Teaching the Genre of
Biography in Primary EFL Classrooms: A Multimodal,
Scaffolded Approach
Dr. Dalpanagioti V. Dimitra
ABSTRACT
This article presents a
multimodal and scaffolded instructional approach to teaching the
genre of biography in a mixed-ability primary EFL classroom. Drawing
on genre-based pedagogy, communicative language teaching, and
principles of inclusive education, the lesson engages learners in
discovering the structure, linguistic features, and communicative
purpose of biographical texts. The teaching sequence integrates
visual stimuli, guided lexical exploration, structured diagrams,
collaborative text reconstruction, and formative self-assessment.
The approach is designed for a combined Grade 5–6 classroom with
diverse learning profiles, including students with special
educational needs. Findings from classroom implementation indicate
that multimodal input, explicit scaffolding, and cooperative
learning significantly enhance learners’ ability to identify
biographical components, organize information chronologically, and
use the Past Simple to describe past events. The article argues that
biography is an effective genre for developing linguistic awareness,
reading comprehension, and critical thinking in young EFL learners.
Pedagogical implications for ELT practitioners are discussed.
Keywords: Biography; Genre-based pedagogy; Primary EFL; Multimodal
learning; Inclusive teaching; Past Simple
