CBSE-2017 Syllabus for Functional English Classes XI and XII
Aims and Objectives of the Functional English Course
- to enable the learner to acquire competence in different linguistic functions
- to reinforce the various subskills related to reading, writing, listening and speaking.
The Approach to Functional English Curriculum
- A skill based communicative approach is recommended in Functional English with graded texts followed by learner centred activities.
- It is recommended that teachers consciously take a back seat, playing the role of a manager, coordinator and facilitator.
Language Skills and their Objectives Approach to Reading
- The course aims at introducing variety in text type rather than having short stories and prose pieces. The emphasis will have to be to enlarge the vocabulary through word building skills and to impart training in reading for specific purposes.
Specific Objectives of Reading
To develop specific study skills:
- to refer to dictionaries, encyclopedia, thesaurus and academic reference material
- to select and extract relevant information, using reading skills of skimming and scanning
- to understand the writer's attitude and bias.
- to comprehend the difference between what is said and what is implied.
- to understand the language of propaganda and persuasion.
- to differentiate between claims and realities, facts and opinions.
- to form business opinions on the basis of latest trends available.
- to comprehend technical language as required in computer related fields.
- to arrive at personal conclusion and comment on a given text specifically
- to develop the ability to be original and creative in interpreting opinion
- to develop the ability to be logically persuasive in defending one's opinion. To develop literary skills as enumerated below:
- to personally respond to literary texts
- to appreciate and analyze special features of languages that differentiate literary texts from non-literary ones
- to explore and evaluate features of character, plot, setting etc.
- to understand and appreciate the oral, mobile and visual elements of drama
- to identify the elements of style such as humour, pathos, satire and irony etc.
Speaking and Listening
- Speaking needs a very strong emphasis and is an important objective leading to professional competence.
- Hence testing of oral skills must be made an important component of the overall testing pattern.
- To this end, speaking & listening skills are overtly built into the material to guide the teachers in actualization of the skills.
Specific Objectives of Listening and Speaking or Conversation Skills (Aural/Oral)
- to listen to lectures and talks and to be able to extract relevant and useful information for a specific purpose.
- to listen to news bulletins and to develop the ability to discuss informally on a wide ranging issues like current national and international affairs, sports, business etc.
- to respond in interviews and to participate in formal group discussions.
- to make enquiries meaningfully and adequately and to respond to enquiries for the purpose of travelling within the country and abroad.
- to listen to business news and to be able to extract relevant important information.
- to develop the art of formal public speaking.
- The course for two years has been graded in such a way that it leads the students towards acquiring advanced writing skills through integrated tasks that move from less linguistically challenging to more challenging ones.
- It has been planned on the premise that sub skills of writing should be taught in a context and more emphasis should be laid on teaching the process of writing.
Specific Objectives of Writing
- to write letters to friends, pen friends, relatives etc.
- to write business letters and official ones.
- to send telegrams, faxes, e-mails.
- to open accounts in post offices and banks
- to fill in railway reservation slips.
- to write on various issues to institutions seeking relevant information, lodge complaints, express thanks or tender apology.
- to write applications, fill in application forms, prepare a personal bio-data for admission into colleges, universities, entrance tests and jobs.
- to write informal reports as part of personal letters on functions, programmes and activities held in school (morning assembly, annual day, sports day etc.)
- to write formal reports for school magazines or in local newspapers on the above events or occasions.
- to write presentation of opinions, facts, arguments in the form of set speeches for debates.
- to present papers for taking part in symposia.
- to take down notes from talks and lectures and make notes from various resources for the purpose of developing the extracted ideas into sustained pieces of writing.
- to write examination answers according to the requirement of various subjects.