4 Learning to learnThis competence implies that students are aware of their own ability to learn a foreign language and of the resources that should be used for this purpose, as well as the skills and motivation that must be applied in order to continue the learning of a foreign language throughout their lives. In the foreign language class, the use of self-evaluation features and the development of study skills are the most obvious ways in which this competence can be developed.

5 Social and civic competencesAs well as being a tool for communication, languages form part of the common culture of different communities and countries. They are also a means of sharing culture which enhances the respect of, interest in and contact with speakers of other languages, as well as the appreciation and acceptance of cultural and behavioural differences. The nature of many activities that form a core part of foreign language teaching requires students to interact with other students in the class in a cooperative manner.

6 Sense of initiative and entrepreneurshipThe learning of a foreign language contributes to the achievement of this competence because it encourages teamwork in the classroom, the management of personal resources, and social skills, such as cooperation and negotiation. Students should be encouraged to adopt procedures which allow them to use their own initiative and decision-making skills during the planning, organization and management of their work. Tasks which require students to work in pairs or small groups, or carry out short projects, require cooperation, flexibility and time management.

7 Cultural awareness and expressionThe study of a foreign language requires an understanding of the culture of the countries in which it is spoken. In addition to promoting an understanding of the contribution of others to the cultural and artistic heritage of a country, learning a foreign language gives students the means to express their own creativity in an appropriate way. Tasks which require students to express their opinions, give an emotional response or create a piece of original spoken or written work, for example a narrative or dialogue, contribute to this competence.

Key competences and English PlusThe mapping grids on the following pages show how the Key competences that have been identified as suitable for development in the English classroom are developed in English Plus. In addition, you will find optional activities throughout this Teacher’s Book which have been labelled with the appropriate competence. For quick reference, the unit summary in the teaching notes at the start of each unit highlights activities that develop different competences.

English Plus Key competences

The European Framework for Key Competences for Lifelong Learning were introduced into education legislation at the end of 2006, with the aim of identifying and promoting the specific areas which individuals need to develop in order to maximise their long-term educational and career development. The Key competences enable students to develop transferable skills, and have been defined as the ability to apply knowledge, skills and attitudes to solve problems in a range of contexts. In other words, they encourage the activation of resources and knowledge that the learner already has. A brief explanation of the main characteristics of the seven Key competences within the framework of learning a foreign language is set out below.

1 Communicative competenceLearning a foreign language contributes to progress in this competence by improving students’ communication skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing). Their written and oral communication skills are enriched by understanding the way language is structured. Students must show that they can use language conventions appropriate to the situation, and can understand that discourse must be adapted to suit different contexts. They can relate this to the study of other languages. All activities in the language class have a communicative outcome of some kind.

2 Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technologyThis area carries less weight than some of the other competences in the process of learning a foreign language. Nevertheless, it can feature in the language class in a number of different ways, for example when students come into contact with the use of numbers, their basic operations and their application to everyday life. Tasks which require students to interpret numerical data contribute to this competence.

3 Digital competenceKnowledge of a foreign language enables students to access a broader range of information and also to communicate with a wider range of people. For example, they are able to communicate with young people in other countries through email in an authentic and natural way. Language courses give students the tools they need to communicate appropriately in different contexts, including email and online communication. When learning a foreign language, it is important to be exposed to a range of resources and genres of speech and writing. The regular use of digital learning resources, including websites and interactive whiteboard materials, directly adds to the development of this competence.

Key competences

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1 Communicative competenceAll the units develop students’ competence in linguistic communication. The Key phrases in particular highlight functional speaking and writing activities. There is a section with extra speaking and listening activities at the back of the Student’s Book which develops the competence further (pp. 88–95).

2 Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technologyThis competence is developed through the Curriculum extra lessons:Unit 2 – students learn how to interpret symbols and numbers on a map.Unit 7 – students read about the history of the internet.Unit 8 – students analyze weather charts.

In the Extra listening and speaking lesson (Unit 5, p. 92), students learn how to say prices and use them in everyday conversations.

3 Digital competenceStudents develop this competence throughout the course using the digital components. The self-study MultiROM includes grammar, vocabulary, reading, speaking and listening activities, and games.The writing section of the course also includes opportunities for students to develop their ICT skills.Unit 1 – write an email. Students write an informal email introducing themselves to a penfriend and including personal information about themselves.Unit 5 – write an email about your school. Students write an informal email to a penfriend giving information about their school.

Unit 7 develops students’ knowledge of ICT through the topic of games and technology: • Reading – students read about the creators of some

popular video games and consoles.• Language focus – students complete a text about the

world’s number one video games player.• Vocabulary and listening – students complete an avatar

guide with description words.• The Curriculum extra section (Unit 7, p. 102) gives

students more information about the internet. Unit 8 – write a blog about an expedition. Students think of the details of their expedition and post three entries on a blog.

4 Learning to learnThis competence is developed through the Study strategy feature included in each unit. Unit 1 – Using a mind map. Students learn how to create a mind map to group new vocabulary.Unit 2 – Finding spelling rules. Students deduce the rules for spelling the plural form of nouns.Unit 3 – Predicting. Students learn how predicting the answers to a listening task will help them understand the text.Unit 4 – Improving pronunciation. Students learn how to link words together to improve their pronunciation.Unit 5 – Extending vocabulary. Students think of two extra words to include in the lexical sets given.

Unit 6 – Multiple-choice listening. Students learn how to try to eliminate the incorrect answers in a multiple-choice listening task before they listen to the text.Unit 7 – Using the Workbook Irregular verbs list. Students learn how to refer to the Irregular verbs list on page 104 of the Workbook. They then use the list to test a partner on the verbs.Unit 8 – Nouns from adjectives. Students learn how we change weather nouns to adjectives. Teachers can also use the introductory column of each unit to develop this competence by pointing out the unit aims before they start the unit.This competence is also developed in the Workbook, where students evaluate their own progress in the Progress review at the end of every unit.

Mapping grid

Mapping grid

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5 Social and civic competencesThis competence is developed throughout the course.Units 1–8 – students practise making mini-dialogues before changing parts of the presentation dialogue and practising it with the new words.Units 1, 3, 5 and 6 – students interview a partner with a questionnaire or list of questions to guide them. Unit 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 and 8 – students invent their own questions to interview a partner. Unit 3 – students answer questions about countries, nationalities and languages in the Go global! quiz.Units 3 and 4 – students are introduced to the global issues of child labour (p. 32) and endangered species (p. 40).

Unit 4 – students play a game to guess the animal a partner has chosen.Unit 5 – students listen to a text about school lunches in different countries.Culture lessons: Young people around the world, The United Kingdom, The English-speaking world, Home schooling, Roman Britain, Britain’s favourite games (pp. 104–111).The four cumulative reviews include a question where students create and practise dialogues in pairs or groups.

6 Sense of initiative and entrepreneurshipThis competence is developed throughout the course. As the students acquire more language, they are encouraged to take initiative and cooperate with each other.Units 1–8 – students work in pairs to substitute the blue words in the dialogues to create new dialogues.Units 1–8 – students communicate in pairs or small groups to complete the oral tasks.Units 1 and 5 – students work in pairs to answer questionnaires.Units 3 and 8 – students test each other on the target language.Unit 4 – students are encouraged to speculate with a partner on what they see and hear.

Unit 6 – students are encouraged to eliminate the false answers from multiple-choice questions with a partner before listening to the text.Unit 7 – students are taught how to compare answers with a partner using Key phrases. They then practise this skill playing a game.Unit 7 – students ask and answer questions about yesterday evening and they have to decide whether their partner is telling the truth or not.Cumulative reviews: students practise their dialogues in pairs.Projects: Poster about you, City Profile, My dream school, Trump card game (Units 1, 3, 5, 7).

7 Cultural awareness and expressionThis competence is developed throughout the course. The speaking section of each unit leads up to students creating their own dialogue. Unit 1 – Greeting and introducing people.Unit 2 – Asking for travel information.Unit 3 – Talking about likes and dislikes.Unit 4 – Phoning a friend.Unit 5 – Making, accepting and refusing invitations. Unit 6 – Talking about last weekend.Unit 7 – Talking about past events. Unit 8 – Making and responding to suggestions.

The writing section of each unit leads up to students creating an original piece of written work. Unit 1 – Write an email.Unit 2 – A description of a town.Unit 3 – Country and language report.Unit 4 – A description of a wildlife photo.Unit 5 – An email about school.Unit 6 – An article about a town.Unit 7 – A profile of a famous sportsperson.Unit 8 – A blog about an expedition.

The competence is also developed in other areas of the course.About you: after the reading section of each unit, students are encouraged to give their own opinions about the topic of the text.Curriculum extra lessons: Colour (p. 96), Non-verbal language (p. 98), Myths and legends (p. 101).Culture lessons: The United Kingdom, The English-speaking world, Home schooling, Roman Britain, Britain’s favourite games (pp. 104–111).

Mapping grid

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