PIRLS 2006 Encyclopedia

PIRLS 2006 EncyclopediaIn Luxembourgish classes, oral use of the language for communication purposes isencouraged, as is the expansion of vocabulary. The curriculum in French language classesfocuses on teaching both oral and written communication.Learning to Read in German Language ClassesLearning to read lays the foundation for written language acquisition and is one of fourpillars of German language instruction, alongside speaking, listening comprehension,and writing. Grammar and vocabulary should be taught as ancillary functions. Readinglessons are intended to motivate students and awaken their interest in reading. It isintended that students discover the entertaining and beneficial nature of reading, furtherdevelop their language skills through reading lessons, and get a general idea of how booksand texts are composed.Reading lessons in German begin in the first year of school and pursue the followingfour priorities within the first 2 years of school:• Intensive development of spoken language (a prerequisite for acquiring writtenlanguage) is developed by encouraging auditory and articulatory perception.• Encouraging students to read through intensive exposure to printed readingmaterials and by reading texts that relate to students’ own experiences.• Introducing students to the alphabet so that they can recognize the letters andunderstand the relationship between letters and phonetic characters. Studentsshould learn to recognize the way words and sentences convey meaning, and tounderstand language from a phonetic point of view.• Developing specific learning processes for reading literacy, such as arranging(structuring) words into units of written language, combining these words to formsentences, explaining word meanings in terms of other passages in the text orword fields (related words), and recognizing simple word and sentence structures.Also, students should be able to critically examine the content of texts.LuxembourgAfter the first 2 years of school, students should read fluently and glean informationfrom texts in German, their first second language. Throughout primary school, the goalof reading lessons is to familiarize students with texts and make them aware of text andlanguage structures. The traditional spectrum of literary texts is extended by introducingmany different texts (e.g., literature, letters, operating instructions, magazine articles,plans, lists, and posters).By working with a variety of texts and developing language skills, the goal of readinglessons is to enrich students’ vocabularies, enable them to express complex ideas, andincrease language awareness and language reflection. An understanding of texts iscontinually encouraged through intensive development of the reading processes andtechniques mentioned in the syllabus. The overall goal is to guide students towards apragmatic, productive, and creative approach to texts and help them learn to criticallyengage with texts on an intellectual and linguistic level. Furthermore, students shouldbe guided towards continued independent development of their language skills.248