Supplementary Notes 1
Building a strong interface between the junior and senior secondary curricula:
Focusing on the development of literacy skills
[Supplementary notes to Chapter 1.4 Interface with the Junior Secondary Curriculum and Post‐Secondary Pathways in the English Language Curriculum and Assessment Guide (Secondary 4‐6) (CDC & HKEAA, 2007), pp.3‐4]
In designing and implementing an effective school‐based secondary English language curriculum, due consideration has to be given to the learning experiences and achievements of the learners in the previous key stages of learning, with a view to developing and reinforcing learners’ English knowledge and skills progressively through opportunities for consolidation and application at the secondary level. Particular emphasis has to be put on the development of literacy skills at the junior secondary level.
In developing primary learners’ reading skills, strategies are adopted by schools in the design of their school‐based English language curriculum and the use of resources on top of textbooks.
Since 2005, primary schools have introduced Reading Workshops, which take up a maximum of 40% of the English lesson time, into their school‐based English language curriculum to strengthen learners’ development of reading skills. In Reading Workshops, real books covering a wide range of literary and information texts over a variety of themes and topics are used to facilitate the development of reading skills in context. The reading texts also stimulate learners in generating ideas and applying the necessary vocabulary and structures in follow‐up writing activities.
Primary learners’ literacy skills are strengthened so that they can meet the challenge of English language learning at the secondary level.
In this respect, further development of literacy skills at the secondary level is necessary. Through exposure to a variety of text‐types and texts of different levels of complexity and on a wider range of topics, learners’ knowledge base and learning experiences are broadened and enriched. To maximise the benefits gained from reading, teachers can design writing activities which not only require learners to borrow or integrate ideas from the reading input, but also allow them to use the vocabulary, communicative functions and text features they have learnt.
Secondary teachers have to recognise that all learners have accumulated a certain range of reading experiences and developed some basic reading skills and strategies by the time they start
of what the learning outcomes are in reading and writing, i.e. what learners are able to do in demonstrating the progressive development of literacy skills from the primary to secondary levels. They also describe in more detail how the learning outcomes are to be interpreted, as well as include underlying principles about developing learners’ reading and writing skills respectively that are applicable across different stages of learning. By making reference to the progression as described in the two figures, together with assessment data gathered from various learning and assessment tasks, teachers can make informed decisions in relation to the following:
Where to start with their learners
Whether a text is easy or difficult for their learners
Whether their learners are making the expected progress
What to teach, what materials to select and what types of learning tasks to design
How to help learners to become more effective readers and writers
What their learners need in order to make progress
Depth of processing
Planning and providing opportunities for learners to progressively draw on skills that facilitate text processing which requires different levels of cognitive demand, e.g.
locating information by identifying key words
using a variety of decoding strategies to work out the meaning of unfamiliar words (such as knowledge of letter‐sound relationships, knowledge of prefixes and suffixes)
following the development of ideas and connecting ideas by using semantic and syntactic clues (such as use of cohesive devices, change of tenses, use of conditional structures)
recognising and understanding how texts are organised by using knowledge of text structure and rhetorical patterns (such as cause and effect, comparing and contrasting)
inferring ideas, feelings and opinions by using semantic clues (such as use of words with positive or negative connotations, use of subjunctive mood and rhetorical questions)
interpreting ideas and opinions presented within and across texts
synthesising ideas and opinions presented within and across texts
Figure 1: Progression in the development of Reading Skills
Expectations on learners
at different stages of reading skills development Understanding
information and ideas in a small range of simple texts, using some reading strategies
Inferring ideas, feelings and
opinions in a range of texts, using and integrating a small range of reading strategies
Interpreting ideas, feelings and opinions in complex texts, using and integrating a range of reading strategies
locating information
working out meaning of words and phrases
connecting ideas
identifying main ideas and supporting details
distinguishing facts from opinions
organising information and ideas
inferring feelings
deducing
information and ideas
comparing information and ideas
working out main ideas and themes
analysing information and ideas
synthesising
evaluating
justifying
Underlying principles
Activating learners’ prior knowledge and experiences in the process of interacting with texts
Exposing learners to a wide range of texts of different text‐types, appropriate lengths, different topics and different reading purposes
Taking into consideration the interplay between tasks and texts
Reducing the amount of teacher support provided as learners progress to promote learner independence
Depth of processing
Abstractness Organisation
Text complexity Range and application of
Text complexity
Using a variety of both print and electronic texts to enhance learners’ general knowledge and consolidate their skills and strategies in processing simple/complex texts with due consideration given to, e.g.
topics/themes (ranging from familiar topics such as teen problems to less familiar topics such as homeschooling and organ trade)
text‐types (such as literary and imaginative texts, newspaper articles, online posts on discussion forums, charts, signs, illustrations, comic strips, advertisements)
abstractness (such as stating information and ideas explicitly or implicitly through the use of figurative expressions)
density of information (such as embedded clauses, nominalisation)
stylistic elements (such as a range of language patterns to express different degrees of formality as well as tone and register)
text structure (such as paragraphing, headings and subheadings, sequencing of ideas)
Range and application of reading strategies
Teaching reading skills and strategies explicitly and in a progressive manner to help learners attack words, make meaning of the content, develop higher order thinking skills and extend learning of the content, e.g.
modelling what proficient readers do in the process of reading
using effective questioning before, while and after reading
Using texts composed of a range of vocabulary items to sensitise learners to word formation, collocations, academic words and semantically related words
Supporting the integrated use of language skills and extending learners’ learning experience and knowledge by providing opportunities for them to respond to texts purposefully and critically, e.g.
examining the topic/theme of the texts from various perspectives
expressing like/dislike about characters in stories
inferring writer’s point of view
making connection with the world or other texts they have read
justifying interpretations
Fostering learners’ abilities to monitor their reading for accuracy and to adjust their reading, e.g.
using what they know about words and sentence structures
looking for clues to confirm their predictions and inferences
varying the speed of reading, rereading and attending to the most important information when they encounter obstacles
Figure 2: Progression in the development of Writing Skills
Expectations on learners
at different stages of writing skills development Writing short texts to
convey simple ideas and personal experiences on familiar topics
Writing texts to convey ideas and opinions on familiar topics
Writing texts to convey coherent and
substantiated ideas on familiar and less familiar topics
writing a small range of texts such as simple stories, letters to describe personal experiences, people, places, events and objects
conveying relevant ideas
writing a range of formal and informal texts to describe, recount, record, explain, propose and summarise
elaborating ideas from various perspectives
writing simple literary/imaginative texts with a setting, and some
development of plot and characters
writing a wide range of texts to review,
compare and contrast
elaborating ideas with substantial and logical illustration
writing
literary/imaginative texts with a clear setting, a
well‐developed plot and good
characterisation
Underlying principles
Providing opportunities for brainstorming or seeking and selecting information and ideas from different sources
Developing learners’ skills in self‐editing as well as reflecting on own writing based on feedback from teachers or peers
Reducing the amount of teacher support provided as learners progress to promote learner independence
Range of vocabulary and sentence patterns
Content
An organisational framework
Content
Providing opportunities for learners to write texts of different lengths, about a range of topics (from the familiar to the less familiar) and for a range of purposes (including recounting, describing, recording, explaining, proposing, summarising, reviewing, comparing and contrasting)
Taking learners through steps towards analysing questions (such as identifying the purpose, writer’s role, target audience, topic, and stylistic features for the text‐type)
Making explicit how subject matters and purposes influence the choice of language and style and text organisation
Language and Style
Fostering learners’ abilities to present ideas with appropriate stylistic features through, e.g.
emphasising the use of grammar in context to achieve the intended writing purposes
enriching learners’ word choice and contextualising their vocabulary knowledge by assigning writing tasks associated with a wide range of themes, providing authentic practices in lexical expansion and teaching vocabulary building strategies explicitly
Raising learners’ awareness of tone, style and register to achieve the intended writing purposes (such as the degree of formality, reader‐writer relationship)
Organisation
Introducing the use of different kinds of graphic organisers for organising information (e.g. a Fishbone mapping which is useful for discussing questions which have a cause and effect)
Developing learners’ abilities in arranging ideas and establishing links through the whole text by modelling the use of writing frames which feature the structure of a particular text‐type
Fostering learners’ abilities to use appropriate cohesive devices to enhance cohesion and coherence in the text
Planning a literacy programme
When planning for a holistic school‐based literacy programme, teachers should be aware of the importance of vertical curriculum coherence. They should take into consideration the knowledge and skills acquired by learners at previous key stages and conduct learning activities to support learners to achieve the intended learning outcomes progressively. The same principles apply to the development of listening and speaking skills. During the process of language skills development, teachers should also enhance learners’ high order thinking skills, which, among others, include critical thinking and creativity, through designing less guided learning tasks in varied contexts. Taken together, these classroom practices enable learners to develop their receptive and productive skills further and apply them for general and academic purposes and ultimately independent, life‐long learning.
