1.

1 The English Curriculum Framework

The English Curriculum Framework provides the foundation and direction for teaching
and learning English. It defines the goals, scope, and sequence of what students should
know and be able to do across grade levels.
Key Features:
 Spiral progression: Skills are developed progressively and revisited at increasing
levels of complexity.
 Learner-centered: Focuses on developing communicative competence, critical
thinking, and lifelong learning.
 Standards-based: Learning is guided by performance standards and competencies
aligned to national educational goals (e.g., K to 12 Curriculum in the Philippines).
 21st-century skills integration: Communication, collaboration, creativity, and
information literacy are embedded.

Example: At the elementary level, the curriculum may introduce basic reading comprehension, while in
secondary, it progresses to literary criticism and argumentative writing.

1.2 The Domains of Literacy

The curriculum is built around multiple domains of literacy that promote holistic language
development.
Main Literacy Domains:
1. Listening – understanding spoken language.
Example: Following oral instructions for a classroom task.
2. Speaking – expressing ideas clearly and effectively.
Example: Delivering an oral report or participating in a group discussion.
3. Reading – interpreting and analyzing written texts.
Example: Analyzing the theme of a short story.
4. Writing – producing coherent written texts for various purposes.
Example: Writing a persuasive essay.
5. Viewing – interpreting visual media and non-print texts.
Example: Analyzing a TV ad or infographic.
6. Grammar Awareness – using grammar appropriately in communication.
Example: Applying subject-verb agreement in writing.
1.3 The Core Standards and Key Stage Standards in English
These standards ensure consistency, clarity, and progression in student learning across
grade levels.
A. Core Learning Standards
These are broad statements of what learners should achieve by the end of basic education:
 Demonstrate communicative competence.
 Think critically and creatively.
 Use English for lifelong learning.
 Show understanding and appreciation of literature and culture.
B. Key Stage Standards
These are learning expectations for each key stage (K–3, 4–6, 7–10, and 11–12):

Key Grade Levels Sample Standard

Stage

K to 3 Foundational Demonstrate beginning reading and writing skills in

Stage English.

4 to 6 Intermediate Use English to communicate ideas and comprehend

Stage texts.

7 to 10 Junior High Analyze literature and express ideas in academic

School writing.

11 to 12 Senior High Use English in academic, professional, and creative

School contexts.

Purposes of Listening
Listening serves multiple purposes depending on context. Here are the main ones:
1. Listening for Comprehension
To understand spoken information.
Example: Listening to a lecture or explanation.
Purpose: Grasp the main ideas and supporting details.
2. Listening for Specific Information
To find particular facts or details.
Example: Listening to a weather report to know the temperature.
Purpose: Pick out specific items or keywords.
3. Listening for Critical Evaluation
To judge or assess what is being said.
Example: Listening to a political speech or advertisement.
Purpose: Analyze, question, or make informed decisions.
4. Listening for Pleasure (Appreciative Listening)
To enjoy and appreciate the sounds or message.
Example: Listening to music, poetry, or storytelling.
Purpose: Emotional enjoyment and aesthetic experience.
5. Empathic Listening
To understand the speaker's feelings and emotions.
Example: Listening to a friend who is upset.
Purpose: Show care, support, and connection.

A. Listening Techniques
These are instructional approaches or procedures used by teachers and learners to
facilitate effective listening.
1. Pre-Listening Technique
Purpose: Prepare learners for what they are about to hear.
Examples:
 Predicting content based on a title or image
 Discussing prior knowledge or vocabulary
 Setting a listening purpose (e.g., "Listen to find the main idea")
2. While-Listening Technique
Purpose: Guide learners during the listening process to keep them focused.
Examples:
 Answering guided questions while listening
 Filling in the blanks or completing a chart
 Taking notes during a lecture
3. Post-Listening Technique
Purpose: Reinforce comprehension and encourage reflection or deeper analysis.
Examples:
 Summarizing the audio
 Group discussion or Q&A
 Writing a reaction or opinion about the content

B. Listening Strategies

These are conscious plans or tactics used by listeners to make sense of the message.

1. Cognitive Strategies
Used to process and understand the message itself.
Examples:
 Note-taking – writing down keywords or important points
 Repetition – mentally repeating parts of what was heard
 Translation – converting what is heard into the listener's first language (L1)
2. Metacognitive Strategies
Used to plan, monitor, and evaluate listening efforts.
Examples:
 Predicting – guessing what the speaker will say next
 Monitoring – checking understanding while listening
 Evaluating – reflecting afterward: "Did I understand that part?"
3. Socio-Affective Strategies
Used to control emotional responses and seek support.
Examples:
 Asking for clarification – “Could you repeat that, please?”
  Cooperating with peers – discussing answers or meaning
 Reducing anxiety – staying calm and focused during listening

Approaches in Teaching Listening

(Bottom-Up, Top-Down, and Interactive Approaches)
1. Bottom-Up Approach
The bottom-up approach focuses on decoding individual sounds, words, and
grammatical structures to build understanding of the whole message.
Principles:
 Language is a code that needs to be decoded step by step.
 Emphasizes linguistic elements: phonetics, phonology, vocabulary, grammar.
 Useful in developing accurate language processing.
Advantages:
 Strengthens foundational skills (pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar).
 Enhances recognition and processing speed of spoken language.
 Helps in understanding fast, authentic speech with practice.
Limitations:
 Can be mechanical and isolated from real-life contexts.
 May not develop higher-order comprehension on its own.
 Learners may focus too much on decoding and miss meaning.
Sample Activities:
 Dictation: Students write exactly what they hear.
 Minimal pairs: Discriminate sounds (e.g., bit/beat).
 Gap-fills: Fill in missing words in a transcript.
 Sound matching: Identify repeated or stressed words.
Characteristics:
 Learners listen from the smallest units (phonemes, syllables, words) and gradually
construct meaning.
 Focus on pronunciation, word recognition, sentence structure.
Example Activities:
 Discriminating between similar sounds: “ship” vs. “sheep”
 Identifying keywords in a sentence
 Completing gap-fill exercises from audio recordings
When to Use:
 With early learners developing vocabulary and grammar
 To improve accuracy and decoding skills
2. Top-Down Approach
The top-down approach emphasizes the use of prior knowledge, context, and
predictions to understand a message.
Principles:
 Understanding is shaped by the listener’s expectations and experiences.
 Focus is on big picture, not just words or grammar.
 Emphasizes schema theory—using mental frameworks for interpretation.
Advantages:
 Helps in understanding implied meanings, tone, and emotion.
 Encourages critical and creative thinking.
 Reflects real-world listening tasks (e.g., conversations, watching news).
Limitations:
 Learners may miss important details if they rely too much on assumptions.
 Not effective for beginners with limited vocabulary or grammar knowledge.
Sample Activities:
 Prediction: Guess the topic or ending before listening.
 Listening for main ideas: Ignore details and focus on gist.
 Discussion before and after listening.
 Answer open-ended questions: "What was the speaker’s purpose?"
Characteristics:
 Learners use background knowledge of the topic, culture, or situation to interpret what
they hear.
 Focus on main ideas, speaker’s purpose, tone, and inference.
Example Activities:
 Predicting the content before listening
 Identifying the main idea or purpose
 Answering inference-based or opinion questions
When to Use:
 With intermediate to advanced learners
 In listening for gist, overall meaning, and higher-order thinking
3. Interactive (Integrated) Approach
The interactive approach combines both bottom-up and top-down processes for a more
realistic and effective listening experience.
Principles:
  Real-world listening involves both decoding and prediction.
 Learners must be trained to switch between strategies flexibly.
 Combines accuracy and comprehension.
Advantages:
 Mirrors authentic listening situations.
 Allows learners to develop multiple listening skills.
 Enhances metacognition—awareness of how we listen.
Limitations:
 May be challenging to teach and manage in lower-level classes.
 Requires scaffolding to help learners use both processes together.
Sample Activities:
 Watch a video clip: First, predict what it’s about (top-down); then, take note of
specific expressions or phrases (bottom-up).
 Interview simulation: Students listen, take notes, infer tone, and respond.
 Jigsaw listening: Different groups listen to parts of a text and reconstruct the full
meaning together.
Characteristics:
 Learners decode sounds and structures (bottom-up) while also using context and prior
knowledge (top-down).
 Encourages active, strategic listening.
Example Activities:
 Listening to a dialogue and identifying both specific details (bottom-up) and
emotions or intentions (top-down)
 Watching a video clip with unknown vocabulary and using visual cues + sentence
structure
When to Use:
 With learners at all levels, especially in real-world tasks
 In developing balanced comprehension and communicative competence