Parallel Session I Theme 2
Promoting Language-across-the-curriculum/
English across Key Learning Areas
10:35 – 11:20 a.m.
28 November 2009 Knowledge Fair 2009
English Language and Subject Learning
Reading Across the Curriculum – Some Basics
Mrs Rosana CHONG
Senior Curriculum Development Officer English Language Education Section
Curriculum Development Institute
The development of a language policy across the curriculum
“means in effect that every teacher in the school should accept it as part of his responsibility to develop the pupils’
reading, writing and speaking ability in and through the subject or activity for which he is responsible”.
“A Language for Life”
Para. 15.31.
(London:
HMSO, 1975) Baron Bullock
Language across the Curriculum (LaC)
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From Language Across the Curriculum to Reading across the Curriculum
Reading across the Curriculum (RaC) is a component within LaC
RaC
reading as a fundamental mode of learning
explicit teaching of reading to be integrated with teaching the
curriculum
students learning to read
the subject matter of pedagogic texts
the associated language patterns (Martin & Rose, 2005)
Speaking
Writing Listening
Reading
Effecting School-based Curriculum Changes for Better Student Learning in English Language
through Reading Across the Curriculum
Ms Sally CHEUNG
English Language Panel Chairperson CCC Ming Yin College
CCC Ming Yin College – The Prelude to
School-based Curriculum Changes
English Panel’s Culture
• independent &
receptive
• ready to embrace effective pedagogical practices
• adopting a more conventional teaching approach
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Refocusing Pedagogical Practices & Curriculum
Planning at JS Level through RaC
English Panel’s Culture
• independent &
receptive
• ready to embrace effective pedagogical practices
• adopting a more conventional teaching approach
Participation in a “Seed” Project on Connecting Students’ Learning
Experiences Through RaC
Incorporating Reading across the Curriculum
into the School-based English Language Curriculum
RaC
Effective Use of Real
Books
Flexible Use of Teaching
Strategies
Connecting Students’ Learning Experiences
RaC Development of
Reading Skills & Strategies
1. Effective Use of Real Books
Use real books or reading materials from real books
Choose information texts with content-area links
Identify suitable objectives, e.g.
- applying the KLA-specific ideas explored in reading texts in real-life or simulated
situations
- using vocabulary / language structures in activities with links to the specific KLA
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2. Flexible Use of Teaching Strategies
More teacher support to expose
students to a variety of
reading texts Less teacher
support to engage
students in silent reading
Develop students’ reading strategies and use effective pre-, while- and post- reading questions/tasks to help
students to read for meaning, and to interact with the text
and the context, i.e. to understand the text and relate it to
everyday life experience
3. Connecting Students’ Learning Experiences
Find out what students learn in other KLAs
Collect information/ask colleagues about students’ needs and weaknesses in English use in the specific KLA,
e.g. vocabulary & sentence structures
Identify the language features specific to the KLA,
e.g. passive constructions & imperatives
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Union For Children’s Rights
The First Tryout
Cross-KLA Activity Focus Questions
+ +
ELE KLA PSHE KLA
ELE Textbook History Textbook
Topic:
Democracy Theme:
Double R’s
(Rights and Responsibilities)
Reading Texts
Greek Democracy
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History
PSHE KLA
Topic:
Greek Democracy
Theme:
Double R’s
• Most teachers have the
experience of teaching History.
• Most students find the History subject in the PSHE KLA
uninteresting and remote from their real-life experience.
• Most students find learning Historydifficult in terms of vocabulary and display
weaknesses in language use in History assignments.
• 2008 – the year of elections
• Connecting two KLAs:
English: “Homecoming”
History: “Greek Democracy”
• Rights & Responsibilities:
moral duties as citizens &
students
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Theme: Double R’s
Reading Texts for the First Tryout
A song about our wonderful
world A story about a
school election
An information text about democracy A poem about
children’s right
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The Second Tryout
Cross-KLA Activity Focus Questions
+ +
ELE KLA Sci Ed KLA
ELE Textbook I.S. Textbook
Topic:
The Wonderful Solvent - Water Theme:
Water = Full + Wonders (Water is Full of Wonders)
Reading Texts
The Wonderful Solvent – Water
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I.S.
Sci Ed KLA
Topic:
The Wonderful Solvent - Water
Theme:
Water = Full + Wonders
• Most students have a desire to pursue Science subjects at senior secondary level.
• Some students find it difficult to organise the ideas/information presented in Science textbooks.
• Teachers feel that the Sci Ed KLA offers opportunities to deal with language structures such as the passive voice and the imperatives.
• May to June is the beginning of the typhoon seasonin Hong Kong
• Connecting two KLAs:
English: “Weather”
I.S.: “The Wonderful Solvent – Water”
• Water is full of wonders: looking at water from different perspectives
Reading Texts for the Second Tryout
A poem about rain A story about a
girl’s adventures at
Loch Ness
An information text about water Afilm about
the Loch Ness monster
Theme: Water = Full + Wonders
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The Refocused School-based
JS English Language Curriculum
S1 S2 S3
Thematic approach
Linking textbook units with RaC units
1 RaC unit with Sci Ed KLA &
1 RaC unit with PSHE KLA
1 RaC unit with PSHE KLA &
Sci Ed KLA
_?_ RaC unit(s) with _?_
KLA
Text types Information texts + stories, poems and films
Information texts + Information texts +
Reading skills and strategies
Pedagogical practices
Explicit teaching of reading skills and strategies
Use of a variety of teaching strategies, e.g. reading aloud, supported reading, independent reading
Use of reading as a starting point for writing and speaking tasks
Use of more open-ended questions
Use of activities that encourage student self-expression, e.g. pair/group work, discussion
Greater emphasis on assessment for learning, e.g. sharing of learning intentions, providing timely feedback, using self/peer assessment form
Design of the Refocused School-based JS English Language Curriculum
• Identifying main ideas & supporting details
• Working out the meaning of unfamiliar words by using semantic and syntactic clues
• Locating specific information by using the index page
• Inferring information and ideas by using semantic & syntactic clues
• Organising information & ideas by using graphic organisers
• Identifying stylistic features
• Inferring feelings of characters by using semantic & syntactic clues
• Distinguishing facts from opinions by using semantic
& syntactic clues
• Deducing information and ideas by using semantic and syntactic clues
In addition to those developed in S1:
• Inferring writers’ opinions and attitudes
• Comparing alternative views & arguments by using graphic organisers
• Gathering, distilling and summarising information and ideas from texts In addition to those developed in S1 & S2:
Critical thinking skills
? ? ?
?
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Setting up a Cross-curricular Reading Corner in the library
Reading for personal development Reading for information
& knowledge enrichment
Impact of RaC Beyond the ELE KLA (1)
Skills & Strategies for Independent Reading
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Impact of RaC Beyond the ELE KLA (2)
Increased Awareness of the Connection
Between Learning Experiences in ELE KLA and other KLAs
Our JS students Our SS students
• Facilitating the implementation of Ming Yin’s Whole-school Language Policy; and
• Paving the way for more collaboration between the ELE KLA and other KLAs based on Ming Yin’s Whole-school Language Policy
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Refocusing the School-based JS English Language Curriculum
As a Result of the
“Seed” Project Experience
Increased Students Reading Engagement, Interest and Motivation
Ss’ level of reading engagement increased
remarkably, especially among the weaker students.
The result was that they wrote more in writing tasks and had more ideas to share in speaking tasks.
Thanks to the variety of text types and interesting reading activities, we found reading fun and enjoyable.
We really appreciate that we learnt a lot about topics related to other school subjects.
There was a gradual improvement in students’ engagement, interest and motivation as long as teachers selected appealing texts and used interactive and diverse activities, students remained motivated to read.
Our students Our teachers
Our Project Advisor, Professor Cecilia CHUN
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Increased Student Reading Confidence
Our students have developed more advanced reading skills, such as guessing the meaning of unfamiliar words.
We’ve learnt how to make prediction, how to locate specific information using the index page and how to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words.
There was evidence suggesting that the students unconsciously employed different reading skills and strategies when reading English materials.
Our students Our teachers
• The teachers became more familiar with different reading-related activities, e.g. jigsaw reading, discussion.
• They also became more aware of the various reading skills and strategies and the need to teach them explicitly.
English Panel’s Professional Growth –
Readiness to Refocus Pedagogical Practices
We are now more aware of the different strategies for teaching reading.
We have realised how important it is to teach reading skills and strategies explicitly.
It is important to use a variety of activities to develop our students’ reading skills and strategies.
Our teachers
Our Project Advisor, Professor Cecilia CHUN 27
The teachers became more aware of using information texts as reading materials to relate learning in ELE to other KLAs.
English Panel’s Professional Growth – Readiness to Refocus Curriculum Planning
We believe that our school-based curriculum can be refined by incorporating interesting reading materials into it, on top of those from the textbook.
It is important to use a variety of text types, including information texts, with content-area links, as reading materials, to increase students’ exposure to texts that they come across in other KLAs.
I.S. teachers reported that our students had written more in the exam.
They were also more convinced of the benefits of RaC, e.g.
•equipping students with reading and generic skills that facilitate reading in different domains for different purposes and enhance their ability to study other subjects;
•stimulus for students to generate more ideas and organise information, not only in English Language, but also in other KLAs.
Our teachers
