ARTICLE: English Syllabus

Designing English Syllabus for the Eleventh Grade Students of Agribusiness Food Crops and Horticultural Department at SMK Negeri 1 Kuripan

I Made Wartina

ABSTRACT

This study aims at (1) identifying reading materials needed by the eleventh grade students of the AFCH department at SMKN 1 Kuripan, (2) designing appropriate English syllabus for teaching reading, and (3) illustrating the appropriateness of the designed syllabus for use of teaching reading. It employed cycles of research and development adapted from Borg and Gall (1983) and Sugiono (2014). The data are gathered from questionnaires, interview guides and documents. The obtained data are analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using descriptive statistics. The study reveals that: (1) the needed reading materials deal with topics in the agricultural fields, such as: soil preparation, crop cultivation, operating farm tractor, pests’ control, and irrigation; (2) the appropriate type of syllabus is competency-based syllabus with KTSP syllabus format; and (3) the designed syllabus and the samples of reading materials are greatly appropriate for teaching reading. Teachers’ average scores for the syllabus and the samples of the materials are respectively 3.56 and 3.42, and students’ average score for the materials is 3.37. Thus, both the designed syllabus and its materials are appropriate for teaching reading because they have accommodated the needs of the student’s reading materials. Therefore, it is suggested that English teachers implement the products of this study (syllabus and reading materials) in order to know their effectiveness.

Key words: Syllabus, ESP, needs analysis, KTSP, Research and Development, reading materials.

Introduction

English language is one of the foreign languages officially taught at schools in Indonesia. As an international language, it is learnt for improving their access “to the international communities of business, science, culture and intellectual life” (Tarone, 2005). In other words, it is used not for daily communication among families at home or to chat with neighbors, but rather for the academic and professional uses of English.

Since English is learnt for the purpose of academic and professional uses, students should master it during their study and/or after they graduate from the school in order that they can use it to support their future profession or career. Regarding this, the students of vocational secondary school (henceforth SMK) like or dislike must master it both for their academic and professional purposes. To this end, English teachers should have spelt out its school English curriculum into a specific English syllabus which is designed for use of teaching English as a foreign language to the students for the purpose of equipping them with specific English corresponding with their needs or their field of study. In fact, not all SMKs have done this. SMK Negeri 1 Kuripan (henceforth SMKN 1 Kuripan) is one example of SMK which has not yet designed a suitable English syllabus for Agribusiness Food Crops and Horticultural (hereafter AFCH) department.

Talking about syllabus, each school must have got it based on its subject matter. It is generally translated from the curriculum each school unit owns. Type of the syllabus each school unit chooses depends on the learning approach it uses. English learning approach used at SMK level in the context of School-based Curriculum is competency-based approach (Depdiknas, 2008). Richards & Rodgers (2001) explain a competency-based syllabus is similar to skill-based syllabus, which defines what a learner is able to do as a result of instruction. Competencies (or skills) here refers to observable behaviors that are necessary for the successful completion of real-world activities. 

SMKN 1 Kuripan, in which the writer teaches, opens not only agricultural department but also technology. Hitherto, it has 6 Skill Competencies or formerly better known as Departments. AFCH is one of the departments the school has up to now. Since the school operated, it has changed its curriculum three times: the 1994 Curriculum, 1999 Curriculum, and 2006 Curriculum. The 2006 Curriculum, or Kurikulum Tingkat Satuan Pendidikan (hereafter KTSP), was the latest curriculum applied for the school from the tenth to the twelfth grade students. The 2013 Curriculum has not been implemented at the school because it was not chosen as the pilot project of the curriculum implementation when this study was being carried out. Thus, it referred to the KTSP of SMKN 1 Kuripan.  

Regarding the English teaching-learning process, the school has already developed KTSP since the 2006/2007 academic year. However, it has not yet been followed by designing English syllabus for use of AFCH department. The only syllabus the department has been using is the one which was adopted from the syllabus model issued by the National Education Standard Boards (BSNP) Jakarta. This syllabus model was not designed for use of SMKN 1 Kuripan but for a model of English syllabus only.

Each SMK in Indoenesia develops KTSP based on the Government Regulation No. 19 of 2005 (PP 19/2005) of the National Education Standards. It mandates to every level of education in the country to arrange KTSP by referring to the Content Standards and Graduate Competency Standards and under technical guide issued by BSNP (BSNP, 2006). This means that the school should develop the KTSP considering the students’ potential, level of development, interests, intellectual, emotional and social, spiritual, and so on. Likewise, the syllabus should also be designed based on the KTSP and the purpose of the vocational school. Unfortunately, SMKN 1 Kuripan has not yet done this. Therefore, this becomes the main issue of this current study. 

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READING MATERIALS

FOREWORD

English Learning at the eleventh grade of Vocational High School (SMK) in accordance with the demands of School Based Curriculum (SBC) of SMK Negeri 1 Kuripan is meant that students have the knowledge and English skills at the elementary level that includes four language skills. The four skills are Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. These skills are taught in an integrated manner with one another with an emphasis on learning skills of Reading. Skills of language structures are taught based on the students’ needs. These reading skills instructional materials are also designed in such a way that are really adaptive in accordance with the expertise program of students in vocational skills in order to support their program in accordance with the practiced skill of students in SMK.

Agribusiness Food Crops and Horticultural (AFCH) program is one of expertise programs which is owned by SMKN 1 Kuripan. Since the expertise program has been opened up to now, English textbooks which are adaptive to accommodate the students’ expertise program have never existed yet. During this time, learning English in this expertise program is still using English textbooks which are used generally in SMK without specifically reserved for the students of AFCH expertise program. In fact, the need of students to the knowledge and English skills that best supports their expertise at the world of work in the future is directly related to the program chosen skills at schools, namely English for Specific Purposes (ESP) that is English for agriculture.

Responding to the gap between learning needs of students with teaching materials available in the school, a book entitled “Reading Materials for Vocational Secondary School Grade 11 for 2nd Semester is written. The preparation of these materials was based on the results of research conducted by the author for 4 months to the students of grade 11 of AFCH in the school year 2013/2014 at SMKN 1 Kuripan.

Although this textbook has been presented and justified in front of examiners in the Council’s thesis in the Master of English Language Education, University of Mataram this book is still far from being perfect. It still has many limitations and / or deficiencies anywhere. All limitations / shortcomings found in this book remain to be entirely the responsibility of the author. Therefore, constructive comments or criticisms for the improvement of these instructional materials are quite expected from the students, teachers, and among readers.

Finally, I hope this book is useful for the users. Thank you.

Mataram, December 2014

Author,

 I Made Wartina, S.Pd., S.Ag., M.Pd.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORWARD.......................................................................................................      ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................      iv

UNIT 1. INCREASING CROP YIELD........................................................      1

      A.    READING..............................................................................................      1

      B.     VOCABULARY....................................................................................      3

      C.     LANGUAGE FOCUS...........................................................................      4

      D.    REFLECTION.......................................................................................      5

      E.     SUMMARY...........................................................................................      6

UNIT 2. SOIL PREPARATION.....................................................................      7

      A.    READING..............................................................................................      7

      B.     VOCABULARY....................................................................................      10

      C.     LANGUAGE FOCUS...........................................................................      11

      D.    REFLECTION.......................................................................................      13

      E.     SUMMARY...........................................................................................      13

UNIT 3. PLANTING PAPAYA.....................................................................      15

      A.    READING..............................................................................................      15

      B.     VOCABULARY....................................................................................      17

      C.     LANGUAGE FOCUS...........................................................................      18

      D.    REFLECTION.......................................................................................      19

      E.     SUMMARY...........................................................................................      19

UNIT 4. CROP CULTIVATION...................................................................      21

      A.    READING..............................................................................................      21

      B.     VOCABULARY....................................................................................      24

      C.     LANGUAGE FOCUS...........................................................................      25

      D.    REFLECTION.......................................................................................      26

      E.     SUMMARY...........................................................................................      26

UNIT 5. OPERATING FARM TRACTOR..................................................      28

      A.    READING..............................................................................................      28

      B.     VOCABULARY....................................................................................      31

      C.     LANGUAGE FOCUS...........................................................................      33

      D.    REFLECTION.......................................................................................      35

      E.     SUMMARY...........................................................................................      35

UNIT 6. SOIL MANAGEMENT....................................................................      36

      A.    READING..............................................................................................      36

      B.     VOCABULARY....................................................................................      38

      C.     LANGUAGE FOCUS...........................................................................      40

      D.    REFLECTION.......................................................................................      41

      E.     SUMMARY...........................................................................................      42

UNIT 7. SOIL CULTIVATION.....................................................................      43

      A.    READING..............................................................................................      43

      B.     VOCABULARY....................................................................................      46

      C.     LANGUAGE FOCUS...........................................................................      47

      D.    REFLECTION.......................................................................................      48

      E.     SUMMARY...........................................................................................      49

UNIT 8. PEST CONTROL.............................................................................      50

      A.    READING..............................................................................................      50

      B.     VOCABULARY....................................................................................      52

      C.     LANGUAGE FOCUS...........................................................................      53

      D.    REFLECTION.......................................................................................      55

      E.     SUMMARY...........................................................................................      55 

UNIT 9. IRRIGATION....................................................................................      57

      A.    READING..............................................................................................      57

      B.     VOCABULARY....................................................................................      61

      C.     LANGUAGE FOCUS...........................................................................      63

      D.    REFLECTION.......................................................................................      64

       E.     SUMMARY...........................................................................................      65

UNIT 10. THE CONTROL OF WEEDS AND PLANT DISEASES.........      66

      A.    READING..............................................................................................      66

      B.     VOCABULARY....................................................................................      68

      C.     LANGUAGE FOCUS...........................................................................      69

      D.    REFLECTION.......................................................................................      72

      E.     SUMMARY...........................................................................................      72

REFERENCES.................................................................................................      73 

SAMPLE OF READING MATERIALS
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HOW DO I INCREASE CROP YIELD ?

Issues regarding methods for increasing crop yield refer to those methods that can be applied by farmers as a means of generating a greater volume of harvest. This topic is an important one in light of the fact that the aim of farmers and other people who practice some form of planting or agriculture is usually aimed toward generating a considerable crop yield for their efforts. When improper methods are applied, or when little effort is applied toward the process of generating increased crop yield, the result may be a very disappointing harvest that commiserates with the effort and resources applied toward the process of generating the harvest. Some of the tips that may be applied toward increasing crop yield include a proper selection of crops to plant, the application of practices aimed at improving plant performance, such as irrigation and soil nutrient, as well as the prevention and control of various pest and disease infections.

One of the methods that can help ensure an increase in crop yield is for the farmer or anyone planting the crop to properly plan the process of planting, which may require a conscious effort in order to carry out an analysis of the proposed crop and other related factors. The importance of selecting the right crop is based on the fact that some crops have been historically shown to perform better than others in certain regions of the world due to the fact that the right conditions exist in such areas for that particular plant growth. An example of this can be seen in the case of oranges that have been shown to do very well in certain parts of the world, while they do not thrive in other parts. In such a case, the farmers who are located in the regions that do not favor the growth of the plant would do well to look for other types of crops since it would probably require a lot of effort and resources to grow unsuitable plants in those areas as well as probably lead to disappointing results.

A practice that is applied in regions with scarce water resources, during dry seasons or during dry spells, is the application of irrigation, a system that helps supply moisture to the crop and to consequently increase crop yield. Something else that can help increase crop yield is the proper application of nutrients to the soil in order to promote plant growth. The proper use of pesticides can also help minimize the incidence of pest attack, consequently resulting in greater crop yield. (Taken from: Ejim, Esther. 2014. How Do I Increase Crop Yield? http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-increase-crop-yield.htm)

Read the text once again more carefully and answer these questions by crossing option A, B, C, or D!

1.       What can farmers do to improve their crop yield? They can …

A.      apply methods of farming improperly

B.      properly select the crops to be planted

C.      ignore the crops from pest and disease infections

D.      use pesticides as much as possible

2.       Why do farmers have to select proper crops to plant? Because …

A.      some crops have different characteristics and certain regions to be able to grow well.

B.      they know well what crops will grow well in certain regions.

C.      they want to prevent the crops from pest and disease infections.

D.      they are not certain about what crops to plant at their region.

3.       What can farmers do to increase their crop yields if their regions do not favor the growth of certain plants?

A.      They can abandon the regions and stop farming.

B.      They can use pesticides to maximize the incidents of pest attack.

C.      They can find other regions that have scare water resources.

D.      They can seek for other types of crops that suit with their regions.

4.       The closest meaning of the word ‘increasing’ in paragraph 1 is …

A.      improving

B.      producing

C.      decreasing

D.      generating

5.        Read paragraph 1 more carefully. What does the word ‘their’ refer to?

A.      Issues

B.      Methods

C.      Farmers

D.      Farmers and other people

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