Class XII
Students are expected
to have acquired a reasonable degree of language proficiency in English by the time
they come to class XI, and the course will aim, essentially, at promoting the
higher-order language skills. Fora large number of students, the higher
secondary stage will be a preparation for the university, where a fairly high
degree of proficiency in English may be required. But for another large group,
the higher secondary stage may be a preparation for entry into the world of
work. The Core Course should cater to both groups by promoting the language
skills required for academic study as well as the language skills required for
the workplace.
Objectives: The general objectives
at this stage are:
1. To listen to and
comprehend live as well as recorded oral presentations on a variety of topics,
2. To develop greater
confidence and proficiency in the use of language skills necessary for social
and academic purposes.
3. To participate in
group discussions/interviews, making short oral presentations on given topics.
4. To perceive the
overall meaning and organization of the text (i.e., the relationships of
the different “chunks” in the text to each other).
5. To identify the
central/main point and supporting details, etc. to build communicative
competence in various registers, of English
6. To promote advanced
language skills with an aim to develop the skills of reasoning, drawing
inferences, etc. through meaningful activities.
7. To translate texts
from mother tongue(s) into English and vice versa.
8. To develop ability
and knowledge required in order to engage in independent reflection and
enquiry. At the end of this stage learners will be able to do the following:
9. Read and comprehend
extended texts (prescribed and non-prescribed) in the following genres:
fiction, science fiction, drama, poetry, biography, autobiography, travel and
sports literature, etc.
10. text-based writing (i.e.,
writing in response to questions or tasks based on prescribed or unseen
texts)
11. Understand and
respond to lectures, speeches, etc.
12. Write
expository/argumentative essays, explaining or developing a topic, arguing a
case, etc.
13. Write
formal/informal letters and applications for different purposes.
14. Write items related
to the workplace (minutes, memoranda, notices, summaries reports;
15. Filling up of
forms, preparing CVs, e-mail messages, making notes from reference materials,
recorded talks etc. The Core Course should draw upon the language items suggested
for classes IX-X and delve deeper into their usage and functions. Particular
attention may, however, be given to the following areas of grammar: The use of
passive forms in scientific and innovative writings. Converting one kind of
sentence/clause into a different kind of structure as well as other items to
exemplify stylistic variations in different discourses
Specific
Objectives of Reading
Students are expected to develop the following study
skills:
1. Refer to dictionaries,
encyclopedia, thesaurus and academic reference material
2. Select and extract
relevant information, using reading skills of skimming and scanning
3. Understand the
writer’s attitude and bias
4. Comprehend the difference
between what is said and what is implied
5. Understand the
language of propaganda and persuasion
6. Differentiate
between claims and realities, facts and opinions
7. Form business
opinions on the basis of latest trends available
8. Comprehend technical
language as required in computer related fields
9. Arrive at personal
conclusion and comment on a given text specifically
10. Develop the ability
to be original and creative in interpreting opinion
11. Develop the ability
to be logically persuasive in defending one’s opinion
12. making notes based
on a text
Develop literary skills as enumerated
below:
1. Personally respond
to literary texts
2. Appreciate and analyze
special features of languages that differentiate literary texts from
non-literary ones
3. Explore and evaluate
features of character, plot, setting, etc.
4. Understand and
appreciate the oral, mobile and visual elements of drama
5. Identify the
elements of style such as humour, pathos, satire and irony, etc.
6. Make notes from various resources for
the purpose of developing the extracted ideas into
sustained pieces of writing
Speaking and Listening
Speaking needs a very
strong emphasis and is an important objective leading to professional
competence. Hence testing of oral skills must be made an important component of
the overall testing pattern. To this end, speaking and listening skills are
overtly built into the material to guide the teachers in actualization of the skills.
CBSE Syllabus for 2016-17