IBPYP Evaluation Visit 2019-2020
Language Policy – PYP School
Silver Oaks International Schools
Hyderabad Bangalore Visakhapatnam
Language Policy – PYP School
A language, of course is not merely a set of grammatical rules or a vocabulary.
It is a flash of human spirit, the vehicle by which the soul of each particular
culture comes into the material world. Every language is an old-growth forest
of the mind, a water-shed of thought, an ecosystem of spiritual possibilities.
-From “The Wayfinders” by Wade Davis
At Silver Oaks, language is essentially about communicating thoughts,
feelings and ideas. It is considered important to communicate the same in a
positive and clear expression.
To inculcate this, School developed a culture which is an inside out approach
to enhance all expressions and communications. While language is a set of
words, school’s culture is an underlying philosophy to develop language as a
personality and attitude.
School’s Culture
“Speak softly and pleasantly smile always be positive and progressive feel
good look good and do good have and show confidence”
Aspiration: At Silver Oaks, we aspire to develop an ecosystem of learners,
teachers, parents and visitors who communicate with each other through
understanding and respect.
School’s motto
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
The motto is also applied in language learning and communication. Students
are encouraged to read, write and speak without fear and shed inhibitions.
IBPYP Evaluation Visit 2019-2020
Language is encouraged to be developed as a personality with focus on IB
attributes and attitudes.
Language education & acquisition
Language learning from Pre Primary to Grade X focuses on curriculum
continuity and progression of learning. Teachers make decisions about
developmentally appropriate learning experiences, including formative and
summative assessments.
At Silver Oaks, National standards of language, IB standards and
global standards are referred to develop the scope and sequence of
language curriculum. Vertical and horizontal alignment is ensured
between PYP and the National Board classes.
The three-language formula in India
English is the primary language of instruction in the school.
PYP School Hyderabad
2nd language: Hindi or Telugu are taught from Grade I to those who wish
to pursue mother tongue or learn the national language.
3 language: 3 language is taught from Grade V to VIII as a part of the
rd rd
national language policy. Hindi, Telugu, French or Sanskrit are taught as
3rd language. This is to expose children to more languages.
Note: Grade VI is the last year of PYP. Language carousel begins in Grade V
(second last year of PYP).
PYP School Bangalore
2nd language: Hindi or Kannada or French are taught from Grade I to
those who wish to pursue mother tongue or learn the national
language.
3 language: 3 language is taught from Grade V to VIII as a part of the
rd rd
national language policy. Hindi, Kannada or French are taught as 3rd
language. This is to expose children to more languages.
IBPYP Evaluation Visit 2019-2020
Note: Grade VI is the last year of PYP and Grade VII is the MYPI. Language
carousel begins in Grade V (second last year of PYP).
PYP School Visakhpatnam
2nd language: Hindi or Telugu are taught from Grade I to those who wish
to pursue mother tongue or learn the national language.
3 language: 3 language is taught from Grade V to VIII as a part of the
rd rd
national language policy. Hindi, Telugu, French or Sanskrit are taught as
3rd language. This is to expose children to more languages.
Note: Grade VI is the last year of PYP. Language carousel begins in Grade V
(second last year of PYP).
Support and Enhancement strategies
● School recognizes the potentiality of ATLs in enhancing language and
uses these approaches to learning in language development.
● In teaching, learning and assessing, Phases of language learning as
suggested in PYP practices are referred to identify the levels of the
students and render appropriate support.
● English being the medium of instruction, prior knowledge is assessed
during admission. For all those who require special support in English,
school accommodates time, space, work and people.
● Records from Induction programme done at the time of admission will
be used to give appropriate support in language development.
● Differentiated instructional plans for varying learning needs.
● Tests for identifying strengths and weaknesses in grammatical areas of
language will be conducted to give suitable support. Test papers will
be analyzed to plan diagnostic work.
IBPYP Evaluation Visit 2019-2020
● Collaborative planning sessions also aim at building collective
responsibility of teachers to develop language of all students.
Authentic and diverse language learning experiences in the school:
Creative writing policy: A fortnightly task for children to write creatively
and assess their work through self, peer or teacher assessments on Monday
mornings.
Speakers at Silver Oaks: A fortnightly event to encourage public speaking,
oratory skills, confidence and fluency.
Respect for mother tongue: Children are encouraged to respect and
appreciate all languages and mother tongue. And various events are created
to celebrate mother tongue.
Language days: Hindi Telugu Kannada and Sanskrit days are planned in
every calendar year to develop respect and appreciation of these languages.
School functions: Many Indian languages and foreign languages are
included in the school functions to give exposure to students.
Review process
Annual review is done during the Curriculum review meetings to ensure up-
gradation of language teaching in the school.
Review of the language scope and sequence and the language policy is done
by language teachers, homeroom teachers, year level coordinators, Heads of
Wings, Head PYP, PYP Coordinator and Head of the School.
Including the entire staff in the school towards language development in the
school
Besides the teachers, bus drivers, supporting staff, administrative staff are
given orientation at the beginning of the academic year towards the
responsibility of speaking or writing polite and positive language. All adults
IBPYP Evaluation Visit 2019-2020
are reposed with the responsibility of using clear and positive language to set
an example for students.
As an IB World School, we are committed to the following practices:
● The school places importance on language learning, including mother
tongue, host country language and other languages (IB Standard A,
Practice 7)
● Teaching and learning addresses the diversity of student language
needs, including those for students learning a language(s) other than
their mother tongue (IB Standard C3, Practice 7).
● Teaching and learning demonstrates that all teachers are responsible
for language development of students (IB Standard C3, Practice 8).
● Assessment at the school aligns with the requirements of the
programme(s). (IB Standard C4, Practice 1).
● Collaborative planning and reflection recognizes that all teachers are
responsible for language development of students (IB Standard C1,
Practice 8).
● The school utilizes the resources and expertise of the community to
enhance learning within the programmes (IB Standard B2, Practice 11).
For each practice, the school has taken the following measures to bring
excellence in language learning.
The school places importance on language learning, including mother
tongue, host country language and other languages (IB Standard A,
Practice 7)
The medium of instruction in the school is English. Additional languages like
Hindi and Telugu start from Grade 1. Students have the choice to select from
either of those. From Grade 5, a third language option is offered and students
choose any one from Hindi, Telugu and French.
In the PYP section of the School the language of instruction (English) is
integrated into the units of inquiry or organized into stand-alone language
sessions.
IBPYP Evaluation Visit 2019-2020
Through the programme specific learning outcomes for the strands of
speaking and listening, reading and writing, and viewing and presenting
appropriate to the students’ level have been defined. We promote inquiry-
based authentic learning atmosphere to students.
The School invests in qualified, professional language teachers for the
language of instruction, host language and other languages.
Teaching and learning addresses the diversity of student language
needs, including those for students learning a language(s) other than
their mother tongue (IB Standard C3, Practice 7).
All students’ language needs are identified through initial and ongoing
assessments throughout the year. Teachers differentiate for the range of
students’ needs in different ways.
Teachers provide individualized instruction by specifying learning goals.
Teaching strategies include working in small groups, using different resources
with different levels of language complexity, as well as changing the level of
questioning and tasks for individual students.
In the PYP section of the School students are grouped by ability for reading
groups, but work in mixed ability groups for other tasks.
A link between the language policy and the admission policy is established
where at the time of student admission; a test to gauge the student’s level of
language proficiency is taken and a record of which is made available to
teachers.
Teaching and learning demonstrates that all teachers are responsible
for language development of students (IB Standard C3, Practice 8).
The School focuses on trans-disciplinary nature of language learning by
recognizing the role of language in all teaching and learning done in the
school. The basic skills for all types of communication - oral, written and
visual - are explicitly planned for, using our scope and sequence.
Receptive and expressive aspects of language teaching and learning
IBPYP Evaluation Visit 2019-2020
Receptive: In how many ways children receive the language
Aural: How they hear the language within the school community and outside.
Visual: How they see the language being used to express and communicate
Expressive: How children speak, convey, and express their written and
spoken forms of language
Oral: Attitudinally, soft and pleasant language to be used with focus on
grammatically accepted structures of language and appropriate words.
Written: At a basic level, legible form of writing with focus on grammatically
acceptable language structures and appropriate usage of words and sentences
are expected.
To support this practice further, the school has developed a reading policy
with a purpose of improving a child’s communication skill, thinking skill, focus
and concentration.
A variety of reading strategies are introduced to support students in the
mechanics of reading and comprehending the meaning of what they read.
These include phonemic awareness, recognising patterns in text, decoding,
making inferences and recognising a bank of sight words.
Assessment at the school aligns with the requirements of the
programme(s). (IB Standard C4, Practice 1).
Assessment is integral to teaching and learning in the school. Using a range of
tools and strategies, teachers are able to determine students’ knowledge,
skills, understanding and attitudes towards language.
Students are regularly assessed using the expectations from the School’s
language scope and sequence. Achievement of different learning outcomes
will be recorded and passed on throughout their schooling to facilitate each
student’s learning. At the beginning of tasks, criteria is shared or created by
the students so that learning goals are clear.
IBPYP Evaluation Visit 2019-2020
Collaborative planning and reflection recognizes that all teachers are
responsible for language development of students (IB Standard C1,
Practice 8).
Since students learn about and through language, the school understands that
all teachers are responsible for language development of students. During
collaborative planning and reflection, links are developed between the POI
and language teaching.
The school utilizes the resources and expertise of the community to
enhance learning within the programmes (IB Standard B2, Practice 11).
A team of teachers are responsible for purchasing high quality texts so that
students can explore a variety of genres to read for pleasure and information.
The pedagogical leadership team collaborates with the librarian in ordering
and cataloguing books in different mother tongue languages for the library
and as classroom resources.
Students have access to other resources such as newspapers and magazines,
which help them to be aware of current affairs, to foster an interest in reading,
and to develop confidence, fluency and comprehension. The use of ICT is an
integral language learning tool.
The involvement of parents is important in the School. They expose students
to different mother tongue languages through visits to classrooms and
speaking to students on festive occasions by sharing the beliefs behind those
festivals and promote international mindedness.
Teaching and learning of language is organized into five phases of
overall expectations, conceptual understandings and learning
outcomes. The phases represent a developmental continuum of
language learning.
IBPYP Evaluation Visit 2019-2020
Below is a table that illustrates the overall expectations in language:
Oral Language
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5
Learners show Learners show Learners show Learners show Learners
an an an an are able to
understanding understanding understanding understanding understand
of the value of that sounds are of the wide of the the
speaking and associated with range of conventions difference
listening to objects, events purposes of associated with between
communicate. and ideas, or spoken speaking and literal and
They recognize with symbolic language: that listening and figurative
that representations it instructs, the value of language;
sounds are of them. They informs, adhering to how to use
associated with are aware that entertains, those language
objects, or with an object or reassures; that conventions. differently
symbolic symbol may each listener’s They are aware for different
representations have different perception of that language is purposes.
of them. They sounds or what they hear a vehicle for They are
are using words is unique. becoming aware that
language to associated with They are knowledgeable; they are
name it in different compiling for building on
their languages. They rules negotiating their
environment, are beginning about the use understanding; previous
to get to know to be cognizant of different and for experiences
each other, to about the high aspects of negotiating the and
initiate and degree of language. social using
explore variability of dimension. language to
relationships, language and its construct
to question and uses. new
inquire. meaning.
IBPYP Evaluation Visit 2019-2020
Visual Language
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5
Learners show Learners Learners show Learners show Through inquiry,
an identify, an an open- learners engage
understanding interpret and understanding mindedness with an increasing
that the world respond to a that visual text about the use range of visual
around them range of visual may represent of a range of text resources. As
is full of visual text prompts reality or visual text well as exploring
language that and show an fantasy. They resources to the
conveys understanding recognize that access viewing and
meaning. that different visual text information. presenting
They are able types of visual resources can They think strategies that are
to interpret texts serve provide factual critically, and a part of the
and respond to different information are articulate planned learning
visual texts. purposes. and increase about the use environment, they
Although They use this understanding. of visual text select and use
much of their knowledge to They use to influence strategies that suit
own visual create their visual text in a the viewer. their learning
language is own visual reflective way They are able styles. They are
spontaneous, texts for to enrich their to use visual able to make
they are particular storytelling or imagery to connections
extending and purposes. presentations, present factual between visual
using visual and to information, imagery and
language in organize and or to tell a social
more represent story. commentary. They
purposeful information. show more
ways. discernment in
selecting
information they
consider reliable.
They are able to
use visual imagery
to support a
position.
IBPYP Evaluation Visit 2019-2020
Written Language
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5
Learners Learners Learners show Learners Learners show
show an show an an show an an
understandin understandin understanding understandin understanding
g that print g that that text is g of the of the strategies
represents the language can used to convey relationship authors use to
real or the be meaning in between engage them.
imagined represented different ways reading, They have their
world. They visually and for thinking and favourite
know that through codes different reflection. authors and can
reading gives and symbols. purposes— They know articulate
them They are they are that reading is reasons for their
knowledge extending developing an extending choices. Reading
and pleasure; their data awareness of their world, provides a sense
that it can be bank of context. They both real and of
a social printed codes use strategies, imagined, and accomplishment
activity or an and symbols based on what that there is a , not only in
individual and are able they know, to reciprocal the process, but
activity. They to recognize read for relationship in the access it
have a them in new understanding between provides them
concept of a contexts. They . They the two. Most to further
“book”, and an understand recognize that importantly, knowledge
awareness of that reading is the structure they have about, and
some of its a vehicle for and established understanding
structural learning, and organization reading of, the world.
elements. that the of text conveys routines and
They use combination meaning. relish the
visual cues to of codes process of
recall sounds conveys reading.
and the words meaning.
they are
“reading” to
construct
meaning.
IBPYP Evaluation Visit 2019-2020
Scope and Sequence
School has developed a vertical and horizontal scope and sequence document
for teaching of English as a Language.
Conceptual understandings and learning outcomes for each language strand
have been documented for each grade level from PP 1 to Grade 6.
Vertical and horizontal plans are developed which are upgraded every year
for the teaching of English as a language.
The art of communication is the language of leadership.
- James Humes
Drafting Committee: Director Education, Principal, Pedagogical leadership
team
To be reviewed next in April/June 2020
