University of Warsaw

Faculty of Education

Marta Niewiarowska
Students book no.: 312502

Foreign language vocabulary

acquisition through story-based CLIL

First cycle degree thesis

field of study: Primary Education
speciality: Early English Teaching

The thesis written under the supervision of

dr Magdalena Szpotowicz
Faculty of Education

Warsaw, June 2013

Owiadczenie kierujcego prac

Owiadczam, e niniejsza praca zostaa przygotowana pod moim kierunkiem i stwierdzam,

e spenia ona warunki do przedstawienia jej w postpowaniu o nadanie tytuu licencjata.

Data: Podpis kierujcego prac:

Statement of the Supervisor on Submission of the Thesis

I hereby certify that the thesis submitted has been prepared under my supervision and I
declare that it satisfies the requirements of submission in the proceedings for the award of a
degree.

Date: Signature of the Supervisor:

Owiadczenie autora pracy

wiadom odpowiedzialnoci prawnej owiadczam, e niniejsza praca dyplomowa zostaa

napisana przeze mnie samodzielnie i nie zawiera treci uzyskanych w sposb niezgodny
z obowizujcymi przepisami.

Owiadczam rwnie, e przedstawiona praca nie bya wczeniej przedmiotem procedur

zwizanych z uzyskaniem tytuu zawodowego w wyszej uczelni.

Owiadczam ponadto, e niniejsza wersja pracy jest identyczna z zaczon wersj

elektroniczn.

Data Podpis autora pracy

Statement of the Author on Submission of the Thesis

Aware of legal liability I certify that the thesis submitted has been prepared by myself and
does not include information gathered contrary to the law.

I also declare that the thesis submitted has not been the subject of proceedings resulting in the
award of a university degree.

Furthermore I certify that the submitted version of the thesis is identical with its attached
electronic version.

Date Signature of the Author of the thesis

Summary:
The purpose of this diploma project is to investigate the effectiveness of learning
foreign vocabulary through Content and language integrated learning with the use of
children's literature. Moreover, this work also aims to check weather or not children and
their teacher would like those types of lessons.
The first theoretical part explains how children learn both the mother tongue and
the foreign language, and how new vocabulary acquisition affects this process . In
addition, this part presents definitions and advantages of Content and Language
Integrated Learning with the use of children's foreign language literature.
In the second empirical part the results of the tests, which were conducted in two
classes of elementary schools, are presented. The main purpose of the experiment was
to examine the impact of Content and Language Integrated Learning with the use of
childrens foreign language literature on the students' new foreign vocabulary
acquisition process.

Key words:
Content and language integrated learning, story-based approach to teaching English,
vocabulary, early English teaching

Area of study (codes according to Erasmus Subject Area Codes List)

05000 Education, Teacher Training

The title of the thesis in Polish

Nauczanie sownictwa poprzez zintegrowane nauczanie przedmiotowo- jzykowe z
wykorzystaniem literatury dziecicej.
Streszczenie:

Celem niniejszej pracy jest zbadanie efektywnoci nauczania sownictwa

obcego dzieci w wieku wczesnoszkolnym poprzez zintegrowane nauczanie
przedmiotowo- jzykowe z wykorzystaniem literatury dziecicej. Ponad to praca ta ma
take na celu sprawdzenie nastawienia uczniw i ich nauczycielki do tego podejcia.

W czci teoretycznej przedstawiono w jaki sposb dzieci nabywaj zarwno

jzyk ojczysty jak i obcy oraz jak role w tym procesie odgrywa nauka nowych sw.
Co wicej, w czci tej zaprezentowano definicje oraz zalety zintegrowanego nauczania
przedmiotowo jzykowego z wykorzystaniem literatury dziecicej. Ostatni
podrozdzia czci teoretycznej powiecony zosta zaprezentowaniu wpywowi tego
poczenia na nabywaniu przez uczniw nowego sownictwa w jzyku obcym.

W czci drugiej, praktycznej zaprezentowane zostay wyniki eksperymentu

przeprowadzonego w dwch klasach III szkoy podstawowej. Gwnym celem
eksperymentu, byo zbadanie wpywu zintegrowanego nauczania przedmiotowo
jzykowego z wykorzystaniem literatury dziecicej na proces nabywania przez uczniw
nowego sownictwa w jzyku obcym.

Sowa kluczowe:

Zintegrowane nauczanie przedmiotowo jzykowe, nauczanie jzyka angielskiego

poprzez bajki, nauka nowych sw, wczesne nauczanie jzyka angielskiego

Dziedzina pracy (kody wg programu Socrates - Erasmus)

05000 pedagogika, ksztacenie nauczycieli

Tytu pracy w jzyku polskim

Nauczanie sownictwa poprzez zintegrowane nauczanie przedmiotowo- jzykowe z
wykorzystaniem literatury dziecicej.

4
I would like to express my thanks to
dr Magdalena Szpotowicz
for her help and support
in writing this Diploma Project.

5
List of figures

Figure 1: Results of the recall and the recognition pre- tests ....29

Figure 2: Results of the recall and the recognition tests conducted after first lesson30

Figure 3: Results of the recall and the recognition tests conducted after second
lesson...31

Figure 4: Results of the recall and recognition tests conducted one week after second
lesson ......32

Figure 5: Results of childrens questionnaire.....33

6
Table of contents.

Justification of the topic......................................................................................................

The teaching context...........................................................................................................
The aims of the diploma project.......................................................................................

Part one theoretical part.................................................................................................

1.1. Learning processes in early years..............................................................................
1.1.1. The role of memory in learning processes..............................................................
1.2. Young learners vocabulary acquisition.....................................................................
1.3. CLIL education..........................................................................................................
1.4. Story-based education................................................................................................
1.5. Benefits of story-based CLIL education....................................................................

Part two empirical part...................................................................................................

2.1. Introduction................................................................................................................
2.2. Method.......................................................................................................................
2.2.1. Participants..............................................................................................................
2.2.2. Measures:................................................................................................................
2.2.3. Procedure:...............................................................................................................
2.3. Results........................................................................................................................
2.4. Discussion..................................................................................................................
3.Conclusions....................................................................................................................
3.1. Purpose of the dissertation.........................................................................................
3.2. Implications for further research................................................................................
3.3. Implications for EFL classroom.................................................................................

Bibliography:....................................................................................................................
Appendices........................................................................................................................

7
Justification of the topic.
Choosing the above topic I decided to connect content and language integrated
learning and story- based education. CLIL and story-based education are the two
teaching areas which I found the most interesting and worth implementing in Polish
primary schools. In my diploma project I would like to examine whether or not this
combination will have positive impact on childrens vocabulary development in
English.

Books have been my all time favourite entrainment since I had read my first
book. In my opinion, nowadays people forget how many advantages books have. I think
that literature can affect children in many different ways. Firstly, reading books
develops learners imagination and creative thinking. Secondly, they may expand
pupils general knowledge about the world. Thirdly, thanks to books children have an
opportunity to develop their emotions and social skills. Fourthly, literature give a chance
to explore other cultures and traditions, which may increase cultural awareness among
children. As a future teacher I would like to implement books and story-based education
in my lessons. It seems to me that books make the lesson planning process a bit easier.
They already have some context which the teacher may adapt and use. I am of the
opinion that story books have a great influence on childrens motivation. Thanks to
funny characters and interesting events children may be much more involved in the
lessons. Moreover, they may learn a lot of vocabulary, rhymes and language chunks.
All things considered I think that story- based education is worth investigating.

My second field of interest is Content and Language Integrated Learning. The

first time I have heard this term I thought that it referred only to high school education.
To my big surprise during my seminar classes I was told that this approach will also suit
very well in primary school. CLIL has an undeniably positive influence on the foreign
language learning process. It not only develops students oral communication skills but
has enormous influence on learners thinking skills and learning strategies. In
comparison to the traditional way of teaching, it provides students with the required
knowledge and gives them more time to practice foreign language to be better prepared
for the future life. Unfortunately, in Poland there are not many primary schools were
CLIL is implemented. It seems to me that this situation takes place because teachers
have mixed feelings about it or are afraid of CLIL. When I interviewed primary school

8
teachers they told me that it may be to difficult for children, they will quickly turn off
and the whole teachers effort will be wasted. I was really impressed and surprised,
when during my methodology classes I watched how seven-year old children were
taught through CLIL. They did not seem to be lost or reluctant to join the lesson. In
contrast to what the interviewed teachers have predicted, pupils really enjoyed the
lesson and were truly involved in all activities. The film confirmed my intuition that
that CLIL is worth implementing into primary schools.

In my opinion, combination of story-based approach and CLIL would be

beneficial for children and teachers. As far as children are concerned, books not only
may develop their language skills but also be the base to which pupils may refer to and
build their knowledge. Stories may awaken childrens curiosity and make the learning
process a bit easer. While books will be the base, CLIL may in an easy way expand the
learning context. With regards to teachers, the combination may help them too. Such
lessons will be easier to plan and to lead and the children will be more involve into
activities. The multi-stimulating context and much more time spent on learning may
contribute to childrens foreign language development, especially vocabulary.

The teaching context.

The diploma project research was conduct in the Primary school in Komorw in April
2013. Two first grade classes and their English teacher participated in the research. In
total, 40 pupils were involve in the study. The pupils who took part in the research were
six, seven and eight years old. Those classes were co-educational and had English two
times a week. One lesson lasted 45 minutes. Children from those classes knew English
at different levels. For most of the students this was the first year of learning foreign
language, but some of them have been learning English since kindergarten. What is
more, eight students attended additional English lessons every week. Most of the
children had free access to the internet, films, music, games and books in foreign
language at home. This school has rich traditions and has been operating continuously
since 1923. The institution very willingly supports actions which aimed at promoting
learning English. Children may participate in numerous language competitions, act
English stories, create foreign language displays or participate in additional English
classes. The school is situated 15 kilometres from Warsaw and lies near the Komorw
9
city centre. It is well presented and tidy, urban, full primary school which is connected
with middle and high school. Students who attend this school come mostly from middle
and upper-class families. There are no minorities or ethnic groups, the majority of the
learners are white. Learners parents are very involved in to the school life. They often
offer help in school parties or during trips. What is more, childrens parents also have
very positive attitude to learning English and often supports the learning process at
home.

The aims of the diploma project.

In my diploma project I would like to investigate how story-based and CLIL

education will influence primary school childrens vocabulary development. My main
aim is to examine whether or not this combination will help children to learn new
vocabulary.

In my research I would like to answer a few questions:

- Will the child-friendly context make it easier for children to learn new vocabulary?
- During CLIL classes children use words in many different contexts and repeat them
number of times, so for how long children will remember this words?
- how many words children taught in this way will learn?
- Do the teacher and students would like those kind of lessons? What they think of it? It
is possible to implement it in Polish primary schools? What advantages and
disadvantages they find in it?

Moreover, the aims for the teacher and for the pupils were formulated. They are listed
below.

The aims for the pupils:

- to recognize different plant parts and their functions
- to learn new vocabulary connected with different parts of a plant
- to do experiments, make predictions and interpret the results.
- to participate in art education and to create a flower painting in Andy Warhols
style

10
The aims for the teacher:
- to learn how to conduct CLIL lessons
- to learn how to design and conduct tests or questionnaires
- to learn how to conduct experiments during foreign language lessons
- to acquaint children with different painting styles
- to develop the habit of interacting with foreign language books
- to develop childrens listening and speaking skills.
- to get all the learners involved in the lesson.
- to encourage students to speak in English.

11
Part one theoretical part

12
1.1. Learning processes in early years.

Childrens cognitive and language development have been an area of many

researchers investigation for the last few centuries. Over the years, a number of the
theories have been formulated. Among all the theories, two become the most influential:
the constructivist and the interactionist. Each individual theory describes the cognitive
development process in a different way and assigns varied roles to the language.
The work and studies of a Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget has
given rise to constructivist theory. Piaget formulated a thesis that cognitive development
consists of four phases which lead from the sensory motor, through the pre-operational
and the concrete operation to the formal thinking phase (Wadsworth, 1998). According
to this theory knowledge is not inborn. The knowledge is acquired through interacting
with the surrounding world. During such interactions the child encounters the problems
which are solved in active construction of the knowledge. With time, the problem
solving process becomes internalised and actions on the concrete objects are replaced by
the thought (Cameron 2001:2-3). Piaget describes two processes which influence the
internalisation of information: the assimilation and the accommodation. In the
assimilation actions are directly, without change, incorporated to the mind while the
accommodation requires from the child to adapt to the new features (Birch, Malim,
Wadeley, 1997: 38-41) Thanks to these processes the childrens knowledge is expanding
and their cognitive skills are developing. The Piagets theory has been criticised for the
underestimating the role of language and nurture in the cognitive development process
(Szpotowicz 2008:47 after Vygotsky, 1962:9). As researchers showed if proper language
is use, children reach levels, which according to Piaget, are to advance for them
(Cameron, 2001:4 after Donaldson, 1978).
Contrary to the Piagets theory, the interactionists like Lev Vygotsky and Jerome
Seymour Bruner, believed that language and the sociocultural context in which the child
live have an influence on the cognitive development processes (Cameron, 2001:5). As
Cameron claims the ability to speak generates a fundamental shift in cognitive
development and equips the child with new interaction instruments (ibid). The social
context allows children to interact with other people and to get help with solving
problems, which in consequence fosters their cognitive growth (Vygotsky, L.S. 1978).
In other words, contrary to the Piagets theory where the child is an independent
explorer, for Vygotsky the child is an explorer among other people (Cameron, 2001:6).

13
According to Vygotsky, by helping children to solve problems adults or peers are acting
on childrens Zone of the Proximal Development (ZTD). The ZPD concept has been
defined as the difference between what the child can accomplish independently and
what the child can achieve with other people help (Vygotsky, 1978:86). The second
most famous interactionist - Jerome Bruner considered language as the most significant
instrument in cognitive development. To help children accomplish a task the adults
should scaffold theirs learning. The term scaffolding refers to the controlling process
carried out by the adults, which supports the childs learning process (Puntambekar, S.,
after Wood, D., Bruner, J. S., Ross, G. 1976). The scaffoldings should be expanded by
the formats and routines and match their predictability with a space for developmental
growth. The formats and routines are features of events which combine familiar
knowledge with new information and in this way allow scaffolding to take place
(Cameron 2001:9).

1.1.1. The role of memory in learning processes.

As one of the most fundamental mental process memory has undeniably

enormous influence on human ability to learn. The term memory refers to the faculty by
which the mind stores and remembers information. Over the last century many theories
of memory were developed. One of the most influential theory suggest that new
information has to pass through three stages, sensory, short-term and long term, to
become fully acquired (Baddeley, 1997:44 quoted in Szpotowicz 2008:27). The first
stage - sensory memory is where new information is held up to 2 seconds. After that
information is categorized and passed on to the short-term memory or it is forgotten.
The second stage the short-term memory has limited capacity and store information
only for short period of time. As it was proven in research young learners short-term
memory is the most effective when the number of is up to six (Wodarski, 1996a: 183
quoted in Szpotowicz, 2008:27). That is why, while teaching vocabulary the teacher
should not forget to introduce only six new words for one lesson. The information that
has not been forgotten passes the third stage and it is stored in the long-term memory.
There are numerous memory strategies which help to deal with new information.
To reduce the complexity of information strategies such as rehearsal, visualization,
chunking and categorization may be used (Ashman and Conway, 1997:45). The foreign

14
language teacher should keep this information in mind while planning lessons. To help
children better remember new vocabulary the teacher should often revise new material
in different contexts, and use visual aid such as flashcards or realia.
The human brain has two ways to retrieve information from long-term memory:
recognition and recall. Recognition takes place when new information is associated and
compared with one previously experienced. Recall is a process of uncovering of
information from memory (http://www.human-memory.net/processes_recall.html). In
their research Perlmutter and Myers (1973: 73 quoted in Szpotowicz, 2008: 30) reported
that pre-school students recall was weak, but it improved with age. The research results
also showed that pupils recalled more items when they were categorically related.
Therefore, while teaching new words to children, teacher should not forget to introduce
vocabulary in related blocks.
Taking recognition in to consideration, the same research results showed that
students had no problems to recognize the items. Such results may be caused by the fact
that young children do not have so effective recall memory strategies as the adults and
the process takes much more time (Ewert 2000: 74 quoted in Szpotowicz, 2008: 31).
That is why language teachers should introduce new vocabulary in interesting and
attractive context and acquaint students with some basic learning strategies.

1.2. Young learners vocabulary acquisition.

In her book Teaching Languages to Young Learners Lynne Cameron affirms that
learning language is not a one, united process. It is build up from many different
language domains, which develop mostly independently form each other (Cameron
2001:13 after Snow 1996). From all the domains it is said that syntax is the most
important in language learning process, but as the research showed it is lexis which
provides the language comprehension (Kenny 2011:11 after Allen, 2007). Moreover, as
Kenny suggests today teachers should give children more opportunities to train their
communication skills rather than doing grammar activities. In consequence, to prepare
students to communicate with other people they need to learn the basic units of
language - the words. Words are the building blocks of the language, they may
represent concrete things as well as these insubstantial, like emotions, or have one or
many meanings (Michnick Golinkoff, Hirsh-Pasek, 2000:3). Vocabulary acquisition is

15
the process by which people acquire new words. The word acquisition process can be
divided into two stages. The first - passive, take place when the student is able to
identify the heard word. The second - active, occur when the learner recalls its sound
and say the word properly. To wholly acquire a word a person needs to know what the
word means, evoke its sound, be able to pronounce, read and write it correctly and also
to adjust it to the right context (Szpotowicz, Szulc Krupska, 2009:99).
Taking second language acquisition into consideration one must not forget that it
is a complex process which is influenced by numerous factors. Therefore, as Magdalena
Szpotowicz points out language learning process must be correlated with processes of
cognitive development (Szpotowicz, 2008:112). As far as the developmental aspect of
second langue acquisition is concerned, Carters study showed that with age people
become more conscious of abstract relations of words, while young learners vocabulary
use is more confined (Szpotowicz, 2009:100 after Carter 1987). In her book Teaching
Languages to Young Learners Cameron noted that in hierarchy of basic, specific and
general level words, children chose the basic level concepts. All things considered,
Cameron claims that childs cognitive development has relevant impact on young
learners foreign language vocabulary expansion. With age the types of words which
children acquire change, form operating on concrete vocabulary they move to more
abstract words. Childrens words learning strategies also develop and when young
children will still learn words as collections, older pupils learning process will be more
organized (Cameron, 2001).
As far as the second language vocabulary acquisition is concerned there are few
ways in which the teacher may help students to learn new words. First of all the teacher
should use the foreign language as often as it is possible and support the language with
gestures, flashcards, songs and other aids. Secondly, the teacher should ensure a positive
atmosphere in the classroom which will motivate the students to speak in target
language (Slattery and Willis, 2001:12). Thirdly, it is important to adjust the difficulty
of words to the students age, level and abilities. Young learners are more eager to learn
new vocabulary if the words describe things, which surrounds them. Fourthly,
previously learned words need to be often repeated and used in many different contexts
to be better remembered (Szpotowicz and Szulc Krupska, 2009:100). There are many
ways and methods in which childrens vocabulary may be expanded. One of them may
be the story-based CLIL education which will be further described in the next chapter.

16
1.3. CLIL education.

Nowadays in education the term CLIL is getting more and more popular all
around the world. In her book Discourse in Content and Language Integrated Learning
(CLIL) Classrooms Christiane Dalton-Puffer explains that this term refers to situations
when a foreign language is used as a medium of instruction (Dalton-Puffer C. 2007:3).
It takes place when:() pupils learn the content of the curriculum at the same time as
they exercise and improve their language skills (Eurydice 2006:4). The term Content
and language integrated learning was coined in 1994 in Europe but Christiane Dalton-
Puffer (2007:2) notes that the tradition of teaching in other than the mother tongue
language is not a new invention and has its roots in medieval Europe, when Latin was
the main language of instruction. According to Mehisto, Marsh and Frigols, the CLIL-
type programmes were used even earlier, in ancient times when the Sumerians were
conquered by the Akkadians (Mehisto, P., Marsh, D., Frigols, M. J. 2008:9). The
invaders, whose aim was to learn the local language, used Sumerian as an instruction
language to teach many subjects.
Today content language integrated learning is one of the most exciting
innovations in the present education scene, especially in Europe. As the continent where
almost every country has its own language and the amount of immigrants is increasing
year after year, Europe is paying special attention to language programs, which may
help to unite all European citizens. CLIL, as a program which contains several
educational variations (like bilingual education and language showers), is said to be a
chance to increase European cohesion.
According to Mehisto, Marsh and Firgols (2008:11) the main role of CLIL is
integration. In their opinion this integration can be divided into two types, one describes
language learning included in content classes while the second corresponds to using
content form subjects in languagelearning classes. Moreover, it seems that Content and
Language Integrated Learning can be use not only to integrate language and knowledge.
It helps to develop knowledge about different cultures and countries, is a powerful
motivation stimulus and has an influence on building language awareness as well. Now,
these benefits will be discussed in more details.
Firstly, Content and Language Integrated Learning program has undeniably
positive influence on a foreign language learning process. Discussing CLIL benefits
Christiane Dalton-Puffer (2008:3) shows that it allows students to develop their oral

17
communication skills, helps to learn subject-specific language terminology and improve
overall language competence. CLIL classes additionally teaches a lot of chunks and
colloquial words, which may be useful in the future. During CLIL lessons children have
much more time to experiment and play with language. Thanks to that they are
unconsciously training the ability to speak freely and at the same time their speech
becomes more fluent. As Nikula observed (2007:203) students gain a higher level of
automatization and appropriacy of language, for example automatically add s to the
third person or use irregular tenses. She also reports that CLIL students, who know
many technical terms and general academic language, have much more space for
interaction, so they use a foreign language spontaneously for face-toface interactions
(2007:179-204.). The comparison of CLIL students and their non-CLIL peers shows that
many of the learners who took part in this program reached higher language levels than
the children who had followed the conventional curriculum (Dalton-Puffer, C. 2008:5
after Haunold 2006). On the other hand, the CLIL opponents' are of an opinion that
when the subject is not taught in the mother tongue language there is a huge possibility
that the students will never fully understand the lesson or learn only simplified
information, specially prepared by the teacher (Dalton-Puffer, 2008:4 after Hajer 2000).
Contrary to these people, most studies report that CLIL learners have the same amount
of the subject knowledge as their peers who were not taught in a foreign language. All
things considered, Content and Language Integrated Learning is a perfect program to
expand childrens general knowledge and, at the same time, to develop a foreign
language.
Secondly, this approach is very useful in preparing students to live in
multilingual and multicultural society. At present, languages became part of our
everyday life. People encounter different languages in many places and situations; at
work, in the internet or TV shows, during holidays, or at school, and the vast majority of
them admit that knowing at least one foreign language is inevitable. CLIL can open the
child to other cultures, teach tolerance and train to live in linguistically diverse
communities. In countries like France or England it helps children of immigrants to
adapt to new situation and as Mary Chopey-Paquet showed in her report CLIL in
French-speaking Belgium. Transforming paradox into potential it may have positive
impact on ethnically diverse societies (Chopey-Paquet, 2010:239247). This program
allows students to gain required content of the curriculum and at the same time shows
them that, no matter in which language, knowledge is always the same. Moreover,

18
children learn how to discuss with other people and respect their opinions. In short,
Content and language integrated learning is considered to be helpful in teaching
children tolerance and respect for other nations.
Thirdly, CLIL not only helps to develop a foreign language or general
knowledge, it may as well improve learners thinking skills and learning strategies. As
Mehisto, Marsh and Frigols noted in their book CLIL enables children to develop meta-
linguistic awareness). During lessons students have an opportunity to contact with a
different language and to compare it to their mother tongue language. This situation
enables pupils to build their knowledge about these languages and develop learning
strategies. Content and language integrated learning builds highly stimulating
environments, where children have a possibility to study content through different
perspectives (Dalton-Puffer 2008). Despite higher levels of difficulty students are eager
to solve tasks. They discover that there is not only one correct answer to the teacher
questions and the tasks can be solve in many different ways. Thanks to CLIL pupils
show higher tolerance of frustration and are not afraid to make mistakes.
Fourthly, CLIL program has a huge impact on learners motivation. Students,
who took part in such lessons, were not afraid to use a foreign language even if they
made mistakes. This happened mainly because pupils had more intensive exposure to
the language than children who had not participated in these lessons. During CLIL
lessons students have more time to practice their vocabulary and skills. They see their
progress, are confident and more motivated to continue learning. Using a foreign
language for real practical purposes makes pupils more focused on their work. By
showing them that knowing languages is useful students are higher motivated to
continue learning (Eurydice 2006). What is more, as Mary Chopey-Paquet notices in her
report, challenging CLIL environment have a positive influence on childrens
motivation, they are determined and more willing to work harder (Chopey-Paquet,
2010:239247).
Taking everything into consideration, today Content and Language Integrated
Learning is one of the most promising approach in the educational scene. In
comparison to the traditional way of teaching, it provide students with the required
knowledge and gives them more time to practice foreign language to be better prepared
for future life.

19
1.4. Story-based education.

In this subchapter story-based approach to teaching English would be presented.

From the beginnings of human history, stories have played an important role in peoples
lives. Initially, stories have been handed down from generation to generation in the oral
form, through storytelling (History of Storytelling.
http://www.storytellingday.net/history-of-storytelling-how-did-storytelling.html 18
November 2012). The history of storytelling dates back to ancient times, when first
people used it as part of religious rituals or to exchange information. It also facilitated
the development of human relationships and cooperation, which in consequence
influenced building the first societies. Later, storytelling had become a tool of
entertainment and knowledge transfer (ibid.) Through hero stories, legends, fairy tales
and myths the tellers instilled moral values in people and prevented traditions and
culture from being forgotten. Over time, people began to write down their stories, but
the real breakthrough come in the Middle Ages when, thanks to Johannes Gutenberg
and his printing machine, the first book was printed (ibid.). Nowadays, books are easily
accessible, present almost in every place in the world and read for many different
reasons. They are particularly useful in education and can have positive impact on
foreign language development.
In comparison to CLIL, which can be considered as a relatively new method, the
use of story-based approach as a foreign language teaching approach dates back several
centuries. In the nineteenth century the Grammar Translation Method was the most
popular approach in foreign language learning. Since the main purpose of learning a
second language at that time was being able to read foreign books, students were taught
through translating fragments of books from the original to their native language
(Erkaya, 2005). Then, hundred years later, the reasons for learning a foreign language
had changed and the ability to speak freely became new teaching goal. As Odilea Rocha
Erkaya noted in her article Benefits of Using Short Stories in the EFL Context, the
Grammar Translation Method was replaced by The Direct Method and Audiolingual
Method, and none of them used literature in the second language learning process (ibid).
During the next several years the situation has not changed and methods like
Suggestopedia, Total Physical Response or the Natural Approach have not utilized
books either. In recent decades, story-based education finally returned to the language
teaching. The story-based education was proven to have undeniably positive influence

20
on childrens development. Reading books may build up learners imagination and
creative thinking. Without moving from a comfortable chair children can travel in time,
visit unreal worlds and meet many interesting creatures. At the same time, books may
expand pupils general knowledge about the world, other cultures and teach tolerance
for other people, which is especially important in todays times. They give children an
opportunity to develop their emotions and social skills (Slattery and Willis, 2001).
Moreover, the by reading stories children reinforce many learning strategies like
predicting, hypothesizing, or looking for the general meaning, which in
consequence leads to developing the learners critical thinking (Ellis
and Brewster, 2003). As Erkaya showed in her article using literature is also very
beneficial for foreign languages learning process (Erkaya, 2005).
In their book Tell it Again! the New Storytelling Handbook for Primary
Teachers Gail Ellis and Jean Brewster note that stories provide perfect introduction to
the second language. Books present language in entertaining and memorable contexts,
which is motivating and may build up childrens positive attitudes towards the foreign
language. What is more, stories exercise learners imagination and creativity. Thanks to
the gripping plot and interesting characters pupils can easily get involved in the story
(Ellis, Brewster, 2003). As far as the second language vocabulary acquisition is
concerned, reading books to children allows the teacher to introduce new words in a
more memorable and familiar context. In addition, it also sensitizes children to the
intonation, rhythm and pronunciation of the language. Through contact with real
literature children also learn vocabulary which is not so vital for communication but
provides the authenticity of the language (Ellis, G., Brewster, J. 2003).
All things considered, story-based teaching is worth implementing in the
primary school foreign language curriculum. It not only provides children with the
required language but also has positive influence on the learners cognitive and
emotional development.

1.5. Benefits of story-based CLIL education.

Nowadays the vast majority of people all over the world admit that knowing at
least one foreign language is inevitable. Languages, especially English, became a part of
our everyday live. Today people encounter different languages in many places and

21
situations; at work, in the internet or TV shows, during holydays, or at school.
Therefore, to prepare young people to live in the modern world most of countries give
children a chance to learn a foreign language. Unfortunately, what seems to be true in
the theory does not work in practice. As researchers show in the European Survey on
Language Competences 34% of Polish gymnasium third grade students reach A1 level
and 24% of the learners did not reach even this level (ESLC: 2011). To change this
situation and to raise the learners language proficiency the researchers suggested that
the implementation of the recommendations of the new core curriculum as well as the
contact with the languages taught through the media should be supported. To follow the
recommendations in Poland from year 2008 Polish children started to learn other from
their mother tongue language in the first grade of the primary school. It is said that early
second language learning have many advantages such as developing childrens positive
attitudes towards other nations, expanding their general curiosity about the world and
elongating the actual learning time (Siek-Piskozub, 2009:11).
Moreover, the researchers recommend to increase the amount of communication
in foreign language during the lessons (ESLC: 2011). There are a lot of ways in which
teachers may stimulate childrens speaking skills. Activities such as discussions, role-
plays, and brainstorming, making interviews or surveys reduce teacher speaking time
and provide children with real communication purpose. Over the years many
approaches and methods, which aim to develop students foreign language speaking
skills, were formulated. In my opinion the combination of story-based approach and
CLIL may help to implement recommendations of the European Survey on Language
Competences.
The aim of the diploma project is to investigate what impact the combination of
story-based learning and CLIL will have on childrens foreign language learning
process, especially on their vocabulary acquisition. The purpose of this study is to
examine whether this combination may have a positive effect the learners vocabulary
development.
Books have undeniably positive influence on childrens development. Reading
books may build-up learners imagination and creative thinking. As far as language
development is concerned, books are an excellent source of new words, phrasal verbs
and grammatical structures. For these reasons they should be used not only during the
mother tongue classes but also during foreign language lessons. In their book Teaching
English to young Learners Magdalena Szpotowicz and Magorzata Szulc-Kurpaska

22
claim that lower primary school is the most suitable time to develop learners habit of
interacting with books in mother tongue as well as in foreign language. Children are
naturally curious about the books content and even if they do not know every word they
remain motivated. Therefore, it seemed that it is the best time to implement story-based
learning into foreign language lessons (Szpotowicz and Szulc-Krupska, 2009). Story-
based learning provides interesting and capturing attention context on which teacher can
build the lesson. Moreover, according to the researchers, properly chosen books may be
used for linking other subjects in the curriculum (Ellis, Brewster, 2003 and Slattery,
Willis, 2001). As regards the vocabulary development, it provides many opportunities
for words repetition. Many books allow children to be actively involved in to the
reading process. They contain words or chunks which learners may repeat (Ellis, and
Brewster, 2003). After reading pupils may consolidate new words by role-playing
activities, filling in hangouts or making their own book out of the story. In this way the
vocabulary learning process takes place in child-friendly atmosphere (Slattery, and
Willis, 2001). To conclude it seems that story-based learning will have positive impact
on pupils vocabulary development.
Taking CLIL into consideration it is said that this educational approach has a lot
of advantages. It helps to develop intercultural knowledge, gives a chance to learn
through different perspectives and contexts, expands individual learning strategies and
improves general language competence (CLIL Dimensions and Focuses. 7 January 2013
http://www.clilcompendium.com/clilcompendium.htm). As it was proven it also have
positive influence on learners vocabulary acquisition. It was proved that thanks to the
CLILs authentic, comprehensible and meaningful content the vocabulary knowledge is
enhanced (Xanthou, 2010 after Coady, 1997). CLIL classes provide activities, like
discussions and problem solving tasks, which require from the student to be active.
Active students learn new words easer and in more effective way (Xanthou, 2010 after
Mezynski, 1983). Moreover, during CLIL lessons the frequency of exposure to the new
word is much greater in compression to the traditional lessons and therefore give chance
for better vocabulary acquisition (Xanthou, 2010). For the mentioned reasons CLIL
seems to be a good method through which learners may acquire words.
Judging from presumptions, which are mentioned above by combining the story-
based learning and CLIL, children may achieve even better results in learning new
words. Multi-stimulating, creative and interesting learning environment will catch
childrens attention and may contribute to a significant increase in the number of known

23
words. The lessons will be longer and more complex, in comparison to traditional
foreign language classes, which give children more opportunities to develop their
vocabulary. Learners will also have time to experiment and play with words. The
combination may allow pupils to repeat vocabulary in many different contexts. By using
funny and interesting stories children will be more eager and motivated to learn some
new words. The vocabulary form book, which forms the base, will be gradually
expanded through CLIL activities. All things considered, I am of the view that the story-
based learning and CLIL will have positive effect on learners vocabulary development.
The diploma project will give answers to the question if children, thanks to
multi-stimulating learning context, will also remember new words for a longer period of
time. The classes may provide many opportunities for repetitions, so every child will
learn the vocabulary. They will also try the words out in different contexts which may
contribute to its consolidation. The books interesting plot, colourful illustrations and
fascinating characters will help them to recall already learnt words. In my opinion,
children motivation and positive atmosphere in class will contribute to prolongation the
remembering time. To recapitulate, I believe that story-based learning and CLIL
approach will elongate childrens new vocabulary remembering process.
The second hypothesis which will be investigated is that the children and the
teachers, who will participate in lessons, will positively evaluate this approach. Learners
will appreciate the wide range of interesting activities and the friendly atmosphere
provided by the books. As regards the teachers, they probably will not share all of the
childrens enthusiasm towards the combination. Implementing combined story-based
learning and CLIL into Polish primary schools may seem to be unrealistic. It will
require a great deal of special preparations: a lot of additional hangouts and materials,
many carefully selected books, which in consequence will mean that teachers will have
even more work to do. They may be also concerned about childrens readiness for such
lessons. In the end, the combinations advantages may exceed disadvantages and
convince teacher to its usefulness.

24
 Part two empirical part

2.1. Introduction.

25
 Nowadays the vast majority of people all over the world admit that knowing at
least one foreign language is inevitable. Languages, especially English, became a part of
our everyday live. Today, in many countries some primary schools implement Content
and Language Integrated Learning to help children achieve both the foreign language
and the content success. To make CLIL more adjusted to childrens needs it can be
combined with story-based teaching. These two approaches provide a very rich and
stimulating environment for teaching foreign a language. The main aim of this part of
the diploma project is to investigate whether or not story-based CLIL education may
have a positive impact on childrens vocabulary development.

Aims of the research:

The research aimed at answering the following questions:
o Will the combination expand childrens vocabulary?
o How many words will children remember after the story based CLIL lesson?
o What do the teachers and children think about such lessons?

2.2. Method.

2.2.1. Participants.

The research was conducted in Szkoa Podstawowa im. Marii Dbrowskiej in

Komorw in April 2013. Two first grade classes 1b and 1c were involved in the
research. In class 1b there are 19 students and in class1c there are 21 students. In those
classes children are not at the same age, the majority of them are 7 years old but there
are also some 6-years-old students. Each class has English two times a week. During the
research project the classes were taught by the researcher who used storytelling in CLIL
lessons. In the classes the researcher conducted two lessons (60 minutes per each).

2.2.2. Measures:

The researcher used the following research instruments:

26
 The pre-test - Children took this test before actual story-based CLIL lessons.
The test consisted of two parts: recall (app. 1) and recognition tests (app.2)
This test investigated which words pupils have already known. This
knowledge had an impact on process of preparing the lessons.
The post-tests Children from each class took vocabulary tests three times:
after the first lesson, after the second lesson, and a week after the second
lesson. The post-tests consist of both recall (app. 1) and recognition tests
(app.3 and app. 4) Those instruments provided data about childrens new
vocabulary acquisition.
The questionnaires - Investigating the learners (app. 5) and teachers(app. 6)
opinions about the lessons and the story-based CLIL education.

2.2.3. Procedure:

1) The pre-test.

The aim of the pre-test was to supply the researcher with data and knowledge about the
childrens vocabulary. The pre-test consisted of two parts recall and recognition test. In
the recall test ten flashcards were used. Each picture showed different pictures which
illustrated ten words: hen, leaf, beans, roots, flower, stalk, giant, petals, branch, castle.
During the recall pre-test the teacher showed ten pictures to children and asked them to
put up a hand if they knew the word presented on the illustration. Then the teacher
approached the student and checked if the child could say the word correctly. In
recognition test the teacher gave every child a copy of the worksheet, which contained
(app.2). The students were asked to circle the picture which illustrated the words said by
the teacher. The collected data helped to select the unknown to words.

2) Two story-based CLIL lessons delivered by the researcher.

In order to teach children new vocabulary two story-based CLIL lessons were designed
(app. 7 and app. 8). The lessons plans were adapted from Curricular Content.
Resources for Primary (Calabrese, Rampone, 2005: 15-28) and integrated teaching
English with art and science education. Those lessons were conducted in both classes
on 9th and 16th of April and lasted for 60 minutes.

27
The first lesson.

Two main aims of this lessons were to identify different parts of plants and their
functions and to teach children new vocabulary connected with different parts of a
plant. During this lesson pupils learned new words, discussed the functions of the
different parts of a plant and conducted an experiment. After the lesson students
received a homework their task was to crate a zig-zag book which would show plant
parts and their functions.

The second lesson.

Revision of vocabulary connected with parts of plants and introducing the story of Jack
and the beanstalk were the main aims of the second lesson. Children also got to know
some famous flower paintings and tried to make their own picture.

3) The post-tests conducted immediately after lessons and week after the lessons.

The post-test was carried three times, after every lesson and one week after. The tests
consisted of two parts: the recall (app. 1) and the recognition test (app.3 and app. 4).
Both test checked how effective story-based CLIL lessons were with regard to
childrens new vocabulary acquisition (leaf, beans, roots, flower, stalk, petals, branch).
The recall and the recognition tests ware conducted in the same way as in the pre-test
(every time the picture order was changed).

4) The questionnaire for children Smiley questionnaire.

The main aim of the smiley questionnaire was to investigate childrens opinions about
the conducted lessons and different activities. The form of the questionnaire was
especially adjusted for young children and was conducted in Polish. The smiley
questionnaire took place in April 2013 and contained five questions (app.5). The first
question was designed to investigate whether or not children liked the lessons
conducted by researcher. The aim of the second question was to find out if children
liked to work with The Jack and the beanstalk story. Another question examine if

28
children liked art activities. The following one was an attempt to answer the question if
a students would like those kinds of lessons to repeat. There were three possible
answers to all questions and each were represented by a different picture: smiling face,
moody face and sad face.

5) The questionnaire for teacher.

The purpose of this questionnaire was to investigate what the English teacher
though about such lessons and activities. To avoid misunderstandings the questionnaire
was formulated in Polish. The teacher questionnaire took place in April 2013 and
contained six questions (app.6). The first question investigates the teachers attitude
towards the conducted lessons. The second and the third questions were designed to find
out which activity the teacher liked the most and which she did not like at all. The aim
of the fourth question was to examine if the teacher would you use some elements of
story-based CLIL during her lessons. The next are exploring the topic which activity the
teacher would like to use during her lessons. The last question concerned the teacher
opinion which of those lessons were profitable for students. The teacher chose her
answers by circling the correct statement.

2.3. Results

29
The results were based on three instruments, the pre-tests, post-tests and the
questionnaires, and were showed in the form of a graph.

2.3.1 The pre-test

Figure 1: Results of the pre-test

In order to investigate story-based CLIL efficiency in vocabulary teaching the pre-test

was carried out. The purpose of the pre-test was to check if children know the words
before the lessons conducted by the researcher. The results presented in figure 1 shows
that in most cases children had difficulties in recalling the names of objects illustrated in
the pictures. Even exceptions, words flower, hen, giant and castle, were recalled by less
than half of the students. Six words: leaf, stalk, roots, beans, petals and branch, were
not recalled at all. In the recognition test pupils gained better results. Especially three
words hen, castle, giant were recognized by more than 60% of children. Taking
everything into account those three words may be considered as known to students and
that is why they were eliminated in further research.

2.3.2 The post-test conducted after first lesson

30
Figure 2: Results of the post-test conducted after the first lesson

The above figure presents results of he post-test conducted after the first lesson. Four
words: leaf, stalk, roots and petals, which students did not remember in the pre-test,
were recalled. Moreover, three words: leaf, stalk and flower were correctly recalled by
one fourth of the class. Some words beans and branch turned out to be the most
difficult for students, none of the forty pupils recalled them. The recognition test results
were better than in the pre-test and all words were recognized by over one third of the
students. Summing up the recall and the recognition test results words branch, petals
and beans caused the most problems to the children.

2.3.3 The post-test conducted after second lesson

31
Figure 3: Results of post-test conducted after the second lesson

Figure 3 shows the results of the post-test conducted after the second lesson. All tested
words were recalled by children. however, some of them, petals and branch, were still
difficult for students. Two words leaf, stalk and flower were recalled by more than half
of the pupils. Moreover, those words were also recognized by more than 90% of the
students. Other words like roots, beans and petals were correctly selected by over 80%
of children. In comparison to the previous post-test words recognition increased by an
average of 20%. As in the earlier tests the word branch was the most problematic for
pupils.

2.3.4 The post-test conducted one week after the second lesson

32
Figure 4: Results of the post-test conducted one week after the second lesson

One week after the second lesson the last post-test was conducted. In contrast to the
previous post-test most words were recalled by fewer children. Figure 4 shows that in
comparison to the previous tests acquaintance of the words (leaf, stalk, roots, petals,
branch) decreased by an average of 10%. Only two words beans and flower were
recalled by more pupils than a week earlier. Results of the recognition test shows that
five out of seven words (leaf, roots, beans, flower and branch) were recognized by 10%
fewer students than a week before. Nevertheless, the results still remained at a high
level. Summing up the post-test results, it may be said that children have made
significant progress in learning the words. Comparing the results from the pre-test and
the last post-test, it can be seen that while some words (leaf, stalk, petals, and flower)
appear to be easy to learn, some words ( roots and branch) seems still to be difficult for
students.

2.3.5 The questionnaire for children

33
Figure 5: Results of childrens questionnaire

Figure 5 presents the results of the childrens questionnaire. It contained five questions.
The results show that almost all students liked the story-based CLIL lessons. Three
quarters of pupils enjoyed those lessons very much, eight people quite liked it and just
two students did not like them. The story activities were liked very much by the
children, but there were also four students who did not prefer this type of activities. The
most enjoyable activities turned out to be the art exercises, almost all children liked
them. In comparison to the art and story activities, the science exercises appeared to be
the least popular. Nevertheless, twenty six children decided that they liked this type of
activities very much. Taking conducted the lessons into consideration thirty students
answered that they would like those lessons to repeat. Only two students did not like
those lessons at all.

2.3.6 The questionnaire for teacher

34
The aim of his questionnaire was to investigate the teachers opinions about those
lessons and activities (see appendices 6). The results show that the teacher enjoyed the
lessons which were conducted by the researcher. Form the activates which the teacher
observed during lessons she liked the art exercise the most. For question 3 the teacher
did not give an answer and said that she liked them all. Moreover, the teacher responded
that she would use some elements of the story-based CLIL during her lessons. As an
activity which the teacher would like to use during her lessons she choose science
exercises. The results from the last question showed that the teacher considers those
lessons to be profitable for her students.

2.4. Discussion

35
The aim of the diploma project was to investigate the story-based CLIL education and
its influence on childrens vocabulary acquisition. In the theoretical part three
hypotheses were formulated. They are presented and discussed below.

The children who participated in story-based CLIL lessons will expand their
vocabulary. moreover, students would remember new words for longer period of
time.

The results obtained in the tests had partly confirmed those hypotheses. The comparison
of the pre-and the post-tests results showed that most of the children have learned the
vocabulary. Six out of seven words which had not been recalled in the pre-test after two
lessons were pronounced by an average of 33% of students. In the recall test words
leaf, stalk, and flower gained the best results. As it was presented in the pre test the
word flower was known to a few children before conducting the story-based CLIL
lessons. During lessons pupils had many opportunities to use this word in different
contexts and activities which contributed to increased awareness of words. The other
two words leaf and stalk, which were not recalled in the pre-test, after lessons were
correctly pronounced by half of students. It can be explained by the fact that children
very quickly associated those words with similar Polish words li and stok. It also may
be caused by the friendly and interesting atmosphere which motivated students to
participate in classes. The word branch turned out to be the most difficult to recall for
pupils. Interestingly, students had no problems in pronouncing it correctly, but during
the test they could not remember the word. In the recognition test the students achieved
better results. All tested words were recognized by more than 40% of students and five
words leaf, stalk, roots petals and flower were correctly chosen by more than 28 out of
40 people. Moreover, two words leaf and flower were recognized by 35 children. There
are two reasons which may explain this results. First of all, those words were very
attractive for students. As they noted all plants need to have leafs to live and eat which
made them the most important part of plant. Flowers, in the same time, have emotional
and esthetical value: they are beautiful and may be a good gift for many occasions.
Secondly, the word flower, which was partly known to children, was the easiest word
for pupils to learn. As in the recall test word branch were recognized by the lowest
number of students. Taking both the recall and the recognition test in to consideration, it
can be noticed that the recall test results are worse than those from the recognition test.
36
It can be interpreted by the fact that in the recognition test children had to choose
correct answer from three pictures, which could provide a hint for them. Comparison of
the two last post-tests results showed that results still remained quite high but they
started to decrease. This proved that constant repetitions are necessary in learning
English especially to young learners.

The students and the teacher who took part in those lessons will positively evaluate
this approach.

As the teachers and students questionnaire results showed this hypothesis was
confirmed. From the beginning the pupils were very eager to work and they wanted to
participate in all tasks. All three types of activates were liked by over 60% of children.
Moreover, the art activities turned out to be the their favourite. It can be interpreted that
during normal English lessons pupils very rarely have art education. As a young
learners, children enjoy all activities which are funny, creative and require movement.
Interestingly, in the questionnaire the teacher also chose art activities as the element of
the lessons which she liked the most. The story-based activities were also truly liked by
the learners. The Jack and the beanstalk contained repeated sentences and words, thanks
to which students quickly understood the story. The least enjoyed activities, which in
the same time were liked by 65% of children, were science exercises. during science
education children made an plant parts observations and conducted an experiment
which required from students to be extremely focused and sit in tables for longer period
of time. at this point it is worth noting that the teacher choose those type of exercise, not
art education, as a one that she would like to use during her lessons. It may be explained
by the fact that the teacher have quite and calm manner so loudly and messy activities
does not suit her. This fact is interesting because it shows how teachers character and
attitudes may influence the educational decisions made by them. Taking all lessons into
consideration, they were liked by both the teacher and the pupils. Furthermore, 95% of
children responded affirmatively to the question if they would like those lessons to
repeat. This number can be caused by novelty, creativity and friendliness of the story-
based CLIL education. Nevertheless, the aim of the English lessons is not only
entertaining the pupils but first of all teaching language. The teachers questionnaire
results showed that the teacher considers those type of lessons as a profitable for
students and she would use some elements of the combination in her classes. To sum up,
37
the questionnaires results revealed that both students and the teacher evaluated this
approach positively.

3.Conclusions.

3.1. Purpose of the dissertation

Since one of the most important tasks of school is to prepare children for their
future life, parents, teachers and authorities should not forget how important it is to
learn at least one foreign language. To help pupils achieve both the content and the
foreign language more and more schools decide to implement CLIL. To make the
learning context even richer and suitable for students CLIL may be combined with the
storybased education. The purpose of this diploma project was to examine the impact
of this combination on young English learners. Moreover, it also investigates how the
story-based CLIL education affect on childrens vocabulary acquisition.
As far as children are concerned, non language aims which were formulated in
the theoretical part were also realized. During the research lessons they not only
developed their knowledge about plants but learned how to make experiments too.
Furthermore, students participated in art education, became familiar with three art
styles, impressionism, expressionism and pop art, and create flower paintings in Andy
Warhols style. All activities met with great interest and commitment among children
and developed their knowledge about the world.
The researcher also set some goals which were realized during working on the
diploma project. For the first time in my teaching career I had an opportunity to conduct
true CLIL lesson. The lessons confirmed my assumptions that this teaching method is
very effective and child friendly. Moreover, I have learned how to prepare and conduct
experiments during language lessons. As the childrens questionnaire results showed art
activities which took place while the classes were pupils the most liked lessons. During
the lessons I had also occasion to observe how children develop their listening and
speaking skills. Thanks to attention catching activities children were eager to participate
in lessons and to express their opinions. As far as my researcher abilities are concerned,
during the research I have learned how to correctly design and conduct test or
questionnaires among pupils. Those very useful abilities may not only help my in my

38
future research work but also can be very handy in my work as a teacher. To sum up, the
story-based CLIL education proved to be beneficial in teaching English to young
learners.

3.2. Implications for further research.

There are a lot of ways in which this diploma project could be developed and
improved. First of all, the experiment could be conducted in two groups. One group will
be taught through the story-based CLIL and the second group will participate in
traditional English lessons. The groups results comparison could unambiguously prove
if this combination is truly profitable for students.
Secondly, interesting results would be provided by a study conducted in group of
older children. Pupils who participated in this diploma project were first grade students
and they have just started learning how to write and read. The word may be considered
as acquired when a person know its meaning, evoke its sound, pronounce it, read and
write it correctly. Experiment conducted among older children could help to find answer
to the question of whether or not the results will remain at a similar high level or they
will significantly reduce. What is more, an interesting continuation of the research could
investigate if the students would need more time to fully acquire the word, to learn how
to write and read it.
An interesting continuation of the research presented in this study would be an
implementation of the story-based CLIL education for longer period of time. During the
research children participated only in two lessons. As the smiley questionnaire results
showed students enjoyed those lessons very much and they would like those types of
classes to be repeated. But if students were taught only by this method would it be still
so attractive and profitable for children, or whether it would start to cause problems. It
would be interesting to observe how this combination would impact on motivation,
grades and attitudes.

3.3. Implications for EFL classroom.

39
 Today, nobody denies that the earlier children begin learning English the more
benefits and opportunities for the future they gain. Such students are more confident in
using foreign language, gain more native-like accent and perform better on tests. To
give students even more chances to develop their foreign language take implementing
the story-based CLIL in to consideration. On the basis of the data obtained in the
research project it can be assumed that combination is truly beneficial for students. By
integrating content and language teachers may present children that learning foreign
languages is not just another boring subject which has to be learnt but it is a tool for
learning more about the surrounding world. Its rich and practical context develop
childrens language skills, especially speaking and listening, increase vocabulary and is
suitable for all learning styles. From the teacher perspective CLIL may seem as an
intimidating and time consuming approach, but it also give a lot of freedom, does not
require extra teaching hours and allows to diversify teaching context and promote
individualized learning. As far as students are concerned, this combination prevents
them from getting bored. A lot of various types of activates catch pupils attention and
motivate them to learning.
What is more, as the smile questionnaire results showed art activates were the
most popular among students. Such activities maybe will not teach children vocabulary
but it allows students to express their emotions, develop theirs motor skills, motivate
them to work and is a natural stimulus for communication. Therefore, the teachers
should use art and craft activities form time to time on their lessons. As very engaging
and time consuming activities they should not appear on every lesson. They should be
unexpected and awaited by children.

40
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Appendices

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Appendix 1. The flashcards used during the recall pre and post-tests.

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Appendix 2 the recognition pre-test.
Zakrel usyszane sowo.

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1

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6

10
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Appendix 3 the recognition post-test 1.
Zakrel usyszane sowo.

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Appendix 4 - the recognition post-test 2.

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Appendix 5 Smiley Questionnaire for children.

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Appendix 6 Questionnaire for teacher.

W kadym wierszu prosz zaznaczy poprzez zakrelenie waciw odpowied.

1.Czy przeprowadzone zajcia podobay si Pani?

Tak Nie wiem Nie

2. Ktre z elementw lekcji podobay si Pani najbardziej?

Praca z ksik Robienie pracy Zajcia przyrodnicze Dowiadczenia

plastycznej

3. Ktre z elementw lekcji podobay si Pani najmniej?

Praca z ksik Robienie pracy Zajcia przyrodnicze Dowiadczenia

plastycznej

4. Czy wykorzystaaby Pani Zintegrowane ksztaceni przedmiotowo-jzykowe z

elementami literatury w swojej pracy?

Tak Nie wiem Nie

5. Ktry z elementw lekcji wykorzystaaby Pani w swojej pracy?

Praca z ksik Robienie pracy Zajcia przyrodnicze Dowiadczenia

plastycznej

6. Czy myli Pani, e takie zajcia byy by dla dzieci korzystne?

Tak Nie wiem Nie

59
Appendix 7- Lesson plan 1

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Appendix 8- Lesson plan 2.

Appendix 9 Jack and the beanstalk

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