In the spirit of providing better educational opportunities and more meaningful interaction with other cultures, The Plan for Educational Reform (1994) and The New Framework for Education in Lebanon (1995) established the principle of teaching a second foreign language in grades 7 through 12 at the rate of two hours a week.

The curriculum for English as a second foreign language which follows this introduction attempts to turn these objectives into a working curriculum that is in line with the current theories and research findings in the area of second language acquisition and with the recent trends in foreign language curriculum design and teaching methodology.

PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING THE CURRICULUM

The following principles are held to be true and self-evident:

1. Language learning is learning to communicate. Any language is used by its speakers to express themselves, to interact with others, to gain information (academic and otherwise), and to learn about the world around them.
2. Language varies. Speakers of a language are aware of the need to vary language use according to the context of communicative interaction, i.e. language varies with variation in topic, participants, setting, purpose, and medium (verbal or written). Moreover, language varies according to academic domains (content areas) and tasks.
3. Learning a new language is becoming familiar with a new culture.Learners of a new language become aware of new values, norms, thought patterns, and beliefs. As a result of this cultural exposure and of the ensuing analysis of similarities and differences with native culture, learners develop understanding of, respect for, and appreciation of diversity of cultural backgrounds.
4. Language learning is most effective when it takes place through meaningful, interactive tasks. Language learners will thus learn most when they are engaged in meaningful, purposeful activities of social and cognitive nature in the context of the classroom (content-based instruction) and outside it (social settings).
5. Language skills are interdependent.  Listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills are not thought of by language users as independent skills; they are rather perceived as interdependent where one skill often activates the other skills as well as the paralinguistic skills required for the achievement of effective communication.

FEATURES  OF  THE   CURRICULUM

Guided by the above basic principles, the curriculum for English attempts to develop the use of English for three major purposes: social interaction, academic achievement, and cultural enrichment. We believe that the most effective way to achieve these purposes is through the adoption of a thematic, integrated, content-based approach to teaching and learning.  The curriculum embodying this approach is going to be spiral in nature.  The same concepts and skills will be taught at various times across the grades, but with increasing levels of complexity and sophistication as we move up.

The following features characterize the curriculum and set it apart from, and hopefully above, the current curriculum and other EFL curricula adopted in similar teaching/learning contexts:

1. Students following this curriculum will learn content-related information while acquiring English language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  The emphasis on teaching English for academic purposes entails the development of thinking skills.  It is for this reason that the new curriculum, in addition to promoting the development of traditional skills, has also emphasized the development of thinking skills.
2. The new curriculum attempts to develop native-like proficiency in English.  More specifically, it stresses both fluency and accuracy, in that order.
3. The curriculum has set realistic, achievable objectives that the average teacher/material writer can relate to.  Furthermore, these objectives have been illustrated with samples of clear, measurable performance tasks that can be easily implemented in the classroom.
4. Language will be presented to students in its proper cultural context.  Though language learning will start with universal themes, the particular characteristics of the culture of English-speaking people will be introduced gradually and where appropriate.  The purpose of this is to develop cross-cultural openness, tolerance, and understanding.  It is for this purpose that the proposed curriculum highlights foreign language literature at all grade levels and includes a special section on cultural awareness skills.
5. The curriculum highlights the role of group work in the development of communicative language skills.  It thus stresses the need for the creation of an interactive classroom environment.  Many of the objectives and performance tasks included in the curriculum call for pair and group work in line with the cooperative learning model of classroom interaction.
6. Finally, the curriculum emphasizes the development of the proper study skills which will help students develop into independent learners.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Below, certain basic principles regarding learning a second foreign language are presented together with their practical implications for learners and learning environment.

1. The younger learners are, the easier it is for them to learn a foreign language.  As the introduction of the second foreign language comes after the "critical age", the learning environment needs to be rich and varied to allow for the most effective learning opportunities.
2. Knowledge of the native language and of the first foreign language may facilitate learning the second foreign language. "Due to the universal characteristics of human language, adults who know one (or more) language(s)* "know" much about the underlying structure of every language" (Fromkin&Rodman,1988:390). This implies that the
   instructional materials and teaching methodology should take this fact into account.
3. Adult learners normally apply their thinking skills to help them discover patterns in what they learn.  Learning for adults is a conscious process; therefore, the teaching of grammar is encouraged once  a student has learned basic communication skills.
4. Learning English as a second foreign language allows learners to follow university education through the medium of English.  As English is becoming the international language of trade and communication and of science and technology, students interested in future careers in these fields would be better prepared for that through a content-based  curriculum that familiarizes them with the language used in such fields.

* Parenthetical material is not part of original text; it has been added by authors.

Upon completion of the prescribed years of study for English as a second foreign language (grades 7-9 and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd secondary years, at the rate of 2 hours a week), students are expected to be able to do the following:

LISTENING OBJECTIVES

• Understand a set of high frequency words and expressions.
• Demonstrate basic understanding of spoken discourse (short exchanges).
• Demonstrate relational comprehension of spoken discourse.
• Demonstrate enjoyment of special types of spoken discourse.

ORAL COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES

• Demonstrate ability to express basic needs, interests, and courtesies.
• Demonstrate ability to communicate in a variety of social and academic situations.
• Communicate in a participatory manner.

READING OBJECTIVES

• Demonstrate the ability to use skills for word recognition and comprehension.
• Demonstrate relative fluency in reading aloud.
• Read for pleasure and enjoyment.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES

• Demonstrate ability to perform basic writing tasks related to familiar contexts.
• Demonstrate ability to communicate meaningful, purposeful information.

THINKING SKILLS OBJECTIVES

• Develop metacognitive strategies to help process language.
• Develop strategies to gain understanding of information.

STUDY SKILLS OBJECTIVES

• Develop basic library skills.
• Develop study strategies.
• Develop textbook awareness skills.

CULTURAL AWARENESS OBJECTIVES

• Develop familiarity with target language customs presented in authentic spoken and written texts.
• Compare target language speakers' customs with one's own.  

The following themes are suggested for Grade Seven (Level 1). They are to be considered tentative; teachers/authors can add, modify, or treat them in more detail as found appropriate.

• My Family
• Our House
• Food
• Wild Life
• The Countryside
• Healthy Habits
• T.V. Programs and Movies
• Seasons and Holidays
• Dinosaurs
• Shopping
• Outdoor Activities

Below, we present the development of the objectives for each language skill from one grade to another. It is clear that the objectives and concepts are stressed at various times across the grades, but with increasing levels of complexity and sophistication as students move from one grade to the next.