Lakhasly

Dear Parents, In this handout, we provide an overview of the expected skills for Year 4 students in English, focusing on listening, speaking, reading, and writing.Focusing on progressive skill development, integrating listening, speaking, reading, and writing into cohesive learning experiences.Legutke et al. (2009) emphasize the importance of interaction in language learning, stating, "Students need opportunities for active interaction in language learning, especially through listening and speaking tasks" (p. 56). Example: Children may learn words in isolation or write sentences without using them in real-life situations. Recommendation: It is better to incorporate interactive activities, such as games or storytelling, where students can interact with one another. This encourages practical use of language. For example, students can play a game of "Who Am I?"(Answer: beautiful)

2.Which areas are discussed critically?4.1.2.3.5.

Dear Parents,
In this handout, we provide an overview of the expected skills for Year 4 students in English, focusing on listening, speaking, reading, and writing. These skills are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). We have included practical examples to help you understand how your child's language skills are developing.

Listening skills
By the end of Year 4, students are expected to:
Understand simple instructions: For example: “Please sit down!” or “Open your book to page 10.”

Practical Example: When the teacher says, “Point to the picture in front of you,” the student should identify the correct picture.
Understand basic personal questions: For example: “What’s your name?” or “How old are you?”
Practical Example: When the teacher asks, “What’s your name?” the student should respond, “My name is Ahmed.”

Interact with simple audio texts: For example: “This is a big red apple.”

Practical Example: The teacher reads, “This is a blue car,” and the students are asked to identify the blue car in the picture.

2. Speaking Skills

By the end of Year 4, students are expected to
Introduce themselves using simple sentences: For example: “My name is Ahmed. I’m 9 years old.”

Practical Example: In an activity, students ask each other, “What’s your name?” and one responds, “My name is Sarah.”

Answer basic questions: For example: “What is this?” → “It’s a cat.”
Practical Example: When the teacher points to a picture of a cat, the student should say, “It’s a cat.”

Express their preferences: For example: “I like pizza.”

Practical Example: During a discussion, the teacher asks, “What’s your favorite food?” and the student responds, “I like chocolate.”

3. Reading Skills
   By the end of Year 4, students are expected to:
   Read short sentences and familiar vocabulary: For example: “The cat is black.” or “The house is big.”

Practical Example: Students read the sentence, “This is a green book,” and answer the question, “What color is the book?” with “Green.”
Understand words accompanied by pictures: For example: “Apple” with a picture of an apple.
Practical Example: The student reads, “This is a red ball,” and matches the word to the image of a red ball.

Answer simple comprehension questions about a text: For example: “What’s the dog’s name in the text?” → “Max.”

Practical Example: After reading the text, “My family has a dog. The dog is small and white. His name is Max,” the student answers, “What’s the dog’s name?” with “Max.”

4. Writing Skills
   By the end of Year 4, students are expected to:
   Write simple personal information: For example: “My name is Sarah. I have two sisters.”

Practical Example: The student writes, “My name is Ahmed. I have one brother.”
Write sentences describing things or situations: For example: “The sun is yellow.”

Practical Example: The student writes, “The flowers are red.”
Complete short texts with suitable words: For example: “The table is __.” (Answer: big)
Practical Example: The student fills in the blank in the sentence “This is a __ tree.” (Answer: beautiful)

2.Which areas are discussed critically?

1. 
   

   Adapting the CEFR Framework for Young Learners:
   Issue: The CEFR framework was originally designed for adults, which may not be suitable for how children learn languages. According to Legutke et al. (2009) “Children’s learning relies more on interaction and play rather than focusing on precise grammar rules” (p. 52).
   Example: Instead of teaching children grammar rules right away, they should learn language through play, songs, and fun activities.
   Recommendation: The framework should be adjusted to include tasks that are more appropriate for children, such as interactive games or role-playing, which help children learn more quickly and naturally. For example, when learning colors, the teacher could ask, “What color is this?” while pointing to colorful objects around the classroom.

   
   


2. 
   

   Lack of National Standardized Benchmarks:
   Issue: Currently, there are no standardized benchmarks in Germany to determine the skills students should have by the end of Year 4. This means children in different schools may have varying levels of proficiency. As noted by Legutke et al. (2009), “There are no standardized benchmarks to assess Year 4 primary school students’ English proficiency” (p. 53).
   Example: In some schools, children may learn more words or read longer texts, while in other schools, they might only be able to read simple sentences.
   Recommendation: Clear standards should be established to define what students should know by the end of Year 4. These standards should include assessments or evaluation tools that allow schools to compare students’ levels in a consistent way. For example, all students should be able to introduce themselves, saying, “My name is Ahmed, and I am 9 years old.”

   
   


3. 
   

   The Importance of Interactive and Practical Conversations:
   Issue: Current curricula often focus more on written exercises and grammar rather than interactive activities that encourage speaking and listening. Legutke et al. (2009) emphasize the importance of interaction in language learning, stating, “Students need opportunities for active interaction in language learning, especially through listening and speaking tasks” (p. 56).
   Example: Children may learn words in isolation or write sentences without using them in real-life situations.
   Recommendation: It is better to incorporate interactive activities, such as games or storytelling, where students can interact with one another. This encourages practical use of language. For example, students can play a game of “Who Am I?” where one describes something (e.g., “I am an animal that lives at home”) and others guess what it is (e.g., cat, dog, birds, etc…)

   
   


4. 
   

   Difficulty in Integrating Skills Progressively:

   
   

Issue: Some curricula do not arrange skills in a progressive way, making it harder for students to learn them in an integrated manner. As noted in the CEFR, “It is important to integrate skills logically so that students learn the language as a whole” (p. 58).
Example: If a child is starting to learn English, it is better for them to first hear a simple sentence or story, then answer oral questions, then finally write small sentences about the story.
Recommendation: Skills should be taught progressively and in a way that integrates them. For example, students can listen to a story, then discuss it with the teacher orally, and finally write simple sentences summarizing the story.

5. Spelling Challenges in English:

Issue: Spelling in English can be difficult for children due to the mismatch between letters and sounds in certain words. Legutke et al. (2009) point out that “Spelling in English can be difficult for children because of the differences between letters and sounds” (p. 57).

Example: The word “though” is spelled differently than it sounds, which makes it difficult for children to spell correctly at first.

Recommendation: Fun strategies should be used to help children learn spelling, such as rhyming games or flashcards. For example, children can learn words through songs with similar spelling patterns, such as "cat, hat, bat."

How to Support Your Child at Home?

Here are some simple ways to enhance your child’s English learning:

Interactive Apps: Use language apps like Lingokids or LearnEnglish Kids for daily practice.

Story Time: Read simple English books together and ask them to retell the story in their own words.

Flashcards: Create flashcards with vocabulary words and quiz each other.

Fun Challenges: Play games like “Simon Says” in English or “I Spy” to practice vocabulary.

Conclusion:
To improve the language learning experience for children, we recommend:

Adapting teaching methods to suit young learners’ natural learning styles with interactive, fun activities.

Implementing standardized benchmarks to ensure equity in learning outcomes across schools.

Focusing on progressive skill development, integrating listening, speaking, reading, and writing into cohesive learning experiences.

Addressing specific challenges, such as spelling, through creative and engaging strategies
Together, these steps will support your child in developing their English skills confidently and effectively.