Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport
Accueil Accueil Plan du site Nous joindre Portail Québec FAQ English

English as a Second Language

Category 4 - Text Components

All texts provide cues to help the reader understand what the author wants to communicate.
Literacy for Learning

In the Cycle One program, text components are found under “Language related to songs, rhymes and stories” of the Contextual Language category. Text components consist of key elements and main events in texts that are worked on orally with the support of the group. Key elements and events help develop the competency To act on understanding of texts. There are no expectations in Cycle One for students to read texts on their own.

In the Cycles Two and Three program, text components refer to connecting words, contextual cues, overall meaning and key elements. Prior to listening to or reading texts, students use contextual cues to anticipate the content of texts. While they are listening to and reading texts, students use connecting words, key elements and overall meaning to further construct meaning. Text components contribute to developing the competency To reinvest understanding of oral and written texts.

Learning context is a feature found in the ESL Progression of Learning chart that describes the conditions under which students progressively construct knowledge throughout the cycles. It highlights the differences in the learning environments as defined in the Cycle One and the Cycles Two and Three programs.

Elementary Cycle One

Learning Context
Discovery of text components through the use of authentic songs, rhymes and stories with the support of the group

Elementary Cycles Two and Three

Cycle Two Learning Context
Use of text components to understand texts mostly pertaining to familiar topics (e.g. hobbies, pets, imaginary creatures)

Cycle Three Learning Context
Use of text components to understand texts often pertaining to topics of a broader scope (e.g. friendship, heroes, ecology)
Student constructs knowledge with teacher guidance.
Student applies knowledge by the end of the school year.
 
Student reinvests knowledge.
Elementary
  Cycle One   Cycle Two Cycle Three
1 2 3 4 5 6

  1. CONTEXTUAL LANGUAGE
  1. TEXT COMPONENTS
Language related to songs, rhymes and stories Connecting words (e.g. once upon a time, next, finally)
   
  • Uses knowledge of connecting words to construct meaning
  Contextual cues: titles, subtitles, synopsis, key sentences, illustrations, table of contents
   
  • Uses contextual cues to recognize a variety of text formats (e.g. newspaper article, graphic novel, advertisement) and to predict content
   
  • Uses contextual cues to construct meaning
  Overall meaning
   
  • Identifies general ideas stated explicitly (i.e. literal meaning)
    
   
  • Finds implied ideas (i.e. underlying meaning)
Key elements Key elements
  • Orally identifies characters, actions, objects and places
 1
  • Identifies and briefly describes characters, people, animals, objects, place and setting
    
   
  • Identifies facts
   
  • Briefly describes story line, plot
Events Key elements
  • Orally identifies main events
 1
  • Sequences events
1 The Cycle One student constructs new knowledge by gradually becoming aware of new language, strategies, language conventions, text components and cultural elements.

Haut de page