teaching syllabus for english language (senior high ... - MEIS-GHANA

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Perhaps, in addition to remedial steps suggested in the syllabus, the Ghana ... ( WAEC) to develop model CDs that teachers of English Language could play to.
TEACHING SYLLABUS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE (SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL 1 – 3) SOME DIFFICULT AREAS TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ARE MOST LIKELY TO FACE  ORAL ENGLISH (LISTENING AND SPEAKING) LI nuances interfere a great deal in teaching listening and speaking (Oral English in Secondary School). Perhaps, in addition to remedial steps suggested in the syllabus, the Ghana Education Service (GES) could liaise with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to develop model CDs that teachers of English Language could play to strengthen the teaching of Oral English, such CDs should be accompanied with answers to guide teachers.  ESSAYS/READING PASSAGES The syllabus has clearly stated themes and values that Reading Passages should be based on from year 1, 2 and 3. Interestingly, essay questions would also be based on these themes and values. A critical look at these themes and values confirm a clear case of Knowledge Across Curriculum (KAC) in other words, the teacher of English Language should exhibit some knowledge in Varied Fields so as to inspire the student for the student to appreciate the need to apply or use RELEVANT information from other disciplines to develop content for their essays. It is important to empower teachers of English Language through in-service training and appropriate text or books to sharpen their content development skills.  READING COMPREHENSION The current holistic approach to Comprehension may pose a challenge to some teachers. Literature and literary appreciation has become an integral part of Core English Language. Consequently, the teacher of English Language is now to decipher and prompt the student on issues relating to figures of speech, setting, theme, mood, character and characteristsation, rhetorical question, flashback, authorial intrusion etc. Some teachers may face limitations in this demand.  GRAMMAR  VERB FORMS: REGULAR AND IRREGULAR Some teachers may have difficulty in teaching Irregular verbs effectively, because of CONTROVERSIAL Verbs such as:

PRESENT TENSE

PAST TENSE

Hang Lie down Bend dream

Hung Lay Bent dreamt

PAST PARTICIPLE PAST PERFECT TENSE Hung Lain Bent Dreamt

Some books have ‘hanged’ listed as an irregular verb with a footnote that it is exclusively for human beings.  DIRECT AND INDIRECT/REPORTED SPEECH Changes in Person, Tense and Adverb of Time and Place is another problematic area  ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS WITH THE SAME STRUCTURE Eg. The car is fast (Adjective) The boy runs very fast (adverb  TEACHING PARTS OF SPEECH IN CONTEXT Eg. She spoke kitchen Zulu to me In isolation, ‘kitchen’ is a common noun. However, in the above context, kitchen is an adjective. Some teachers and students may face challenges here.  THE GENITIVE “S” genitive and the “of” genitive. One often reads in the tabloid papers: Ama visited a friend of Kofi’s. In the above the “S” genitive and the “of” genitive are confusedly put together. This is steadily becoming a problem area for students.  CONCORD: SUBJECT – VERB AGREEMENT This is another problem area especially on the rule of proximity. INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE Some teachers may have difficulty linking literary skills to the Core English Language Literature set texts. Interestingly, Choice Questions (MCQs) which demands through General Knowledge in Literate plus a critical understanding of the text itself.

REFERENCE The reference or bibliography at the end of the syllabus is really laudable. How many teachers in deprived communities would get access to these books? Perhaps, the Ghana Education Service (GES) should make these books available to the reference section of the libraries of secondary school in the country.