Second Language Acquisition Theory of James Cummins


English B - HL

Introduction:  Language B is a language acquisition course designed for students with some previous experience of the target language. In the language B course, students further develop their ability to communicate in the target language through the study of language, themes and texts. In doing so, they also develop conceptual understandings of how language works, as appropriate to the level of the course. 

Language Skills

Receptive skillsStudents understand and evaluate a wide variety of written and spoken authentic personal, professional and mass media texts; they understand fundamental elements of literary texts such as theme, plot and character. They analyze arguments, distinguishing main points from relevant supporting details and explanations. They use a variety of strategies to deduce meaning.

Productive skillsStudents present and develop their ideas and opinions on a variety of topics, both orally and in writing. They construct and support arguments with explanations and examples. They speak and write at length, and with purpose, in order to meet a wide range of communicative needs: describing, narrating, comparing, explaining, persuading, justifying, evaluating. 

Interactive skillsStudents initiate, maintain and close oral exchanges, displaying some ability to make adjustments in style or emphasis. They use a variety of strategies to maintain the flow of conversations and discussions on a variety of topics relating to course content and the culture(s) of the target language. Students are adept in negotiating meaning and fostering communication. 

Assessment Objectives

  1. Communicate clearly and effectively in a range of contexts and for a variety of purposes. 
  2. Understand and use language appropriate to a range of interpersonal and/or intercultural contexts and audiences. 
  3. Understand and use language to express and respond to a range of ideas with fluency and accuracy. 
  4. Identify, organize and present ideas on a range of topics. 
  5. Understand, analyze and reflect upon a range of written, audio, visual and audio-visual texts.
Evaluation

  • Paper 1 (External Assessment)
  • Paper 2 (External Assessment)
  • Individual Oral (Internal Assessment)