude some added benefits for productive skills. Available here.
between Romance languages.