Key Emphases and Strategies in Planning the English Language Education KLA

12 October 2009

English Language Education Section

Curriculum Development Institute

Education Bureau

Introduction to Curriculum Leadership and Management Series for New Primary School Curriculum Leaders (2009/10)

Subject Curriculum Guide

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 – 6)(2004, CDC)

Implemented at Primary 1

since September 2005

Diagrammatic Representation of the English Language Curriculum Framework

9 G

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alues an

d A

ttitud

es

Flexible and Diversified Modes ofCurriculum Planning

+Effective Learning, Teaching and Assessment

Overall Aims and Learning Targets ofEnglish Language

KnowledgeInterpersonal ExperienceTargets for:Key Stage 1Key Stage 2Key Stage 3Key Stage 4

Targets for:Key Stage 1Key Stage 2Key Stage 3Key Stage 4

Targets for:Key Stage 1Key Stage 2Key Stage 3Key Stage 4

Learning Objectives: Forms and FunctionsSkills and StrategiesAttitudes

Strands

English Language Curriculum

Key Emphases of the English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1- 6)

• Strengthening ‘learning to read’

• Catering for learner diversity

• Promoting assessment for learning

• Using a task-based approach in learning, teaching and assessment

• Promoting a ‘reading to learn’ culture

• Promoting learner independence

• Creating a language-rich environment

Key Emphases of the English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1- 6)

• Strengthening ‘learning to read’

• Catering for learner diversity

• Promoting assessment for learning

• Using a task-based approach in learning, teaching and assessment

• Promoting a ‘reading to learn’ culture• Enhancing the implementation of the Reading Workshops

• Incorporating the Intervention Programme and Enrichment Programme into the English curriculum

• Strengthening teachers’ skills and strategies in giving quality feedback

• Promoting learner independence

• Learning and teaching grammar in context• Providing opportunities for language use

• Creating a language-rich environment• Designing a whole-school language policy

• Learning and teaching phonics in context• Developing vocabulary building skills

Strategies for Implementation

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Reading Workshops

Laying a good foundation for lifelong learning

• Helping learners develop and practise reading skills through reading ‘real books’

• Reading as a springboard for the development of higher order thinking skills, creativity and other language skills

• Developing in learners positive attitudes towards learning English

• Providing coherent and connected learning experiences for the children

• Providing opportunities for learners to take an active role in learning

• Using real books of a variety of text types• Adopting effective teaching strategies

Text Types

• Different text types (e.g. poems, diaries, school rules/game rules, posters, cartoons, news reports) have their own particular textual structures, style, grammar features and vocabulary

Reading Workshop

s

Storytelling

Reading Aloud

Shared Reading

Supported

Reading

Independent

Reading

Teaching Strategies for Reading

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6), p. A29

Developing Students’ Reading Skills

• Do you expose your students to a variety of text types?

• What do you usually do to help your students understand the meaning of difficult words - ask them to look up the dictionary, explain the meaning to them or guide them to use the clues in the text?

• Apart from locating specific information, what other reading skills should we help students to develop?

• Expose students to a variety of text types

• Guide students to use the pictorial clues and

contextual clues to work out the meaning of

difficult words

• Guide students to identify the main ideas, understand the connection between ideas by identifying the cohesive devices, etc.• Ask open-ended questions to help students develop critical thinking skills and creativity 12

Planning the Reading Workshops

Theme: Wonderful Seasons and WeatherGE Programme

• One unit from the coursebook

The Seasons

Reading Workshops

• Three books:

Watching the Weather

Hot Sunny Days

Bird Hotel• One poem

Daisy Chain

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6), pp. E12-16

Resource Package

LiteracyInstructionForTeachers

Reading across the Curriculum to Enhance the Transition from KS1 to KS2 and from KS2 to KS3 (Refreshed)

Apr - May 2010

Professional Development Programmes2009-2010

Suggested Booklists for Reading across the curriculum

http://www.edb.gov.hk/index.aspx?langno=1&nodeID=2773

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Learning and Teaching Grammar in Context

• Using grammar focus activities and exercises in task-based learning

• Facilitating grammar learning and teaching through exposure to a variety of text types

• Introducing grammar rules and terms in an explicit way at appropriate stage of learning when necessary

• Giving equal emphasis to the development of fluency and accuracy

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6), pp.160-164

Traditional grammar teaching Out of context Teaching grammar items

one by one

TBL grammar teaching

Has a context Students learn

certain grammar items and use them in meaningful contexts and for purposeful communication

Traditional Grammar Teaching VsTBL Grammar Teaching

Developing Phonics SkillsHelping learners:

• develop an awareness of the letter-sound relationships through explicit teaching

• build up strategies for decoding (in reading) and encoding (in spelling) words at an early stage of learning

• gain confidence and competence in reading aloud and develop an interest in reading books in English

• develop strategies in discriminating sounds, in listening and speaking in English, and use accurate spelling in writing

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6), pp.171-17419

Learning and Teaching Phonics in Context

• Incorporate phonics teaching into the school English programme instead of adopting and implementing a separate phonics programme

• Teach and practise phonics in the GE Programme as well as Reading Workshops through short, interesting and purposeful activities and games (e.g. funny rhymes, phonics tic-tac-toe)

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6), pp.171-174

Strategies and Activities to Maximize Pleasurable Learning Experiences (SAMPLE)

Phonics in Action

Resource Packages

Developing Vocabulary Building Skills• Encouraging learners to read extensively to acquire

vocabulary in natural contexts, especially the high frequency words

• Modelling and teaching the different ways in which learners can attack and organise words

- guessing and inferring meaning - organising words in vocabulary books - word formation and word association - using and making dictionaries• Using tasks to provide authentic contexts for vocab

ulary use

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6), pp.164-17122

ParadigmaticApproach

SyntagmaticApproach

Receptive

Productive

Approaches to Vocabulary Learning

Paradigmatic Approach

?

football tennis basketball

?

desk chair cupboard

Sports

Furniture

Word Hierarchy / Superordinates

PEOPLE ACTIONS OBJECTS PLACE

Chef cook meals restaurant

Teacher

Singer

Pilot

Syntagmatic Approach

Topic: Jobs

Vocabulary Building Skills

Word Formation

• Affixation e.g. unhappy, careless• Compounding e.g. foot+ball=football• Conversion e.g. cook (v) a meal, a cook (n)• Derivation e.g. excite (v) , exciting (adj),

excited (adj), excitement (n)

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6)(2004), pp. 168-171

Vocabulary Building Skills

Word Association• Synonyms e.g. happy = glad• Antonyms e.g. bright dark• Homonyms e.g. catch a bus, catch a cold• Collocations e.g. make a wish, watch TV• Lexical sets e.g. furniture – table, chair,

desk, cupboard

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6)(2004), pp. 168-171

XXX should get the most humorous person award. He tells us funny things.

He tells funny stories. He tells us funny jokes. He makes funny faces and does

funny tricks. He plays funny games and draws different funny pictures. We all think he is the most humorous person in class.

Providing Opportunities for Practice

Pupil’s revised draft 1

The Super Student in Our Eyes

funny

funny

funnyinteresting

humorous

funny silly

funny funny

tells us

tells

talks about

shares

crazy

marvellous fun

lexical substitution

XXX should get the most humorous person award. He talks about interesting things. He shares humorous stories. He tells crazy jokes. He makes silly faces and does marvellous tricks. He plays fun games and draws different funny pictures. We all think he is the m

ost humorous person in class.

Providing Opportunities for Practice

Pupil’s revised draft 1

The Super Student in Our EyesWhen?

How often? What happens next?

What happens next?

How often?

When? What happens next?

Where?

lexical expansion

Resource Package

Enhancing Vocabulary Learning and Teaching at Primary Level

Professional Development Programmes2009-2010

Enhancing English Vocabulary Learning and Teaching at Primary Level (Refreshed)

Nov 2009

Catering for learner diversity

• Incorporating the Intervention Programme and Enrichment Programme into the school-based English Language curriculum

• Using different strategies (e.g. differentiation, flexible grouping, project learning, open-ended learning tasks and activities) to cater for the diverse needs, abilities and interests of learners

• Providing opportunities for learners to use a combination of their intelligences (e.g. verbal and linguistic, visual and spatial, bodily and kinesthetic, interpersonal)

Intervention Programme

• A short, focused remedial programme providing timely support for learners who have exhibited learning difficulties

• Conducted in small groups during class time on a withdrawl mode or outside class time

• Providing additional time, additional opportunities and focused learning based on the objectives of the regular GE Programme

• Using a task-based approach as well as some short, form-focused pre-task grammar exercises

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6), p.100

Intervention Programme: Mini-Project on Writing Funny Rhymes

• Aims to help P3 pupils develop:

- motivation and positive attitude towards learning English

- some enabling skills in pronunciation and spelling

• 10 sessions to help learners use their letter-sound knowledge to work out the pronunciation and spelling of words

• Use ‘Paper doors’ game to help learners write lines for the funny rhyme

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6), pp.A38-47

Enrichment Programme• Extending the more able learners through a variety

of activities

• Conducted during or after class time, inside or outside the school premises to provide opportunities to further develop learners’ capabilities in learning English through life-wide learning

• Introducing challenging tasks based on the learning experiences already provided in the GE Programme

• Encouraging the development of creativity and critical thinking through open-ended tasks

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6), p.101

Enrichment Programme: English Chief Scheme

• P5 and P6 learners are selected to be English Chiefs• Coaching is conducted, with the teacher modelling the skills and lang

uage for conducting a language activity• English Chiefs conduct activities in the English Room during lunch ti

me each day. They develop:

- leadership skills through arranging younger learners into groups

- communication skills through giving instructions and guiding

younger learners to play games

- critical thinking skills through assessing and giving feedback on

others’ work

- skills in storytelling and creativity through dramatising the stories

- proficiency in spoken English through interacting with younger

learners

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6), pp. E37-42 36

Promoting Assessment for Learning

• An integral part of learning-teaching-assessment cycle• Sharing learning intentions and success criteria with

learners• Using different modes of assessment • Making use of assessment data (e.g. TSA data, internal

assessment data) to help review - expectation of pupils’ learning - content of learning - strategies to enhance learning• Providing quality feedback to enhance learning

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6)(2004), pp. 191-201

Assessments in Schools

Oral presentations

Homework etc.

Shared writing and

process writing

Portfolios

Learning tasks and activities

Conferencing

Assessment tasks

Projects

Modes of AssessmentModes of Assessment

Quality FeedbackQuality Feedback

• Positive• Diagnostic• Constructive• Focused • Timely• Encourage self-correction and independence

Promoting Quality Interaction in the Primary English Classroom

Promoting Assessment for Learning in English Language Education at Primary Level

Resource Packages

ETV Programme on “Providing Quality Feedback”

Professional Development Programmes2009-2010

Using the Learning Progression Framework to Enhance the Learning, Teaching and Assessment of English Language at Primary Level (Refreshed) Dec 2009

Devising a Whole-school Language Policy

• Create a rich language learning environment

• Widen the space of learning and teaching English

• Enhance students’ motivation in learning English

Creating a Rich Language Learning Environment

• Encourage the use of English in all English lessons

• Encourage students to interact with teachers and one another in English outside the classroom

• Display target language items and vocabulary as well as students’ work on the learning wall in the classroom

• Display print materials in English (e.g. posters, signs, notices) all around the school

• Set up a well-stocked library with reading materials of a wide range of subject content and text types

• Provide easy access to reading materials in different parts of the school

Creating a Rich Language Learning Environment

• Establish a lively and encouraging school and classroom atmosphere through daily routines or practices (e.g. morning reading time, reciting during assembly, show-and-tell activities, Campus TV)

• Organise English learning activities (e.g. English Days, English Camps, drama performances)

Widening the Space of Learning and Teaching English

• Arouse students’ curiosity and interests in observing language use in the school campus and the real world (e.g. signs, announcements, advertisements)

• Give assignments which require students to make use of the materials displayed in the school and outside school

• Encourage students to watch TV programmes or listen to radio programmes in English (e.g. Sunday Smile on RTHK3)

• Encourage students to take part in English activities organised by other institutions (e.g. SCOLAR – Drama in Education, HK Speech Festival)

Enhancing Motivation in Learning English

• Foster a ‘can-do’ attitude and encourage risk taking

• Incorporate interesting language arts activities (e.g. storytelling, Readers’ Theatre, songs, rhymes, drama)

• Set up Reading Award Schemes

• Nurture a school reading culture through role-modelling of teachers and the school head

More InformationMore Information

• General – circulars, training calendar, links, etc. http://www.edb.gov.hk

• Quicker access to information regarding the English Language Education Key Learning Area – training opportunities, references & resources, etc. http://www.edb.gov.hk/index.aspx?langno=1&nodeID=2402

• English Language Education Section, CDIRoom 1206, 12/F., Wu Chung House, 213 Queen’s Rd. East, Wan Chai, HK (Fax: 2834 7810)Ms Emilie Tong (Tel: 2892 6571)

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