Introduction
As we all know, language does not function
in vacuum. We need people to use the
language. There should be place and an
occasion to talk about. We must have a
situation to have a dialogue. In order to meet
this requirement the linguists and curriculum
experts have drawn categories of situation
which can be used as a base for developing
language units.
Both Van EK (1978) and Richterich (1971) have
worked on this subject and developed their
own lists of situation categories which of
course overlap. While reviewing these lists we
have observed that situations include the
following broad categories:
1- people:
In each situation we shall have to identify the
people by their sex, age, occupation,
nationality, status etc. We shall also have to
define the number of persons involved in each
event. We shall also throw light on their roles
They play in the society and particularly in a
certain incident. These roles can be social,
moral or psychological. This information, will
help us to select proper vocabulary and
language expressions to develop suitable
curriculum unit.
2- Place:
Besides people, communication needs some
place as well. It may be home or a street. It
may be a public place like library, school, office
or hospital. It can be a desert or a beach, a
farm or a workshop, a factory or a market.
We may have to define the geographical
location of the place eg. Country, region, city
etc. Place can also be determined as a train,
plane or bus. It can also include
neighborhood in relevance with the
communication or the language act.
3- Time
Time is another component of language act.
The conversation will take into consideration
the duration of speech. Time limit is the
important feature of our telephonic
conversations and discussion groups.
The time of the day also determines the need
for selecting appropriate English words and
expressions.
4- Environmental setting and weather conditions:
They matter a lot in writing curricular units and
using proper language, simple and serious
language.
5- surroundings:
They may include family members, friends,
acquaintances, strangers, etc. Surroundings
having educated and high income groups of
people will have a different impact on the
development of EFL curriculum units as
compared to the one comprising illiterate
and low-income groups of people.
Introduction
Selection of appropriate topics for each level
is a very important requirement of a good
curriculum. The topics determine the choice
of vocabulary and structures. They have to be
selected very carefully keeping in view the
interests and needs of the learners on the one
hand and the socio-cultural demands of the
nation on the other. While selecting topics we
have to be on our guard that nothing contrary
to Islam and our national interests is included
in the list of topics. The topics must match the
learners’ psychological, emotional and intellectual
interests and suit their social background, taste
and age group. Topics suitable for adults do not
intrigue the younger boys and girls. Hence it is
desirable to focus on such topics which appeal to
the Intermediate and secondary school students.
The principles of importance and usefulness will
govern the process of selection.
Professor Van EK (1978) has suggested a long list
of topics which could be used as a source for
selection of suitable topics. The list of topics are
as follows:
1 – General Topics:
1) Numbers and Letters: Small and high
numbers, small and capital letters.
2) Days of the week: Saturday through Friday.
3) Months of year both in speaking and
writing: January through December and
number of days in each month.
4) Expression of time: What is the time now?
Or what time is it? e.g 8 o’clock, 5 am,.
9pm.Eight fifteen, nine ten, ten fifty five.
5) Seasons: Spring, Autumn, Summer,
Winter.
6) Weather: Cloudy, windy, sunny, good,
bad, cold, hot, nice, pleasant, etc.
7) Weights: gram (g), kilogram (Kg), heavy,
light.
8) Sizes: meter (m), kilometer (Km),
centimeter (cm), milimetere (mm), tall,
short, long.
9) Measurements: liters, pint, quart, gallon.
10) Money and different currencies: Saudi
riyals, U. S. dollars, Kuwaiti dinars,
German marks, sterling & pounds, francs,
etc.
11) Colors: Blue, red, yellow, green, white,
black, etc.
12) Shapes: Triangle, square, circle, etc.
13) Parts of Body: Head , face, ears, eyes,
nose etc.
14) Birds and Animals: parrot, goat, horse,
camel etc.
2 – Introductions and Greetings
1. Good morning, Good afternoon, Good
evening, Good night, etc
2. How do you do? How are you?
3. Fine, thank you.
4. Courtesy words like, Excuse me, pardon
please, I’m sorry, you are welcome,
that’s all right, etc.
5. Names, First name, family name and
their spellings.
6. Courtesy titles. Mr., Miss., Mrs., Ms. Etc.
7. Identification of self and others.
8. Address, age, phone number, etc.
3 – The Family:
1. Relationships and ages: father, mother, uncle,
aunt, etc.
2. The home: rooms and their uses, drawing
room, bed room, kitchen, bathroom.
3. Furnishing: sofas, chairs, carpets, cushions etc.
4. Cleanliness: brush, duster, vacuum, cleaner,
neat, clean, dirty, etc.
5. Safety: locks, fire alarms, fire extinguisher, etc.
4 – Occupations:
Student, teacher, doctor, engineer, mechanic,
technician, shopkeeper, farmer, business-man,
hotel executive, banker.
5 – Nationalities:
Saudi, American, British, French, German,
Japanese,
Chinese,
Pakistani,
Indian,
Egyptian, etc.
6 – Meals:
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper, etc. table
setting, fish, chicken, rice, meat, vegetables,
salads, formula, recipe.
7 – Clothes and dresses:
Mens’ and ladies’ clothes, children’s clothes,
winter and summer clothes, formal dress,
casual dress.
8 – Daily health routines:
Washing, brushing the teeth, taking a
shower, brushing hair, etc.
9 – traffic rules and road signs:
Signals, red, green, yellow, stop, slow, turn
right, turn left, hospital, school, no parking
etc.
10 – The classroom:
Furniture, blackboard, windows, fans,
students, tables and chairs, benches, etc.
11 – The school:
Location of rooms, laboratories, library,
playground, canteen, mosque, headmaster’s
office, teachers’ room, toilets, school
activities, clubs, rules and regulations.
12 – The time table:
Daily timetable: get up, go to mosque, take
breakfast, go to school etc.
School timetable: The school opens at 7:30
am., closes at 1:30 pm. Subjects, periods,
recess: give hours for each.
13 – Our country:
Introduction, regions, people, oil, crops,
weather, airports, roads, transportation,
communication,
universities,
hospitals,
historical places, etc.
14 – National games:
Football, Football clubs, National teams,
Youth clubs, Camel races, horse races, etc.
15 – Fruit and vegetables:
Dates, apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, watermelon,
etc. tomatoes, onions, potatoes, okra, cucumber, etc.
16 – The community:
Saudi community – traditions, life style,
customs, family set up, social life, religious
rites, etc.
17 – The cultural heritage:
Islam, Pillars of Islam, Faith, Prayers, Charity,
Fasting and Hajj, Eid El Fittr and Eid-El-Addha,
History and battles, etc.
18 – National Heroes:
The Glorious Caliphs – The War Heroes – The
Scholars and scientists – The poets and
writers etc.
19 – The hobbies:
Gardening, popular sports, camping, hiking.
Folk dances, folk songs, joining clubs,
traveling.
Many more topics like moral stories, rhymes,
poems and religious topics can be added
synchronizing with the needs and level of
learners.
Best of luck
Dr. Nissrein Abdel
Bassett El-Enany