Grade 8 Syllabus

Competency Competency Level Subject Content Learning Outcomes No. of

periods
1. Identifies the 1.1 Pronounces English  Help students to identify the Students will be able to 03
sounds of English words properly. identify the pronunciation of
pronunciation of the words with
Language the words with silent letters.
silent letters.
a ) talk, chalk, folk, walk etc. Students will be able to
pronounce the words with
silent letters correctly.
b) know, knew, knee

c) honest, honour, hour

 Help students to identify the Students will be able to
identify the pronunciation of
pronunciation of the words the words ending with the
ending with ‘ew’. letters ‘ew’.
a) flew, blew,drew, crew, chew etc.
Students will be able to
pronounce the words ending
with the letters ‘ew’
correctly.

 Help students to identify the

Students will be able to
pronunciation difference between identify the pronunciation
‘a’ and ‘o’. of the words with the letters
‘a’ and ‘o’ in the middle.
Eg. walk – work, warm – worm,
wander – wonder, ward – word etc. Students will be able to
pronounce the words with
the letters ‘a’ and ‘o’ in the
middle correctly.

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   Help students to identify the
Students will be able to
sounds produced by different
identify the sound produced
consonant clusters as shown by consonant clusters.
below.
a) stream, school, screen, snow, Students will be able to
pronounce the words
spring, small
beginning with consonant
b) grow, grind, ground, glass, glad, clusters correctly.
glue, blue, true
c) play, prize, price, press, pretty,
principal, proud
d) brown, black, blank, blast, branch,
break, brick, bread
e) cream, crowd, class, clay, cloud
 Help students to improve their
spellings.
Text Types – words, word groups,
phrases, sentences, rhymes,
tongue twisters, poems, songs etc.

Activities – listen and read, listen and

tick, listen and underline, listen and
circle, listen and show, read aloud,
matching, categorizing, games.

1.2 Reads aloud different Help students to read different types of Students will be able to read 05
types of texts accurately and texts (given in the text book) accurately different types of texts
meaningfully and meaningfully. accurately and meaningfully.

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 Text types-tongue twisters,
announcements, dialogues,
conversations, poems, songs

2.Uses Mechanics 2.5 Uses inverted commas Help students to identify the places Students will be able to use 02
of Writing with appropriately where the inverted comma is used. inverted comma in a
Understanding sentence
*Inverted commas can be single or appropriately.
dou double.
‘x’ - or “x”.

Main uses
Inverted commas are mainly used to
mark the beginning and end of direct
speech (i.e. a speaker’s words written
down exactly as they were spoken)

Single inverted commas are generally

more common in British English while
American English tends to prefer double
ones.

Eg.
‘Good morning, Dineth,’ said Supun.
or
“Good morning, Dineth,”said Supun.

For speech within speech:

Dineth recalled, ‘Supun said, “Good
morning, Dineth.”’

(if you’ve been using single inverted

commas, put any further quoted material
within double ones and vice versa.)

- Refer : Oxford Dictionary

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 Text types- simple sentences, simple
passages, simple dialogues, poems,
simple letters, notes etc. on familiar
topics.

Activities - re-writing, underlining the

errors, correcting etc.

3. Engages in 3.2 Listens and follows  Get the students to practise Students will be able to 03
active listening instructions and respond to listening to various types of follow instructions
and responds requests. simple instructions and follow accurately to respond to
appropriately them. various types of requests
 Help students to understand the appropriately.
term ‘instructions’ through
different types of activities.
Students will be able to
Text types – simple instructions, games, follow instructions
requests and directions. accurately
to respond to various types
Activities – Listen and trace, listen and of requests appropriately.
do, listen and act, listen and find listen
and make (origami).
3.3 Listens and responds to  Get the students to practise Students will be able to listen 03
different types of simple texts listening to various types of to and find specific
simple texts and to find specific information such as names of
information persons, animals, places,
dates, days, months, years,
 Get the students listen to various etc.
types of simple texts and find
specific information.

Eg. Names of persons, animals, places,

dates, days, time, months, years, etc.
Text types –

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 simple dialogues, stories, descriptions of
people/ places/
animals, processes ( processes of making
jam) and events, songs, minutes of
English Literary Association

Activities - matching, labeling a

diagram, multiple choice, fill in the
blanks, completing a grid
(answers should be given to select) etc.

3.4 Listens and transfers  Help the student to listen and Students will be able to listen 04
information to other forms. transfers the given information to and transfers the given
other forms. information to other forms.

Text types: stories, descriptions of

pictures, notices, notes, letters (informal
letters) instructions, songs, poems,
processes, announcements etc.

Activities: Listen to texts and complete a

flow chart/ grid. Fill in blanks, draw
graphs/ charts, listen and draw, listen and
mark a map etc.

4. Building up 4.3 Finds synonyms and  Help the students to identify Students will be able to find 03
vocabulary using antonyms for given words synonyms and antonyms. synonyms and antonyms for
words  Make the students aware that the given words.
appropriately and
accurately to meanings of these words depend on the
convey precise context.
meaning Synonyms:
enough – sufficient
correct - accurate
huge – enormous

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 lazy – lethargic
weak – feeble
faithful – loyal
house - dwelling

Antonyms:
local – foreign
simple – complex
modern – ancient
major – minor
majority – minority
ascend – descend
victory – defeat
most – least
rural – urban
minimum – maximum
import – export
construct – demolish etc.

Text Types- dialogues, role plays,

simple folk stories, poems, passages with
synonyms and antonyms etc.

Activities – matching, categorizing,
multiple choices, finding, fill in
the blanks etc.

4.4 Uses affixes to change  Help the students to understand Students will be able to use 03
the word class and the the concepts of changing the affixes
meaning of words word class and the meaning of -un, -ful, -less, -
words using affixes – un-, dis-, dis, -ily, -ness ,
im-, -ful, -less, -ily, -ness , -fully, -fully, er, -est
- er, -est, -tion, -ment to change the word class and
the meaning of words

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Adj. – Adj. (opposite)

patient – impatient
regular – irregular
cooked – uncooked
legal –illegal
polite – impolite
fortunate – unfortunate
possible – impossible etc.

 Help students to from Students will be able to form

comparative and superlative comparative and superlative
adjectives using – er, est adjectives

Adjs. – Comparative Adjs.,

Superlative Adjs.
Eg. Clever – cleverer cleverest
High - higher highest etc.

verb – verb (opposite)

treat – ill-treat
load – unload
do – undo
button – unbutton
tie – untie etc.

Verb – Adj.
help – helpful
help - helpless
rest – restless
stop – stoppable
play –playful etc.

Noun – Adverb
day– daily

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 hour – hourly
week – weekly
fortnight - fortnightly
month – monthly
year - yearly
quarter – quarterly etc.

Text Types- dialogues, role plays,

simple folk tales, fairytales, poems,
songs, passages with words that can be
added un-, dis-, im-, -ful, -less, , -ily,
-ness , -fully, -ment, er, est

Activities – matching, categorizing,

multiple choices, finding,
fill in the blanks, completing a grid etc
4.5 Forms the plurals of Students will be able to form 03
nouns  Help the students to form the the plurals of compound and
plurals of countable and collective nouns adding –
uncountable nouns. s/es
 Help the students to form the
plurals of compound and
collective nouns adding – s/es

Countable Nouns (Count Nouns): Students will be able to form

A count noun is something we can count. the plurals of countable and
It has a singular and a plural form. uncountable nouns.
Eg.
Singular Plural
book books
flower flowers
bus buses
mango mangoes etc

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Uncountable nouns (non-count
nouns):
A non-count noun is something we don’t
count. It has no plural form. We use
quantifiers before non-count nouns.

Singular Plural
water a glass of water two glasses of
water

milk a glass of milk glasses of milk

a bottle of milk bottles of ….
a packet of milk packets of …

bread - slice of bread, loaf of bread,

piece of bread, crumb of bread
cake – a slice of cake, a piece of cake
paper – a sheet of paper, a piece of paper
rice- bag of rice, kilo of rice, packet of
rice, pot of rice

Collective nouns - singular:

a pile of cloths
a team of players
a school of fish
a herd of elephants
a swarm of bees
a heap of stones
a bunch of flowers
a comb of plantains
a fleet of ships

Collective nouns – plural:

piles of cloths
teams of players

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 schools of fish
herds of elephants
swarms of bees
heaps of stones
bunches of flowers
combs of plantains
fleets of fish
boxes of matches
packets of tea
lines of clothes
bars of chocolates
strings of beads
bedroom - bedrooms
teapot – teapots
timetable – timetables
keyboard – keyboards
blackboard – blackboards
haircut – haircuts
rainfall – rainfalls
a tube of toothpaste – tubes of toothpaste
son-in-law - sons –in-law
sister-in-law - sisters-in-law
passer-by - passers-by

Text types – words, phrases, sentences,

passages, poems, stories etc.

Activities – matching, completing,

pluralizing the sentences with be verbs.
4.7 Uses collective nouns and  Help students use the collective Students will be able to use 04
cmpound nouns nouns and compound nouns. the collective nouns and
compound nouns in
Collective nouns: sentences appropriately.
a pile of cloths
a team of players
a school of fish

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 a herd of elephants
a swarm of bees
a heap of stones
a bunch of flowers
a comb of plantains
a fleet of fish
a box of matches
a packet of tea
a line of clothes
a bar of chocolates
a string of beads

Compound nouns:
bedroom - bedrooms
teapot – teapots
timetable – timetables
keyboard – keyboards
blackboard – blackboards
haircut – haircuts
rainfall – rainfalls
a tube of toothpaste – tubes of toothpaste
son-in-law - sons –in-law
sister-in-law - sisters-in-law
passer-by - passers-by

5. Extracts 5.1 Uses visual and  Help the students to study the Students will be able to study 04
necessary contextual clues to derive the pictures given in the text book to the picture given in the text
information from meaning of the text derive the meaning of that in the text book to derive the
various types of particular text. meaning of that particular
texts  Help students to determine the text.
meaning of a new word by
looking at a picture and reading
the sentence that comes with the
word.
 Help students to use both context

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 and picture clues to determine the
meaning of new words.

Text type – pictures related to each text,

stories, passages, advertisements, with
pictures which help students to
comprehend the meaning of unfamiliar
words.

Activities – Asking ‘wh’ questions

related to the given picture which help to
derive the meaning of the text (orally),
stories and passages with pictures to re-
write them using the words instead of the
picture.

5.2 Extracts specific  Help students to find specific Students will be able to find 04
information from various information from a text. (names, specific information
types of simple texts dates, days, places etc. (names, dates, days, places
responding to questions with etc) from various types
‘Wh’ question words, what, of texts.
when, where, who, which.
Text types- notices, notes, letters formal/
informal, instructions, messages,
descriptions of places, people, animals,
things, events and process, articles,
minutes, advertisements, stories, songs,
poems, newspaper articles, news telecast,
dictionary pages etc.

Text Topics - Text Topics – historical

places (Sigiriya), botanical gardens,
mountains, rivers, etc.

Birds- ostrich, eagle, jungle fowl,

sparrow, parrot, etc

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 Stories - Mahadanamutta’s, Nasrudin’s,
etc.
Madduma Bandara, Dr. C.W.W.
Kannanngara, Sir Henry Steel Olcott,
Madam Mary Museus, etc.
Newspapers, transport, hobbies,
scientists etc.
(texts written using 15 – 20 simple
sentences)

Activities – comprehensive questions,

fill in the blanks, completing sentences
and simple passages, MCQ, true/false,
matching, grid filling

5.3 Transfers information  Help students to transfer the Students will be able to read 03
into other forms given information into other and transfer the needed
forms. information into other forms.

Text types – pictures, notices, notes, Students will be able to

letters- formal/informal, instructions, transfer the given
messages, descriptions of places, people, information into a grid,
things, events descriptions into pictures,
and processes, articles, minutes, marking maps, (read the
advertisements, stories, songs, simple picture and write about it,
graphs etc. read the description and
draw etc.)
Text topics – topics mentioned under
CL.5.2

Activities – Drawing pictures to a

written text, transferring information to a
grid, descriptions into pictures, marking
maps, (read the picture and write about
it, read the description and draw) etc.

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5.4 Reads and responds to  Help students to understand the Students will be able to 03
simple poems poetic language, techniques, identify the simple poetic
structure and messages given. Techniques mentioned.
- visual imagery – colours/size
- auditory imagery – sounds that can be Students will be able to
heard express their ideas, feelings,
- metaphors- Eg. He is a lion/ My mother emotions in simple
is a goddess sentences.
- similes-Eg. He is like a lion/ My
mother is like a goddess
- number of stanzas
- number of lines
- rhyming words

Text types- simple interesting poems on

birds, rivers, mountains, great persons,
transport etc.
Activities- comprehensive questions on
above poetic techniques and students’
attitudes, drawing, matching, multiple
choice questions, true/false questions,
reciting

5.5 Reads and responds to  Help students to read simple folk Students will be able to 03
simple folk stories /stories stories, stories and find the identify the characters, their
characters, their dress, qualities, dress, qualities,
message expressed. message expressed

Text types : Folk/ stories ( Cultural Students will be able to

diversity, gender equity, suitability to the express their ideas,
level of the students etc should be feelings and emotions in
considered in selecting texts) simple sentences.
Eg. Mahadanamutha’s, Nasrudin’s

Activities – simple comprehensive

questions on characters, their dress,

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 qualities, message expresses and
students’ attitudes, drawing,
matching, multiple choice questions,
true/false questions, acting

5.6 Extracts the general idea  Help students to find the general Students will be able to 02
of a text idea of a text. extract the general idea of a
text.
Text types- notices, notes, letters-
formal/ informal, instructions, messages,
descriptions of places, people, things,
events and process,
articles, minutes, advertisements.

Text topics – topics mentioned under

CL.5.2

Activities – matching headings,

matching sub headings

6. Uses English 6.1 Constructs simple  Help students to construct simple Students will be able to write 06
grammar for the sentences – using sentences using : ‘Past Perfect’ sentences using ‘Past
purpose of ‘Past Perfect’ form form Perfect’ form
accurate and  Help students to identify regular
effective and irregular forms of verb
communication ( Present, Past and Past Participle)

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 Past Perfect Tense
Eg:
Positive Form – I had read a book.
Negative Form I had not read a book.
Positive Question – Had I read a
book?
Negative Question – Hadn’t I read a
book?

Positive Form – I had done my

homework.
Negative Form - I had not done my
home work.
Positive Question – Had I done my
home work?
Negative Question – Had I not done
my home work? / Hadn’t I done my
home work?
I had eaten dragon fruit.
I had been to Jaffna.
I had been to Colombo.

Regular and irregular forms of

verbs:

Present Past Past Participle

cut cut cut
Passive voice – Present Tense put put put

play played played

look looked looked

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 make made made
sell sold sold

send sent sent

bend bent bent

run ran run

come came come

drink drank drunk

sing sang sung

eat ate eaten

take took taken
give gave given

grow grew grown

fly flew flown
draw drew drawn

do did done etc.

Help students to identify the Students will be able to identify

Passive Voice – Present Tense difference between active the difference between active
voice and passive voice voice Passive voice sentences.
sentences.
 Help students to construct – Students will be able to construct
Present tense – Passive voice sentences using Passive voice -
sentences. Present tense
Eg. I eat a mango
A mango is eaten by me.

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 I eat mangoes.
Mangoes are eaten by me.

Passive Voice – Past Tense Passive Voice – Past Tense Students will be able to construct
Eg. I ate a mango. sentences using Passive voice -
A mango was eaten by me. Past Tense

I ate mangoes.
Mangoes were eaten by me.

Passive Voice – Future Tense Passive Voice – Future Tense Students will be able to construct
Eg. I will eat a mango. sentences using Passive voice -
A mango will be eaten by me. Future Tense

I will eat mangoes.

Mangoes will be eaten by me.

Text types –simple sentences, simple

passages, poems, stories, role plays,
processes, recipes

Activities –Fill in the blanks, making

sentences using given table, multiple
choice questions, matching

6.2Uses pronouns appropriately  Help students to use reflexive Students will be able to use 03
pronouns – myself, our selves, reflexive pronouns – myself, our
yourselves, himself, herself, selves, yourselves, himself,
itself, themselves herself, itself, themselves

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  Help students to use indefinite
pronouns; all, any, most, none,
some,

Text types – simple sentences, simple

passages, poems, stories, role plays

Activities –Fill in the blanks, making

sentences using given table, multiple
choice questions,

6. 3 Uses modals meaningfully  Help students to use the Students will be able to use the 02
modals: must, have to modals ‘must and have to’
appropriately
Text types – simple sentences, simple
passages, poems, stories, role plays

Activities – Fill in the blanks, making

sentences using given table, multiple
choice questions, matching

6.5 Uses contracted form is not – isn’t, was not – wasn’t, will Students will be able to use 02
not – won’t contracted form in speaking and
has not – hasn’t, have not – haven’t , writing.
had not – hadn’t,
I’ll, we’ll, she’ll, I’ve, they’re, she’s,
he’s, he’d, I’d,……. Etc

Text types –simple sentences, simple

passages, poems, stories, role plays,
dialogues

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 Activities – identify the contracted
forms, re- writing, matching, filling
grids, oral activities

6.6 Uses adjectives appropriately  Help students to use Students will be able to use 03
comparative adjectives in comparative adjectives
simple sentences. appropriately to compare nouns

Comparative Adjs. And Superlative

Adj.
beautiful – more beautiful – most
beautiful
expensive – more expensive – most Students will be able to use
expensive superlative adjectives
dangerous – more dangerous – most appropriately to compare nouns
dangerous etc.

good – better – best

bad – worse – worst etc.

little – less – least

much – more – most
many – more – most etc.

 Help students to use adjectives

formed by adding affixes (the
adjectives that are formed
under com. Level 4.4)
Eg. untidy
disabled
irregular

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 tall – taller tallest
big – bigger biggest
beautiful – more beautiful – most
beautiful
dangerous – more dangerous - most
dangerous
Eg: Piduruthalagala is higher than
Samanala kanda. etc.

 Help students to use

superlative adjectives in
simple sentences.
Eg. Piduruthalagala is the highest
mountain in Sri Lanka.

Text types –pictures, simple

sentences, simple passages, poems,
stories, role plays, dialogues

Activities –Fill in the blanks, making

sentences using given table, multiple
choice questions, matching, looking
at the picture and writing sentences

6.7 Uses prepositions  Help students to use the Students will be able to use 02
appropriately prepositions appropriately prepositions to describe the
through, across, about, with , position.
without, by, along, on (radio)

Text types –simple sentences, simple

passages, poems, stories, role plays,
dialogues

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 Activities –Fill in the blanks, making
sentences using given table, multiple
choice questions, matching, looking
at the picture and writing sentences

6.8 Uses conjunctions  Help students to use the Students will be able to use the 03
appropriately conjunction given below to conjunction
join simple sentences using - ‘ as, since, so to join sentences.
as, since, so

Text types –simple sentences, simple

passages, poems, stories, role plays,
dialogues

Activities – Fill in the blanks, making

sentences using given table, multiple
choice questions, matching, looking
at the picture and writing sentences,
joining sentences using given words,
multiple choice question matching

6.9 Uses adverbs appropriately  Help students to use adverbs Students will be able to use 03
to describe verbs. adverbs : once, twice, always,
Adverbs that formed under C.L.4.4 usually, never, rarely, often,
Proudly, Differently etc. sometimes and the adverbs that
 Help students to use frequency formed under C.L.4.4
adverbs appropriately to describe verbs.
Once, twice, always, usually,
never, rarely, often,
sometimes

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 Text types –simple sentences, simple
passages, poems, stories, role plays,
dialogues

Activities –Fill in the blanks, making

sentences using given table, multiple
choice questions, matching, looking
at the picture and writing sentences

7.Uses English 7.1 Writes descriptions of things,  Help students to write Students will be able to 05
creatively and places and people descriptions of; People, Places write descriptions of people,
innovatively in thing and animals places things and animals
written
communication Text types- notices, notes, letters
formal/ informal, instructions,
messages, descriptions of places,
people, animals, things, events and
process, articles, minutes,
advertisements, stories, songs, poems.

Text Topics - historical places

(Sigiriya), botanical gardens,
mountains, rivers, etc.
Birds- ostrich, eagle, jungle fowl,
sparrow, parrot, etc
Stories - Mahadanamutta’s,
Nasrudin’s, etc.
Madduma Bandara,
Dr. C.W.W. Kannan ngara,
Sir Henry Steel Olcott,
Madam Mary Museus, etc.

Model essays(simple paragraphs)

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 Activities
Completing, rearranging, parallel
writing, guided writing, free writing,

7.2 Describes pictures  Help students to describe Students will be able to describe 05
photographs and pictures of photographs and pictures of busy
busy streets, botanical streets, botanical gardens,
gardens, pictures ; at the post pictures; at the post office school
office, school, bank, birds, bank and birds, cloth
clothes

Text types- Pictures, photographs and

model descriptions
*vocabulary with pictures of birds,
clothes, food items arranged on a
table (Sinhalese, Muslims and
Tamils)

should be included in the text book.

Birds-ostrich, eagle, sparrow, parrot,

magpie, owl, crow, babble, peacock,
bulbul, woodpecker, cokoo bird,
kingfisher, snipe, heron, stalk, golden
oriole, mynah, weaver bird, pelican,
duck, swallow, goose, grackle, swan,
jungle fowl

Clothes – traditional dress of Sri

Lankans (Sinhalese, Muslims and
Tamils)

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 Traditional Food items arranged on a
table ( Sinhalese, Muslims and
Tamils)

Activities – fill in the blanks,

completing, parallel writing, guided
writing, and free writing.

7.3 Writes for personal purposes  Help students to write letters Students will be able to write 05
of excuse, a letter to a pen letters of excuse, a letter to a pen
friend, note to a friend, a letter friend, and note to a friend, a letter
to a friend describing a to a friend describing a holiday
holiday experience. experience etc. According to their
age and level.
Text types- simple model letters and
notes

Activities - rearranging, completing,

sort out and write, parallel writing,
guided writing , free writing

7.4 Writes instructions  Help students to write Students will be able to write 02
instructions. ( to make a instructions to suite the purpose.
ragged doll, to post a letter,
making compost fertilizer,
origami, suitable activities
selected from the subject
Practical Technological Skills
etc.)

7.5 Writes simple compositions  Help students to write simple Students will be able to write 05
on different types of topics compositions on Health Tips, simple compositions on different

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 Our Environment, Public types of topics using language
properties, Newspapers, appropriate to their age and level.
Transport, Independence Day
etc. (using 100 words)
Text types- model essays, dialogues,

Activities - Rearranging, completing,

parallel writing, sort out and write,
guided writing , free writing

7.6 Writes poems and stories  Help students to write simple Students will be able to write 05
poems on things, people, simple poems and stories familiar
places and birds etc. topics
mentioned under C.L. 5.2 and
7.1.

Text types – model poems

Activities – completing, sort out and

write, parallel writing, guided writing,
free writing

8. 8.3 Describes objects, animals,  Help students to speak about Students will be able to speak 05
Communicates people using simple sentence the topics given under C.L. about people, places things birds
clearly, patterns 7.1. using language appropriate to their
fluently and age and level.
concisely Text types
Model essays (simple paragraphs)

8.4 Speaks on familiar topics  Help students to speak about Students will be able to speak on 05
topics given under C.L. 7.5. familiar topics using language
appropriate to their level and age.

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8.6 Uses modals must, should and  Help students to use must, Students will be able to 05
have to have to and should use must, have to and should
appropriately in different appropriately in different
situations. situations.
Eg.
I must come to school tomorrow.
We should keep the classroom clean.
I have to do my homework etc.
8.8 Describes the position  Help students to use the Students will be able to describe 05
prepositions: in, on, under, the position of something
near, above, below, over, accurately using the correct
behind, in front of, next to etc. preposition.
appropriately in different
situations.

8.9 Describes pictures  Help students to describe Students will be able to orally 05
photographs and pictures of describe photographs and pictures
busy streets, botanical of busy streets, botanical gardens,
gardens, birds, clothes, birds, clothes, pictures; at the post
pictures ;at the post office, office, school, bank, etc.
school, bank, etc.
8.13 Uses language in a variety  Help students to use language Students will be able to use 05
of contexts in following contexts – at the language in familiar contexts
school, (classroom, library,
canteen, lab, playground –
language expressions that the
students need to use) at a post
office ,at bank, at an
exhibition etc.
Text types – simple dialogues with
simple language, simple descriptions
(oral )
Activity : acting out, role playing

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