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Curricular Units: Powerful Tools to Connect
the Syllabus with Students’ Needs and Interests
Unidades curriculares: Herramientas poderosas para conectar el programa con las
necesidades e intereses de los estudiantes
Aleida Ariza ArizaAleida Ariza ArizaAleida Ariza ArizaAleida Ariza ArizaAleida Ariza Ariza*
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
aleariza71@yahoo.es
A basic component of any language program is the construction of the
curriculum. There is a variety of approaches to curriculum planning and
implementation from the technical production perspective to the critical view.
The current article emerged from the analysis of the syllabus in a Basic English
course in the undergraduate program at Universidad Nacional de Colombia
and the design and implementation of a curricular unit. Such unit proved to be
a powerful tool to connect what was set in the program, what students needed
in terms of language and what they were interested in terms of culture.
KKKKKey worey worey worey worey words: ds: ds: ds: ds: Curriculum, Curricular Unit Platform, Constructivism, Teaching-
Communicative Language, Task-Based Approach
Un componente esencial en un programa de idiomas es la construcción del
currículo. Existe una gran variedad de enfoques en términos del diseño y la
implementación del currículo; desde una perspectiva reducida a la producción
técnica, hasta una visión crítica y transformadora. El presente artículo se gesta
a partir tanto del análisis de un programa correspondiente al curso Inglés Básico
I en la licenciatura ofrecida por la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, como
del diseño y la implementación de una unidad curricular. Dicha unidad curricular
se caracterizó por convertirse en una herramienta de conexión entre los
contenidos y procedimientos planteados en un programa y las necesidades
comunicativas e intereses culturales de los estudiantes.
Palabras claves: Palabras claves: Palabras claves: Palabras claves: Palabras claves: Currículo, Plataforma Curricular, Unidad Curricular,
Constructivismo, Lenguas Extranjeras-Enseñanza Comunicativa, Enfoque basado
en Tareas
* Judith Aleida Ariza Ariza,Judith Aleida Ariza Ariza,Judith Aleida Ariza Ariza,Judith Aleida Ariza Ariza,Judith Aleida Ariza Ariza, B.Ed in Philology and Languages, English – Spanish from the Universidad Nacional de
Colombia, has worked with students from kindergarten to university levels. She was a research assistant for the RED project and
worked for one year as a Spanish Assistant in The Weald of Kent in Tonbridge, England. She is currently a professor in the Foreign
Language Department at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and a tutor for the PFPD “Profile”. In addition, she is a Master
candidate in the Master Program in Applied Linguistics to TEFL at Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas.
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INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION
“Schooling is assumed to be a process
whose main purpose is to promote or
produce learning... Thus, schooling is
conceived as a production system in which
individual learning outcomes are the primary
products. After all, if learning is not what
schooling is for, then what could be its
purpose? (Posner, 1998, p. 81).
This quote reflects a clear position which
develops the idea of the technical
production perspective of curriculum.
Within this perspective, teachers become
technicians who plan and implement
activities geared toward students’
production.
One of the main concerns teachers have
spins around the way to best plan our lessons
so that they are coherent with the objectives
set in the syllabus and, at the same time,
meet our students’ needs and interests. One
of the options teachers have is the
construction of didactic units based on a
clear curricular platform. Such platform must
tackle key issues such as the theory of
education, the theory of learning, the theory
of teaching, the approach, the method and
the general goals to be achieved. Therefore
it constitutes the base on which the
curricular unit is built upon.
Based on my experience as a teacher and
learner of English as a foreign language, and
on literature reviewed, I strongly believe in
social interaction as the key factor in any
learning process. My curricular unit platform
has been constructed on this premise and it
contains a specific philosophy of education,
a theory of communication, a theory of
teaching, a theory of learning and the general
goals which will frame the curricular unit
design.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKTHEORETICAL FRAMEWORKTHEORETICAL FRAMEWORKTHEORETICAL FRAMEWORKTHEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Curricular PlatformCurricular PlatformCurricular PlatformCurricular PlatformCurricular Platform
A curricular platform is conceived as the
basic principles underlying the construction
and implementation of a curriculum. It
emerges from the query of how a curriculum
is planned. Thus, a curricular platform
construction is led by three main questions
as stated by Posner (1998). The first
concerns the procedural questions which aim
to go deep into the stages a teacher follows
to plan a curriculum. The second query leads
towards the description of the way a
curriculum is planned. Lastly, one should
consider the elements present in the
curriculum planning process and the way
they are related to one another.
In order to design and implement a
curricular unit, I searched for those principles
underlying the curriculum of my educational
setting and proposed some elements which
guided me in the construction of the
platform. Such elements were a theory of
education, a theory of learning, a theory of
teaching, and an approach.
ConstructivismConstructivismConstructivismConstructivismConstructivism
as a Theoras a Theoras a Theoras a Theoras a Theory of Educationy of Educationy of Educationy of Educationy of Education
The curricular unit I developed had as a
general conceptual framework
constructivism, and specifically, social
constructivism. The philosophical pillars of
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this theory have been set by authors like
Bruner, Ausubel, Piaget and Vygotsky, among
others. This philosophical position has been
influenced by postmodernism supporting the
idea that any reality is the mental
construction of those who believe they have
discovered it.
The basic principle of constructivism is
that we construct our understanding of the
world and its phenomena by reflecting on
our experience. Thus the teaching –learning
dynamics have different principles defining
new paradigms in both teachers’ and
learners’ roles. The two main principles
within this philosophy are that knowledge is
actively built up by learners and “the truth”
is not found, but constructed through the
explanation and socialization of our own
experiences.
Expanding on the previous statements,
Brooks and Brooks (1993) as cited by
Morison (1997) defined five main issues
within this philosophical position:
• Use relevant problems for instruction
• Learning is constructed around primary
concepts
• Value students’ points of view
• Adapt curriculum to address students’
suppositions
• Assessing students’ learning in the
context of teaching
Social constructivism considers that the
culture gives the child the cognitive tools
needed for development such as cultural
history, social context, language and, in these
modern times, electronic forms to have
information access. It emphasizes education
for social transformation and reflects a way
of conceiving individuals within a socio-
cultural context. In the same train of thought,
individual development originates from
social interactions as cultural meaning are
shared by the group and later they are
apprehended by the individual.
As stated by Schütz (2002), Vygotsky is
one of the representative authors within this
framework. He emphasizes the importance
of culture and social context for individuals’
cognitive development. There are four main
principles supporting social constructivism.
First, learning and development is a social
collaborative activity. Then, school learning
should occur in meaningful context and there
should be a connection between the world
at school and the “real world”. The third
pillar emphasizes the idea that experiences
lived out of school should be connected to
those promoted and carried out within the
school context. Finally, the Zone of Proximal
Development1 (ZPD) can be a guide for
curricular and lesson planning. Within this
conceptual framework, knowledge is a
construction made by each learner regarding
what he or she has experienced before and
is linked to social interaction.
With social constructivism as the theory
of education, learning is viewed as a process
of adjusting our mental models in order to
accommodate new experiences we are
exposed to by means of daily social
interaction in a cultural context. Within this
process, learners invent rules, discover
concepts and build representation of the
1 Zone of Proximal Development: The stage a person can reach when being involved in social interaction.
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world going through a process of
enculturation into a community of practice.
Although Wolffe and McMullen (1996)
consider constructivism as a theory of
learning due to its essence, there are some
important teaching principles to bear in
mind when selecting this philosophy of
education. A constructivist teacher creates
a context for learning where students can
engage in interesting activities that promote
and facilitate the process. Among the
implications this philosophy presents, it is
very relevant to mention:
• The transition of the teachers’ roles
from transmitters to facilitators: Teachers
guide students when tackling the learning
challenges; they encourage learners to work
in groups and support them in their
modification of previous cognitive schemes.
• Teachers are called on to enable
learners to learn how to learn: Teachers
should provide students with instructional
settings in which learners can live the
language and use it to modify their world
and conditions around them. Thus,
autonomy and self-directed learning is
encouraged.
• There are more open-ended
evaluations of learning outcomes: Learning
is conceived as a process of modification in
which there is not one “correct” way to
interpret phenomena around us.
APPROACH AND METHODAPPROACH AND METHODAPPROACH AND METHODAPPROACH AND METHODAPPROACH AND METHOD
Brown (1995) cites Anthony (1963) to
clarify the difference between an approach
and a method. An approach is considered
to have a ground assumption dealing with
the nature of language and learning while a
method is a general plan for the presentation
of language materials. Thus, an approach is
more axiomatic while a method is more
procedural as it deals with putting theory
into practice, it being the level at which
choices are made about the particular skills
to develop, the contents to be explored, and
the order of such exploratory tasks.
The view of language within this
approach is an interactional one. Language
is conceived as a vehicle for the realization
of interpersonal relations and for the
performance of social exchanges between
individuals. According to Richards and
Rodgers (1982), as cited by Brown (1995),
some of the most relevant characteristics of
this vision are that language is a system for
the expression of meaning and its primary
function is for interaction and
communication. Such communication
should be meaningful and purposeful within
a specific social context. Accordingly,
language is perceived as a social practice in
which the focus is the empowerment of the
learner through the critical analysis of the
social situations and the development of
skills to face power differences.
FFFFFramework: Tramework: Tramework: Tramework: Tramework: Task–Basedask–Basedask–Basedask–Basedask–Based
Tasks are conceived as activities where
the target language is used by the learner
for a communicative purpose in order to
achieve a specific outcome (Willis, 1996).
This author makes references to six types of
tasks: listing, ordering and sorting,
comparing, problem solving, sharing
personal experiences, and creative tasks.
Among the possible starting points for task
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work are learners’ personal knowledge and
experiences, problems, visual stimuli, and
spoken or written texts.
As proposed by Willis (1996) and
highlighted by Rooney (2001), the task –
based learning framework has three main
components: Pre-task, Task cycle and
Language Focus. The pre-task component
relates to the introduction to the topic and
task. The task cycle has three moments. In
the first part, students do the task
collaboratively; afterwards, during the
planning stage, students prepare to report
to the whole class the way they developed
the task informing on the decisions taken.
Finally, students report on the process carried
out. The last component refers to the
language focus, which contains the analysis
and the practice. In the former, students
examine and discuss specific features of the
texts and in the latter, practice of new
concepts is carried out.
One of the advantages this framework
offers for learning is the confidence learners
develop from trying out the language they
know. It also promotes and opens spaces for
spontaneous interaction. Furthermore,
students are given the chance to notice the
way others express similar meanings, getting
them engaged in using language purposefully
and cooperatively, concentrating on building
meaning. Additionally, this framework gives
learners more spaces to tr y out
communication strategies.
CURRICULCURRICULCURRICULCURRICULCURRICULAR UNIT DESIGN ANDAR UNIT DESIGN ANDAR UNIT DESIGN ANDAR UNIT DESIGN ANDAR UNIT DESIGN AND
IMPLEMENTIMPLEMENTIMPLEMENTIMPLEMENTIMPLEMENTAAAAATIONTIONTIONTIONTION
Based on the curricular platform
previously described, a curricular unit was
designed to develop a specific topic: eating
habits and food celebrations. The next
section of the article will account for the unit
design, implementation and evaluation.
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Curricular UnitCurricular UnitCurricular UnitCurricular UnitCurricular Unit
Unit Author
FIRST AND LAST NAME: Aleida Ariza
E – MAIL ADDRESS: aleariza71@yahoo.es /aleariza71@latinmail.com
INSTITUTION NAME: Universidad Nacional de Colombia
INSTITUTION CITY: Bogotá
Unit Plan Title: Food Time!
Curriculum Framing Questions:
Essential Question: How different or similar are English speaking countries’ eating
habits compared to Colombian ones?
Unit Questions:
• What do people in the class like eating?
• What do people in Britain and the United States normally eat?
• What is the relation between food and a local and an international celebration?
Unit Summary
This unit was concerned with the topic of food habits and the relation of food and
celebration. Students built up new knowledge in terms of some vocabulary and
grammatical structures as well as in social and cultural features based on their
experiences and those experiences narrated by people from English speaking
countries.
Subject Areas
English, Civilization.
Level
Students from English Basic I course registered in the undergraduate English
program (“licenciatura”).
Key Words:
Food, Celebration, Eating habits, Thanksgiving, Meals, Dishes, Eating preferences.
Approximated Time Needed
Ten hours a week, one week.
Previous Knowledge
• Ability to express existence (There is /there are)
• Ability to describe objects (is/ are /have got / has got)
• Reading skills (skimming /scanning to a certain extent)
Unit Overview
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Materials and ResourMaterials and ResourMaterials and ResourMaterials and ResourMaterials and Resources Required for the Unitces Required for the Unitces Required for the Unitces Required for the Unitces Required for the Unit·
• Food cards.
• Video (Interchange Pre-intermediate chapter 8 video)·
• Video player.
• Two texts related to food habits in English speaking countries.
TTTTTararararargeted University Fgeted University Fgeted University Fgeted University Fgeted University Frameworkrameworkrameworkrameworkramework
The following English Basic I course program standards were taken into account:
• Picks out main ideas and key words in familiar material.
• Comprehends the gist of the message with adequate competence and confidence.
• Handles a narrow range of language.
• Comprehension of most adapted material and simple authentic texts.
• Needs constant repetition and repair.
• Responds to simple speech situations in moderate level contexts with limited confidence
and competence.
• Presents false starts and hesitations.
GoalsGoalsGoalsGoalsGoals
• Students will construct knowledge by relating new information with previous experiences.
• Students will interpret phenomena around them through using the target language.
• Students will be able to interact with certain accuracy in different daily life, academic
and personal situations.
• Students will use the vision given by their culture in order to better understand the
world around them and to set a clear position towards the social context which surrounds
them.
Students Objectives / Learning OutcomesStudents Objectives / Learning OutcomesStudents Objectives / Learning OutcomesStudents Objectives / Learning OutcomesStudents Objectives / Learning Outcomes
Linguistic:Linguistic:Linguistic:Linguistic:Linguistic:
• To review structures already studied such as there is /there are, have got/ has got,
simple present : do/wh questions
• To get to know and use vocabulary related to food items·
• To master quantifiers such as a, an, some, any
CulturalCulturalCulturalCulturalCultural
• To acknowledge food habits in Colombian culture
• To be aware of cultural differences regarding food habits, specially between Colombia
and two English speaking countries: The United States and Great Britain.
Affective:Affective:Affective:Affective:Affective:
• To share information related to personal preferences in terms of food items
• To value team work
• To acknowledge partner’ skills and the way they can learn from one another
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AssessmentAssessmentAssessmentAssessmentAssessment
Assessment was included along diverse tasks within the unit mainly because evaluation
should be continuous and systematic. Students used self, co-evaluation and peer
assessment. The teacher also collected students’ sample of the activities developed and
gave individual feedback. Samples of the exercises were kept in students’ portfolios as
this means had been used all through the term as an alternative way to evaluate both
students’ performance and materials used to meet course aims.
ProceduresProceduresProceduresProceduresProcedures
TTTTTask 1 Task 1 Task 1 Task 1 Task 1 Type: Listingype: Listingype: Listingype: Listingype: Listing
Pretask: The teacher asked students about food items they remembered, wrote them on
the board and showed the group of students a poster with a lot of food elements. Students
were asked to find out names of food items by predicting, asking each other or by using
their dictionaries. The poster was stuck on the wall next to the board.
Task. In groups of three, students were asked to write on a piece of paper as many words
related to food as possible in two minutes depending on the category mentioned by the
teacher (fruit, vegetables, beverages, meat, seafood, dairy products, seasoning). Once
time was over, students counted the number of words written and the member of the
group with the highest number read aloud their examples. Groups with the same word
crossed it out. At the end of each category reading, students counted the number of
words left and added each number to get a total score at the end of the “game”. While
students were reading the written words aloud, the teacher wrote the words on the
board in two different columns: A/An — Some
Post task: Students were asked to look at the way the words they had mentioned had
been grouped and to express their own hypothesis about the reason for such classification.
The language focus was addressed to testing students’ hypothesis about the use of aaaaa, an an an an an
and somesomesomesomesome, related to those food items.
TTTTTask 2 Task 2 Task 2 Task 2 Task 2 Type: Orype: Orype: Orype: Orype: Ordering and Sortingdering and Sortingdering and Sortingdering and Sortingdering and Sorting
1. Students were given flashcards with pictures of varied food items and their names.
They had to stand up and look for another person who had item characteristics on a card
that were similar to his /hers under the criteria given by the teacher (color, size, taste,
food category). The teacher asked two students (who may be strong in their language
use) to model using different questions such us: “Have you got a/an some...?” “What
have you got?” “I’ve got an apple”. “I’ve got some wine”.
AssessmentAssessmentAssessmentAssessmentAssessment
Students were asked to evaluate three aspects orally: First, the activities carried out up
to this stage. Second, they evaluated the material used and finally –the most important
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one. If objectives were achieved (to have a reflective look at their own learning process).
The most relevant comments on these aspects were written down and kept in their
portfolios. Having the space for assessment at this stage of the curricular unit gave me
the opportunity to make informed decisions about the process and reorient the teaching
– learning process.
TTTTTask 3. Task 3. Task 3. Task 3. Task 3. Type: Listing, Sharing Pype: Listing, Sharing Pype: Listing, Sharing Pype: Listing, Sharing Pype: Listing, Sharing Personal Experience, Comparingersonal Experience, Comparingersonal Experience, Comparingersonal Experience, Comparingersonal Experience, Comparing
1. In a whole class arrangement, students brainstormed about their eating preferences
when asked about giving the first idea that came to their minds to the questions: “Which
type of food do you like the most?” “What kind of food do you dislike?”
2. Students received a chart (see appendix 1) “Food I like... Food I dislike”. They filled
out the first column by writing five things they liked in relation to the topic. In the
second stage of this task students constructed the appropriate questions, stood up and
found someone to fill out the rest of the chart by searching, through questions, for
people in the classroom who liked and disliked the same type of food.
3. Criteria for preparing and assessing the oral account on the information gathered are
set in a process of negotiation and construction with students.
TTTTTask 4 Task 4 Task 4 Task 4 Task 4 Type: Skimming / Scanningype: Skimming / Scanningype: Skimming / Scanningype: Skimming / Scanningype: Skimming / Scanning
PretaskPretaskPretaskPretaskPretask: In the session before, I asked students to search for information about eating
habits in both The United States and Great Britain along with visual support on their
findings. Students formed groups of three and exchanged some information they found,
then everybody changed groups until they had been part of three different groups.
Afterwards, students shared what they had learned through these dynamics in a plenary
session.
TTTTTask:ask:ask:ask:ask: Half the students were given the reading “Meals in Britain” taken from Headway
Elementary on page 66. The other half received the text “Food in America” taken from
Contact USA on page 52. They were asked to read silently, and to deduce the meaning
of new words using the context as a first strategy, then to try a second option (using a
dictionary, asking a partner, asking the teacher).
Students reading the first article were asked to read again in order to match the
photographs with the appropriate paragraph and, in pairs, to prepare three comprehension
questions for the reading. They gave the small questionnaire to the teacher.
At the same time the other half of the course followed the same process with their
reading but the mini-task was to write a subheading for each paragraph according to the
most relevant piece of information given in each of them. Later students were asked to
prepare a small reading comprehension questionnaire based on the text in pairs. Once
they had finished, their pieces of work were given to the teacher.
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Every student looked for a partner who had read the opposite article and gave a concrete
oral account, guided by the questionnaires and paragraph headings they had elaborated
previously, of the main aspects tackled in the text. In a whole class session students
discussed eating habits in the USA and Great Britain, establishing similarities and
differences and what those implied in terms of cultural values. The teacher shared with
students some of the anecdotes that she experienced while living in The United Kingdom
when she was part of a teacher assistantship in 2000 – 2001. Students were asked to
brainstorm by writing extra questions they wanted to ask on this topic for the following
session. A guess speaker was invited to the class for a fifteen-minute period. He was an
English citizen named Neil Alexander who was teaching at the university as part of an
assistantship program in Colombia. Students used their notes from the brainstorm activity
carried out during the session before in order to ask about any interesting aspect related
to food habits of the native speaker.
AssessmentAssessmentAssessmentAssessmentAssessment
Classroom-based assessment was carried out taking into account both sources of
information, notes taken by me during student performance of the activities and students’
self-written evaluation, guided by the following heading given by the teacher: What I
did... what I learned... working in pairs was...What I liked and disliked the most was...
TTTTTask 5 Task 5 Task 5 Task 5 Task 5 Type: Prype: Prype: Prype: Prype: Problem Solvingoblem Solvingoblem Solvingoblem Solvingoblem Solving
Pretask: Pretask: Pretask: Pretask: Pretask: Students brainstormed on various types of food from different places around
the world.
TTTTTask: ask: ask: ask: ask: Students were given a copy of an activity adapted from New Headway Elementary
(see appendix 2) in which five pictures of dishes are shown. Students made predictions
about the countries those dishes were from. They took notes while listening to a tape in
which five native English speakers talked about their favorite dishes. They listened to
the tape for a second time and completed the chart. They needed to complete information
under the headings: Name of the Speaker, Favorite Dish and Additional Information.
PPPPPost task: ost task: ost task: ost task: ost task: Students selected a partner to compare their notes with so they could both
comment and complement the information. The teacher displayed an empty model of
the same chart on the board and volunteers were required to fill the chart out. Through
guided questions the teacher led students to the identification of new vocabulary and
the way it supported the topic being developed all through the curricular unit
AssessmentAssessmentAssessmentAssessmentAssessment
Students wrote their comments on a sheet of paper to evaluate their performance during
the task in terms of quantity (how much information was written individually), and quality
(how accurate the listening task was). The piece of paper was collected along with the
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chart and individual written feedback was given. In order to give students space to reflect
upon the task and its performance, students sat in a “U” shape and the teacher asked
them to evaluate the activity as a group. Some of the criteria given to do so included
degree of difficulty, information interest degree, pair work dynamics, and self-evaluation.
TTTTTasks 6 Tasks 6 Tasks 6 Tasks 6 Tasks 6 Type: Listing, Prype: Listing, Prype: Listing, Prype: Listing, Prype: Listing, Problem Solvingoblem Solvingoblem Solvingoblem Solvingoblem Solving
PretaskPretaskPretaskPretaskPretask: The teacher distributed pieces of paper with words related to Thanksgiving on
them. When every student got his/her card, they stood up and read to as many members
of the class as possible the words written on the cards in two minutes. Then, students
were given five minutes to tell two partners as many words or expressions he/she
remembered, so that they exchanged information collectively. In a whole class arrangement
students were asked to predict what the video was about based on the information shared
before. Students’ predictions were written on the board.
TTTTTask: ask: ask: ask: ask: Students received the video guide titled “THANKSGIVING!” taken from
Interchange, Pre-intermediate Video Book (see appendix 3) and followed the procedure
explained in it and mentioned below.
Before YBefore YBefore YBefore YBefore You Wou Wou Wou Wou Watchatchatchatchatch
• Read the two short texts related to cultural aspects in the United States.
• Is there a similar celebration in Colombia? Which date is it?
• Look at the vocabulary and put the words given in the appropriate place on the chart.
While YWhile YWhile YWhile YWhile You Wou Wou Wou Wou Watchatchatchatchatch
• Watch the first part of the video and complete the chart on the board with more
information.
• Students are asked to watch the first part of the video and answer some questions very
clearly.
• Students watch the second section of the video and tick the food product based on
pictures of the people who took part in a survey applied in the U.S.A.
• Participants watch the last part of the video and complete some sentences related to
untraditional food.
AAAAAfter Yfter Yfter Yfter Yfter You Wou Wou Wou Wou Watchatchatchatchatch
Students were asked to think about a special holiday in our country and share their
information with a different partner. They had to talk about types of food in those holidays
and the way they were related to the celebrations.
Assessment:Assessment:Assessment:Assessment:Assessment:
The video guides were collected and individual feedback given. Students were asked to
self evaluate the activity under negotiated criteria: importance, pertinence, interest level,
positive aspects, negative aspects, and strategies to overcome difficulties.
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EVEVEVEVEVALALALALALUAUAUAUAUATIONTIONTIONTIONTION
OF THE CURRICULOF THE CURRICULOF THE CURRICULOF THE CURRICULOF THE CURRICULAR UNITAR UNITAR UNITAR UNITAR UNIT
• The current curricular unit was
perceived as very complete by students
even though some of the activities could
not be carried out due to time constraints.
• All the objectives proposed were
achieved in terms of language (regarding
cooperative work as well as the cultural
ones).
• Acknowledging students’ previous
knowledge proved to be a very useful part
of both the curricular platform and the
curricular unit. Students felt more
confident when they could tackle a new
aspect of English using what they had
already mastered and had practiced with
along the term.
• Learning by doing is a key feature in
this unit. Students enjoyed the activities
in which they could participate actively.
Having students competing against each
other proved to be an effective tool in terms
of motivation and quality in students’
production.
• A strength in this curricular unit and,
at the same time, a reflection of the
curricular platform, is the variety of
communicative tasks which involved the
four communicative abilities: listening,
speaking, reading (not only texts, but
pictures and images) and writing. Abilities
like ordering, listing, and guessing, among
others, were also present.
• A drawback observed in the unit by
both students and the teacher was the design
of too many tasks for the period of time set.
Students felt they were “in a hurry” most of
the time and that pressure affected some
students’ pace of learning. This limitation
can be overcome when implementing the
unit again by means of selecting the best
and most complete tasks and adjusting the
unit to the time needed to develop it.
CONCLCONCLCONCLCONCLCONCLUSIONSUSIONSUSIONSUSIONSUSIONS
Working within the framework of
curricular units proved to be very beneficial
as I could bridge the gap between what was
proposed by the curriculum and what was
needed by students. It is worth mentioning
that decisions made to build the curricular
unit were based on the principles underlying
the syllabus for the course as well as on
students’ needs in terms of language and
cultural knowledge.
The curricular unit designed encouraged
students to value their own culture in various
aspects such as eating habits and festivities.
Students were able to reflect upon different
cultural expressions in our society while
getting to know cultural aspects of the target
language communities.
As pointed out by the constructivist
theory, students recreated the knowledge
they had based on their experiences and
compared it to the new information worked
on in the curricular unit. I consider this
process a very enriching one in terms of
language learning and cultural awareness.
Likewise, the task-based framework
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encouraged students to use the target
language for a communicative purpose in
order to achieve a specific product. Thus,
students faced diverse types of tasks which
moved them to use English in purposeful
activities.
REFERENCESREFERENCESREFERENCESREFERENCESREFERENCES
Abraham, P. and Mackey, D. (1989). Contact
U.S.A. Reading and vocabulary book. New
Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.
Brown, D. (1995). The Elements of language
curriculum. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.
Morison, D. (1997). Reviews and
Commentaries Section. Retrieved April 2003,
from http://www.scientificamerican.com/
1997issue/1997review1.html
Posner, G. (1998). Models of Curriculum
Planning. In Beyer, L. and Apple, M., The
Curriculum: Problems, Politics and Possibilities.
Albany: State University of New York Press, 79-
100.
Richards, J. (1996). New Interchange. Video
Activity Book 2. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Rooney, K. (2001). Redesigning Non-Task-
Based Material to Fit a Task-Based Framework.
Retrieved December 2002, from http://
iteslj.org/Techniques/Rooney-Task-Based.html
Schütz, R. (2002). Vygotsky and Language
Acquisition. Retrieved May 2002, from http://
www.sk.com.br/sk-vygot.html
Soars, Liz and Soars, John. (1993). Headway
Elementary. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Soars, Liz and Soars, John. (2000). New
Headway Elementary. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Willis, J. (1996). A framework for task-based
learning. Essex: Addison Wesley Longman
Limited.
Wolffe, R. J., and McMullen, D.W. (1996).
The Constructivist Connection: Linking theory,
best practice and technology. Retrieved April
2003, from ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching
and Teacher Education, Washington DC.
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APPENDIX 1: FOOD I LIKE... FOOD I DISLIKEAPPENDIX 1: FOOD I LIKE... FOOD I DISLIKEAPPENDIX 1: FOOD I LIKE... FOOD I DISLIKEAPPENDIX 1: FOOD I LIKE... FOOD I DISLIKEAPPENDIX 1: FOOD I LIKE... FOOD I DISLIKE
I LIKE I DISLIKE FIND SOMEONE
WHO HAS THE
SAME TASTE
SPECIFIC
INFORMATION
I like chicken
I don’t like spinach Do you like
chicken?
How do you like it?
Carolina C. roasted
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APPENDIX 2: TAPPENDIX 2: TAPPENDIX 2: TAPPENDIX 2: TAPPENDIX 2: TASK 5: FOOD ROUND THE WORLDASK 5: FOOD ROUND THE WORLDASK 5: FOOD ROUND THE WORLDASK 5: FOOD ROUND THE WORLDASK 5: FOOD ROUND THE WORLD
1. Look at the picture of food below. Where is each dish from? Which do you like?
Pictures taken from New Headway Elementary, p. 72
2. Listen to the tape in which five native speakers talk about their favorite dishes. Take
notes.
TTTTTapescript:apescript:apescript:apescript:apescript:
Marian:Marian:Marian:Marian:Marian:
Well, I love vegetables, all vegetables - I eat meat too – but not much. I think this is why
I like Chinese food so much. There are lots of vegetables in Chinese food. Yes, Chinese is my
favourite food. I like the noodles too. Can you eat with chopsticks? I can!
Graham:Graham:Graham:Graham:Graham:
Now in my job, I travel the world, and I like all kinds of food...but my favourite, my
favourite is... er ... I always have it as soon as I come home... Is a full English breakfast.
Bacon, eggs, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, and of course toast. I love it, not every day
but when I’m at home we have it every Sunday. Mmmm! I’d like it right now- delicious.
Lucy:Lucy:Lucy:Lucy:Lucy:
Oh, no question, no problem. I know exactly what my favourite food is. Pasta. All pasta.
Especially spaghetti. Pasta with tomato sauce – and I like it best when I’m in Italy. I went on
holiday to the Italian lakes last year. The food was wonderful.
Gavin:Gavin:Gavin:Gavin:Gavin:
...er... I’m not sure. No, I know what it is. My... favourite... food is Indian food. Friday
night I like to go to the pub with friends from work and ... have a few beers...er... no, not too
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PROFILE PROFILE PROFILE PROFILE PROFILE The Hidden Curriculum
many... and after we always go to an Indian restaurant and I have a chicken curry with rice.
It’s the best! I like it more than chips!
Sally:Sally:Sally:Sally:Sally:
Well! Shhh! But my very, very favourite food is chocolate. Chocolate anything, I love it.
Chocolate ice-cream, chocolate biscuits, chocolate cake, but especially just a big bar of
chocolate, Mmmmm! Terrible, isn’t it? Go on! Have some of this! My friend brought it back
from Switzerland for me!
Tapescript taken from New Headway Elementary, p. 120.
3. Listen to the tape for the second time and complete the following chart.
4. Talk to a partner and swap information so you can finish completing your chart.
No. NAME OF
THE PERSON
FAVOURITE
FOOD
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1
2
3
4
5
Marian
Graham
Lucy
Gavin
Sally
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APPENDIX 3: THANKSGIVING!APPENDIX 3: THANKSGIVING!APPENDIX 3: THANKSGIVING!APPENDIX 3: THANKSGIVING!APPENDIX 3: THANKSGIVING!
Before YBefore YBefore YBefore YBefore You Wou Wou Wou Wou Watchatchatchatchatch
1. Culture
Read the following text and comment on it with a partner.
On the fourth Thursday in November, people in the United
States celebrate Thanksgiving. They get together with family
and friends, share a special meal, and “give thanks” for what
they have. The tradition goes back to 1620, when the first
group of Europeans, called Pilgrims, settled in North America.
The Pilgrims didn’t know how to grow crops in the New
World, so the Native Americans helped them. Later, they
celebrated the good harvest with a special meal. Today on
Thanksgiving Day, families and friends do the very same thing.
Text taken from Interchange Pre-intermediate p. 30, unit 8
Is there a similar holiday in our country? Comment on it.
2. Vocabulary
• Look at the chart below. What is “main dish”, “side dish” and “dessert”?
Can you give examples of them?
• Complete the chart with the dish names shown in the pictures.
MAIN DISHES SIDE DISHES DESSERTS
Activity adapted from Interchange Pre-intermediate p. 30, unit 8
Pictures taken from Interchange Pre-intermediate p. 30, unit 8
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While YWhile YWhile YWhile YWhile You watchou watchou watchou watchou watch
1. Finish completing the chart above while you watch the whole video.
2. Look at the first section of the video and answer the questions below individually:
• How did Native Americans help the Pilgrims?
• Where is the best place to find people getting ready for this holiday celebration?
• Who do people usually invite for this celebration?
3. What do these people eat on Thanksgiving? Tick on the right square.
Chart taken from Interchange Pre-intermediate p. 31, unit 8
4. Untraditional Food!
Some people have different types of food to eat on Thanksgiving which are not considered
traditional. Watch this section of the video and complete the sentences below.
• Sopa is ___________________ in a ________________ and garlic sauce.
It has carrots, _______________, corn, and sometimes _______________ in it.
• Greens is a tradition from the _____________________.
• Dirty rice is __________________ mixed with rice.
Exercise taken from Interchange Pre-intermediate p. 31, unit 8
Compare you answers with a partner’s and complement your exercise.
After You watch
Think about a special holiday in our country and discuss with a partner the type of food
eaten and its importance in the celebration. Write down some of the information from the
discussion you consider valuable.
This article was received on May 10th, 2004 and accepted on august 23rd, 2004.