Strand 6: Global Understanding and the Information Era
2.6 Thematic Approach
Schools can develop different themes to integrate the core elements of the curriculum. An example is provided below for reference. Schools may develop other themes to meet the needs and interests of their students, and update them in accordance with social changes. Different curriculum units may be designed, as illustrated by the examples in the following pages, to enable students to adopt a multi-perspective approach in the study of different themes.
Examples of Themes for General Studies Curriculum
Primary 1
Theme Unit Content
我長大了 I am Getting Older
我的身體 My Body
• Changes in appearance (e.g. height and weight, permanent teeth)
• Mental changes
• Similarities and differences in appearance
• Accepting uniqueness and differences
• Basic needs of the body 我做得到
Things that I can Do
• Body care: personal hygiene, proper posture
• Protecting the body: body parts, teeth, privacy
• Taking care of personal belongings
• Planning of daily schedule for play, work, meals, exercise and rest
• Expressing needs and feelings
• Helping out at home (e.g. keeping clean, preparing food)
溫暖的家 Home Sweet Home
我的家人 My Family
• Family members
• Family activities
• Roles and responsibilities within the family
• Maintaining harmonious relationships with family members
家居環境
Home Environment
• The surrounding environment
• Facilities at home
• Some materials for domestic use (e.g.
wood, water, cotton), their textures and how they are used
• Common technological products used at home
• Energy used at home
Theme Unit Content 溫暖的家
(續)
Home Sweet Home (Con’d)
家居環境 (續) Home Environment (Con’d)
• Hygiene at home
• Home safety
上學去 Going to School
學校的環境
School Environment
• The school campus
• School safety
• Concern for the school 快樂的學校生活
Happy School Life
• Activities and special events
• Roles and responsibilities within the school
• School rules and their purposes
• Maintaining harmonious relationships with school members
不用上學的日子 No School Today
• Origins of some popular festivals (e.g.
Easter, Ching Ming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Christmas)
• Activities related to the festivals
• Other reasons for not going to school (e.g. when ill, under adverse weather conditions)
Primary 2
Theme Unit Content
快高長大 Growing Up
我的成長 My Growth
• Physical changes at different stages of growth
• Good eating habits
• Emotions
• Proper use of medicine
• Things to do in case of emergency 動、植物的生長
Growth of Animals and Plants
• Observing characteristics of living things
• Keeping pets and growing plants
• Life and death 遊戲多樂趣
Fun to Play
善用餘暇 Proper Use of Leisure
• Choice of leisure activities
• Developing healthy hobbies
齊來玩耍 Let’s Play
• Choice of toys and games
• Home-made toys: exploring everyday materials
• Playing games: safety, fair play, co-operation
• Care of toys 親親社區
Our
Neighbourhood
我們的社區 Our Community
• Location and direction
• Characteristics of our community
• Facilities and services
• Responsibilities within the local area 我的鄰居
My Neighbours
• People who work/ serve us in the local area
• Neighbourliness 我的朋友
My Friends
• Different ways of communicating
• Making and keeping friends 香港是我家
Hong Kong: Our Home
特區的成立 Establishment of the HKSAR
• Origin of the HKSAR Establishment Day
• Regional flag and emblem
Theme Unit Content 香港是我家
(續)
Hong Kong: Our Home (Con’d)
慶新春
Happy New Year
• Traditions and customs for Chinese New Year
• Celebrating Chinese New Year
• Wise use of lucky money 我的祖國
My Country
• Our nationalities
• Accepting people of different nationalities/ ethnic groups
• Historical figures in Chinese history
• Science and technological inventions originating in China
親親大自然 Back to Nature
我愛大自然 Love of Nature
• Pattern of day and night
• Living things around us (e.g. in the park)
• Features of Nature (as observed in parks/ country parks or on beaches) 郊遊樂
Outing is Fun
• Suitable seasons for outing
• Taking part in outdoor activities
• Things to consider when on an outing (e.g. safety, equipment, weather)
• Personal responsibilities in environmental conservation
Primary 3
Theme Unit Content
健康的生活 Healthy Living
良好的習慣 Healthy Habits
• Food hygiene and preservation
• Over-eating and under-eating
• Exercises and rest
• Sport safety (e.g. swimming, hiking, cycling)
• Good habits in public places
• the harm of drug abuse 居住好環境
A Healthy Living Environment
• Maintaining environmental hygiene
• Greening/ beautifying our environment
• Reduce, reuse, replace and recycle
• Energy conservation
• Concern and action to improve our living environment
生活在香港 Living in Hong Kong
我們的社會 Our Society
• Different groups in society
• Division of labour in society
• Customs and mores
• Diversified background of residents
• Respecting the rights of others
• The importance of the Basic Law in preserving our way of life
• Observing law and order
• Being a good citizen 購物好去處
Good Shopping Places
• Shopping places, e.g. supermarket, market, department store and shop
• Types and sources of goods
• Being a wise consumer 生活所需
Our Daily Needs
• Eating, travelling, housing and clothing in the local community
• Road safety
• Technology that affects our daily life
• Need for communication and common methods to communicate
Theme Unit Content 生活在香港
(續)
Living in Hong Kong (Con'd)
旅遊好去處 Good Sightseeing Spots
• Good places for visits in Hong Kong
• Popular places of attractions in our country/ other countries
• Culture, heritage, lifestyle of people and other characteristics of these places
• Respect for different cultures
• Importance of conservation of cultural heritage
香港的動植物 Animals and Plants in Hong Kong
• Wide variety of living things in Hong Kong
• Basic needs of living things
• Living things and their living environment
• Living things and my living environment
香港的天氣 The Weather of Hong Kong
變幻莫測 Sunny Days and Windy Nights
• Daily changes of the Sun and the Moon: relative positions
• Simple features of a day’s weather
• Weather forecasts and keeping weather records
• Relationship between cloud and rain 冷和熱
Hot or Cold
• Sources of heat
• Investigating with keeping warm and cold
• Transfer of heat and conservation of heat
• Safety in handling hot objects 慶祝國慶
The National Day
• Establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)
• Celebrating the national day
• National flag and national emblem
• Hoisting of the national flag
Primary 4
Theme Unit Content
健康生活由我 創
My Health
身體的奧秘
Wonders of the Body
• Body parts/ systems and their functions
• Ways of keeping my body healthy 預防勝於治療
Prevention of Diseases
• Common diseases in Hong Kong
• Bacteria and viruses
• Causes and prevention of diseases
• Proper use of medication
• Oral health 天地全接觸
Keep in Touch
資訊科技
Information Technology
• Simple software that helps us to handle information
• Introduction to digital equipment
• Information technology and communication
• Prevention of computer viruses
• Concerns in the Information Technology and Computer (ITC) world (e.g. intellectual property rights, privacy and avoiding indulgence in web surfing ) 明智的選擇
Making Choices: Being a Wise Consumer
• Services provided to Hong Kong residents
• Factors affecting our choice of goods and services
• Messages conveyed by advertisements
• The impact of advertisements on consumer behaviour
• Rights and responsibilities of a consumer
• Ways of managing money in daily life
Theme Unit Content 奇妙的世界
The Wonderful World
地球
Mother Earth
• Surface of the Earth (continent and ocean) and changes in it
• Seasons in Hong Kong
• Pattern of climate in Hong Kong 四海一家
Children in Other Parts of the World
• Lifestyles in other countries of the world (e.g. food, clothing, lodging, transport, games)
• Similarities and differences between children in the local community and other parts of the world
• Communicating with children in other parts of the world
• Rules of making online friends
• Respecting children with customs and behaviours different from our own
齊來聽聽看看
Hearing and Looking at Fantastic Things
• Investigating light and sound
• The wonderful world of colours and sound
• Special effects of sound and light
• Protecting our eyes and ears 資源和環境
Our
Environment, Our Resources
環境與我
The Environment and I
• The geographical position of Hong Kong
• The natural environment
• The built environment
• How human beings are affected by the environment
• People’s responses to natural hazards
• Protecting our environment 大地寶庫：水
Natural Resources:
Water
• Uses of water
• Purification of water
• Investigating water
Theme Unit Content 昔日的香港
Hong Kong in the Past
• Historical sites in Hong Kong
• How these historical sites reflect the early history of Hong Kong
• Life of Hong Kong people in the past
Primary 5
Theme Unit Content
生命變變變
Life: Change, Change, Change
童裝大碼、成人細碼 Puberty
• Changes experienced at puberty
• Healthy habits at puberty
• Food and nutrition
• Managing emotions and stress
• Respecting but not offending the others
• Protecting ourselves from harassment and sexual abuse
• Seeking help and advice when in need 生命的接棒
Continuation of Life
• Need for continuation of life
• Cycles in the living world 珍惜生命
Respect for Life
• Recognising one's own strengths and weaknesses
• Facing new challenges and times of difficulty
• Positive attitudes towards life 都市生活
Life in the City
大地寶庫：空氣 Natural Resources: Air
• Air: basic need for survival
• Characteristic properties of air
• Air and burning
• Inter-relationship between green plants and the atmosphere
• Air pollution and health 電的故事
Switched On
• Closed circuits
• Investigating electricity (simple circuits)
• Electricity and everyday life
• Safety in using electricity
• Conservation of resources by using less electricity
遠離毒品
Keeping Away from Drugs
• Smoking and health
• Alcohol and health
Theme Unit Content 都市生活
(續) Life in the City
(Con'd)
遠離毒品 (續) Keeping Away from Drugs
(Con'd)
• The causes and consequences of drug abuse (the effects on individual, family and society)
• rejecting requests related to drug abuse, smoking, drinking and substance abuse
環境、科技與文化
Physical Environment, Technology and Culture
• The impact of the physical environment on people's life
• Advances in science and technology which improve our living and society
• Positive attitudes towards using technology
• The impact of cultural exchange on the development of human society
• Big cities in the world
• Some common problems in big cities
• Ways of improving our living and our society
活在資訊中 Information and Communication
• Using technology to process information and convey messages
• Assisting people with special needs in communication
• Different forms of mass media in our society and their importance
• How messages are conveyed by the mass media and their impact on our daily life
• Rejecting indecent and inaccurate information
• Proper attitudes towards mass media
我們的經濟
Our Economy
• Characteristics of Hong Kong's economic life, e.g. free trade, low tax
• Factors affecting the economic development of Hong Kong
Theme Unit Content 都市生活
(續) Life in the City
(Con'd)
我們的經濟 (續) Our Economy (Con'd)
• The benefits for Hong Kong to trade with other parts of the world
• Future economic development
認識祖國 To Know About My Country
神州大地 Our Homeland
• The geographical position, physical characteristics and territory of China
• Characteristics of ancient Chinese civilisation
• Differences between the daily life of today and that of the past (e.g. in Tang Dynasty)
• Special natural landscapes and characteristics of human life
• Linkage between China and the other parts of the world
大事回顧 Major Events
• Important historical periods and historical figures in Chinese history
• Some major historical events
• Recent development of China (e.g.
economic, science and technology aspects)
衝出地球 Beyond our Earth
• Rotation of the Earth and its revolution around the Sun
• Planets of our Solar System
• Phenomena that we can observe when the Moon and the Earth move around the Sun
Primary 6
Theme Unit Content
健康成長 Healthy Growth
平安是福
Keeping Safe and Healthy
• Killer diseases in Hong Kong
• Occupational safety
• Causes and prevention of accidents and injuries
• Dealing with accidents and simple first aid
• Health care services in Hong Kong
• Making the right choice of medical service
• Rights and responsibilities of patients
• Responsibilities of the individual towards community health
踏上青春路 Adolescence
• Social needs of adolescents
• Factors (e.g. trust, honesty, caring) that enhance healthy relationships with friends and peers
• Handling pressure
• Dating
• Rejecting temptation (e.g. gambling, sexual requests)
環境與生活 Environment and Living
物料變變變
Materials: Change, Change, Change
• Change of state using water as an example
• Examples of common materials existing in different states
• Energy and the environment
適者生存
Adaptation of Living Things
• Adaptation of living things to the environment
• Inheritance of characteristics
• Balance of Nature affected by human activities
Theme Unit Content 環境與生活
(續)
Environment and Living (Con'd)
防止污染、 保護
資源 Pollution Prevention and Conservation of the Environment
• Different types of pollution in our community: causes and effects
• Ways to protect our environment from pollution
• Problems caused by exploitation of resources and its possible solutions
• Conservation of our environment
• Reduce, reuse, replace and recycle in action
香港是特區
Hong Kong : A Special Administrative Region
選賢與能 Political Features of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region of China
• Life in Hong Kong under the Basic Law
• Election and roles of the following in Hong Kong: the Chief Executive, the Legislative Council, the Executive Council and district organisations
• Work of the government and our daily life
• Rights and responsibilities of Hong Kong residents
• Channels and ways to express opinions
中華文化多姿彩
Culture of China
• Culture of some major Chinese ethnic groups, e.g. dialects, dances, operas, festivities, food, folk art
放眼世界 A Global Perspective
國際問題初探
Introduction to Common Issues of Concern
• Important people in world history and their contributions in improving society
• Significant current global issues, e.g.
poverty and hunger, war and peace, population, exhaustion of energy, depletion of forests, global warming and infectious disease
Theme Unit Content 放眼世界
(續) A Global Perspective (Con'd)
國際問題初探 (續)
Introduction to Common Issues of Concern (Con'd)
• Ways to tackle problems of common concern (e.g. environmental protection, genetically modified food, endangered species)
• Importance of international exchange and co-operation in tackling global problems
科技世界： 設計
與文化 Technological World: Design and Culture
• Development of tools and machines to help us solve daily problems
• Influence of technological advance on the development of society
• Cultural influence on the use of technology
• Safety in handling machines 奇妙的宇宙
Out in Space
• Aims of exploration of space
• Changes to our daily life brought about by space exploration
• Contribution and success of China and other countries in the exploration of space