2017 English Grade 1 Part 1 (Pupil's Book)

To the teacher
The Grade 1 English textbook has been conceived and written with the aim of making the
learning of English pleasant and effective for our young learners. Taking into account the pupils’
current level of proficiency in English, it proposes a set of activities that will develop skills and
knowledge that will serve as foundation for further learning of the language.
The textbook comprises an introductory section entitled “Getting started” that reinforces
pupils’ knowledge of alphabets and colours. This is followed by six units with different sections.
Each section focusses on the development of specific skills and knowledge. Learning is made
meaningful and fun through content that is based on the experiences of the children and
topics of interest to them. A variety of activities have been included to sustain interest
and motivation.
At this level, there is more emphasis on the development of the oral and aural skills, and on
equipping the pupils with basic vocabulary and grammar. However, literacy skills are also
developed through the use of big books and simple writing activities. Teachers’ notes are
interspersed throughout the textbook to assist you in implementing the activities. It is however
understood that you have a key role in adapting the activities and the pace at which teaching
will take place according to the profile and needs of your learners. You will also have to
produce additional resources to support teaching, and devise supplementary activities for
the consolidation of learning or for remedial action.
Further details about the different components and guidelines for their implementation are
given below:
Story time: This component serves to introduce learners to simple narrative texts and develop
budding notions of literacy (cover page, title, author, direction of print, etc.) Use the big book
over several days according to the procedure detailed on the back cover. Make sure that the
pace is adapted to the learners’ level. The vocabulary is basic, sentences are simple and the
texts are short. It is expected that, with appropriate support, pupils will internalise certain
words and language patterns after they have heard the story a few times, and will be willing
to join in as you read. The pupils are NOT expected to be able to read on their own nor to
understand each and every word. To help them understand the storyline and main ideas, point
to the illustrations in the big book, mime actions, refer to their own experiences, draw from
prior knowledge, and use additional resources – such as realia or word and picture cards.
Vocabulary building: The vocabulary taught is derived from the theme of each unit and is
introduced through the story. The activities move from oral to writing, with visual support included
to ease understanding. Additional resources will nevertheless be required. Word walls can be
set up in the classroom to ensure that pupils are continuously exposed to the new vocabulary
as they work on a given unit. You must however draw their attention to these words and
encourage them to recall their meaning and use them. You may teach additional words
related to the theme as per the level of your pupils.
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