Key Emphases and Strategies in Planning the English Language Education KLA

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Key Emphases and Strategies in Planning the
English Language Education KLA
Introduction to Curriculum Leadership and
Management Series for New Primary School
Curriculum Leaders (2009/10)

• 12 October 2009
• English Language Education Section
• Curriculum Development Institute
• Education Bureau

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Subject Curriculum Guide
English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1
6) (2004, CDC)
Implemented at Primary 1 since September 2005
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Diagrammatic Representation of the English
Language Curriculum Framework
English Language Curriculum
Strands
9 Generic Skills
Values and Attitudes
Flexible and Diversified Modes of Curriculum
Planning Effective Learning, Teaching and
Assessment
Overall Aims and Learning Targets of English
Language
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Aims of English Language

• To provide every learner of a second language
  with further opportunities for extending their
  knowledge and experience of the cultures of other
  people as well as opportunities for personal and
  intellectual development, further studies,
  pleasure and work in the English medium
• To enable every learner to prepare for the
  changing socio-economic demands resulting from
  advances in information technology these demands
  include the interpretation, use and production of
  materials for pleasure, study and work in the
  English medium

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The English Language curriculum framework is
organised into three Strands

• Strands Organisers of Learning
• Interpersonal To use English to think
• and communicate
• Knowledge To use English to acquire,
• develop and apply
  knowledge
• Experience To use English to respond
• and give
  expression to
• experience

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Learning Objectives - Focuses

• Forms and Functions
• (text types, vocabulary, grammar items and
  structures,
• communicative functions)
• Language Skills
• (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)
• Language Development Strategies
• (e.g. developing thinking skills, developing
  self-motivation
• positive attitudes, planning, managing
  evaluating
• ones own learning)
• Positive Values and Attitudes
• (e.g. confidence in using English,
  sensitivity towards
• language use in the process of
  communication, respect
• for different cultures)

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

• Strengthening learning to read

• Promoting a reading to learn culture

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

• Promoting learner independence

• Catering for learner diversity

• Promoting assessment for learning

• Creating a language-rich environment

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

• Strengthening learning to read

• Enhancing the implementation of the Reading
  Workshops

• Promoting a reading to learn culture

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

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

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

• Promoting learner independence

• Catering for learner diversity

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

• Promoting assessment for learning

• Strengthening teachers skills and strategies in
  
• giving quality feedback

• Creating a language-rich environment

• Designing a whole-school language policy

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Reading Workshops

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

• 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

• Laying a good foundation for lifelong learning

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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

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Teaching Strategies for Reading
Teacher Support
Storytelling

Independent Reading
Reading Aloud
Reading Workshops


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

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Planning the Reading Workshops Theme
Wonderful Seasons and Weather

• GE 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
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Resource Package
Literacy Instruction For Teachers
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Professional Development Programmes2009-2010
Reading across the Curriculum to Enhance the
Transition from KS1 to KS2 and from KS2 to KS3
(Refreshed) Apr - May 2010
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Suggested Booklists for Reading across the
curriculum
http//www.edb.gov.hk/index.aspx?langno1nodeID2
773
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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
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Traditional Grammar Teaching VsTBL Grammar
Teaching

• TBL grammar teaching
• Has a context
• Students learn certain grammar items and use them
  in meaningful contexts and for purposeful
  communication

• Traditional grammar teaching
• Out of context
• Teaching grammar items one by one

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Developing Phonics Skills

• Helping 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.171-174
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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
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Resource Packages
Strategies and Activities to Maximize Pleasurable
Learning Experiences (SAMPLE)
Phonics in Action
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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
  vocabulary use

English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6),
pp.164-171
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Approaches to Vocabulary Learning
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Paradigmatic Approach
Word Hierarchy / Superordinates
Sports
Furniture
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Syntagmatic Approach
Topic Jobs
PEOPLE ACTIONS OBJECTS PLACE
Chef cook meals restaurant
Teacher
Singer
Pilot
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Vocabulary Building Skills

• Word Formation
• Affixation e.g. unhappy, careless
• Compounding e.g. footballfootball
• 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

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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

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Providing Opportunities for Practice
lexical substitution
Pupils revised draft 1
The Super Student in Our Eyes

• 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.

tells us
funny
interesting
talks about
tells
shares
funny
humorous
funny
funny
silly
crazy
funny
marvellous
fun
funny
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Providing Opportunities for Practice
lexical expansion
Pupils revised draft 1

• 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 most humorous person in
  class.

The Super Student in Our Eyes
When?
How often? What happens next?
How often?
Where?
What happens next?
When? What happens next?
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Resource Package
Enhancing Vocabulary Learning and Teaching at
Primary Level
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Professional Development Programmes2009-2010
Enhancing English Vocabulary Learning and
Teaching at Primary Level (Refreshed)
Nov 2009
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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)

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

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Modes of Assessment
Assessments in Schools
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Quality Feedback

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

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Resource Packages
ETV Programme on Providing Quality Feedback
Promoting Assessment for Learning in English
Language Education at Primary Level
Promoting Quality Interaction in the Primary
English Classroom
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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
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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

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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

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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)

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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)

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RTHK radio programme Sunday Smile
http//app1.rthk.org.hk/special/sundaysmile/
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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

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More 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?langno1nod
  eID2402
• English Language Education Section, CDI
• Room 1206, 12/F., Wu Chung House, 213 Queens
  Rd. East,
• Wan Chai, HK (Fax [phone])
• Ms Emilie Tong (Tel [phone])

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