1. TotemTaal A task-based curriculum for five grades of primary school: designing reading comprehension tasks

2. Task selection: what goals? No traditional needs analysis by the developers themselves But: Official Attainment Targets = Goals set by the governement Goals are compulsory Goals developed by teachers and Goals necessary to adequately function in a school (+ daily life) –context

3. Task selection: what goals? Plus Before developing: Feedback on the previous task-based syllabus: more gradual increase of complexity, more focus on form, better teacher support. During development: Intended user feedback for each grade in the form of sit-togethers (developers, teachers and publicer)

4. Task selection: what goals? Official Attainment Targets: parameters Skill Level of cognitive processing Type of text Public/audience

5. Core curriculum reading The pupils are able to find the information (level of processing = description) in: 3.1instructions for a range of activities intended for them; 3.2 the data in tables and diagrams for public use; 3.3 magazine texts intended for them. The pupils are able to arrange information (level of processing = structuring) which is found in: 3.4 school and study texts intended for them and instructions for school assignments;) 3.5 stories, childrens books, dialogues, poems, childrens magazines and youth encyclopedias intended for them; The pupils are able to evaluate information based on their own opinions, or information based on other sources (level of processing= evaluating) which is found in: 3.6 different letters and invitations intended for them; 3.7 advertising texts which are directly related to their own world.

6. Task design functional: language as a means to reach a motivating goal motivational: goal, theme, content, didactical approach relevant: working towards official attainment goals of Dutch challenging: with maximal potential for (language) learning promoting task-based interaction (Van den Branden, 2006)

7. Task design But: functionality, motivation, relevance, challenging, peer interaction + goals from OAT = too general characteristics to start developing: Inquiry from previous TBLT-method What is motivating for a child of 8, 9, 10, 11, 12? Offical Attainment Targets = target tasks? What is maximal potential? How big can the gap get?

8. Task design What is motivating, relevant, challenging? These characteristics needed fine-tuning: Fine-tuning for different grades Fine-tuning within a grade

9. Task design Fine-tuned by Selecting relevant thematic content: unit and texts Technical adjustments: not 'too' challenging: Technical reading difficulties ('avi') Post-hoc analysis of lexis Intended user feedback: comments on text lenght, text difficulties, amount of time spent on focus on form, early introduction of peer interaction

10. What is motivating?: Unit selection 7/8-year olds : How to become a knight? texts such as: Knights and princesses To be a knight, now and before; How to make your own castle, How to dress ones knight; Diary of Thomas, page 8/9-year olds: Pirates and highwaymen 9/10-year olds: Screenscamps 10/11-year olds: Elect the person most fiery! 11/12-year olds: Ice-cool

11. Challenging: Technical adjustments: AVI Gradual increase of technical reading difficulties (indicated by 'avi') over the syllabus: beginningmiddleend grade 2 avi 2 avi 3 avi 4avi 5 grade 3 avi 5avi 6avi 7 grade 4 avi 7avi 8avi 9 grade 5 avi 9 avi 10 grade 6 avi 10

12. Challenging: Technical adjustments: lexis relevant CALP in a unit concerning knights, post hoc inspection: CALP already present polite, promise, to protect, dark, poem, helmet, castle, moment, (im)polite, knight(s), stamp, tower, false, to fight, weapon(s), CALP put more into the light voice, battle, fat, minute, ditch, aid, daughter, cardboard, most important, river

13. Task design: a unit about knights functional: proof to be chivalric through different tasks, to finally take the knight's vow motivational: a topic of interest for 8 year olds relevant: through reading texts (with goals corresponding to the OAT) challenging: controlled technical difficulties, but sufficiently complex in (gradually more complex) interaction with other learners (Van den Branden, 2006)

14. Complexity:tasks with identical goals Goal description according to the official attainment targets: = identical parameters for tasks with different complexity levels Goals skilllevel of processing text-typepublicattainment goal reading comprehension evaluativecomicsintended for pupils 3.5

15. 1. Read these comics. What is happening? 2. Which comic do you prefer? D: Nice of you to bring me home, Suske. S: That is my job, as a knight. I am to protect princesses. D: You are a real hero. S: A brave knight like me never gives up. D: Wiske, I am bringing him home. He could no longer stand on his own two feet… Do you sometimes play knight and princess?

16. 1. Read these comics. Some text are missing. 2. Find the missing texts. Choose between: Please? I bought an icecream. I did not have an icecream. I don't believe you! Can you read what is written on the trashcan? Look at the mess around you. No, I am reading. Comic(al)?

17. Complexity:tasks with identical goals Goal description according to the official attainment targets: = identical parameters for tasks with different complexity levels Goals skilllevel of processing text-typepublicattainment goal reading comprehension evaluativequestions and answers intended for pupils 3.5

18. Complexity:tasks with identical goals A- grade 2, unit 7

19. Complexity:tasks with identical goals B- grade 5, unit 7

20. Complexity: analytic framework (Ramaut en Duran, 2006) Framework for complexity World Perspective (concreet vs. abstract) +/- Degree of visual support +/- Information density +/- Cognitive demands Level of processing of information +/- Outcome modality +/- Text Vocabulary +/- Syntax +/- Text structure +/- Text lenght +/-

21. Complexity: parameters Extra parameters necessary Goals skilllevel of processing text-typepublicattainment goal reading comprehen sion evaluativequestions and answers intended for pupils 3.5

22. Complexity: parameters Goals skilllevel of processing text-typepublicattainment goal reading comprehensi on evaluativecomicsintended for pupils 3.5 Extra parameters worldfunction nutritional facts (d) find the right question for an answer

23. Task complexity Parameters: Indicated by official attainment targets language skill, level of cognitive processing, type of text, public/audience Analytic framework of the CLE = + function or purpose (communication, conceptualisation, expression, pleasure,...). = + world (the kind of knowledge of the world + level of abstraction of the approach )

24. Task sequencing: variety of tasks How to order these texts to get best learner results? within a unit throughout the syllabus as a whole

25. 1. Read these comics. What is happening? 2. Which comic do you prefer? D: Nice of you to bring me home, Suske. S: That is my job, as a knight. I am to protect princesses. D: You are a real hero. S: A brave knight like me never gives up. D: Wiske, I am bringing him home. He could no longer stand on his own two feet… Do you sometimes play knight and princess?

26. W: I am a princess. The knight who wins the fight, may marry me. W: And he may also kiss me! S: I am hurt. The victory is Bert's. B: No, I am wounded. Suske wins the fight. W: Well, boys, who is going to kiss the princess? S & B: He is! W: Worthless knights! Do you sometimes play knight and princess?

27. Work in groups. Make your own castle… Make your own castle

28. 1. Read the text in silence. Each text deals with a different piece of garment. 2. Report to your group about your piece of garment. Show it also on the drawing. 3. Which piece of garment does the knight takes first? Which one after that? Find the correct order with your whole group. Write the correct number in the circles. Help dressing your knight!

29. These are excerpts from the diary of Tobias. He is page in the castle of his uncle. Read the excerpts and answer the questions. T obias has played knight. Which drawing fits this piece diary? Put a cross in the right drawing. ___________________________________ Which two pages won? Write their names. ___________________________________ Tobias feels bad that Tom got a nosebleed. Yes / No ___________________________________ Tom fell from his horse. Who was the horse? Write down the name of the boy. _________________________________________ Thomas' diary

30. Task sequencing: throughout the syllabus No linear structure, but general increase of complexity Cyclic structure: power of recurrence and repetition AND: authentic, relevant, functional tasks in a unit had to prevail < NOT organised beforehand

31. Task sequencing How could we still ensure maximum learning possibility? Introduction of "dwarsdoorsnedes": "trans-sections" = screening of materials developed: every 5 units were checked for goals, target-types, complexity and the gradual increase thereof Which occur? Which were omitted or less represented? Which combinations occur? How complex are tasks?

32. Task sequencing Resulted in adjustments: Extra or adapted tasks if underrepresented or omitted Task-outlines for the second part (that needed developing) Guidelines for teacher support: managing complexity: e.g: clarifying vocabulary, relations, ways to deal with the task, explicitly or implicit information > a whole year's syllabus= balaced, gradual increase, incorporating all goals and target- types relevant for the age group

33. Teacher support: crucial Teacher support for reading tasks = interfere with parameters that affect task complexity but also: with functionality, relevance, authenticity, peer interaction Succes or failure of each and every (reading) task depends on teacher support