Evaluate the school-based curriculum

© NET Section, CDI, EDB, HKSAR 148 Section 11: Independence Stage

STEPS TO DEVELOP SCHOOL-BASED CURRICULUM

Examples – modules, units, tasks, whole school subject overviews, key stage overviews, grade level overviews

A. PLANNING A SCHOOL-BASED

© NET Section, CDI, EDB, HKSAR 149 Section 11: Independence Stage

identifies their curriculum needs by finding out more details about:

1. School context/culture

2. Student needs, abilities and interests 3. Teacher readiness

4. Resources available

5. School-based curriculum goals 6. EDB support.

School-based curriculum needs to be the result of a common vision held by the people who will be involved in its development. School-based curriculum development takes time, effort and commitment. It cannot be achieved unless the effort is collaborative. However, school-based curriculum provides more specifically for a school’s needs. Teachers and other stakeholders who have been involved with the development process will be more committed to its implementation. Teachers will gain more satisfaction from the teaching involved and students will benefit more from learning that is relevant.

An integrated, school-based approach to the teaching of English that includes opportunities for developing literacy/language skills will benefit the students. It is not enough to learn the vocabulary and grammar of a language, learners also need to be taught to communicate through listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is the responsibility of teachers and school authorities to provide these opportunities in ways that are relevant to the student and that can be applied outside the classroom to the students’ community, school and home contexts.

11.5 Curriculum Overviews

These overviews can be used by the teachers to develop their own units of work.

Reading Strategies Overviews

These overviews (Table 11.1) provide teachers with more information about the reading strategies that students in Key Stage 1 should be exposed to initially and then gradually, explicitly taught.

There is no definite sequence to the teaching of each of the strategies: rather it is better that the learning and teaching relates to the context of the Shared Reading text.

When teachers plan their own reading programme, they will need to make sure that they provide opportunities for their students to develop a balance of the reading strategies for Key Stage 1 within the context of their reading programme.

Text Types Overview

This overview in Section 2 provides more information about the structural organisation and language features that students in Key Stage 1 should be exposed to and then gradually, explicitly taught.

It must be pointed out that students in Key Stage 1 are expected to write some of the text types independently. Teachers jointly construct examples of text types with their students. Students demonstrate an understanding of the process involved by writing independently.

Teachers will find these overviews useful when they are planning their own school-based curriculum.

© NET Section, CDI, EDB, HKSAR 150 Section 11: Independence Stage

Developing Generic Skills in the English Language

The Hong Kong curriculum documents stress the importance of incorporating the nine types of generic skills to enable students to ‘learn how to learn’. Teachers will find the overview in Table 11.2 to be a useful reference when planning their school-based curriculum. It will be necessary to provide opportunities for students to develop these skills as part of their learning and teaching programmes.

Dimension Targets for English Language

The Hong Kong curriculum documents provide ‘interrelated strands’, which used to be called ‘dimensions’, as ‘content organisers’. The major function of the recommended content is to develop ‘knowledge, skills, values and attitudes as a holistic process’.

Table 11.3 provides an overview of the three strands: Interpersonal, Knowledge and Experience. This overview will provide teachers with a reference when planning their school-based curriculum. Providing content from each of the strands will ensure students have opportunities for:

• Creative, personal responses and expression

• A broader and more balanced English language curriculum

• Insights into the nature of literature in English.

(English Language Education Key Learning Curriculum Guide (P1-S3). 2002)

© NET Section, CDI, EDB, HKSAR 151 Section 11: Independence Stage

Key Stage 1 Reading Strategies Overviews 1. Graphophonic Reading Strategies Overview

Students will recognise the letter/sound relationships of: Level I

Level II

Level III

• upper and lower case letters

• initial letters/sounds, i.e. a to z

• initial consonant digraphs, e.g. ch, sh, th, wh Ö

• initial two-letter blends, e.g. bl, br Ö

• final letters/sounds, i.e. a to z Ö

• final blends, e.g. ck, ss, ll Ö

• medial short vowel sounds, e.g. cat, leg, pig, hot, cut Ö

• cvc words, e.g. cat, dog, run Ö

• onsets / rimes, e.g. c-at, sh-op, b-all Ö

• cvcc words, e.g. duck, milk, ball Ö

• final consonant digraphs, e.g. ch, sh, th, wh Ö

• long medial vowels, e.g. ai, ay Ö

Graphophonic Reading Strategies Overview - Phonological

Students will recognise: Level

I

Level II

Level III

• that sentences are made up of words

• initial sound in words Ö

• words that start with the same sound Ö

• final sound in words Ö

• words that rhyme Ö

• medial sound in words Ö

• that words are divided into sounds Ö

• that sounds can be blended to make words Ö

• that one syllable words are divided into onsets and rimes Ö

• that two words can combine to make one word Ö

• that new words can be made by adding a letter/s Ö

• that new words can be made by substituting a letter/s Ö

• that large words are made of syllables Ö

To be gradually exposed to and explicitly taught during Key Stage 1

© NET Section, CDI, EDB, HKSAR 152 Section 11: Independence Stage

Key Stage 1 Reading Strategies Overviews Graphophonic Reading Strategies Overview - Graphological

Students will recognise: Level

I

Level II

Level III

• book conventions, e.g. layout

• concepts of print, e.g. directionality

• that sentences are made up of words

• words are made up of letters

• upper and lower case letters

• letter style, size and shapes Ö

• sight words, e.g. high frequency, key words Ö

• letter clusters, e.g. syllables, affixes, onsets, rimes Ö

• that two words can combine to make one word Ö

• that new words can be made by adding a letter/s Ö

• that new words can be made by substituting a letter/s Ö

• small words in larger words Ö