Argentina Educación Secundaria Ciclo Básico (1er año) - Lengua Extranjera (Inglés)

Curriculum Overview

The Argentinan Ciclo Básico (1er año) curriculum for English as a Foreign Language aims to develop communicative competence in students. It emphasizes a communicative and task-based approach, often implemented through project work. The curriculum seeks to build upon the language skills acquired in primary school and prepare students for continued language study in the Ciclo Superior.

Curriculum Design

The curriculum is structured around several key axes:

• English and Communication: Focuses on using English for real-world communication, expressing opinions, and participating in discussions. Activities include narrating short texts, reading and recognizing the structure of brochures and tourist guides, and writing letters and emails.
• English and the Use of Technological Resources: Emphasizes the language skills needed to navigate technology and the internet. Activities include creating instructional brochures, understanding online instructions, and critically reflecting on online content.
• English and Literary Discourse: Introduces students to various literary genres in English, such as poetry, short stories, novels, and plays. Activities include analyzing literary texts, identifying themes and characters, and creating organizational schemes for writing literary texts.

Content and Skills

The curriculum covers a range of content and skills, including:

• Grammar: Past continuous, conjunctions, simple past vs. past continuous, imperative, modal verbs (have to, don't have to, would like), conditional sentences (type 0 and 1), future tense (will vs. going to), comparative and superlative adverbs, present perfect.
• Vocabulary: General interest topics, characteristics of public spaces, vocabulary related to websites and the internet, language of media, literary analysis vocabulary.
• Phonology: Articulation of sounds, stress and rhythm patterns, intonation.
• Communicative Situations: Narrating, describing, giving instructions, expressing opinions, participating in debates, writing different types of texts (letters, emails, articles).
• Macro-skills: Listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Assessment

Assessment is an ongoing process that informs instruction and helps students develop autonomy in their learning. It includes:

• Formal Assessment: Diagnostic tests, progress achievement tests, final achievement tests.
• Informal Assessment: Portfolios, performance assessment, self-assessment, peer assessment.

The curriculum emphasizes the importance of error analysis as a learning tool, encouraging students to reflect on their mistakes and develop strategies for improvement.