Escuela de Pedagogía en Comunicación en Lengua Inglesa
Lead advisor:
CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom:
The Aztecs and the Spanish conquest
Seminario de Tesis para optar al Título de Profesor en
Comunicación
en Lengua Inglesa y al Grado de Licenciado en Educación
César Maximiliano Czischke Álvarez
2013
Acknowledgements
To God, my family, friends, and teachers, especially Maritza,
Amalia and
Juanita.
1.2 Content and Language Integrated Learning.
1.2.1 Theoretical basis……………………………………………………..7
1.2.2 Language learning……………………………………………………8
1.2.3 Content learning…………………………………………………….10
1.2.5 Integration of content learning and language
learning……………...14
1.2.6 Krashen’s Second Language Acquisition Theory…………………..16
1.3 EFL learning and acquisition……………………………………………….19
1.3.1 Communicative Language Teaching……………………………….19
1.3.2 Natural Approach…………………………………………………...21
1.3.3 Cooperative learning………………………………………………..23
1.4 The Aztecs and the Spanish Conquest.
1.4.1 History and geographical location………………………………….27
1.4.2 The Aztec society………………………………….………………..28
1.4.3 Art and religious traits………………………………………………29
1.4.4 Spanish conquest……………………………………………………31
2.3 Activities……………………………………………………………………36
2.5 CLIL and its application in Chilean EFL
classrooms………………………56
Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………….58
References……………………………………………………………………………...60
Appendixes……………………………………………………………………………..63
Abstract.
In response to the Chilean students’ low results on English
proficiency tests, this
work offers a 6-class didactic unit which takes CLIL as its core
functional element; its
main objective is to develop students’ communicative competence
through the learning
of a subject. This subject is the Aztecs and the Spanish conquest,
which fosters the
learning and acquisition of vocabulary related to antique cultures,
artistic manifestations
and religious traditions, as well as lexicon and cognitive
abilities associated with
deduction making, giving explanations and arguing ideas. In terms
of grammar, this unit
is focused mainly on the past simple and past perfect of
verbs.
Key words: CLIL, Natural Approach, CLT, Second Language Acquisition
Theory,
Cooperative learning, Subject Based Instruction, History, Aztecs
and Spanish
Colonialism.
Introduction
Recent studies concerning the Chilean students’ level of English
proficiency
have shown the urgent need of more efficient pedagogical strategies
in the teaching of
this language; most of the students barely know how to read in
English, or understand
comprehensively if they are exposed to the language. Bearing this
in mind, and as a
response to this issue, a didactic unit is presented to promote a
relatively novel teaching
strategy that aims to enhance the effective teaching of English and
a determined subject
in the EFL classroom; The Content and Language Integrated Learning
(CLIL) approach.
While the term CLIL may result unknown to the Chilean academic
community,
its basics are well-known and have been proven effective for ends
of language learning
and acquisition. Based on this assertion, and knowing the benefits
of the
Communicative Language Teaching approach, the Second Language
Acquisition
theory, and other pillars of the CLIL methodology, this didactic
unit offers a guideline
to implement CLIL on the Chilean EFL classrooms.
The subject chosen for this didactic unit is the Aztecs and the
Spanish conquest,
since the language that will be acquired by the students is
strongly connected to the use
of the past tense of verbs as well as vocabulary to draw
conclusions, deducting
information, giving reasons and explaining causes.
This work has been divided into two main chapters; Theoretical
framework and
didactic unit. The first chapter is composed by 3 sections. The
first one deals with the
current situation of Chilean students regarding English, and a
theoretical frame that
gives shape to the CLIL method, its application in terms of content
and language
learning-acquisition and the way they interact in the learning
process. This section also
2 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
includes a brief explanation of the Language Acquisition Theory,
which functions as a
guideline to the application of CLIL in terms of language
teaching.
The second section provides a description of the teaching
methodologies that
will be used throughout this didactic unit, these being the
Communicative Language
Teaching, the Natural Approach, and the Cooperative Learning
methodology. This
section also offers a key explanation that seeks to explain the
difference between
language learning and language acquisition within CLIL and its
practical use.
Finally, the third section exposes the subject that will be taught
in the didactic
unit, this being the Aztecs and the main traits of their culture,
including their religion,
social hierarchy, artistic manifestations and finally the Spanish
colonization of their
territory.
The second chapter of this paper presents the objectives of this
didactic unit as
well as the lesson plans and all the materials that have to be used
to its implementation.
3 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
1. Theoretical framework
1.1 Introduction: State of the Art
The teaching of English as a foreign language in Chile is a
compulsory subject
taught from fifth grade to the twelfth grade, in high school.
Although the Ministry of
Education dictates a minimum of three hours in elementary school
and four in high
school – plus three hours in the Elective Subjects in eleventh and
twelfth grades – the
amount of hours English is taught can be increased according to the
particular programs
and needs of the educational institutions, especially in private
and subsidized
elementary schools and high schools. The EFL programs designed by
the Chilean
Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) cover the four basic skills of any
language:
Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. It is necessary to point
out, though, that the
first two skills are preponderant along the entire EFL syllabuses,
as claimed by McKay
(2003), which in turn, denotes the goals that MINEDUC is aiming
for: the development
of receptive skills for their instrumental usage.
While it is clear that the students of the Chilean compulsory
education are taught
in order to be prepared to understand written and oral English -
over producing language
- the MINEDUC declares that students do need to develop skills
which will allow them
to express themselves in specific contexts (English opens doors).
This idea builds upon
the new challenge within the teaching of English as a foreign
language, which is to
enhance student’s communicative ability in the target
language.
As demonstrated by Curinao and González (2008) there is no
connection
between the EFL programs proposed by MINEDUC and CLT approaches,
but instead,
4 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
the English syllabus suggests, mainly, activities related to
language abilities, such as
reading, listening and grammar-based drills.
Bearing this in mind, it is needed to know how, when and where a
CLIL strategy
can be put into practice for the aforementioned development of the
Chilean students’
communicative ability in a foreign language. In order to have a
clear picture of the
actual situation of Chilean students regarding English learning, we
can examine the
results of the English SIMCE test that all eleventh grade students
from public,
subsidized and private schools took in 2010.
The standard test used in this evaluation was the TOEIC Bridge Exam
which, in
this case, assesses students’ reading and listening skills. The
test consisted of fifty
questions on reading and fifty on listening. The students who
obtained over 134 points
(a minimum of 64 in Listening comprehension and 70 in reading
comprehension) were
considered to have a basic level of English which is defined
as:
Listening comprehension: The student is capable of understanding
short phrases and
expressions related to everyday issues, such as: short messages,
advertisements or
instructions.
Reading comprehension: The student is capable of understanding
simple, short texts
containing frequently-used vocabulary, such as: advertisements,
menus, timetables,
public signs, letters, catalogs, short newspaper articles.
The results were as follows,
5 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
Figure 1. English test results
Source:
http://www.educarchile.cl/UserFiles/P0001/File/CR_Articulos/simce_ingles_2010.pps
Source:
http://www.educarchile.cl/UserFiles/P0001/File/CR_Articulos/simce_ingles_2010.pps
6 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
On the one hand, “Con Certificación” refers to the students who
were able to obtain 134
points or more, “Sin Certificación”, on the other, invokes those
who obtained less than
134 points.
Source:http://www.educarchile.cl/UserFiles/P0001/File/CR_Articulos/simce_ingles_2010.pps
1.2 Content and Language Integrated Learning
1.2.1 Theoretical basis
Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) as defined by
Coyle, Hood
and Marsh (2010) is “a dual-focused educational approach in which
an additional
language is used for learning and teaching both content and
language” (p.1). Therefore,
CLIL is a teaching approach that mingles language education as well
as content
education within its own theoretical basis. While the focus on
content or language may
vary depending on the situation and context where CLIL
methodologies are
implemented, there are theoretical and practical precepts that must
be borne in mind
when applying this type of CBI approach.
8 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
1.2.2 Language learning
CLIL rises as a teaching proposal that covers the necessity of
people to develop
effective language skills in a globalized world, where the need to
communicate
themselves in a foreign language supersedes the students’ passive
knowledge of
English, thus, transforming the way in which teachers and
educational entities in
general must see language education. Having this idea in mind, the
leading principle of
CLIL, which has to do with language, is the need to communicate
efficiently, to use the
target language as a tool to express real messages and ideas, and
not language itself as
an end of the teaching process.
As it has been stated before, a fundamental element of CLIL is the
teaching of
the target language for its future use by the students in real life
situations. In order to
reach this goal, teachers must work to develop the students’
communicative
competence, which is defined by Canale and Swain (1980) under the
following
parameters: First, Grammatical competence, which is knowledge of
lexical items, rules
of morphology, and phonology. Second, Sociolinguistic Competence,
which encloses
knowledge of the relation of language use in its non-linguistic
context (Sociocultural
competence) and the knowledge of rules of cohesion and coherence
(Discourse
competence). Finally, Strategic Competence, which encompasses
strategies of verbal
and non-verbal communication that take place when the speaker needs
to compensate
insufficient linguistic competence.
In order to achieve communicative competence on students it is
important to pay
attention to both, form and meaning. Bearing this in mind, Clegg
(2003) (as cited by
Coyle et al., 2010), suggests that there are two alternative
approaches to CLIL, one that
9 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
focuses on language development using certain subjects and another
which focuses on
subjects overlaying explicit language teaching. Choosing one or the
other depends
solely on the context of each setting where CLIL will take
place.
10 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
1.2.3 Content learning
As CLIL functions on the basis of content and language working
together, it is
important to establish what has been said about content learning
and the appropriate
methods that educators have dealt with. When it comes to CLIL
praxis, the content in
use can be adapted to the necessities of the educational
institution where this CBI
approach is going to take place, and it can range from
cross-curricular topics, thematic
issues, or subjects proposed by the national syllabus ( Coyle et
al., 2010). Knowing
what to teach does not imply knowing how to teach it, so it must be
taken into
consideration what is known about effective pedagogy in terms of
content teaching. The
debate on the effective teaching of content is not a new issue; in
fact, it has been
discussed for decades by specialists on the subject. One of the
main and dominant
conceptions known about content learning has a teacher-led and
teacher-controlled
model where the educator deposits information on the learner, what
is known as the
‘banking model’ (Freire, 1972).
As Cummins states (2005), nowadays, tendencies aim to
student-centered
approaches, where the relevance of the student’s experience with
learning and how they
interact with what is being taught are emphasized, rather than a
mere reception of
knowledge (as cited by Coyle et al., 2010). Vygotsky (1978) has
introduced the term
‘zone of proximal development’ (ZPD) in order to describe “the kind
of learning which
is always challenging yet potentially within reach of individual
learners on condition
that appropriate support, scaffolding and guidance are provided”
(as cited by Coyle et
al., 2010), this is, keeping a cognitive challenge for learners as
well as support (scaffold)
that is appropriate to the learner’s progress (ibid).
11 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
The argument stated in the previous paragraph demonstrates the
educator’s
necessity to plan activities, strategies and resources under the
conception of a cognitive-
challenging method so as to make the students the protagonist of
their own learning. In
order to achieve this goal, the teacher must create activities that
demand the student’s
capability to solve problems, analyze information, and summarize
contents, among
other activities related to higher-order thinking.
Proofs of the effectiveness of this philosophy can be found in many
studies
carried out by specialists on the matter all over the world. One
example is the
Queensland School Reform Longitudinal Study (1998-2000) which
demonstrated that to
enhance achievement levels, students must “be intellectually
challenged in order to
transform information and ideas, to solve problems, to gain
understanding and to
discover new meaning” (Department of Education, Queensland, 2002:1,
as cited by
Coyle et al., 2010).
Teaching in accordance to the principles stated above will grant
the learner the
tools to develop successfully in the area of advanced cognitive
skills (creative thinking,
problem solving, reflecting on their own learning, etc.) which is
paramount in the
correct implementation and praxis of CLIL.
12 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
1.2.4 Cultural awareness and intercultural understanding
As presented by Geertz in his book Local Knowledge (1983) there is
no such
thing as human nature independent of culture. This stance relates
directly to language
teaching, as in how Brown (1980, p. 138) defines culture in
relation to language (as
cited by Doyle et al., 2010):
“Cultural patterns, customs and ways of life are expressed in
language: culture
specific world views are reflected in language… Language and
culture interact so
that world views among cultures differ, and that language used to
express that
world view may be relative and specific to that view.”
Halliday (1970) describes language development as a “social event,
a semiotic
encounter through which meanings that constitute the social system
are exchanged” (as
cited by Doyle et al., 2010). In this definition, language
functions as a vehicle for
culture interaction; therefore, there is, necessarily, a cultural
interchange within the
CLIL classroom. Having this idea in mind, it raises the necessity
to put into practice a
meaningful implementation of culture teaching by CLIL educators.
One key factor to
achieve this goal is to propitiate interaction between peers,
teacher-student-interaction
and the use of specific materials and texts, all in the second
language being taught.
The exposure to a foreign language and its correlative interaction
entails using
skills to mediate between one’s own and others’ culture, raising
awareness about the
culture of oneself, including attitudes and behaviors that are
culturally learned. (Doyle
13 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
et al., 2010). This interaction also develops the student’s
cultural knowledge and
capacity to critically apply and analyze social processes and
outcomes (ibid). Thus, the
contribution of CLIL to the learners’ intercultural understanding
is found in the
development of:
“…an ability to see and manage the relationship between themselves
and their
own cultural beliefs, behaviors and meanings, as expressed in a
foreign language, and
those of their interlocutors, expressed in the same language – or
even a combination of
languages.” (Byram, 1997, p. 12)
14 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
1.2.5 Integration of content learning and language learning
The integration of content learning and language learning in a
teaching situation
represents a fundamental aspect in the development of an effective
CLIL strategy. As
presented by Candall (as cited by Coyle et al., 2010, p.41):
“Students cannot develop academic knowledge and skills without
access to the
language in which that knowledge is embedded, discussed,
constructed, or
evaluated. Nor can they acquire academic language skills in a
context devoid of
content"
Coyle et al. (2010) state the effective CLIL method occurs when
content;
communication and culture are integrated simultaneously. To reach
this goal the teacher
must:
- Assist the student in the learning of new contents and
cognitive-related
skills.
- Develop the learners’ abilities related to second language
appropriately.
- Strengthen the intercultural awareness for students to relate the
concepts of
self and the other.
As it can be seen, the CLIL method implies the effective learning
and
acquisition of both content and language, acknowledging the
cultural interaction that
rises from the teaching in a second language. It is also important
to highlight that the
preponderance of any of these concepts over the others depends
solely on the context in
which CLIL takes place. (Coyle et al., 2010).
15 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
For the correct put-into-practice of the already mentioned
content-language
integration within the CLIL method, it is necessary to stick to the
following principles
(Coyle et al., 2010)
- The learners must create their own learning and develop their
skills
accordingly. (Personalized learning)
- Content learning must be subordinate to the students’ linguistic
capabilities
and development.
- Language has to be learned, it cannot be used as a mere mean to
learning a
specific content.
reach effective learning.
- Intercultural awareness cannot be left aside in the CLIL
classroom, knowing
that languages are a cultural phenomenon and not just a mere set
of
grammatical rules and vocabulary.
16 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
1.2.6 Krashen’s Second Language Acquisition Theory
One of the leading principles of the language learning process
within a CLIL
setting is the effective learning of a second language for its
usage in real life situations,
being the Communicative Approach, one resource for attaining this
objective.
The philosophy behind the methodology of the Communicative Approach
takes
form from the Second Language Acquisition Theory (hereafter SLAT)
developed by
Krashen in the early 80s. Krashen (1985) claims that the SLAT is
based on five
hypotheses, which are:
Krashen remarks the difference between language learning and
language
acquisition, the first one being “knowing about the language” (p.1)
and the latter being
the subconscious process of acquiring a language, in the same way
children do when
acquiring their first language. Needless to say, acquisition being
the main focus of the
most recent second language teaching approaches.
2. The Natural Order Hypothesis
The Natural Order Hypothesis states that language and grammatical
rules are
developed in a specific and predictable order, both by children
acquiring their first
17 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
language as well as learners acquiring a second language. The
orders in which these
rules and skills are developed are not determined by the language
taught in classes, but
rather, by the exposure to comprehensible input that the acquirer
has had.
3. The Monitor Hypothesis.
The Monitor Hypothesis asserts the way learned and acquired
language function
in the creation of meaning. While what is spontaneously produced
comes from what is
acquired subconsciously, conscious knowledge of language serves
only as a tool for
making corrections of what is produced. These corrections,
according to Krashen
(1985), occur both, before and after the utterance: before, for
editing and correcting the
output to meet grammatical, and overall, linguistic accuracy; and
after, for the sake of
self-correction. For the Monitor process to happen, two conditions
need to be met: the
learner has to be concerned with grammatical correctness, and they
also need to be
acquainted with the rule.
4. The Input Hypothesis.
“Input”, as defined by Krashen (1985) is the comprehensible message
which
allows the individual to acquire new language. The Input Hypothesis
declares that the
only way to acquire a language is through understanding messages
and being exposed to
a sufficient amount of this new language. The way in which this
process occurs is by
comprehending messages, usually with unacquired grammar, with the
help of extra-
18 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
linguistic information. After the exposure to this “input”, speech
will emerge naturally
with the new grammar already acquired.
5. The Affective Filter Hypothesis.
Krashen (1985) proposes that acquisition effectively occurs when
the learner is
“open to the input” (p. 3), meaning that they are motivated,
confident, and well-
supported by the teacher. If the acquirer happens to be stressed,
disoriented, anxious, or
under other negative conditions; when the filter is “up”, as
reported by Krashen, the
input will hardly become part of the performer’s second language
development, since
what is being spoken might be understood, but not necessarily be in
reach of the LAD
(Chomsky’s Language Acquisition Device).
19 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
1.3 EFL learning and acquisition
English as a foreign language, also known as EFL, refers to the
teaching of
English in a region where this language is not naturally spoken or
does not constitute a
native language. EFL, in contrast with ESL, which is the teaching
of English where this
language is widely spoken, poses a challenge for educators to teach
a language, which
in practice, is not used in an every-day basis by acquirers. For
this purpose, many
pedagogical approaches and methodologies have been created. Those
that are more
commonly used in a CLIL setting, and that are going to be employed
in this didactic
unit, will be described below.
1.3.1 Communicative Language Teaching
Communicative Language Teaching (or CLT), as defined by Richards
(2006) is
a “set of principles about the goals of language teaching” (p. 2),
goals that are centered
on the students’ development of communicative competence. The
principles that led to
the rise of CLT came about through the discussions of what second
language teaching
should involve; while the classic methods for teaching a foreign
language, such as
Grammar Translation Method, or the Direct Method, were intended to
master
grammatical competence, the idea of developing communicative
competence through
formal instruction became a solid guideline in the creation of new
strategies and
methods for effective teaching. In its turn, communicative
competence, as it may be
inferred, is related to the students’ ability to communicate with
others by making use of
their linguistic competence and their knowledge of social
implications of words and
language forms. (Littlewood, 1981)
20 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
As the concept of effective language learning has changed, so the
methodologies
employed in the classroom have. Most grammar-based methodologies
consisted of
grammar drills and the use of fixed dialogs, putting a special
focus on grammatical and
phonological accuracy (Richards, 2006). These activities had
precarious results on what
was understood by linguists and psychologists as effective learning
(Skehan, 1996). As
a result, classroom activities changed towards what CLT had
brought: using the
language for communicative purposes, focus on specific
communicative situations, role
play activities, etc.
1.3.2 Natural Approach
The Natural Approach (NA) is a method of language teaching proposed
and
developed by the teacher Tracy Terrel and the linguist Stephen
Krashen in the last part
of the seventies. The theoretical background of the NA is based on
the studies carried
out by Krashen on the field of language acquisition and the
experience of Terrel
working as a Spanish teacher in California (Richards & Rodgers,
1987). Both scholars
propose that a second language is acquired in the same manner that
speakers acquired
their first language (Krashen, 1985). In order to apply the theory
of SLAT into the
classrooms, the NA takes forms as a model of set rules which will
lead the students to
develop their communicative competence in order to use their
acquired language
effectively.
As Krashen and Terrel state (1985), learning a language only
ensures the
student’s knowledge of grammatical rules, which in turn, come in
handy only when
editing what is produced, either in self-correction, after the
utterance, or prior the
utterance, thus, leading to grammatical accuracy but a lack of
fluency. Following the
goals of NA, and putting emphasis on the students’ ability to
communicate themselves
efficiently, Krashen and Terrel (1985) set the principles of the
Natural Approach being:
- Comprehension preceding production The genuine production
of
messages cannot precede acquisition. Students, as well as children
learning their
native language, need to understand messages before creating their
own
utterances. As Petretic and Tweney (1977) described, children at an
early age
are fully prepared to comprehend more complex adult speech. Using
this
advantage, along non-verbal communication, the teacher can use the
target
22 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
language to convey messages. The messages must be centered on
topics of
interest for the acquirer, and the instructor must appeal to all
resources needed
to get across their message.
- Production emerges in stages
The messages produced by acquirers evolve as they are progressively
exposed to
comprehensible input (Krashen and Terrel, 1985). These stages
commonly are
(ordered by sequence of occurrence): (a) nonverbal responses, (b),
single-word
responses, (c) two to three words combinations, (d) phrases, (e)
sentences, and,
lastly, (f) more complex utterances.
- Error correction and the production stage
It is strongly suggested that the instructor has to allow the
students to produce
meaning only when they are ready to do so, forcing the acquirers to
generate any
output before mastering the first stage should be avoided. As
Littlewood (1981)
points out, errors have to be corrected only when they interfere
with
communication, so overly strict speech corrections have to be
evaded. The
comprehensible input will develop the students’ communicative
competence,
leading into gradual grammatical progression.
- Classroom objectives and the syllabus design
The activities done in the classroom cannot be focused on grammar
related
subjects; instead, they must be focused on communication topics,
such as
functions, communicative situations, contextualized scenarios, etc
(Krashen and
Terrel, 1985).
- Affective filter
The affective filter of the students has to be low to ensure
acquisition. The
instructor must create an environment of confidence and respect
within the
23 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
classroom. They can also encourage the students to get involved
with the
activities by using topics that are interesting to them (Krashen
and Terrel, 1985).
1.3.3 Cooperative learning
Although Cooperative learning (CL) has been defined and redefined
numerous
times by different authors, it could be described as a teaching
methodology where
students work in small groups with a common goal, sharing team and
individual
responsibilities and tasks. (Pastor, 2011). The rebirth of CL, as a
teaching methodology,
resides in a response to the strong individualism and
competitiveness environment bred
in the classrooms in the first half of the twentieth century
(Johnson and Johnson, 1999);
traditional methods, as Aronson and Patnoe argued (1997),
encouraged students to
strive for personal success and individualistic goals (as cited by
Bawn, 2007).
Cooperative learning, instead, “promotes interaction” and the
“development of
cognitive and personal growth” (Casal, 2006) (as cited by Pistorio,
2010) within
classroom activities designed and fixed by the teacher, who, in
turn, has to ensure the
development of the students’ skills of leadership, decision-making,
negotiation, and
communication, among others (Pistorio, 2010).
In practical terms, the CL activities designed by the teacher must
possess five
basic characteristics in order to reach success. These features
are
(http://www.humboldt.edu):
- Positive interdependence: Students depend on each other to get
the
activities done. Task-assignment and role-taking can be used to
fulfill this
goal.
24 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
- Face to face interaction: It consists of students supporting and
teaching
each other about concepts, skills and subjects that need to work
in
conjunction to get a task done.
- Individual accountability: As the realization of the assignment
depends on
all the parts of the group, each member has the responsibility to
do their part
in a group activity.
- Social skills: Cooperative activities function as a practice of
social skills
taught by the educator. Some of these skills have been listed
above.
- Group processing: Students assess the functional issues of their
group
work. How they learned what they learned; how it could be improved;
what
was needed to arrive to a solution, etc.
25 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
1.3.4 Language learning and language acquisition within CLIL
The language learning versus language acquisition discussion is not
extraneous
to the CLIL classroom. As Krashen and Terrel (1985) express,
learning a language is
knowing about it, while acquiring a language is knowing how to use
it. From this
distinction emerges the “meaning versus form” dilemma which has led
to the creation of
different teaching methodologies and approaches. In the case of
CLIL, as it has already
been stated, the focus on meaning (communication) or form (grammar)
will depend
solely on the context of the setting in which CLIL will take place,
as well as the
demands of the content being taught ( Coyle et al., 2010). For this
purpose, the authors
previously mentioned, propose three interrelated perspectives to
understand, teach and
use language: language of learning, language for learning and
language through
learning.
Language of learning refers to the language required for students
to access
vocabulary and skills related to the topic of study, applying to
both, grammar and
vocabulary. In the case of grammar, it is presented to support and
provide the student
with correct grammatical structures that are going to be used in
learning new content.
Language for learning is the language that will be used to operate
in the
classroom, to interact with the teacher and peers, in other words,
to communicate
themselves. It is important to note that this language has to be
provided by the educator,
so it will help the students with the tasks of discussing ideas,
asking questions, giving
answers, sharing knowledge, drawing conclusions, etc. (Coyle et
al., 2010)
Language through learning has relation to the emerging new learning
that the
student develops in, and outside, formal classroom activities and
the need to
26 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
conceptualize those ideas in the target language. As Coyle et al.
(2010) describe it, this
meaning (language) needs to “be captured, recycled and developed
strategically by
teachers and learners” (p. 37), so it has been proven (Met, 1998)
that the strengthening
of the interrelation of concepts, pre-existing knowledge and new
knowledge, improve
learning and retention.
1.4.1 History and geographical location
The Aztecs, or as they called themselves, Mexicas, were a tribe
which was
originally from what is today the north of Mexico. According to
Mexican legends, the
tribe originally comes from the caves of Chicomoztoc, located in
the land called Aztlan.
In the year 1168 AD they arrived at the valley of Anahuac and after
around 150 years
wandering around that area, they founded Tenochtitlan, a city
located in an island in the
Lake Texcoco. In the late XIV century and early XV century (around
1376 and 1427)
the Aztec rulers had a vassalage agreement with the Tepanec people,
residents of
Azcapotzalco. In the year 1427, after Tepanec agents assassinated
Chimalpopoca,
tlaotani (ruler) of the city-state of Tenochtitlan, the three
tributary provinces of
Texcoco, Tlacopan and Tenochtitlan formed what is called today as
the Triple Alliance,
and started a war against Azcapotzalco, which in the end, was
defeated.
Within the following 100 years, the city-state of Tenochtitlan
became dominant
within the Triple Alliance, and came to dominate the Gulf of Mexico
and the Pacific
shores.
1.4.2 The Aztec Society
The social order and composition of the Aztec Empire was stratified
and highly
complex. The family was the central nucleus of the Aztec society,
where maternal, and
preferably paternal lineage, determined ones status and place the
social stratum. The
three basic divisions in the Aztec society were the nobles,
commoners and the slaves.
The first had reserved privileges, such as receiving tributary
payments from the
commoners, occupying highly-ranked military positions, and the
right to choose the
tlaotani. The commoners were free people (in the most part) who
worked as farmers,
warriors, traders and artisans. While they could keep their
production, the lands were
collectively owned by the calpulli (organized groups of commoners).
Some commoners,
though, were attached to the land they worked to, being owned by
the novelty; still, they
had the right to keep part of the harvest. Within the commoners
there were sub-groups
with distinct responsibilities and concessions. Merchants and
soldiers were highly
considered, having benefits and privileges most Aztecs did not
have.
Slaves in the Aztec Empire could have different origins; they could
be war
captives, punished criminals, or people who could not pay their
debts. In distinction to
African slaves held by Europeans, Aztecs slaves could obtain their
freedom easily,
whether by means of good conduct, by buying their freedom, or by
death of their
masters, among other reasons; they could also have their own
property, or even, their
own slaves.
1.4.3 Art and religious traits
Artistic manifestations were common and varied in the Aztec Empire.
Poetry,
which was known as “flower and song”, was an oral tradition rich in
religious and
nature imagery, with a strong use of repetition and parallelism.
Its most common
themes were the myths and legends, war, beauty, nature, life,
etc.
Music was highly related to poetry, it consisted of hymns
commemorating the
deeds of deities, musical pleas asking for gods’ favor, or chants
sung in ceremonial
sacrifices. Music also was played for more mundane purposes, songs
of love,
friendship, etc. Among the instruments used by the Aztecs, there
were rattles, drums,
flutes, and horns made from snail shells.
Painting, for the most part, consisted of hieroglyphs and
representation of
mythological and divine scenes, the different colors used
represented symbols, ideas or
cardinal points. Among plastic arts, feather and jewelry crafting,
and pottery, were
highly advanced, used for ornamental and religious purposes. It was
common the use of
gold, silver, jade, turquoise, quetzal and xiuhtototl feathers.
Mayor sculpturing was
reserved for deities and kings, but minor figures were destined to
represent animals and
common objects.
The Aztecs were polytheistic, believing that each phenomenon of
nature was
ruled by a god, as well as human activities, the sky, the earth,
and the underworld.
Aztecs believed in rebirth, as an eternal cycle of life and death;
the sun, mankind, and
even crops, were also subject of this cyclical regime. The supreme
authority of the
religious activities were carried out by the tlatoani, however,
there also existed
autonomous high priests were in charge of pilgrimage centers. The
rest of the religious
30 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
personnel was divided into monks, priests, priestess, among others.
The religious
practices consisted of sacrificial rituals, dances, songs, and the
offering of goods.
31 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
1.4.4 Spanish conquest
In the year 1519, on April the twenty-first, a group of 600
Spanish
Conquistadores, led by Hernán Cortés, dropped anchor in the beach
of Chalchihuecan,
in the Gulf of Mexico. By the year 1519, the ruler of the Aztecs
was Moctezuma, a
leader who, once he heard of the strangers in the east coast,
related the appearance of
Cortés with Quetzalcoatl, a deity who was expected to return to
earth in the form of a
red-haired man, with light skin and eyes. After hostilities begun,
with losses to both
sides and having the Spaniards the alliance to the city-state of
Tlaxcala, the invading
force started the siege of Tenochtitlan. Even with Cortés having a
smaller army, the
power of the fire weapons, the fear inducing horses and cannons,
and the diseases
affecting the aborigines, the Spaniards defeated the Aztecs and
gained control of the
city in the year 1521. As most of the buildings of Tenochtitlan
were destroyed, so it
happened with the Aztec Empire, the Spanish conquest of Mexico had
finished.
32 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
2. Didactic unit
The following chapter presents the description, objectives, goals,
resources and
lesson plans that constitute the CLIL-based didactic unit of this
work. This unit is
intended to second year students of secondary level. However, it is
important to note,
that observing the nature of CLIL and the very essence of this
didactic unit, these
lessons could be implemented either in the compulsory first year
English class – where
the past tense is taught -, or in unrestricted classes on a
bilingual school, as a support for
both, English and History.
This unit, called The Aztecs and the Spanish conquest, consists of
six lessons
with a total of twelve pedagogical hours, each class lasting 90
minutes.
2.1 Fundamental Objectives
The fundamental objectives (FO) set by the Chilean ministry of
education that
will be attained through the unit “The Aztecs and the Spanish
conquest” are:
English
First FO: The students are able to communicate themselves orally
on
situations related to the topic of the unit (The Aztecs and the
Spanish
conquest) using fixed expressions, idioms, and short, simple
sentences.
(Programas de Estudio de Inglés, primero medio)
33 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
Second FO: The students have the capability of reading and
understanding specific information of simple texts, deducing the
main ideas
of it. (Programas de Estudio de Inglés, primero medio)
Third FO: The students have the capability of writing
comprehensible
narrative and descriptive texts using connectors. (Programas de
Estudio de
Inglés, primero medio)
Forth FO: The students have the capability of listening and
distinguishing the main points of an oral text. (Programas de
Estudio de
Inglés, primero medio)
History
First of all, it must be clarified that the subject of the
Mesoamerican
Civilizations has been removed from the Chilean curricular programs
for the secondary
level of education. Nonetheless, history teachers partially cover
the Mesoamerican
civilizations in the second year of the secondary level.
The fundamental objectives that will be attained through the unit
“The Aztecs
and the Spanish conquest” are:
First FO: The students recognize the cultural and social legacy of
the
Aztecs in the contemporary world.
Second FO: The students know the Aztecs and their cultural and
social
traits.
34 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
Third FO: The students link the Spanish conquest of the Aztec
empire
and the relation with the Spanish Colonial period in Latin
America
These seven fundamental objectives are the guidelines that will be
followed by
the classroom activities developed in this didactic unit. As to the
more specific contents
and objectives, they will be described in detail in each lesson
plan.
In a CLIL setting, the focus on either the language or the subject
depends on the
needs of the educational institution in which the classes take
place. In the case of this
particular didactic unit, the class will focused on language;
therefore, the goals and
objectives are geared towards language-related learning. As the
Aztecs subject is not
present in the Chilean educational curriculum of the secondary
level, it will function
primarily as a topic for developing language skills, and secondly,
as a support for
History classes.
2.2 Transversal Fundamental Objectives
The Transversal Fundamental Objectives (TFO) are a part of the
Chilean
curriculum that addresses objectives related to the students’
development of social,
intellectual, ethic and personal skills. The actual Chilean
curriculum encompasses these
skills and abilities within: growth and self-confidence, thinking
development, ethical
formation, people and their environment, and information and
communication
technologies. (Programas de Estudio de Inglés, primero medio)
36 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
2.3 Activities
Name of the unit: “The Aztecs and the Spanish conquest”.
Name of the class: “Knowing the Aztecs”.
Objectives: Students will know general aspects of the Aztec
civilization (geographical
location, time span of existence and general aspects of their
lifestyle) to contextualize
future learning. In terms of language, students will acquire and
practice vocabulary
related to description, deduction, as well as the use of the past
tense.
Skills: Reading comprehension, listening and speaking.
Methodology: CLIL, Communicative Language Teaching, Natural
Approach.
Time: 90 minutes.
Instructions:
In order to introduce the unit, the teacher will show the students
a segment of
the documentary “The Aztec Empire” (Until minute 21:30) (see
appendix 1) after
giving them a set of questions asking: “What was the capital of the
Aztec Empire?”,
“What was the purpose of human sacrifices in the Aztec religion?”,
“What was the
sign the Aztecs sought to found their city?”, “How did Aztecs view
art? How
37 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
important was it?”. After watching the documentary, the teacher
will form
heterogeneous groups of four members who will discuss the questions
and then
answer them in their copybooks. Subsequently, the teacher will pick
one random
student from each group to give a brief summary of what they
answered.
Secondly, the teacher will show the students pictures related to
the Aztec
civilization (see appendix 2) such as: an Aztec calendar and their
pyramids, a map of
Mexico and Central America, a picture of the Zócalo (main plaza of
Mexico City), a
panoramic picture of Mexico City.
Afterwards, the 4-member groups will brainstorm the meaning of each
item and
the connection between them. Once the students are finished with
the brainstorming,
each member of the group will provide an account of the meaning and
relation of
one picture according to what was discussed with the rest of the
group, and so will
do a different member of the group, describing one picture
each.
Finally, the teacher will pin the set of pictures on a map in the
spot
corresponding to Mexico, and draw a timeline with the period of
time in which the
Aztecs, as a civilization and empire, existed.
Contents Learning
verb to be.
The teacher, in
2013.
10
min.
Note: The teacher, if necessary, must provide the students with the
vocabulary needed for the LFL.
40 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
Lesson plan II
Name of the unit: “The Aztecs and the Spanish conquest”.
Name of the class: “History of the Aztecs”.
Objectives: Students will know the historical evolution of the
Aztec empire. Also, they
will acquire and practice vocabulary such as connectors of sequence
and the simple past
of determined verbs.
Methodology: CLIL, Communicative Language Teaching, Natural
Approach,
Cooperative learning.
Instructions:
In order to present the history of the Aztecs, the teacher will
review, along with
the students, what was taught in the previous session.
The next activity will consist of the teacher showing the students
a brief
PowerPoint presentation with assorted images (see appendix 3) of
scenes depicting
activities performed by the Aztecs. These images will show
different milestones of
the Aztec Empire; these being: the migration from the caves of
Chicomoztoc to the
41 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
valley of Anahuac; the Aztecs finding of an eagle on a cactus; the
construction of
Tenochtitlan; battles with neighboring tribes; the landing of
Hernán Cortés in the
Yucatán peninsula; the Aztecs-Spaniards encounter; the Aztecs
fighting the
Spaniards; and the fall of Tenochtitlan. The students will openly
guess the meaning
of each scene.
Once the students have seen the pictures, they will group in teams
of four
members chosen randomly by the teacher. Each group will be given, a
printed copy
of each picture, having the task of researching on what is
happening in the depicted
scenes.
After the research, the groups will place themselves in front of
the class with
each member holding two pictures, standing next to each other
according to the
occurrence of the events in a chronological order. Every student
explains the scene
in the picture being held by them.
After all the groups have presented their conclusions, the teacher
will place the
images on a timeline with the dates corresponding to each
event.
Contents Learning
Vocabulary
Lesson plan III
Name of the unit: “The Aztecs and the Spanish conquest”.
Name of the class: “The Aztec society”.
Objectives: Students will know the social hierarchies within the
Aztec society, how
they lived and the differences between them. The students will also
acquire and practice
the use of the present simple tense and vocabulary related to
routines, social and
economic activities.
Methodology: CLIL, Communicative Language Teaching, Natural
Approach.
Time: 90 minutes.
Instructions:
At the beginning of the class the teacher will give each student a
folded piece of
paper with typical jobs and social positions of the Aztec empire
written on them.
These occupations and social positions are: merchant, scribe,
noble, warrior,
peasant, slave and astronomer. The students are told to keep their
papers folded.
Secondly, the teacher will give a brief introduction on the topic,
explaining the
different social strata that composed the Aztec empire.
44 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
After that, the students will unfold their papers and will do
research on the labor
and social status of their corresponding occupation. Once the
students are finished
with their research, they will create a routine account and
self-description based on
the jobs they had. Taking turns, each student will present their
text to the rest of the
class orally, for two minutes.
Finally, the teacher will set the jobs in a socially stratified
pyramid cardboard
glued in the whiteboard, making all the corrections needed.
Contents Learning
The social
whiteboard.
Lesson plan IV
Name of the unit: “The Aztecs and the Spanish conquest”.
Name of the class: “The Aztec religion and art”.
Objectives: Students will know the main characteristics of the
Aztec religion (Creation
and rites) and artistic manifestations. They also acquire and
practice language related to
deities, myths, jewelry and plastic arts; as well as the practice
of the past tense of the
verb “to be”.
Methodology: CLIL, Communicative Language Teaching, Natural
Approach.
Time: 90 minutes.
Instructions:
At the beginning of the class the teacher will give the students a
text about the
Aztecs’ Creation myth and a description of their main gods. (See
appendix 4).
After the reading, the students will compare the Aztec religion
(Creation and
deities) with Christianity (as the predominant western religion)
completing a table of
comparison (God or gods, account for the creation of the world,
phenomenon of
nature, etc.). Thereon, the students discuss the similarities and
differences found.
48 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
Next, the students will be shown pictures of artistic
manifestations of the Aztec
civilization, these being: a mask, a pyramid, feather adornments,
paintings, and
sculptures (see appendix 5). After observing the pictures, the
students will create a
brief story describing (10 lines maximum) the creation of one of
the pieces
presented. Finally, the teacher will get the students to tell their
stories.
Contents Learning
rituals.
Lesson plan V
Name of the unit: “The Aztecs and the Spanish conquest”.
Name of the class: “The Spanish invasion”.
Objectives: Students will know how and why the Spanish conquered
the Aztec empire
and the immediate and long-term consequences. In terms of language,
the students will
acquire and practice the use of past tense, connectors of sequence,
and vocabulary for
stating cause-consequence.
Time: 90 minutes.
Instructions:
At the beginning of the class the students will watch the
documentary
“Conquistadors, The Fall of the Aztecs” (see appendix 6) After
watching the
documentary, the students will form teams of two members who will
discuss the
long-term advantages and disadvantages of the conquest of Mexico by
the Spanish
conquerors.
51 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
Subsequently, the teacher will pick random students (a total of 6)
to give
account of their conclusions on the matter.
Contents Learning
empire.
Cultural
consequences
Lesson plan VI
Name of the unit: “The Aztecs and the Spanish conquest”.
Name of the class: “The Aztecs and the Spanish conquest:
Evaluation”.
Objectives: The students will show their knowledge of the topic of
the unit by means of
an oral test.
Time: 90 minutes.
Instructions:
The students are going to be tested by means of an oral test. The
oral test will
consist of a student picking two questions (see appendix 7) from a
bowl containing
10 questions. Each student will have 5 minutes to answer the
questions. In order to
avoid the leaking of questions, the students will await for their
turn outside the
classroom. Once they are finished, they will wait within the
classroom remaining
silent.
Contents Learning
55 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
2.4 Discussion: Advantages and disadvantages of CLIL
The CLIL approach, as a complex pedagogical construction that it
is, has met
both disadvantages and advantages in its practical use. One of the
main advantages is
that through CLIL, teachers can put into practice efficient
teaching strategies and
approaches related to the learning of a second language;
reinforcing the communicative
competence and the proper acquisition of a new tongue.
(http://ec.europa.eu). In a more
specific note, CLIL increases the exposure to meaningful messages
in the target
language (Dalton-Puffer, 2007); it broadens the vocabulary learned
related to the subject
taught (LOL) and the academic activities required to achieve
substantial subject
learning (LFL), a vocabulary that might be hard to grasp outside a
learning context; and
it might trigger the students’ interest in other cultures through
the use of a target
language, among other benefits. (Maza, 2012)
Among the disadvantages, Maza (2012) remarks the current lack of
language
teachers mastering the subject being taught, as well as subject
teachers mastering the
target language, with its corresponding implications. The author
also states that the
effectiveness of CLIL depends on the needs of each educational
system that wishes to
implement CLIL; this teaching approach cannot be applied by merely
copying its
features from one educational system to another, it has to be
adapted to the reality of
each academic institution or educational system; creating their own
procedures, goals
and materials. Maza (2012) also explains the difficulty of knowing
how efficient a
student can be when transferring the subject knowledge learned in a
second language
into their mother tongue, in terms of making the connections
between ideas and words
correctly.
2.5 CLIL and its application in Chilean EFL classrooms
As it has been stated*, the Chilean reality in terms of English
proficiency is
rather poor among third year students from secondary level. This
fact poses a challenge
to the application of CLIL in public schools, where the students
have the lowest level of
proficiency according to the SIMCE test of English. Nevertheless,
it is important to
point out that this is not the only inconvenience faced with a
hypothetic implementation
of CLIL in a Chilean public school. It should also be considered
the need to have
teachers capable of teaching subjects, other than English, in the
target language.
Additionally, it is important to get students to be familiarized
with a teaching approach
that is based on student-centered activities in the target
language, and not traditional
teacher-centered approaches, where educators “pour” knowledge into
them. Finally, it is
of fundamental importance to count with availability of resources
and time (within the
curriculum) to teach English focused on language contents that may
not be related to
those corresponding to the syllabus.
On the other hand, the reality in private and subsidized schools is
different since
their backgrounds allow a successful application of CLIL in the
classroom. The
students’ proficiency in English, within the private system, is
better compared to those
from public schools. As the “SIMCE Inglés 2010” test demonstrated,
students from the
private system had higher results in the reading and listening
comprehension tests; in
fact, a 64% of the students that surpassed the threshold of basic
comprehension of
simple texts, come from private schools (www.cedus.cl). In general,
in private schools
the teaching of the second language starts earlier in life, when
learners are 6 years old
* Note: See the State of the Art section for further detail.
57 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
(or even younger) in their first year of school of first level,
thus, facilitating the
acclimatization of the students to CLIL.
58 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
Conclusion
Nowadays, English has changed from being just another subject at
school to a
tool for communicating with others and expanding ourselves into
labor, intellectual and
social spheres. In order to reach this goal, the present didactic
unit intends to provide the
teacher with an innovative and effective way to teach English in a
manner that meets the
requirements of the Chilean Ministry of education and the modern
society in general.
In terms of language learning, this didactic unit offers the
teacher the
possibility to implement a methodology that enhances the
development of the students’
skill related to actual communication (and not mere memorization of
grammar) and
language acquisition, being functional not only in academic
contexts, but also in a daily-
life basis. For this purpose, the pedagogical approach chosen was
the Content and
Language Integrated Learning methodology, which encompasses the
teaching of
language and a specific subject in conjunction, aiming for the
effective learning of both.
The language learning and acquisition that result from the
application of CLIL in the
classroom, ought to be seen as a splendid chance for teachers to
prepare their students
for their future academic and labor performance in a fashion that
allows them to not
only speak fluently and confidently, but also, with an open view on
cultural differences
that naturally appear when interacting in another language.
Content wise, the topic chosen poses the opportunity to review a
subject with
wide possibilities for the students to understand the events that
shaped America as it is
nowadays, the cultural and social evolution resulting from the
colonization carried out
by the Spaniards, and the consequences these events had in our
lives today.
At a cognitive level, the analysis of the Aztecs and the Spanish
conquest of
Mexico and the way the subject is approached, allows the students
to develop higher
59 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
order skills, such as critical thinking, conclusion taking,
reasoning, and argumentative
skills, among others. The acquisition and practice of these
capabilities facilitate the
personal and constructive learning of the subject at hand, and will
also serve the student
in future academic contexts.
The Content and Language Integrated Learning approach takes the
learning of
the subject and acquisition of a language and melds them together
in a manner that
enhances the effective learning of both, synergizing perfectly with
one another. The
CLIL methodology fosters the acquisition of the target language via
the using of it as a
means of communication and meaning making, whereas engaging
students in
cognitively challenging situations, so as to giving them the
opportunity to create their
own learning.
To conclude, the fundamental mainstays of CLIL point towards
the
constructive learning of a subject and the learning and acquisition
of the target
language. Both these areas are lacking in most of the current
Chilean schools and high
schools, the majority of the Chilean students cannot perform well
in English tests and
are deficient in the application of higher order cognitive skills
in their academic
activities. While it is clear that CLIL may not suit all
educational systems, it is a
formidable teaching methodology that can help solving these two
serious issues,
providing the teacher (and the academic community in general) with
an effective tool
that can adequately supply the means needed to fulfill the
increasingly demanding needs
of today’s society, forming students with proper communicative and
cognitive abilities
that will allow them to develop themselves in a more complete
fashion.
60 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
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Creates a Socially
Constructed Learning Environment.Latin American Journal of Content
& Language
Integrated Learning, 3(1), Retrieved from
http://laclil.unisabana.edu.co/index.php/LACLIL/article/view/2642/2778
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Oxford: Heinemann.
http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00875/text/AztecC.htm
Appendixes
The following resources are the materials that will be used in the
development of
the lessons designed for this didactic unit.
Appendix 1: Documentary: The Aztec Empire, 2005:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yih0qWmz-QI
Appendix 2: Images used in the first class presenting the topic of
the Aztecs.
Aztec calendar.
Aztec pyramid.
Aztec pyramid.
America
Appendix 3: Images used in the PowerPoint presentation:
The Zócalo.
Mexico City.
The migration from the caves of Chicomoztoc.
The encounter with the sign of the eagle eating a snake.
65 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
Construction of Tenochtitlan.
Hernán Cortés’s arrival.
The Spaniards meet the Aztecs.
The Aztecs in battle against the Spaniards.
The fall of Tenochtitlan.
67 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
Appendix 4: The Aztec myth of creation and their main gods.
The Aztec myth of creation:
The Aztecs believed that in the beginning of the world, there was
nothing
but darkness. On great god named Ometeotl watched over this
darkness in
complete solitude. However, one day, Ometeotl gave birth to four
other
gods. These gods created the world, filling it with giants.
The god named Tezcatlipoca the Jaguar made himself into the sun. He
ruled
the world. But then, the god Quetzalcoatl knocked Tezcatlipoca into
the
ocean with a club. Quetzalcoatl turned himself into the sun. He
appointed
himself ruler of the world and created people with which to
populate the
earth. Tezcatlipoca returned and knocked Quetzalcoatl out of the
sky. A
great wind tore across the world, destroying everything except for
a few
people, who were turned into monkey.
Next, the god Tlaloc became the sun. He repopulated the earth with
another
group of people. However, in an attempt to regain his throne,
Quetzalcoatl
sent a rain of fire down upon the earth, killing all of Tlaloc’s
people except
the few that became birds. Then, the goddess Chalchiuhtlicue became
the
sun. However, during this war between the gods Tezcatlipoca caused
great
floods to cover the earth. All of the people drowned except for
those who
68 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
turned into fish.
Due to Tezcatlipoca’s actions, the entire earth was covered with
water, with
no land in sight. Finally, Tezcatlopoca and Quetzalcoatl stopped
their quarrel
and lifted the waters off of the earth. Then, Quetzalcoatl went to
the land of
the dead where the bones of the people lay. He tricked the god of
the
underworld, Mictlantechutli, into letting him take back the bones
of the
people back into the world. Quetzalcoatl then dripped his own blood
onto the
bones. The bones transformed into living, breathing people, the
Aztecs.
(http://library.thinkquest.org)
The main Aztec gods:
Huitzilopochtli: Patron god of the Aztec religion. He directed the
Aztecs to the eagle on
a cactus eating a snake, signal of the homeland of the Aztecs. He
is the patron of war
and sacrifices.
Tlaloc: Ancient god of the rain, also associated with fertility and
agriculture. The Aztecs
believed that the tears of toddlers were sacred, so they sacrificed
newborn children in
his name.
69 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
Tezcatlipoca: His name means “Smoking mirror”. Patron of the night
and the north. He
was considered an evil power, opposite of Quetzalcoatl.
Chalchiuhtlicue: Goddess of the water and aquatic elements, sister
of Tlaloc and
patroness of childbirth.
Quetzalcoatl: God of knowledge and learning. He was the counterpart
of Tezcatlipoca.
Appendix 5: Artistic manifestations of the Aztecs.
Aztec mask.
Aztec pyramid.
Aztec painting.
Appendix 6: “Conquistadors, The Fall of the Aztecs”
http://studythepast.com/376_spring10/conquest_of_mexico/index.htm
Appendix 7: The following are the questions the students will have
to answer in their
oral test.
1. Name two reasons why Hernán Cortés invaded the Aztecs.
2. Why did the Aztecs do human sacrifices?
3. Who was Huitzilopochtli?
4. According to the Aztecs, what was the meaning of an eagle eating
a snake?
Aztec feather headdress.
71 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
5. Name two advantages and two disadvantages of the Spanish
conquest of
Mexico.
6. Explain briefly the difference of an Aztec noble and a
peasant.
7. How did the city of Tenochtitlan look like?
8. Name at least 3 differences between the Aztec religion and
Christianity.
9. Being superior in number, how did the Aztecs lose against the
Spanish
conquerors? Give 2 reasons.
10. Describe 3 artistic objects or constructions created by the
Aztecs.
72 CLIL in the Chilean EFL classroom
Appendix 8: Oral presentation checklist.
Name: Total points: Grade:
understand the
questions asked
communicate
himself/herself
History
make conclusions
1.3.- EFL learning and acquisition
1.4.- The Aztecs and the Spanish Conquest
2. DIDACTIC UNIT
2.1.- Fundamental Objectives
2.5.- CLIL and its application in Chilean EFL classrooms
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
APPENDIXES
Appendix 1: Documentary: The Aztec Empire, 2005
Appendix 2: Images used in the first class presenting the topic of
the Aztecs
Appendix 3: Images used in the PowerPoint presentation
Appendix 4: The Aztec myth of creation and their main gods
Appendix 5: Artistic manifestations of the Aztecs
Appendix 6: “Conquistadors, The Fall of the Aztecs”
Appendix 7: The following are the questions the students will have
to answer in their oral test
Appendix 8: Oral presentation checklist