1. General information
Course:
ENGLISH GRAMMAR AND DISCOURSE FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Code:
47388
Type:
ELECTIVE
ECTS credits:
6
Degree:
301 - UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Academic year:
2021-22
Center:
101 - FACULTY OF EDUCATION IN ALBACETE
Group(s):
12
Year:
4
Duration:
First semester
Main language:
English
Second language:
Use of additional languages:
English Friendly:
Y
Web site:
Bilingual:
N
Lecturer:
ELIECER CRESPO FERNANDEZ
- Group(s):
12
Building/Office
Department
Phone number
Email
Office hours
Facultad de Educación. Departamento Filología Moderna. 1ª planta
FILOLOGÍA MODERNA
967-599200 (2519)
eliecer.crespo@uclm.es
To be announced
2. Pre-Requisites
The student must have passed the course units Foreign Language and itsTeaching I: English and Foreign Language and itsTeaching II: English from the first
and the second year respectively of the Degree of Teacher in Early Childhood Education.
3. Justification in the curriculum, relation to other subjects and to the profession
Not only is the knowledge of the English language essential for the training and profesional development of the future Early Childhood Education teachers; it is also crucial for them to know how English is structured as well as its main elements and units. In this regard, the course unit Grammar and Discourse for Early Childhood Education delves into the scientific study and systematic reflection of English grammar (morphology and syntax) and discourse. This course focuses on one of the two dimensions on which the speciality of Foreign Language: English is based: the knowledge of grammar as part of the more general knowledge of the English language. After completion of the course, students will be able to know the basic principles of English grammar and apply them in their future jobs in order to teach the language succesfully.
The course unit English Grammar and Discourse for Early Childhood Education is integrated in the speciality of "Foreign Language: English" which belongs to the Degree of Teacher in Early Childhood Education.
4. Degree competences achieved in this course
| Course competences | |
|---|---|
| Code | Description |
| 2.2.II.01. | Be able to communicate fluently, correctly and in a socially satisfactory way within the parameters required at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (Independent User: Advanced), deepening in the development of the five communication skills of the foreign language: listening, reading, speaking, oral interaction and writing. |
| 2.2.II.02. | Develop verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to facilitate the transmission and understanding of the message, paying special attention to the communication structures that the teacher needs to interact with the pupils in the Early Childhood Education classrooms. |
| 2.2.II.03. | Select and elaborate on oral and written texts that are relevant and of interest to early childhood pupils that promote the learning of the English language. |
| CB02 | Apply their knowledge to their job or vocation in a professional manner and show that they have the competences to construct and justify arguments and solve problems within their subject area. |
| CB04 | Transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions for both specialist and non-specialist audiences. |
| CT01 | Knowledge of a second foreign language. |
| CT03 | Correct oral and written communication. |
5. Objectives or Learning Outcomes
| Course learning outcomes | |
|---|---|
| Description | |
| Analyse and produce simple and complex sentences (nominal, relative, conditional, infinitive, gerund and participle). | |
| Use new technologies to enhance the development of oral skills and as a resource for teaching and/or learning the English language. | |
| Reflect on the functioning of the coherence and cohesion resources present in texts belonging to differing genres. | |
| Know how to express and interact fluently and correctly within the parameters required by level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, participating without prior preparation in conversations that deal with daily and more specific topics, expressing personal opinions and exchanging information on topics of general, personal or professional interest. | |
| Additional outcomes | |
| Description | |
| Identify the main morphological and syntactic elements of the English language, from the word to the text, and get to know how they work in discourse | |
| Analyse the word as a morphological unit and identify the main processes of word formation | |
| Analyse and produce simple and complex sentences, distinguishing between clauses and sentences as well as the different clause types (nominal, adjectival, adverbial, infinitival, gerundive and participal). |
|
| Reflect on clause and sentence structure and analyse the different phrase types: nominal, adjectival, verbal, adverbial and prepositional phrases. | |
| Identify the coordination and subordination links existing in the sentence or in texts and reflect on the mechanisms of coherence and cohesion. | |
6. Units / Contents
-
Unit 1: INTRODUCTION
-
Unit 1.1: Key concepts: Grammar, Linguistics and Discourse
-
Unit 1.2: Units and levels of language description
-
-
Unit 2: TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE, THINGS, EVENTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES
-
Unit 2.1: Identifying, classifying, and modifying entities. Nominal and Adjectival Groups
-
Unit 2.2: Expressing present, past and future time in English. Verbal Group
-
Unit 2.3: Expressing circumstances of time, place and manner. Prepositional and Adverbial Groups
-
-
Unit 3: CREATING, EXPANDING AND ORGANISING THE MESSAGE. FROM THE CLAUSE TO THE TEXT
-
Unit 3.1: Identifying clause types and sentence patterns in English. Coordination and Subordination
-
Unit 3.2: Using subordinate clauses to expand the message: conditional clauses, reported speech, relative clauses, and non-finite clauses
-
Unit 3.3: Creating coherent texts. Thematic and Information structures
-
-
Unit 4: TEACHING ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
-
Unit 4.1: Analysing games, songs and stories to practice grammatical structures
-
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, REMARKS
The main aim of this course is to help students gain understanding of the main rules and elements of English morphosyntax (vocabulary and grammar). To this end, following a hierarchical structure, the different language units are studied: the word, the phrase, and the clause and the text. In this way, students get familiar with the main morphological and syntactic elements of the English language and how they work in (real and contextualised) discourse.
The approach to the English grammar followed here is, first and foremost, functional and communicative: In fact, this course unit deals with the scientific study of English as a structured system of commnication. Attention will thus be paid to the pragmatic and communicative aspects of language units in texts belonging to different discourse types as well as to the mechanisms of coherence and cohesion.
This course unit closes with aspects related to the teaching of English grammar in the Early Childhood Education classroom.
7. Activities, Units/Modules and Methodology
| Training Activity | Methodology | Related Competences (only degrees before RD 822/2021) | ECTS | Hours | As | Com | Description | |
| Class Attendance (theory) [ON-SITE] | Lectures | CT01 | 1 | 25 | N | N | Presentation of contents and grammatical structures and their application to the teaching of English in Early Childhood Education | |
| Project or Topic Presentations [ON-SITE] | Cooperative / Collaborative Learning | 2.2.II.01. 2.2.II.02. 2.2.II.03. CB02 CB04 CT01 CT03 | 0.6 | 15 | Y | N | Oral presentation in cooperative work groups of the topics covered in the course contents | |
| Study and Exam Preparation [OFF-SITE] | Self-study | CB02 CB04 CT01 CT03 | 3 | 75 | N | N | Student's self-study on activities and topics related to the course contents | |
| Individual tutoring sessions [ON-SITE] | Guided or supervised work | CB04 CT01 | 0.4 | 10 | N | N | Problem solving related to the course contents and activities. | |
| Writing of reports or projects [OFF-SITE] | Combination of methods | 2.2.II.01. 2.2.II.02. 2.2.II.03. CB02 CB04 CT01 CT03 | 0.6 | 15 | N | N | Writing of reports or projects on the course contents | |
| Progress test [ON-SITE] | Assessment tests | 2.2.II.01. CB02 CB04 CT01 CT03 | 0.3 | 7.5 | Y | N | Written assessable test basically on the practical course contents | |
| Final test [ON-SITE] | Assessment tests | 2.2.II.01. CB02 CB04 CT01 CT03 | 0.1 | 2.5 | Y | Y | Written final exam on the course contents: Theoretical and practical sections. | |
| Total: | 6 | 150 | ||||||
| Total credits of in-class work: 2.4 | Total class time hours: 60 | |||||||
| Total credits of out of class work: 3.6 | Total hours of out of class work: 90 | |||||||
As: Assessable training activity Com: Training activity of compulsory overcoming (It will be essential to overcome both continuous and non-continuous assessment).
8. Evaluation criteria and Grading System
| Evaluation System | Continuous assessment | Non-continuous evaluation * | Description |
| Progress Tests | 20.00% | 20.00% | Written (or oral) assessable test(s) on the practical course contents. This activity can be retaken in the written final test of the extraordinary call. |
| Final test | 70.00% | 70.00% | Written final test (theoretical and practical) on the course contents. |
| Oral presentations assessment | 10.00% | 10.00% | Oral presentation (in cooperative work groups) of the topics covered in the course. This presentation cannot be retaken. |
| Total: | 100.00% | 100.00% |
According to art. 4 of the UCLM Student Evaluation Regulations, it must be provided to students who cannot regularly attend face-to-face training activities the passing of the subject, having the right (art. 12.2) to be globally graded, in 2 annual calls per subject , an ordinary and an extraordinary one (evaluating 100% of the competences).
Evaluation criteria for the final exam:
-
Continuous assessment:The final test will be held at the date fixed in the official calendar of exams. It will consist of several theoretical questions and practical exercises and have a weight of 70% of the final grade. If the student does not get at least 40% in any of the two sections of the exam (although the average exam mark is over 5), the exam grade will be "FAIL 4".
Students will have the option of taking the so-called "progress test" (20%), oral or written, mostly devoted to the practical course contents, on a previously announced date. Students who do not pass the progress test will be able to retake it in the practical section of the exam in the extraordinary call.
Students who do not participate in the oral presentation of topics (10%) will not have the opportunity to retake this activity.
To add the percentages of the progress test and the oral presentation, the final exam grade must be at least 4 (out of 10).
If a student is caught cheating, (s)he would automatically obtain the grade of 'FAIL 0'.
Grammatical and expression mistakes will be penalised in all kinds of activities to be performed by the student. For every mistake of those included in the list "mistakes to avoid" (see Moodle), the student will miss 0.25 points in the corresponding activity up to a maximum of 3 points (12 mistakes). If the mistake is
repeated, the repetition(s) will be also penalised.
If necessary, any modifications or adaptations needed in the present course unit description as a result of a change in the teaching or evaluation model derived from the evolution of the pandemic will be documented in a later addendum. -
Non-continuous evaluation:The final test will be held at the date fixed in the official calendar of exams. It will have a weight of 70% of the final grade. On the same day, students will take a practical exam, corresponding to the progress test (20%), devoted to checking to what extent students have acquired the practical course contents.
Instead of the oral presentation to the class in cooperative work groups, students will have to do an individual oral presentation (10%) via Teams on any of the course topics (to be specified by the lecturer) on a date to be arranged between the lecturer and the student. The oral presentation cannot be retaken.
To add the percentages of the practical test and the oral presentation, the final exam grade must be at least 4 (out of 10).
If a student is caught cheating, (s)he would automatically obtain the grade of 'FAIL 0'.
Grammatical and expression mistakes will be penalised in all kinds of activities to be performed by the student. For every mistake of those included in the list "mistakes to avoid" (see Moodle), the student will miss 0.25 points in the corresponding activity up to a maximum of 3 points (12 mistakes). If the mistake is repeated, the repetition(s) will be also penalised.
If necessary, any modifications or adaptations needed in the present course unit description as a result of a change in the teaching or evaluation model derived from the evolution of the pandemic will be documented in a later addendum.
Specifications for the resit/retake exam:
The resit exam will be held at the date fixed in the official calendar of exams and will consist of several theoretical issues and practical exercises. If the student does not get at least 40% in any of the two sections of the exam (theory and practice), the exam grade will be "FAIL 4" although the average exam mark is over 5.
It is important to note that (continuous evaluation) students will have the option of maintaining the grade obtained in the progress test if they want to do so. In this case, the weight of the final test will be 70% and that of the progress tests up to 20%. To add the percentage of this evaluation activity, and that of the oral presentation (10%), the grade of the final text must be at least 4 (out of 10).
If a student is caught cheating, (s)he would automatically obtain the grade of 'FAIL 0'.
Grammatical and expression mistakes will be penalised in all kinds of activities to be performed by the student. For every mistake of those included in the list "mistakes to avoid" (see Moodle), the student will miss 0.25 points in the corresponding activity up to a maximum of 3 points (12 mistakes). If the mistake is repeated, the repetition(s) will be also penalised.
If necessary, any modifications or adaptations needed in the present course unit description as a result of a change in the teaching or evaluation model derived from the evolution of the pandemic will be documented in a later addendum.
It is important to note that (continuous evaluation) students will have the option of maintaining the grade obtained in the progress test if they want to do so. In this case, the weight of the final test will be 70% and that of the progress tests up to 20%. To add the percentage of this evaluation activity, and that of the oral presentation (10%), the grade of the final text must be at least 4 (out of 10).
If a student is caught cheating, (s)he would automatically obtain the grade of 'FAIL 0'.
Grammatical and expression mistakes will be penalised in all kinds of activities to be performed by the student. For every mistake of those included in the list "mistakes to avoid" (see Moodle), the student will miss 0.25 points in the corresponding activity up to a maximum of 3 points (12 mistakes). If the mistake is repeated, the repetition(s) will be also penalised.
If necessary, any modifications or adaptations needed in the present course unit description as a result of a change in the teaching or evaluation model derived from the evolution of the pandemic will be documented in a later addendum.
Specifications for the second resit / retake exam:
The second resit exam will be held at the date fixed in the official calendar of exams. It will consist of several theoretical issues and practical exercises and have a weight of 100% of the final grade. To pass the test, the grade must be at least 5 (out of 10). If the student does not get at least % in any of the two sections of the exam (theory and practice), the exam grade will be "FAIL 4" although the average exam mark is over 5.
If a student is caught cheating, (s)he would automatically obtain the grade of 'FAIL 0'.
Grammatical and expression mistakes will be penalised in the second resit exam. For every mistake of those included in the list "mistakes to avoid" (see Moodle), the student will miss 0.25 points in the corresponding activity up to a maximum of 3 points (12 mistakes). If the mistake is repeated, the repetition(s) will be also penalised.
If a student is caught cheating, (s)he would automatically obtain the grade of 'FAIL 0'.
Grammatical and expression mistakes will be penalised in the second resit exam. For every mistake of those included in the list "mistakes to avoid" (see Moodle), the student will miss 0.25 points in the corresponding activity up to a maximum of 3 points (12 mistakes). If the mistake is repeated, the repetition(s) will be also penalised.
9. Assignments, course calendar and important dates
| Not related to the syllabus/contents | |
|---|---|
| Hours | hours |
| Final test [PRESENCIAL][Assessment tests] | 2.5 |
| Unit 1 (de 4): INTRODUCTION | |
|---|---|
| Activities | Hours |
| Class Attendance (theory) [PRESENCIAL][Lectures] | 7 |
| Project or Topic Presentations [PRESENCIAL][Cooperative / Collaborative Learning] | 3 |
| Study and Exam Preparation [AUTÓNOMA][Self-study] | 15 |
| Individual tutoring sessions [PRESENCIAL][Guided or supervised work] | 3 |
| Individual tutoring sessions [PRESENCIAL][Guided or supervised work] | 2 |
| Progress test [PRESENCIAL][Assessment tests] | 1.5 |
| Teaching period: September-October 2021 | |
| Unit 2 (de 4): TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE, THINGS, EVENTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES | |
|---|---|
| Activities | Hours |
| Class Attendance (theory) [PRESENCIAL][Lectures] | 6 |
| Project or Topic Presentations [PRESENCIAL][Cooperative / Collaborative Learning] | 3 |
| Study and Exam Preparation [AUTÓNOMA][Self-study] | 15 |
| Individual tutoring sessions [PRESENCIAL][Guided or supervised work] | 3 |
| Individual tutoring sessions [PRESENCIAL][Guided or supervised work] | 2 |
| Progress test [PRESENCIAL][Assessment tests] | 2 |
| Teaching period: October 021 | |
| Unit 3 (de 4): CREATING, EXPANDING AND ORGANISING THE MESSAGE. FROM THE CLAUSE TO THE TEXT | |
|---|---|
| Activities | Hours |
| Class Attendance (theory) [PRESENCIAL][Lectures] | 6 |
| Project or Topic Presentations [PRESENCIAL][Cooperative / Collaborative Learning] | 4 |
| Study and Exam Preparation [AUTÓNOMA][Self-study] | 15 |
| Individual tutoring sessions [PRESENCIAL][Guided or supervised work] | 4 |
| Individual tutoring sessions [PRESENCIAL][Guided or supervised work] | 3 |
| Progress test [PRESENCIAL][Assessment tests] | 2 |
| Teaching period: November-December 2021 | |
| Unit 4 (de 4): TEACHING ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION | |
|---|---|
| Activities | Hours |
| Class Attendance (theory) [PRESENCIAL][Lectures] | 6 |
| Project or Topic Presentations [PRESENCIAL][Cooperative / Collaborative Learning] | 5 |
| Study and Exam Preparation [AUTÓNOMA][Self-study] | 30 |
| Individual tutoring sessions [PRESENCIAL][Guided or supervised work] | 5 |
| Individual tutoring sessions [PRESENCIAL][Guided or supervised work] | 3 |
| Progress test [PRESENCIAL][Assessment tests] | 2 |
| Teaching period: December 2021-January 2022 | |
| Global activity | |
|---|---|
| Activities | hours |
10. Bibliography and Sources
