Framework curricula for primary education

Foreign Language

Years 5 through 8 of Education

One of the main priorities in these four years is to maintain pupil’s level of motivation, and to make sure children experience success through meaningful work. The development of receptive skills (understanding spoken and written language) remains a central task, as receptive skills contribute to the development of productive skills (speaking and writing) indirectly. Fluency should receive an increasing emphasis as children move into higher grades. An important goal of education is to develop pupils’ need for reading in the target language by making them read interesting, abridged or original, illustrated longer texts.

The topics cover the content of other subjects in the curriculum, as language use is not an end in itself. The purpose of language use is obtaining and processing information. The objectives listed in the curriculum help making the syllabus of foreign language teaching easier to understand, but contents should be used with another organisation, taking a different approach, otherwise they may become boring.

A 10 to 14 year old language learner relies more on their memory than the system of rules in the target language, but children’s ability to perceive regularity is increasing at this age. On the other hand, the knowledge of the rules adds only little value to the progress they make. In terms of language use, the strength of this age group is fluency as opposed to correctness, but it is also necessary to make the use of the most important structures automatic. The aim is to make pupils able o notice and correct their own mistakes themselves. This will help them become an autonomous language learner.

During these four years of education, pupils should acquire learning strategies on a level which will make them able to exploit exposure to the foreign language outside the classroom (e.g. films, music, TV programmes, newspapers and allow supervised progress.

By the end of Grade 8, the level of measurable proficiency should allow the understanding and production of information about familiar topics in the foreign language. At this age children should be able to participate in interactions successfully.

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  Me and my family: personal particulars, occupations, household duties, family occasions.
  
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  Personal relations: friendship, people’s appearance and inner qualities.
  
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  Our wider environment: village, small town, metropolis; describing the place of living; protecting the place where we live.
  
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  Our natural environment: nature conservation; famous regions in the Earth; endangered plants and animals;
  
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  School life: describing the school, the ideal timetable, the ideal school.
  
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  Health and illness: frequent diseases and common injuries.
  
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  Food and meals: eating habits in Hungary and in other countries; special dishes and recipes; table manners.
  
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  Shopping: daily shopping; buying presents in the holiday seasons.
  
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  Travelling: preparing for a journey; your favourite means of transport.
  
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  Leisure activities and entertainment: sport at school and outside school; video, computer and reading.
  

Year 5
Number of teaching hours per year: 111

(see Framework Curriculum for Year 6)

(see Framework Curriculum for Year 6)

Pupils can

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  Understand requests and instructions expressed with familiar devices, and give a physical response in the form of actions;
  
• 
  Understand questions containing known linguistic devices;
  
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  Derive important information from a text with simple sentences and known linguistic devices;
  

Pupils can

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  Answer to questions containing known linguistic devices in a simple sentence;
  
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  Make statements and ask questions in simple sentences reproducing a learnt example;
  
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  Ask for help in case of problems with understanding;
  

Pupils can

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  Read a text made up of sentences with a few words and familiar linguistic devices;
  
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  Scan a text containing known linguistic devices for important information;
  
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  Understand the main points of a text containing known linguistic devices.
  

Pupils can

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  Write down short sentences containing known linguistic devices correctly;
  
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  Express simple messages in written form on the basis of a presented example.
  

Year 6
Number of teaching hours per year: 111

• 
  addressing people;
  
• 
  greetings and saying goodbye;
  
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  expressing thanks and responding to expression of thanks;
  
• 
  introductions
  
• 
  enquiry about how others are, and responses to similar enquiries;
  
• 
  apologising and responding to apologies;
  
• 
  congratulations, greetings and responding to congratulations and greetings.
  

• 
  expressing and asking opinions and responding to that;
  
• 
  admitting or not admitting that somebody is right;
  
• 
  agreeing, disagreeing,
  
• 
  approval and disapproval.
  

• 
  naming and describing objects and persons;
  
• 
  asking and giving information;
  
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  affirmative and negative answers;
  
• 
  knowledge and ignorance.
  

• 
  request;
  
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  suggestion and responding to suggestions;
  
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  invitation and accepting/declining invitations;
  
• 
  offering and responding to offers.
  

• 
  backtracking;
  
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  expressing lack of understanding;
  
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  request for spelling, spelling.
  

• 
  Expressing actions, events or existence.
  
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  Expressing possession.
  
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  Spatial relations;
  
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  Chronological relations.
  
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  Quantitative relations;
  
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  Qualitative relations.
  
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  Modality;
  
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  Case structure.
  
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  Logical relations.
  
• 
  Cohesive devices.
  

Pupils can

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  Understand instructions and respond in actions;
  
• 
  Understand questions and statements largely containing known linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Derive important information from a text largely containing known linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Understand the essence of a text with simple sentences containing largely known linguistic
  

Pupils can

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  Give simple. structured answers to a question largely containing known linguistic devices;
  
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  Make statements in simple sentences based on learnt patterns;
  
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  Ask questions;
  
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  Ask for help in case of problems with understanding;
  
• 
  Participate in a simple conversation based on learnt patterns.
  

Pupils can

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  Read simple sentences with familiar linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Scan a text largely containing known linguistic devices for important information;
  
• 
  Understand the main points of a text with simple sentences containing known linguistic devices.
  

Pupils can

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  Write down a text containing known linguistic devices correctly;
  
• 
  Formulate simple written statements and questions based on learnt patterns;
  
• 
  Create a simple, structured text (informal message, greeting).
  

Year 7
Number of teaching hours per year: 111

(see Framework Curriculum for Year 8)

(see Framework Curriculum for Year 8)

Pupils can

• 
  Understand instructions and respond in actions;
  
• 
  Understand requests, questions, statements and events with known linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Derive important information from a text largely containing known linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Understand the essence of a text with simple sentences containing largely known linguistic devices; extrapolate the meaning of an unknown language component from a text largely containing known linguistic devices.
  

Pupils can

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  Answer a question largely containing known linguistic devices with simple, structured sentences;
  
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  Make statements with simple sentences;
  
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  Ask questions;
  
• 
  Relate events;
  
• 
  Ask for help in case of problems with understanding;
  
• 
  Participate in a simple conversation;
  
• 
  Initiate and conclude a conversation.
  

Pupils can

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  Read a text made with familiar linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Scan a text largely containing known linguistic devices for important information;
  
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  Understand the main points of a text containing known linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Understand the main points of a text made up of simple sentences containing known linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Understand a simple story illustrated with pictures;
  
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  Extrapolate the meaning of unknown language components in a text largely containing known linguistic devices.
  

Pupils can

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  Write down a text containing known linguistic devices correctly;
  
• 
  Formulate simple written statements and questions;
  
• 
  Create a simple, structured text (informal message, greeting).
  
• 
  Write an informative text using familiar structures.
  

Year 8
Number of teaching hours per year: 111

• 
  addressing people;
  
• 
  greetings and saying goodbye;
  
• 
  introducing self and others;
  
• 
  enquiry about how others are, and responses to similar enquiries;
  
• 
  asking for and receiving permission;
  
• 
  expressing thanks and responding to expression of thanks;
  
• 
  apologising and responding to apologies;
  
• 
  congratulations, greetings and responding to congratulations and greetings;
  
• 
  forms of address and ending informal letters.
  

• 
  regret;
  
• 
  joy;
  
• 
  satisfaction, discontent;
  
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  surprise;
  
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  hope,
  
• 
  sorrow
  
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  anger.
  

• 
  expressing and asking opinions and responding to that;
  
• 
  admitting or not admitting that somebody is right;
  
• 
  agreeing, disagreeing,
  
• 
  approval and disapproval;
  
• 
  will, desire, ability, obligation, necessity and possibility;
  
• 
  promise;
  
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  intention, plan;
  
• 
  praise and criticism.
  

• 
  naming and describing objects and persons;
  
• 
  describing events;
  
• 
  asking and giving information;
  
• 
  affirmative and negative answers;
  
• 
  knowledge and ignorance;
  
• 
  certainty, uncertainty;
  

• 
  request;
  
• 
  prohibition, call;
  
• 
  suggestion and responding to suggestions;
  
• 
  invitation and accepting/declining invitations;
  
• 
  offering and responding to offers.
  

• 
  checking understanding, asking for repetition;
  
• 
  expressing lack of understanding;
  
• 
  request for spelling, spelling;
  
• 
  request for slower or louder speech.
  

• 
  Expressing actions, events or existence.
  
• 
  Expressing possession;
  
• 
  Spatial relations;
  
• 
  Chronological relations;
  
• 
  Reported speech;
  
• 
  Quantitative relations;
  
• 
  Qualitative relations;
  
• 
  Modality;
  
• 
  Case structure;
  
• 
  Logical relations;
  
• 
  Cohesive devices.
  

Pupils can

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  Understand instructions and respond in actions;
  
• 
  Understand requests, questions, statements and accounts of events;
  
• 
  Derive important information from a text with approx. 100 words largely containing known linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Understand the main points of an approx. 100 word text in standard language;
  
• 
  Extrapolate the meaning of an unknown language component from a n approx. 100 word text largely containing known linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Distinguish relevant and non-relevant information in an approx. 100 word text largely containing known linguistic devices.
  

Pupils can

• 
  Give simple, structured answers to questions largely containing known linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Make statements in simple sentences;
  
• 
  Ask questions;
  
• 
  Relate events;
  
• 
  Ask for help in case of problems with understanding;
  
• 
  Participate in a simple conversation;
  
• 
  Keep a conversation going e.g. by initiating a new topic.
  

Pupils can

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  Understand the main points of a text containing familiar linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Extrapolate the meaning of unknown language components in a text largely containing known linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Read an approx. 100 word text containing familiar linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Scan approx. 100 word text containing familiar linguistic devices for important information.
  
• 
  Understand the main points of an approx. 100 word text containing familiar linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Understand a simple story; extrapolate the meaning of unknown language components in a n approx. 100 word text largely containing known linguistic devices;
  
• 
  Distinguish between important and unimportant information in an approx. 100 word text written in standard language;
  

Pupils can

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  Write down a text containing known linguistic devices correctly;
  
• 
  Formulate simple written statements and questions;
  
• 
  Write a simple structured text (message, greeting, informal letter);
  
• 
  Write a short text (approx. 50 words) to communicate facts, using known structures;
  
• 
  Write a short description or report (50 to 70 words).