Outline of Curriculum Activities
5.5 Curriculum Model
It has been pointed out in Chapter 3 that the “thematic approach” is currently a main teaching approach in the pre-primary curriculum. Based on various principles of curriculum planning, two teaching examples on the themes of
“Plants” and “Who am I?” are outlined in Appendix 4 for the reference of pre-primary educators. Besides, it is noted that the “project approach” has become more and more popular with pre-primary educators, who are attaching great importance to this curriculum approach. In fact, both the “thematic” and
“project” approaches can be traced to the same origin. The difference is that the “project approach” places greater emphasis on the initiative of children to explore and discover by themselves during the learning process; hence the pre-primary educator has to assume a less dominant role, but rather, act as children’s companion in the learning process. Appendix 5 gives a brief introduction on the “project approach”. In order that local pre-primary curriculum can achieve diversification, pre-primary institutions are advised to try out the “project approach”.
Pre-primary Primary Secondary Sixth Form General Aims The general aims of the pre-primary
curriculum are both enabling and preparatory, bridging the gap between the family and an outside social group. The curriculum aims at enlarging children’s view of the world from their family to that of their school. It should enable children to attain a balanced development of their social, intellectual, physical, social and aesthetic aspects.
Pedagogical programmes should foster in children a positive attitude towards their cognitive, emotional and kinaesthetic learning which are important to the success of their future education.
The general aims of the primary curriculum share, to some extent, the enabling and preparatory nature of the aims of the pre-primary
curriculum. The primary curriculum mediates between pre-primary and secondary curricula. On the one hand, it encompasses and reinforces the same areas of development as in the pre-primary
curriculum-intellectual,
communicative, social and moral, personal and physical, and aesthetic.
On the other hand, it enlarges the achievements of pre-primary tasks and furnishes children with the knowledge, skills and attitudes, in rudimentary form, required for approaching the tasks of the
secondary curriculum satisfactorily.
In particular, the primary curriculum should aim at enabling children to achieve their optimum levels of attainment against the targets to be set from time to time in specified
curriculum areas.
The general aims of the secondary curriculum are to some extent
influenced by the fact that it leads, for part of the student body, to immediate entry into society either after
completion of secondary 3 or that of secondary 5. The preparatory nature for further education however, is present for those students who continue in the sixth form.
The general aims of the secondary curriculum, therefore, are fourfold.
First, the curriculum continues to promote students’ all-round development in the intellectual, communicative, social and moral, personal and physical, and aesthetic spheres. Secondly, it provides a general and worthwhile education at the junior secondary level, in particular by enabling students to achieve optimum levels of attainment against targets to be set form time to time in specified curriculum areas.
Thirdly, it prepares students for education beyond secondary 3 and secondary 5 as required. Fourthly, it prepares students for the world of work after completion of the junior secondary level and the senior secondary level education, and helps them to become well-balanced and responsible individuals capable of
The general aims of the sixth form curriculum are to produce balanced, well-informed individuals who are proficient in both English and Chinese, and who are prepared for further education, work and adult life. The sixth form curriculum should be broadly-based to cater for a wide range of abilities so that all individuals can achieve their full potential.
Specific Aims Intellectual
1. To cultivate in children positive attitude towards the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of their surrounding environment.
2. To enable children to develop their power of concentration and observation, as well as their analytical, reasoning, judgement and problem-solving skills.
3. To lay the foundation of basic numeracy and literacy.
1. To strengthen a reliance on independent enquiry and use of analytical thinking.
2. To introduce children to the factual information, basic concepts and thought-patterns of the various disciplines and to familiarise them with their use in the world around them.
1. To develop in students the ability to think conceptually; to apply principles of logic; to be creative;
and to make decisions based on reasons.
2. To provide students with the main mathematical, scientific, technical and commercial knowledge and skills needed for functioning in a highly technological society.
3. To help students develop the habit of independently acquiring the on-going knowledge and skills that they may require to meet the social, informational and
technical transformations of a fast-changing community.
1. To deepen students’ grasp of the concepts, paradigms and modes of expression of particular disciplines; to encourage them to assume increasing responsibility for independent and continuous learning, and to develop the skills necessary for identifying and exploiting available resources and retrieving necessary information.
2. To help students to develop their creative, critical and analytical thinking and their ability to make rational and independent decisions.
3. To encourage students to utilise their knowledge, reasoning powers and problem-solving skills for work and study processes.
Communicative 4. To broaden and refine children’s innate and family-learned verbal and non-verbal interpersonal communication proficiency.
5. To encourage and help children identify and express their thoughts and emotions through
3. To promote children’s efforts to improve intelligible and socially acceptable interaction with those around them through a variety of media.
4. To acquaint children with the oral and graphic formalities of Chinese and English and to
4. To foster students’ ability to communicate effectively in both Chinese and English in relation to the integrating and
instrumental roles that each language plays in the Hong Kong community.
10. To help students to develop their ability to communicate effectively in oral and written Chinese and English in relation to the different roles that each language plays in the Hong Kong community.
11. To develop students’ ability to
Pre-primary Primary Secondary Sixth Form Social and
Moral
6. To assist children to attain a socially acceptable balance between personal interests and those of their community, to establish good interpersonal relationships, as well as to accept basic social values and norms.
7. To develop in children a sense of responsibility, and positive attitudes towards both work and people.
8. To cultivate in children an inclination to interact with and love their environment.
5. To help children begin to develop a personal sense of social and moral values and to become aware of their roles in the family.
6. To impart to children knowledge and understanding of the
culture, traditions and way of life of their own community and those of other communities with a view to developing respect for them in children.
5. To support students in identifying and cultivating personal ethical values and in applying these values to contemporary social issues.
6. To train students in the habit of acquiring information and understanding about matters of concern for Hong Kong, China and the world and in making personal contributions towards the resolution of these places within the limitation of their circumstances.
7. To make students aware of the noteworthy aspects of Chinese culture, to strengthen their esteem for it and to help them develop a positive attitude towards other peoples, cultures, values and ways of life.
8. To help students appreciate the cultural richness of Hong Kong’s international life and to help them acquire the habit of adapting it for their personal development.
4. To encourage students to develop an
understanding of and concern for their community, an appreciation of their cultural heritage, an understanding of the relationship of Hong Kong to other countries and cultures and the interdependent nature of the modern world.
5. To encourage students to develop social skills, leadership qualities, and a sense of responsibility for and commitments to the community.
6. To help students develop a sense of moral and social values, including respect for other people and in particular, their views and beliefs.
Pre-primary Primary Secondary Sixth Form Personal and
Physical
9. To foster in children good habits and self-care abilities.
10. To help children acquire the skills of expressing their feelings, both positive and negative.
11. To enable children to perceive the importance of self-control in leading a happy life in a
pre-primary institution and to help them develop such a habit.
12. To nurture in children a sense of self-esteem, confidence and achievement.
13. To enhance children’s
development of their gross and fine motor skills.
14. To promote children’s sensory-perceptual development.
7. To provide children with sufficient information to enable them to cope with the physical and emotional changes that occur during their development from childhood to adolescence.
8. To assist children to attain a feeling of self-security, establish a healthy and stable way of life and positive attitude towards learning and life.
9. To encourage children to
develop their physical and social skills and to guide them to make good use of their leisure and attain a well-rounded life.
10. To inform children about their own and other cultures and to stimulate their interest in them.
9. To promote students’ mental and physical health with good balance; to develop cultural and recreational interests and to guide them in making good use of their leisure.
10. To help students to learn about themselves, to develop a
positive, realistic self-image and an appreciation for their roles in the family and the community.
7. To promote students’
mental and physical health and to encourage their worthy use of leisure.
8. To prepare students for adulthood and for their roles and responsibilities within the family and society in a period of rapid change.
Aesthetic 15. To stimulate children’s creative and imaginative powers
16. To cultivate in children abilities to enjoy life and to appreciate
11. To bring examples of various forms of art to the attention of children and to train them in producing objects of their own creation in order to cultivate in
11. To help students to identify their areas of cultural interest and expertise, and to encourage them to develop their imagination and creativity.
9. To nurture students’
creativity and to promote their aesthetic development.
Physical Intellectual Language Social and emotional able to walk at their own will, pull and
push objects or step backwards.
need to rest both feet on one step in mounting a flight of stairs.
gradually able to kick a ball.
gradually able to throw a ball into a basket.
gradually able to ride a tricycle.
able to jump from a flight of stairs, but prone to injury.
able to pick up small objects like pins, threads, dried grapes, etc.
able to unwrap sweets.
able to turn pages of a thick book.
able to pile up a few pieces of toy bricks.
able to thread big beads.
try folding papers and using scissors.
know how to play with clay with their hands.
able to screw off a cap or turn a door
begin to show memory, like remembering there are sweets in the refrigerator, or looking for their favourite toys.
begin to learn matching by colours, shapes, objects and sizes.
with repeated attempts, able to put five rings onto a stick in sequence of their sizes.
begin to know their own names.
able to identify themselves and their family members in the mirror or from a picture.
know about the names and functions of some body parts.
l able to identify daily necessities by their senses.
perform role play like making a telephone call, feeding a doll, etc.
able to assemble puzzles of three to five pieces.
begin to understand the meaning of numbers one and two.
able to follow instructions to find an object.
able to name each body part.
able to understand common nouns, verbs and adjectives.
understand the meaning of
“not allowed”.
able to express their wishes with limited words and short sentences.
try singing nursery rhymes by imitation.
know to ask with “what”,
“who” and “where”.
use one word to stand for collective meaning like:
“mi-mi” refers to all animals with four-feet, “car” refers to all kinds of vehicles.
try to eat with a spoon.
able to drink from a cup.
able to drink with a sucking tube.
begin to show preference for food.
know how to express the need for toileting.
able to go to toilet on their own under prompting.
wetting sometimes still occurs in day time.
with adults’ assistance, able to wash hands, put on/pull down their pants, take off their clothes, shoes and socks.
not yet ready to share toys with peers.
able to take turns with peers under instruction by adults.
easy to get jealous towards peers who take away adults’ attention from them.
like to be praised, have preference for beautiful clothes.
easy to lose temper when frustrated, yet
gradually able to draw lines, circles, etc.
begin to get used to using either left or right hand for writing.
like to follow routines, dislike changes.
Physical Intellectual Language Social and emotional able to go up to the slide and climbing
frame.
able to ride a tricycle.
able to kick a slowly moving ball.
able to catch a big ball being thrown to them.
able to walk upstairs with alternate foot.
able to walk along a line or on footprints.
able to cross legs when sitting.
able to hammer wooden blocks.
use scissors to cut paper strips.
use fingers to glue.
able to build up a pillar of nine pieces of toy bricks.
use three pieces of wood to make a bridge.
able to put five rings onto a stick in sequence of their sizes upon two attempts.
able to match different colours and identify their names.
able to distinguish between two objects by their sizes, length, texture, hardness.
begin to understand the concept of sequence, and able to make pattern with toy bricks or beads according to sequence.
begin to know how to classify and match objects like food, clothes, and able to associate objects according to their uses, such as shoes with socks and cups with plates.
able to recall three numbers just heard.
able to find two objects by memory.
able to understand some rather abstract words like
“same/different”
“open/close”, “top/bottom”
and “in/out”.
begin to understand the different between “past”
and “present”.
understand the meaning of
‘pretending’.
pay attention when hearing stories, like to ask adults to repeat telling their
favourite stories.
begin to give a
chronological account of incidents that happened in the past.
able to describe with appropriate actions and voices.
know how to control the volume and speed when speaking.
begin to expand their social lives and interests outside their families and enjoy outdoor activities.
able to play with toys alone without adults’ company.
able to eat with a spoon.
able to get water from a bottle.
understand that they have to clean their mouths after meals.
able to go to toilet on their own in day time, wetting seldom happens.
know how to put on and pull down their trousers.
able to wash hands with soap, though adult assistance in drying their hands is still required.
barely manage to dress and undress their loose outer clothes.
able to undo big buttons.
try putting clothes on hangers.
begin to hold a pencil properly to do drawing.
try to fill colour in a random manner.
able to draw a cross and inclined line by imitation.
know their own names, sex and age.
able to differentiate male and female.
able to draw a person with head and some body parts.
able to assemble puzzles of six pieces.
l able to recite from one to ten.
able to count from one to three or four.
able to use words like
“here”, “there”, “you and me”, etc.
mainly use nouns, verbs and sometimes adjectives in speech.
begin to ask with “why”,
“how” and “when”.
able to sing nursery rhymes together with actions, though the pronunciation is still not clear, people (including strangers) can understand their words pretty well.
begin to understand the concept of danger, and know that they should not approach fire, boiling water, etc.
will not walk out to the middle of a road when going out.
like to join games led by adults, able to follow rules of games.
will take turns when playing toys.
know what belongs to them and what does not.
know that they should care for younger children and are willing to share toys with others.
able to accept adults’ advice, regard parents as authority and obey orders.
begin to learn to show courtesy, able to say “please” and “thank you” as told.
know how to call “grandmother” and
“ grandfather”.
Physical Intellectual Language Social and emotional able to jump forward and backward
successively, with one foot and while running.
able to throw and catch bean bags.
walk on a balance beam.
able to throw balls.
able to pick up objects on the ground while running.
when swimming, able to walk on shallow water or float on ring.
play confidently with slides, climbing frames and swings.
begin to do simple paper cutting and pasting.
able to cut simple pattern.
able to thread beads.
able to construct a small tower with six pieces of toy bricks by imitation.
able to draw simple pictures such as
begin to understand the concept of time, able to tell what they usually do in the morning, afternoon and evening.
begin to understand position and speed, e.g. able to distinguish front and back, fast and slow, middle and the first and the last, etc.
pay attention to their
environment, able to point out the missing part in a picture.
able to point out what is inconsistent in a picture.
able to identify things and events by sound.
able to imitate voices of animals.
able to distinguish between living things (e.g.: cat, dog, tree) and non-living things (e.g.: toy, cup and plate).
able to place furniture in the appropriate room.
able to speak fairly fluently and clearly.
begin to express
themselves with complex or much longer sentences.
able to talk about experiences in everyday life.
able to tell stories from pictures.
able to use words like
“because-therefore”,
“some”, “several”, “many”
appropriately in conversation.
able to tell relatives’ names and the district which they themselves are living in.
able to tell the colour of a particular object, like:
banana is yellow.
able to talk about people of different occupations and
begin to dress and undress, clean their noses, wash and dry their hands by themselves.
learn how to brush their teeth and eat with chopsticks.
able to help cleaning up the dining table after meals.
able to clean up dirt with a piece of cloth.
able to get up to the toilet at night, no more wetting.
able to be self-disciplined and stay within a confined area even without adults’ supervision.
willing to observe rules of the games when playing with other children.
able to take care of younger children and small animals and console their companion when they feel unhappy.
have vague concepts of rights and wrong, only know that they will be punished for bad behaviour and will