d. Theme-based Instruction
As one of the third models offered in CBI, the nature of theme-based instruction comes from communicative language teaching CLT Brinton: 2003.
CLT as the root of theme-based offers communicative competence as the goal of teaching and learning process.
The researcher uses theme-based TB in this research as the guide to develop materials since the model is the most appropriate approach to be applied
for vocational schools that need certain themes in each of the units of the materials. The students will understand better to learn English if they are provided
materials which connect to their expertise. The result of teaching and learning also will be different since they will concern more on the language that fits to their
major as vocational high school students. Theme-based instruction itself is an approach to language teaching in
which the whole course is structured around certain themes or topics Brinton, 2001; Brinton, Snow, Wesche, 2003. Theme-based instruction concerns on
language teaching and learning process that can meet students’ needs that have
special demand. In TB, the language teacher is the one who is responsible for teaching content although probably it contains the knowledge taken from other
subject matter Duenas, 2003. The expert states that themes are the central ideas that organize the units, so that they have to be chosen with some considerations,
such as student s’ interests and needs, content resources, educational aims, and
institutional demands. TB course consists of several subunits focusing on different topics which explore more specific aspects of the general theme. Topics then
should be arranged to provide coherence for theme unit, and to generate content and language.
Courses design according to the TB approach usually includes variety of text types and discourse samples such as presentations, videos, written materials
such as news articles, essays, informative excerpts, literary passages Duenas, 2003. She also states that another characteristic of this model is the concept of
integrated skills like grammar, vocabulary, language awareness as well as productive skills.
Theme-based is a good tool to integrate language and content that makes course designers and teachers possible to explore language and content in
materials. Students will not only look at the language matters but they will also enjoy the content that becomes their expertise.
e. Types of learning and teaching activities
Actually there is no specific activity according to this approach. Some aspects that should be considered related to activity in CBI classrooms are the
activities should be matched with the needs of students and contain interesting, comprehensible, and meaningful content Brinton:1989.
In line with this, Stiller 1997 on Richards 2001 stated that the students in CBI classrooms should be provided by authentic sources related their study.
The learning activities will involve these aspects: a Language skills improvement,
b Vocabulary building
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