Strategies in Helping Students with SEN in

Strategies in Helping Students with SEN in Reading & Writing Tasks of HKDSE English

Language Papers

Speaker : Mr HUNG Wai-kuen, Rickie

(Registered Educational Psychologist) Date: 25^th February, 2016

Venue: Rm WP 01, EDB Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre

Main Principles

• What are the students’ strengths & weaknesses?

• Capitalize on the strengths to make up for the weaknesses

Effective strategies

• Reading

– Skimming skills

– Identifying keywords in passage – Prioritize questions

– Identify question types

• Writing

– Frameworks (OREO, Hamburger, 5W, 5 senses) – Know commonly-used words & phrases

Read the title Read the questions Guess the main idea

Scan the passage

Read Smart

Step 1: Read the title

• Read & analyse the title and headers

• Highlight key words

Step 2: Read the questions

• Analyse questions

• Highlight key words

• Look for clues about the passage’s topic

Step 3: Guess the main idea

• Use keywords to guess what the passage is about

• Use 6 Ws Framework:

– Who?

– What?

– When?

– Where?

– Why?

– HoW?

Step 4: Skim and scan the passage

Get the main ^idea:

– Read the first paragraph – Read the last paragraph

– Read the first and last sentences of each paragraph

Step 5: Identify key words

• Highlight key vocabulary words

• Highlight words you don’t understand

Reading comprehension

Skills for answering examination questions

Rules of the game

• Tips on how to get started

• Understand the questions and detect

clues and key words (build a word bank!)

• Learn strategies to answer different types of questions

• Manage the use of time and effort

Scan through the questions again

Questions you can answer Questions that are harder

Marks allocation to plan your time

and look for:

1. How to begin

How to begin…

Start with questions you can answer Start with factual questions

• Saves time

• You get points for what you know

Next …

Go back to the questions you have skipped.

• You might feel more relaxed after having answered other questions

• Your answer to one question may provide a clue

to the answer of another question

Plan your time …

Try to save a few minutes at the end for review -

• Your first answer may not always be your best answer

• But change answers only if you have a good reason for doing so

• Look at the highlighted or circled or underlined key words in the question

• Read the question

2X

• Make sure you understand what they’re trying to ask you

2. Understanding the question

What kind of question is it?

• Types of questions

1. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

– Choose the correct meaning and / or words

– Match sub-headings or summarize meaning of paragraphs

2. True/ False/ Not Given

3. Completing tables, concept-maps, charts etc.

4. Open-ended questions 5. Summary Cloze

Question Word Bank

• Some words appear very frequently in the exam questions , such as:

– Explain – Refer to

– According to / Based on – Discuss

– Name / Identify

• Students must know these words

Writing

Writing FRAMEWORK

• Give students a framework

• Give students a model to follow

• Task analysis

– Content – Language

– Organization

Writing rubric: Choose which ones to practise

• Content

– Relevant & answers the question – Has details

– Creative

– Aware of audience

• Language

– Sentence structure accuracy & variety – Grammar overall accurate

– Appropriate vocabulary

– Appropriate punctuation & spelling – Suitable tone & style

• Organization

– Paragraphs (e.g., good introduction & conclusion)

Choosing the right type of question

Choose the one you know best in Part B

How to write…

 an introduction

 structured paragraphs

 a conclusion

Writing Framework

Writing framework

Writing Framework

Writing framework

Draft a plan

 spend about 5 minutes

 write down relevant points and key words

 put them in logical order

• It should clearly answer the question

• Include:

 what you think (personal statement)

 your key arguments to support it

• Use similar wording as that in the question

How to write a good introduction

How to write a good paragraph

Introduce one idea

Example 1:

Example 2:

Example….

Paragraph 1

Summarizing the one idea

1 sentence

1 sentence

2 or 3 sentences

Linking words

Therefore

Yet

On the other hand Again

Consequently

Likewise Similarly

Contrarily

How to write a good conclusion

Bring together all the key points

 Keep it short and precise

Do not add anything new

words possible substitutes

very

nice

good

bad

terrible

wonderful

Special Examination Arrangement for candidates with SLD

• Extended time allowance (25% written, 15% MC)

• Enlarged print

• Ivory-colour question paper

• Write on alternate lines

• Write on one side of answer book

• Circle MC instead of filling in answer sheet

• Word processor (for illegible and/or slow writing)

– Overlay PDF format question-answer papers

Special Examination Arrangement for candidates with SEN

• Speech-to-text software for Liberal Studies

– SLD students with writing impairment – MacBook Air

– Can edit text with keyboard / Chinese input method

Special Examination Arrangement for candidates with ASD

• Plain text labels / description of questions that

involve high level comprehension, interpretation of cartoons or complicated pictures

• For Liberal Studies, History, Chinese History

The cartoon shows a man on a cart pulled by a donkey, whipping the donkey. The cart is carrying a bag labelled “Income of farmers” and the man has a thin pile of RMB notes in his pocket…