Level 2: Development — Curriculum syllabus
Growing Thinkers. Growing Readers.
Welcome to Level 2: Development — where thinking becomes a disciplined habit.
In this level, your child will move from picture books into chapter books: longer, richer, and full of the moral questions that do not have easy answers. Is it ever right to stay silent when someone is being treated unjustly? What responsibility do we have to animals and to the environment?
Your child will learn to use textual evidence to back up their opinions, structure their reasoning in writing, and listen carefully to the arguments of their classmates. By the end of this year, your child will write full justification paragraphs, lead a structured class discussion, and make connections between literature, their own lives, and the living world.
Everything you need to know at a glance
Age Range
8–10 years
CEFR Range
A1 → A2
Total Lessons
40 structured lessons per academic year
Lesson Duration
40–60 minutes per lesson
CEFR Progression
A1 → A2 (approx. 180–200 instructional hours)
Cognitive Focus
Context-Embedded Learning — students describe their world and begin to evaluate it
Text Complexity
Early chapter books with clear moral dilemmas
Eco-Reasoning Strand
Environmental consequence, habitat, and food chains
Literature selected to develop real thinking
Every text is chosen because it raises questions that do not have easy answers. 10 core texts per year; 4 structured lessons per text.
Charlotte's Web
EcoWhite
Friendship, life cycles, and what we owe to other creatures
The Hundred Dresses
Estes
Bullying, moral courage, and the cost of silence
Esperanza Rising
Ryan
Migration, identity, dignity, and resilience
The Lorax
EcoSeuss
Environmental consequence, corporate greed, and ecological stewardship
Additional texts: 6 additional titles are selected per WWL text criteria in consultation with the school community. All selected texts meet the five-criterion standard.
Term-by-term curriculum map
Term 1
Lessons 1–13 · Units 1–3
Consolidate Analyze with longer texts — guided annotation, stand-and-point to evidence
Evaluate introduced formally: partner discussions with criteria ('Was this fair? By what standard?')
Eco strand: Charlotte's Web — food chains, animal intelligence, and what we owe to non-human lives
Accountable talk protocols established for whole-group discussion
Term 2
Lessons 14–27 · Units 4–7
Full Justify stage: Claim + Evidence + Warrant paragraphs
Socratic discussion protocols established
The Lorax eco-reasoning unit: 'What responsibility do businesses have to the environment?'
Stewardship Challenge introduced: 'What would a responsible member of this ecosystem do?'
Term 3
Lessons 28–40 · Units 8–10
Complete Thinking Cycle independently across all four stages
Reflect stage: ethical prompt ('Why does this matter for how we live?')
Portfolio assembly: students curate their 10 best justification paragraphs
CEFR A2 self-assessment and readiness review
Assessment tracks the quality of reasoning.
All written justification tasks are assessed using the WWL Four-Level Reasoning Rubric.
Lesson Observation
Every lessonTeacher notes who distinguishes explicit from implicit information. Prompts with clarification questions.
Partner Discussion
Every lessonTeacher listens for evaluation criteria. Strong evaluations marked publicly: 'That was an evaluation — you used a criterion.'
Written Justification
2–3 per weekClaim + Evidence + Warrant paragraph. Feedback within 24 hours. Sentence frame available for Emerging writers.
Exit Ticket
End of each lessonOne Reflect prompt: personal or ecological. Teacher sorts into Ready / Nearly / Not Yet.
Portfolio
Per unit × 10Best justification paragraph per unit. Student annotates why this represents their best reasoning.
CEFR Self-Assessment
Each termStudent marks A1 / A2 descriptor grid. Teacher confirms in conference; result informs Term 2 differentiation.
The standard applied to all written work
Emerging
States a position without support. Opinion only — no warrant. No textual evidence cited.
Developing
Cites evidence without clear connection. Evidence present; warrant absent or unclear.
Proficient
Links evidence to claim with clear reasoning. Claim + Evidence + Warrant all present. Evidence selected purposefully.
Advanced
Anticipates counterarguments; extends to broader implications. Full CEIW with multiple evidence points.
Environmental consequence, habitat, and food chains
Level 2 is where eco-reasoning becomes explicit and structured. Charlotte's Web invites students to ask: 'What do we owe to non-human lives?' The Lorax requires students to evaluate corporate decision-making against ecological consequence. The Stewardship Challenge — 'What would a responsible member of this ecosystem do?' — is introduced as a formal dialogue prompt. Students begin a structured nature observation log.
Supporting Learning at Home
Encourage your child to read one chapter independently each week and report the most interesting decision a character made — not what happened, but what the character chose.
Ask: 'Was that a fair decision?' then follow up: 'What evidence from the story supports your view?'
Watch a nature documentary together and discuss: 'Do humans have a responsibility to protect this animal?'
Ask your child to read their best justification paragraph aloud, then ask: 'What is the warrant — the connection between your evidence and your claim?'
Review your child's CEFR self-assessment each term and celebrate progress on the descriptor grid.
Where this level fits
Coming from
Level 1: Foundation (or programme entry)
Leading to
Level 3: Expansion
Readiness for the next stage
Students are ready for Level 3 when they can construct a complete Claim + Evidence + Warrant justification paragraph independently, sustain a 5-minute Socratic discussion using textual evidence, and write a personal reflection that extends beyond summary to evaluation or ethical connection. CEFR A2 readiness is confirmed through portfolio review and teacher assessment.
Enquire about this level
Interested in introducing Level 2: Development at your school? Contact us to discuss teacher training, school licensing, and curriculum review.
info@jurassicenglish.comPublished by World Wise Learning (opens in a new tab) · Jurassic English™ Version 3.0 · Academic Year 2025–2026
Using the Development syllabus: a reading discussion
The Development reading list includes Charlotte’s Web and The Hundred Dresses. To use this syllabus at home, select a short passage from a text the learner is already reading and ask one question about a character’s choice. Begin with a factual check: what did the character do, and what happened immediately afterwards? Then ask the learner to give a reason for agreeing or disagreeing with that choice. Keep the discussion tied to the passage instead of asking for a memorised moral.
For example, a learner might say that helping a friend is always right. Ask whether the help creates a problem for someone else, and which detail in the passage shows that problem. The next answer can be only a few sentences, provided it contains a clear view, a relevant detail and an explanation. Keep the first and revised answers together to see what changed. This example shows how to use the reading list; it does not add another required book or alter the timetable. The curriculum map and assessment information above remain the reference for the planned course.