Grade 8: Interpersonal Communication

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

It is expected that students will:

• develop simple dialogues
• describe activities and interests in oral and written form
• request and provide information
• seek or grant permission, formally and informally
• use Punjabi to conduct familiar activities (real or simulated)

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Interpersonal Communication in other grades click on an icon below.

Suggested Instructional Strategies

At the Grade 8 level, many students are able to more easily communicate about activities they enjoy. They are often able to write structured material with increasing confidence.

• In small groups, have students work with maps and other resources to identify places where Punjabi is spoken. They can then select places they would like to visit. Each group should choose a general area to visit and three or four specific places they would like to explore.
• Students can use a variety of resources (e.g., print, video, computer, interviews) to find out more about their chosen locations. The class could work as a whole group to develop a model, then work in partners to create a dialogue in which they ask their parents for permission to go on a trip.
• Invite students to work on other dialogue scenarios related to travelling in a Punjabi-speaking area. Possibilities include making reservations and transportation arrangements, shopping, ordering meals, or locating or obtaining services (e.g., laundry, photo finishing).
• As a class, create sample travel-journal entries and postcards. Students then develop their own simple journals or postcards.
• Model with the class how to write a letter to a pen pal. Help students set up pen pals in Punjabi-speaking communities around the world. Alternatively, pair students with others in a different BC community who are studying Punjabi at the same level. Fax and e-mail can be used to ensure rapid turnaround of correspondence.

Suggested Assessment Strategies

As students acquire increasing facility with language, they are able to communicate about more topics. Assessment focusses on meaning--the extent to which they are able to share ideas and information. Oral interactions continue to be most important; however, students also need feedback and support in developing written skills.

• Discuss assessment criteria with students before they present the dialogues they have practised. Point out that communicating meaning is most important; all criteria are related to whether or not the dialogue successfully conveys a message. These criteria could be the basis for a checklist or rating scale for teacher, peer, and self-assessment. To what extent do students:
  • convey an understandable message
  • use appropriate titles and forms of address
  • include relevant and interesting details or features
  • find ways to keep the conversation going
  • use a variety of vocabulary and language structures (e.g., questions, responses)
• Here are some examples of similar criteria that can be used in assessing letters and other written work:
  • meaning is clear
  • includes interesting, relevant details
  • follows appropriate conventions as practised in class (e.g., greetings, closings, use of titles)
  • uses a range of vocabulary to form simple sentences
  • takes risks in using language not practised in class
• Provide students with frames, such as those they can use to write about learning Punjabi:
  • I learn Punjabi best when I _______.
  • The hardest thing I've learned in Punjabi is _______.
  • I'd like to learn how to _______.
  • The people who help me learn Punjabi are _______.

Recommended Learning Resources

Print Material

• G. C. S. E. Panjabi
• Jaadu Di Soti-Magic Wand
• Oxford Picture Dictionary English-Punjabi
• Panjabi Book 1, 2, 3
• The Panjabi Guide (Work Book)
• Panjabi Made Easy
• Panjabi Workbook
• A Pictorial Panjabi-English Dictionary
• Punjabi Alphabet-Part One
• Punjabi Posters
• Sunder Sulekh Pustak
• Tamak Toon

• Anandpursahib Lippi Fonts
• GurbaniLippi/Amrit Lippi Fonts

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