Samoa Year 6 English Curriculum

The English curriculum for Year 6 in Samoa focuses on developing students' ability to confidently and flexibly use a range of strategies to understand texts and participate in classroom interactions. It emphasizes the bilingual literacy policy and the interdependence of Samoan and English.

Strands

The curriculum is organized around three strands:

1. Listening and Speaking: This strand aims to develop students' understanding of English through listening and their proficiency in speaking English in various contexts. Students are expected to use a range of strategies to interpret texts and participate in classroom interactions. They should be able to identify explicit and implicit meanings, use cohesive devices, and understand speakers' intentions and feelings through language, gestures, and facial expressions. 2. Reading and Viewing: This strand focuses on developing students' ability to understand written and visual texts. Students learn to use processing and comprehension strategies flexibly and efficiently. They should be able to use visual, graphophonic, syntactic, and prior knowledge to decode and understand texts. They are also expected to respond critically to texts and show increasing confidence and independence in using vocabulary learning strategies. 3. Writing and Presenting: This strand aims to develop students' ability to communicate effectively through writing and presenting. Students learn to plan, draft, revise, and publish written texts using various strategies. They should be able to use phonemic awareness, phonics, syntactic and meaning information to match written words with spoken words. They are also expected to develop topics logically and coherently, demonstrate control of rhetorical patterns, and use writing creatively for self-expression.

Substrands

The three strands are further divided into substrands:

1. Processes and Strategies: This substrand focuses on the steps involved in achieving a purpose, such as decoding, comprehension, planning, drafting, and revising. 2. Language: This substrand covers grammar, punctuation, phonology (sounds of language), and vocabulary. 3. Texts: This substrand focuses on the purpose, audience, and ideas of a text, as well as its form, features, and comprehension. 4. Interpersonal Communication: This substrand focuses on using language to communicate with others in various contexts, including turn-taking and negotiating meaning.

Bilingualism and Literacy

The curriculum emphasizes the importance of bilingualism and the interdependence of Samoan and English. Students are encouraged to use their Samoan language skills to support their learning of English.

Assessment

Assessment is an integral part of the curriculum and is used to monitor student progress, inform teaching practices, and report student achievement. It includes assessment for learning (diagnostic and formative), assessment as learning (ongoing self and peer assessment), and assessment of learning (summative).