What and Why?
Language learning involves a balance of activities which promote both accuracy and fluency. At this stage in pupils' language learning most teachers agree that the main aim of learning a language is to encourage communication. Successful written and spoken communication relies on pupils feeling confident. If a large proportion of the language learning activities require pupils to be accurate, they will begin to worry about making mistakes and this will lead to a loss of confidence in fluency and communication. Throughout Primary Colours there is a combination of accuracy and fluency activities. Maintaining pupils' confidence depends on varying the combinations in each lesson.
Practical ideas
- When planning a lesson look carefully at the activities and note whether they promote accuracy or fluency. Make sure there is a balance of exercises in your lesson - you could write A or F next to each one. For example, in Primary Colours 4 Unit 1A, Exercise 2 is an accuracy exercise (the pupils write one name to make each sentence true) and Exercise 4 is a fluency exercise as pupils are creating their own questions and making up their own conversation.
- Explain to the pupils that there are two kinds of exercise: one where you want them to try and 'get it right' and another when you want them to use their own ideas and experiment both with new words and words they already know. Fluency exercises can be compared with jogging or running when you go at your own speed and accuracy exercises can be compared with playing football when you have to obey the rules.
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