“Using Information Texts in the Primary English Classroom: Developing KS2 Students’ Reading and Writing Skills” Session 1

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Professional Development Programme 2016-2017:

“Using Information Texts in the Primary English Classroom: Developing KS2 Students’ Reading and Writing Skills”

Session 1

Organized by the INSTEP, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong and commissioned by the Education Bureau, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

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Overview of the Programme

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 Sessions 1 and 2 will focus on the following core components:

 Introduction to the variety of information text genres

 The use of info texts in language classrooms

 Selection of information texts, recommendation of sources of texts, and multimodal resources, e.g. Readers for young learners with authentic information texts such as posters

 Incorporation of information texts in the General English curriculum

 Connecting primary students’ learning experiences, within and outside English lessons

 Some mentioning of reading across the curriculum—emphasis on

content-based instruction (CBI) and identifying common communicative functions and language patterns in addition to text types

 Designing language tasks based on information texts

 Preparation for KS2 students for learning through EMI in KS3

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Task 1

How do you teach reading/writing in your classroom?

 What is your belief in reading/writing & teaching reading/writing?

 How do you teach reading/writing? What have you tried before?

 What are some interesting things that you’ve noticed from your experience?

 What kinds of challenges / problems have you identified?

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Understanding the context, curriculum and reading / writing skills

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Task 2

What are students learning in KS2 and KS3?

 In groups, can you list the subjects that your students are learning in KS2 (primary 4-6) and the subjects that they will be learning in KS3 (secondary 1-3)?

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Upper Primary (KS2) Junior Secondary (KS3)

Chinese English Mathematics

Putonghua Music Visual Arts Physical Ed.

General Studies

Science

Technology Education (e.g. design &

technology etc.) PSHE (e.g. Chinese History, Geography.

History, Life and Society, Religious

Education etc.)

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 Look at the following extracts of texts. They are all taken from local textbooks.

 Can you identify their text-types and subject areas? Can you also identify the key stages?

 Are there any similarities or differences among these texts?

 What kind of skills or strategies do students need in order to read (and write) these texts?

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Task 3*

What kinds of texts are students reading/writing in KS2 and KS3?

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Text Text-type Subject Area Key Stage 1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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Text Text-type Subject Area Key

Stage 1

2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

Explanation + instruction Computer Literacy KS3 KS3 KS3

KS3

KS3 KS2

KS2

KS2 Personal recount English (textbooks)

Report

(classifying report) Geography

Poem English (readers)

Report

(classifying report) Science Historical recount History

Personal recount English (textbooks) Narrative English (readers) Explanation

(cause-and-effect) General Studies

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Discussion

 Are there any similarities or differences among these texts?

Similarities: Differences:

For example:

-text-types

-Subject areas / topics

For example:

-complexity of language - complexity of

knowledge / cognitive demand

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Discussion

 What kind of skills or strategies do students need in order to read/write these texts?

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Reading/writing skills or strategies For example:

•Understanding the connection between ideas

•Using connectives to connect ideas

•Identifying pronoun reference

•Guessing meaning of unfamiliar words

•Using a variety of vocabulary and sentence patterns

•Using headings and picture clues to predict text content

•Identifying text type structure

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Discussion

 Are there any missing links between primary and junior secondary years?

Some possibilities on enhancing students’ language proficiency to meet the language demand in secondary years:

For example:

•Exposure to a wider variety of text-types

•Exposure to a wider range of topics (fiction / non- fiction)

•Exposure to both English for everyday use and Academic English

•Strengthening vocabulary building strategies

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Reading/Writing skills for Hong Kong students

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What is a genre-based approach to reading and writing?

In very simple terms, this approach emphasizes genres (i.e.

“text-types”) and the importance of “detailed reading”,

which consists of explicit instruction on reading strategies to deconstruct a text, with teachers’ explicit demonstration, scaffolding and explanation of how to decode and infer

meanings from texts.

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Just a brief note

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 A genre is more dynamic than a text type and is always changing and evolving; however, for our practical purposes here, we can take genre to mean text type.

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Then… what is genre (~ “text-type”)?

(Adapted from Rose, D. (2010). Reading to learn: Teacher resource books, book 1, p. 8 . From http://www.readingtolearn.com.au/)

Curriculum Context

e.g. Science, Geography, Economics, English language arts

Text Type

e.g. Procedure in Experiment, Information Report, Short Story

Paragraph / Sentences

Grammar & Rhetorical functions:

e.g., Compare & Contrast;

Defining

Words

Task 4

patterns within the sentence/para patterns within

the text

Top-down

A Functional View of Language in Context (Rose, 2005)

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Advantages of a genre-based approach to the teaching of reading?

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 It offers us a systematic and meaningful way to teach reading.

 In particular, we can highlight:

 What is the subject matter?

 For example, “water cycle” in science,

 A fable in English language arts

 Who are involved in the interaction?

 For example, an expert informing an expert-to-be about a science concept (in textbooks)

 E.g., Fable: adults telling children a story with a moral lesson for them to learn

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How to apply the genre-based approach in English and Reading/Writing across the Curriculum?

“I’m just an ENGLISH teacher, I don’t know much about

information text types…”

“I know nothing about Science / Maths. /

History etc, etc…”

“My students are not in an EMI

class…”

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 We can start small, and with something that we are familiar with (or maybe are doing very well already!).

 Can you guess?

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Adopted from CDC English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6) 2004, p. 98.

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• To promote English reading/writing in English and across

different KLAs, information texts are very good resources for the English classroom.

• You can make good use of this opportunity and become more aware of the importance of teaching information texts with an explicit emphasis on understanding the features of academic genres (or text types) and detailed reading strategies.

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Text Text type Subject Key Stage 1 Explanation + instruction Computer Literacy KS3

2 Personal recount (diary) English (textbooks) KS3 3 Report (classifying report) Geography KS3

4 Poem English (readers) KS2

5 Report (classifying report) Science KS3 6 Report (descriptive report) History KS3 7 Personal recount (diary) English (textbooks) KS2 8 Narrative (short story) English (readers) KS3

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How can we find topics to enhance our English lessons to promote

reading/writing in English and across the curriculum?

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 Look at the following list of suggested themes. Can you think of some possible topics of information texts to

promote reading/writing in your school?

 (or maybe some interesting topics that you come across in the readers you are teaching?)

Task 5

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possible topics of fiction/non-fiction texts to promote reading For example:

• Animals: e.g., pandas, red pandas, dolphins etc.

• Recycling

• A balanced diet for kids

• Junior MasterChef

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• Everyday English is different from academic English

– E.g., Everyday text-types are different from academic text- types

Reading for everyday life and reading for school

subjects: different kinds, different purposes, different ways

• Differences

– Contexts

– Text-types

– Academic functions

– Sentence patterns &

vocabulary

• Similarity

– Both are important to the language and

cognitive development of our students

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Text-types in language and content subjects

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Look at the two pages. Identify the text types and the topics.

Story (narrative)

3 little pigs and the big bad wolf

Description texts (Info Rpt) Animal homes

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Text-types in language and content subjects

THEME:

Text-types in language subjects

Text-types in content subjects

For example…

Refer to the graphic organizer below, choose a theme, and think of some possible text-types that you can use to teach the content.

Science Subject: Electric current

Information report

(compositional) Autobiography

I am an electron. I have a negative charge. I am found whizzing around the nucleus of an atom. My path is relatively circular around the nucleus, but I am not the best at keeping a perfect path. I also define how much volume or space an atom

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Some common text-types in language and content subjects

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Text types commonly found in language subjects

Text types commonly found in content subjects

•Email

•Poem

•Story

•News article

•Essay

•Recipe

•Argumentative essay

•Letter to the editor

•Advertisement

•Proposal

•Information report

•Laboratory report

•Essay

•Historical recount

•Manuals

•Explanations on sequence and process

•Explanations on cause and effect

•Discussion

•Argumentative essay

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Task 6*

Let’s try what we have learnt so far with the following text

Mini-teaching demo

Adopted from Reading for information: Science and Social Studies Interactive Skills handbook, Grade 6, p. 48. SRA/McGraw-Hill. (2008).

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Task 6 Genre-based approach -

“Preservatives ”

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 Curriculum Context

 Text type

 Paragraph / sentence patterns

 Words / lexical phrases

General Studies

“Information Report” (descriptive report )

Defining sentences / Descriptive sentences

words related to “preservatives” (E.g.

preservative, addictive, freshness etc.)

Its primary purpose is to provide a

description of one type of things:

preservatives.

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*Disclaimer

 The material developers and facilitators do not own the respective copyrights of excerpts of texts shown. The respective copyrights are owned by the respective

publishers credited in the materials.

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Sources of texts

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Text 1: “Inserting animation” in “Computer and Information Technology:

Computer Literacy Course for Junior Secondary, Basic Modules, 2A” (pp. 182-183). Hong Kong: Longman Hong Kong Education. (2007)

Text 2: “Hello, Hong Kong!” in “Developing Skills Freeway, 1A” (p. 80).

Hong Kong: Aristo Educational Press Ltd. (2007)

Text 3: “How is land used in the urban areas of Hong Kong?” in

“Exploring Geography, 1A, Second Edition” (pp. 40-41). Hong Kong: Oxford University Press. (2007)

Text 4: “Five Little Chickens” in “Fancy Food Work”, My Pals are Here:

Reading Ladder, Primary 5 (pp. 2-3). Hong Kong: Educational Publishing House Ltd. (2005)

Text 5: “A New Life is Born” in Mastering Science, 1A (p. 134). Hong Kong: Oxford University Press. (2010)

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Sources of texts

Text 6: “The Fertile Crescent” in World History Express, 1A, second edition (pp. 80-81). Hong Kong: Ling Kee Publishing Co. (2010)

Text 7: “Come to My Party” in My Pals are Here! English for Hong Kong, 4A (pp. 16-17). Hong Kong: Educational Publishing House Ltd. (2005)

Text 8: “A murder mystery” in Thematic Anthology, Set A, Book 1 (pp. 132-133). Hong Kong: Oxford University Press

(China) Ltd. (2009)

Text 9: “The Earth’s Climate and Environment” in Primary

General Studies 4A (pp. 14-15). Hong Kong: New Asia Publishing House. (2010)

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Sources of texts (Task 6)

Reading for information: Science and Social Studies Interactive Skills handbook, Grade 6, p. 48.

SRA/McGraw-Hill. (2008).

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Professional Development Programme 2016-2017:

“Using Information Texts in the Primary English Classroom: Developing KS2 Students’ Reading and Writing Skills”

Session 2

Facilitators

Organized by the INSTEP, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong and commissioned by the Education Bureau, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

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Selecting appropriate reading materials

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Some possible issues that you might want to consider

 Genre egg!

 Content: Topic / subject content areas

 Language

 text types

 “academic functions”

 Grammar / sentence patterns

 Words / lexical phrases

 Linking to different KLAs in the school-based curriculum

 Horizontal curriculum

 Vertical curriculum / spiral learning

 Students’ interest

Possible linkage to secondary education

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Designing tasks and activities

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A taste of GE lessons

and reading information texts

 Level: Primary 5

 Theme / Topic: Healthy Eating

 Lessons allocated: 10-12 lessons

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Now let’s keep our Primary 5 students in mind…

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Strategic and complementary use of textbooks

 Goal:

 Setting and achieving aims of the GE Programme and Reading Workshops for the school-based English

Language curriculum to ensure the development of students’ literacy and critical thinking skills

 Means:

 By setting reading comprehension tasks based on the appropriate reading outcome pointers as listed on the Learning Progression Framework (LPF) for the target learners, thereby developing their literacy and thinking skills through accomplishing those tasks

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Topic: “Healthy Lunch”

Context: General English lessons

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Info text Genre: Leaflet

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Helping students develop reading and writing skills through using information texts

Understanding / locating specific information by using the contents page, index, headings / sub-

headings

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What is the topic of this information text?

Can you locate it?

There are two sub-headings in the text?

What are they?

Can you guess what is being discussed in the text, based on these hints?

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working out the meaning of unknown words / expression by using contextual / visual clues or

the glossary

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Are there any difficult words that you don’t know?

Let’s look at the pictures and the words in the “word building” section together.

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locating details that support the main ideas

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Let’s look at the paragraph on “Milk, cheese, meat and fish”

Why are diary products important to us?

Can we eat a lot of meat? Why?

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using appropriate formats, conventions and language features in writing information texts

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Helping students develop reading and writing skills through using information texts

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Reading:

 Through planning a school-based curriculum with the textbook materials and theme-related information texts in the GE

programme and Reading Workshops

 Through using information texts to set clear reading tasks

From Reading to Writing:

 Through using reading as an input and designing a relevant writing task

An example to follow…

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Strategy 1:

Setting reading tasks using textbook info texts with reference to the KS2 reading skills in the KLA Guide and guiding students through

accomplishing such tasks through

purposeful questioning and feedback

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What do you think about the original reading task that comes with the textbook text?

Discuss the task with your partner.

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Let’s replace it by a more meaningful

one…

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1. Read lines 4-10. Which of the following is/are

TRUE? Change the FALSE one(s) to make

it/them become true.



David eats less snacks than Jenny.



David does not add any sugar in his drinks.



David eats the same amount of fruit as Jenny.



Jenny should eat less sweet food.



Jenny should eat more vegetables.



Jenny should drink fewer soft drinks.

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What reading skills can we target through the previous item? How can we guide the students to reach the correct answers?

(Refer to the reading skills for KS2 in the KLA guide)

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• scan a text to locate specific information by using strategies such as looking at

headings and repeated phrases [Key phrases to look for?]

• fewer, more, less, too much, enough etc.

• identify details that support the gist or main ideas[What’s the main idea?]

• Sub-heading and thesis statement: Whose

lunch is healthier?

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2. To avoid getting fat, we should not eat too much…

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A.

noodles and vegetables

B.

meat and sugar

C.

milk and cheese

D.

fish and bread

• understand the connection between ideas [Any clues for connecting meat and sugar?]

• The repeated phrase …make you

fat]

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3. What does ‘two plus three’ (line 26) refer to?

What does it mean to ‘remember two plus three’?

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KLA Reading skills targeted:

• read written language in meaningful chunks

• work out the meaning of an unknown word or

expression by using visual clues, context and knowledge of the world [What clues are there to guess the

meaning of the phrase?]

• understand intention, attitudes and feelings conveyed in

a text by recognizing features such as the choice and

use of language [What does the writer want to do with

the use of the expression? Look at the second part of the sentence … and you will become healthy]

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4. Why does the writer present the different food in the form of the ‘food pyramid’?

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KLA Reading skills targeted:

• skim a text to obtain a general impression and the gist or main ideas [Which section to be

skimmed?]

• identify details that support the gist or main ideas [What details can we use to infer?]

• work out the meaning of an unknown word or

expression by using visual clues, context and

knowledge of the world [Any features of the

text can help us here? E.g. pictures?]

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5. The heading of the text ‘Eat smart, eat healthy’

suggests that the texts mainly talks about…

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A.

eating delicious food

B.

looking smart

C.

doing healthy exercises

D.

choosing the right food

• skim a text to obtain a general impression and the gist or main ideas [Any clues for skimming through the text quickly?]

• recognize the format and language features of

a variety of text types [How about the sub-

headings and pictures typically found in the

leaflet text type?]

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Strategy 2: Reading to write

An extension to the reading task:

Goal:

 Setting and achieving aims of the writing component of the GE Programme for the school-based English

Language curriculum to ensure the development of students’ literacy skills, critical thinking and creativity Means:

 Strategic and complementary use of authentic

information texts in consideration of students’ learning needs and interests

 Integrating content and language from various sources of

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“Reading some food labels & Writing some suggestions for a healthy diet”

General English lessons - An extension

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Writing some

suggestions for a healthy diet.

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“Making suggestions” (oral practice of suggestions written)

- To Keith? For Ourselves?

For our Class/Schoolmates?

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I should eat less

chocolate because it contains a lot of sugar.

We should eat oatmeal because it contains a lot of dietary fibre.

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Tips for moving from reading to writing

 Teachers can use questioning, feedback and graphic

organiser to help students process and write information texts.

 Reading different information texts as “input”:

 “Eat Smart, Eat Healthy”

 Different food labels

 Asking them questions to better understand the “content” of the information texts

 Using graphic organizers to draft / organize ideas for the writing task

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Tips for moving from reading to writing

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 It is import to show students how to use appropriate formats, conventions and language features in writing information texts

 Writing task: Give suggestions to your friends on buying healthier snack (chocolate, instant oatmeal, sweet corn).

 Language features:

 You should buy ________________. / You should eat ____________.

 You need ___________________.

 More advanced structure: You should buy / should eat / need because ______________________.

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Debriefing:

Reflection and Discussion

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Questions for discussion

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 How can we plan a school-based curriculum with the textbook materials and theme-related information texts in the GE programme and Reading Workshops?



Material selection

 How can we make good use of the information texts to set a clear reading and writing task, use reading as an input and design a relevant writing task



Material adaptation

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An Overview of ‘Genre and Purpose’

Text / Activity Text-type Purpose

“Healthy Lunch”

food labels

“Making suggestions”

leaflet

(information report)

to give information

labels

(information report / description)

to give information about food

suggestion to suggest / advise

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Debriefing:

Materials selection

 The reader and textbook chosen are from a local publisher.

 The topic “healthy diet / lifestyle” is a very popular topic among primary schools / teachers.

 It offers an entry point for integrating reading

activities into the school-based curriculum as well as other KLAs and KS3.

 There is a range of extra resources / materials / aids available under this theme.

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Debriefing:

Adapting materials

 The text is chosen not just for its teaching value.

It can demonstrate how some “far-from-perfect” materials can be adapted for use in the classroom using the genre-based approach.

 Many of the available textbooks contain examples of narratives. Although narratives are common and can be used as a good starting point,

students also need to broaden their exposure to non-fiction texts.

 By including other texts and activities, teachers can provide their students with a more balanced ‘diet’.

 This also allows teachers to start with something they are (more) familiar with / have to teach and cover, while still engaging students in reading a variety of text-types, both fiction and information texts.

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Application & presentations

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Mini group presentations

• First, form groups of 4-5.

• Next, work with your groupmates and design a lesson

plan/outline to try out at least one of the strategies / skills that you have learnt in the workshop.

 You have around 15 minutes to design your plan.

 You can refer to any passages in your textbooks / readers / other sources.

• Then, each group will have 3-5 minutes to present your lesson plan / outline to group. Other participants please give

constructive feedback.

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An important message

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 Learning and teaching is a dynamic, organic process.

There is no “quick-fix”, or any SINGLE best way.

 However, there are a few principles that we can apply

when we select appropriate reading materials to illustrate how tasks and activities can be designed:

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A few principles for you to consider…

 That the reading materials are available to local schools (e.g. texts from local textbooks and readers, or materials from the Internet)

 That the themes / topics of the reading materials can be linked to the local KS2 English curriculum, and/or local KS3 curriculum.

 That the reading materials can be easily adapted, and appropriate tasks and activities can be designed

accordingly.

No one knows your students and

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What we have discussed in the workshop

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 Introduction to the variety of information text genres

 The use of info texts in language classrooms

 Selection of information texts, recommendation of sources of texts, and multimodal resources, e.g. Readers for young learners with

authentic information texts such as posters

 Incorporation of information texts in the General English curriculum

 Connecting primary students’ learning experiences, within and outside English lessons

 Some mentioning of reading across the curriculum—emphasis on content-based instruction (CBI) and identifying common

communicative functions and language patterns in addition to text types

 Designing language tasks based on information texts

 Preparation for KS2 students for learning through EMI in KS3

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Disclaimer

 The material developers and facilitators do not own the respective copyrights of excerpts of texts shown. The respective copyrights are owned by the respective