Creation and compilation of didactic materials for efl students from 1st to 4th grade at Eduardo Crespo Malo elementary school in Barabon: phase i

Abstract

English as a foreign language must be considered as a mandatory subject in Ecuador. However, until the last school year, this was not happening in public schools. An illustration of this situation is the case of Eduardo Malo Crespo elementary school where English was not offered in previous years due to certain changes in the Ministry of Education Resolutions. As a consequence, teaching English came to be considered as a last priority for authorities, making the development of this language difficult to accomplish. Nevertheless, a last change in Ecuadorian Curriculum reestablished English in basic education level. For this reason, this research was focused on the reality of this school, especially from first to fourth grades, with the purpose of creating and compiling didactic materials, such as authentic materials and realia, in order to help English teachers reinforce this teaching/learning process. Furthermore, an interview with an expert was applied to support its theoretical background. This research was based on the analysis of the syllabi of three private schools to obtain relevant topics for each grade. At the same time, these materials were created according to students’ ages. In addition, these materials are focused on the development of listening and speaking skills considering the Communicative Approach. As a last point, a booklet was elaborated with suggested activities to aid the teacher.