LINK TO THE GENIALLY PRESENTATION 

general principles

DIGITALISATION AND TECHNOLOGY

This methodology develops reading and listening skills through the various audiovisual resources: songs, chants, animated stories and audio texts in the Digital Pupil’s Book, Digital Activity Book, Digital Essential Activity Book, the Pupil’s Resource Centre and the Pupil’s App on Navio. Learners manage the tools and functions integrated in the digital books in order to add notes, highlight, draw, etc. 

They learn whilst playing thanks to the interactive activities in Navio: they learn to create avatars and navigate their way through immersive 3D world and the various activities on offer. Learners carry out activities which require them to scan, identify and select information presented in the digital texts, such as reading comprehensions and grammar activities. There are also texts which deal with different types of technology. In the Pupil's and Activity Books, children are encouraged to use digital media not only to carry out research, e.g. questions in the Curiosity Corners, but also to create their own projects and writing tasks, e.g. in Cycle 3 several projects are modelled using PowerPoint on the accompanying videos.

SUSTAINABILITY 

Sustainability is embraced in many ways in Kids Can!, from the SEL messages transmitted through the stories, to focusing on caring for the environment and animals in different ways.

 It also provides teachers with opportunities to focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In each unit, the lesson notes in the Teacher's Book allow teachers to draw on a set of age-appropriate questions and ideas that are linked to the unit topic. These gently encourage pupils to think about one of the SDGs, and, with the support of the teacher, express their own ideas and solutions for making the world a better place. 

INCLUSION AND FAIRNESS

This methodology  supports diversity and promotes inclusion through diverse representation, including characters from different ethnic backgrounds and images that reflect an inclusive environment (such as children with physical disabilities), and through personalised support. 

‘Every ability’ activities with differentiated instructions are included in the Pupil's Book and Teacher's Book, and the Essential Activity Book is an alternative to the Activity Book, providing practice of the same language with more support. The ‘Something for Everyone’ Graded Worksheets and Tests are available at 3 levels, while the Test Generator allows you to customise tests to your pupils needs. 

The digital offer includes Navio, with personalised activities that adapt to the pupil’s level.

GENDER EQUALITY

Children are exposed to a balanced view of society to help break gender stereotypes. There are lots of examples in the illustrations and photos children playing sports and doing adventure activities together (e.g. all the characters playing football in Level 1 or canoeing in Level 5). Gender equality is also modelled in audio and reading texts about occupations, e.g. a female robotic scientist in Level 3.

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS

It recognises the fundamental rights of children: to education, not to be discriminated against and to participate in decisions that affect them. For example, the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) concepts in the stories, and the Cross-curricular sections provide opportunities to explore and understand children's rights in relatable contexts.

key competences

Digital competence

Kids Can! promotes learners' digital competence at all levels. Learners work on all competencies (reading/writing/listening/speaking) across a variety digital media: songs, chants, animated stories and audio texts in the Digital Pupil’s Book, Digital Activity Book, Digital Essential Activity Book, the Pupil’s Resource Centre and the Pupil's App on Navio. Learners manage the tools and functions integrated in the digital books in order to add notes, highlight, draw, etc. 

They learn whilst playing thanks to the interactive activities in Navio: creating avatars and navigating their way through immersive 3D world and the various activities on offer. Teachers also have access to the Teacher's App to plan lessons and mark activities.

COMPETENCE IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHS (STEM)

Cross-curricular sections integrate natural and social science topics into the unit in all levels and ICT is introduced in the 2nd cycle and Communication and Technology in 3rd cycle. Numbers 1 to 99 are introduced in the Starter Units of levels 1 to 3, ordinal numbers in Level 4 and numbers are integrated into relevant contexts throughout the course, e.g. transactional dialogues, reading texts. Mathematical competence is also developed in the Extra Fun! puzzles.

COMPETENCE IN CITIZENSHIP

 A strong SEL element, based on the internationally recognised CASEL framework, underpins the stories in all 3 cycles and encompasses five main areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. In the Culture lessons, children from around the world share their experiences of different adventures, situations or lifestyles.

The 'Compare cultures' feature encourages children to consider their place in it the world, helping them to develop tolerance good behaviours with others.

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL COMPETENCE AND LEARNING TO LEARN

As well as the prominent SEL strand, Kids Can! promotes learner autonomy through self-assessment and reflection. At the end of every unit is a self-assessment opportunity (in the ABs for L3-6), and in the 3rd cycle, the Pupil's Books dedicate 2 pages to 'Study Skills', helping learners develop skills and good habits so they are ready to move into Secondary school. Learners are encouraged to reflect on their learning in a variety of ways, through Lesson Reviews after each lesson, Unit Reviews upon the completion of a unit, and Kids Can! Study sections.

PLURILINGUAL COMPETENCE

In the Teacher's Books across all levels, the 'Classroom Routines and Games' section includes activities which develop and practise plurilingual skills and strategies making learners aware of linguistic and cultural similarities and differences between their language and English, and the application of strategies they use in their mother tongue to English. In Kids Can! 3rd cycle, activities to raise awareness and develop plurilingual skills are included in several lessons at the bottom of the page throughout the units, as well as in the Study Skills tips section at the end of the Pupil's Books.

COMPETENCE IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

Two core features of Kids Can! are curiosity and creativity, which are essential stepping stones towards entrepreneurship. In the end-of-unit projects, learners are given scenarios and then encouraged to use their creativity to brainstorm ideas, work together, and decide how to present them clearly - key elements of entrepreneurship.

COMPETENCE IN LINGUISTIC COMMUNICATION

One of the hallmarks of Kids Can! is linguistic communication, with oral communication activities built into most lessons. Functional language is presented and modelled in videos, and learners are encouraged to experiment with language in the Chit-chat sections. Written communication comes in a variety of text types and activities support the development of writing skills in manageable steps (suitable for the age-group).

COMPETENCE IN CULTURAL AWARENESS AND EXPRESSION

In the culture sections at all levels, children are encouraged to compare their culture with others to gain a better understanding of the world around them. In the 1st cycle, learners are introduced to various aspects of British culture; in the 2nd cycle this happens with other cultures all around the English-speaking world; and in the 3rd cycle we are introduced to children from all around the world, 6 teams in each level. 

The course characters accompany the learners throughout the units to find out about other cultures and ideas through the stories, interviews and conversations they have. Lessons incorporate and promote a rich diversity of cultural expression with different genres of story, (e.g. legends, folk tales, adventures) and various activities such as singing, drawing and acting out a scenario.

SPECIFIC COMPETENCES

LINGUISTIC MEDIATION

 In the Teacher's Books for all levels, the 'Classroom Routines and Games' bank of materials includes age-appropriate ideas to develop and practise mediation skills and strategies, helping learners to process and transmit basic and simple information and to facilitate mutual understanding. In Kids Can! 3rd cycle, activities to work on linguistic mediation are suggested in the various footers, through the units, both in the Pupil's and Activity Books.

In the Pupil's Books, children are encouraged to tell the story or explain a concept in their own words, e.g. the unit stories or the Reading for Pleasure texts. In the Activity Book and Essential Activity Book pupils are challenged to describe concepts without using key words to simulate helping others understand unknown vocabulary.

COMPREHENSION: LISTENING AND READING

As an English language course, Kids Can! naturally develops listening and reading comprehension skills in numerous ways throughout each level.

INTERACTION: CONVERSATION

As an English language course, Kids Can! naturally includes numerous opportunities for conversation and oral interaction.

PLURILINGUALISM FOCUS

Developing linguistic awareness is at the heart of Kids Can!, and activities build through the levels to gradually encourage learners to notice similarities between English and their own language, as well as cultural similarities and differences. Plurilingual skills and strategies are seen overtly in 3rd cycle when children can be guided to take a more analytical approach to language and make connections with strategies they use in their mother tongue. 

PRODUCTION: SPEAKING AND WRITING:

As an English language course, Kids Can! naturally develops speaking and writing production skills in numerous ways throughout each level.

INTERCULTURALISM FOCUS

Kids Can promotes Interculturalism at all levels. 

In each unit of every level, there is a lession dedicated to culture, where learners are encouraged to think about a certain aspect of their culture and compare it to the culture of the country they have learned about in that lesson. 

METHODOLOGY

LEARNING SITUATIONS AND PROBLEM RESOLUTION

A learning situation is a step-by-step process which prompts learners to use language, cooperation and problem-solving skills in a concrete context. Throughout Kids Can! pupils use a combination of resources, learning styles and mediums to present their findings and propose creative solutions to answer curious questions (e.g. the unit titles), participate in the quiz (2nd cycle) and work together.

The Teacher's Books include additional discussion points related to SDGs which pose real-life problems to be solved, and many of the end-of-unit projects can be developed into larger Learning Situations (examples of this are given in 3rd cycle Teachers Books).

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT INSTRUCTIONS

 Kids Can! has continuous formative assessments with instructions across all levels. At the end of each lesson, there is a ‘Lesson Review’, and also a ‘Unit Review’ at the end of each unit. ‘Project Self-assessment’, the ‘Tests in two levels’ or the ‘Assessment Rubrics’.

CROSS-CURRICULAR PROJECTS

Every unit of Kids Can! has cross-curricular links, throughout the unit, not just in the cross-curricular sections. Topics range from natural science, social science, art, ICT to PE. 

These are also reflected in the projects, festivals and expanded in the Extra Fun! component.

 All of these can be used as a starting point for possible collaboration with other subject areas.