Development of Students’

Enhancing the Progressive Development of Students’

Literacy Skills in English Language through Holistic Curriculum Planning at KS2

English Language Education Section

Collaborative Research & Development

(“Seed”) Project for 2020 – 2022

Project objectives:

⪢ reviewing the effectiveness of the school English Language curriculum in developing upper primary students’ literacy skills;

⪢ planning the school curriculum holistically and strategically to ensure effective and progressive

development of students’ reading and writing skills; and

⪢ adopting effective teaching strategies, and designing suitable learning, teaching and assessment activities to implement recent initiatives in English Language

education, e.g. reading and creating multimodal texts,

promoting Reading across the Curriculum (RaC) and

developing students’ self-directed learning capabilities

“Work as a team to identify the direction for school curriculum

development and set clear focuses (e.g.

development of literacy skills) for a specific year level and across year

levels to ensure horizontal and vertical alignment in curriculum planning.”

Guiding principles for curriculum planning:

English Language Education KLACG (P1-S6) (2017),

Chapter 3.1 Guiding principles for curriculum planning p.31

Lifelong learning

Challenges in the 21st century

The ability to read and write effectively Literacy Development in the English Classroom

Promoting Reading across the Curriculum

(RaC)

Equipping Students with New Literacy Skills

Sound effects

Images

Written texts Spoken

language

Music Multi-

modal texts

(I) Recent Initiatives – RaC & Multimodal Literacies

“Literacy” refers to the ability to read and write effectively to achieve desired goals or outcomes and develop one’s knowledge and potential. With the rapid

development of IT and social media, “literacy” has taken on a new meaning as texts are no longer a linear form of presentation limited to words but are composed of various modes of communication (e.g. images, animations, sounds, graphics).

Students, therefore, need to be equipped with new literacy skills to process and create multimodal texts in which messages are conveyed in different modes (e.g.

linguistic, audio, visual, gestural, spatial), and the skills to search for and manage information.

English Language Education KLACG (P1-S6) (2017), p.8

In the learning process, teachers can help students:

 learn how to learn;

 make choices as to what, when and how they want to learn;

 use a range of language development strategies;

 carry out self-assessment and reflection; and

 plan, monitor and evaluate the strategies adopted and their own learning effectiveness, which forms the basis for goal-setting in subsequent tasks or activities”

English Language Education KLACG (P1-S6) (2017), Chapter 3.2.1 Integrating classroom learning and independent learning, p.33

(II) Recent Initiative – Self-directed Learning

Common Pitfalls in Curriculum Planning:

 Unable to sustain the new initiatives

 Unable to ensure vertical and horizontal alignment and faciliate the development of literacy skills

progressively

 Little room for implementing the new initiatives, e.g.

promoting Reading across the Curriculum (RaC) to

connect students’ learning experiences, processing

and creating multimodal texts

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Our Plan –

curriculum planning to enhance literacy skills development

Holistic Curriculum Planning

 Learning and teaching objectives

 Learning and teaching materials

 Language structures

 Text types

 Reading and writing strategies

 Marking focus / assessment criteria

 Providing scaffolding and appropriate challenge for students

 Setting reasonable goals and expected learning outcomes for learners of different abilities

 Ensuring vertical and horizontal alignment in curriculum planning

 Using SWOT analysis for identifying strengths and weaknesses in relevant aspects

 Reviewing the existing reading & writing plans and identifying entry points for conducting tryouts with different focuses

 Using the Learning Progression Framework as a reference tool

S

 Teachers are hard-working and creative.

 Students are generally well-behaved.

 A collaborative lesson planning culture has been in place.

O

 The school-based curriculum needs reviewing to integrate the major emphases in the KLACG.

 A school-based reading and writing programme has been implemented in P.1.

 The existing grant / funding provides a chance for the school to develop the literacy curriculum.

W

 Few students can apply self-learning skills.

 Students have not developed a reading habit in English yet.

 Students generally lack appropriate reading skills and motivation in reading in English.

 Students have limited exposure to a variety of text types. Their writing skills are not well

T

 Family support in English learning is generally limited.

 The learning diversity of students is widening.

 Pressure on the school to prepare students for English learning in secondary schools

Using SWOT analysis for identifying

strengths and weaknesses

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Coverage of text types KS1

- stories with 4 pictures - descriptions

- poems KS2 - poems

- book reports

- story writing with pictures

- descriptive writing with mind maps

• Progression can be seen in terms of word limits

• General guidelines on number of pieces of writing and word limits

• Suggestions on the L&T strategies which are conducive to the

development of students’ writing skills

• Allow flexibility for individual teachers to develop class-based writing plans Learning and

Teaching Strategies KS1

- Cross-curricular components - Creative writing KS2

- Cross-curricular components - Creative writing

An example of improving the school-based writing plan

Possible revisions:

 More L & T strategies can be introduced, e.g.

connecting reading and writing experiences

 The progression from KS1 to KS2 in writing skills development is not obvious

 Careful planning is necessary on - the coverage of topics, text types - organisation

- language skills & styles

Making reference to Learning Progression Framework ATM 1 – 5 to consider progressive development in terms of

- writing topics

- organisation of ideas

Developing students’ literacy skills through

 exposure to both narrative and information texts

 the use of a variety of reading materials, such as printed and multimodal texts

 Promoting Reading across the Curriculum (RaC) and connecting students’

reading and writing experiences

Providing support/scaffolding for students to

 develop vocabulary building strategies

 understand features of different text types

 express personal ideas/experience

 write with imaginative ideas

Catering for learner diversity through

 encouraging collaboration among peers

 designing a variety of learning activities to suit their learning styles

 giving choices& flexibilitiesfor students

Our Plan –

Learning and Teaching Strategies

Catering for the Needs of SEN and Gifted Students in the Mainstream English Classroom

Integrative Use of Generic Skills

Learning and Teaching of Text Grammar e-Learning & Information Literacy

Literacy Skills Development

Values Education

Extending from Assessment for Learning to Assessment as Learning

Reading across the Curriculum

Developing Literacy Skills through Promoting Reading across the Curriculum in the English Classroom at KS2

Understandingteachers’

roles in promoting Reading across the Curriculumand exploring strategies for

promoting Reading across the Curriculum in the English classroom at KS2

Raisingstudents’

awareness of the

connection between their learning experiences in the ELE KLA and other KLAs

Cross-curricular planning

Adopting an integrated approach to plan and

implement the school English Language

curriculum at

the primary

level

An example of connecting students’ reading and writing experiences through promoting Reading across the Curriculum (RaC)

General Studies Identify a

module/unit for tryout

Identify reading materials for connecting students’

learning experiences in different KLAs

Design learning activities that provide

opportunities for students to integrate

and apply the knowledge, skills and learning experiences

gained in different KLAs Design learning

activities that help developstudents’

literacy skills and consolidate the knowledge and skills acquired across KLAs English

Language Tasks:

1. Writing a biography to introduce a famous scientist

2. Doing an experiment and presenting findings

Read information books about:

• the steps and attitudes to investigate scientific phenomena

• famous scientists

 Text structure: sequence, description

 LPF Reading pointers:

 LPF Writing pointers:

• locate details that support the main ideas from different parts of a text

• follow ideas by recognising simple text structures and understanding the use of cohesive devices

P.5 Fantastic people 聲、電、摩擦力

Promoting Reading across the Curriculum in the English Classroom at KS2

Literacy Development Promoting

RaC

e-Learning and Information

Literacy

Values Education

Integrative Use of Generic

Skills

Appreciating the wonder of nature Language Skills Development - Positive

attributes of a scientist - Loving and

caring for the animals

- Respect for the environment

- Process and create multimodal texts - Extract, organise,

synthesise and evaluate

information and ideas from different sources

- Holistic thinking skills - Collaborative

problem solving skills

- Identify entry points and

suitable reading materials

- Develop skills for reading and writing expository texts

General Studies

Input on and assessment of concepts

and knowledge

Explicit teaching of skills for reading and writing

Teaching of thematic vocabulary and target

structures

Additional input of ideas

Assessment of reading

Roles of Teachers

English Language

Suggestions on ways to promote Self-directed Learning

 Teaching of enabling skills such as dictionary skills, research skills, phonics skills and vocabulary building strategies

 Sharing of learning intention or goals with students

 Modelling of learning strategies through think-aloud

 Group discussion of sample student work

In order to enable students to take charge of their own learning, the following can be done:

Few students can apply self-learning skills.

Students generally lack appropriate reading skills.

Students’ writing skills are not well developed.

Addressing students’

weaknesses identified in “SWOT Analysis”

Students have not developed a reading habit in English yet.

Planning &

Implementation of the “Seed”

Project

Implementation (1-2 weeks)

• To try out the unit, i.e. the strategies and materials, in at least one level of students (1 level per year, 2 levels throughout the 2-year project)

Development • To design and develop materials for one unit of work (about 8 – 10 lessons) with the CDI officers

Development

• To design and develop materials for one unit of work (about 8 – 10 lessons) with support from the CDI officers as appropriate

Implementation (1-2 weeks)

• To try out the unit, i.e. the strategies and materials, in at least one level of students (1 level per year, 2 levels throughout the 2-year project)

Evaluation • To participate in the end-of-the-year evaluation

Phase I (Year 1)

/ Phase III (Year 2)

Phase II (Year 1)

/ Phase IV

(Year 2)

Project Code: EE0720

Duration: September 2020 to August 2022

Seed schools are expected to:

 nominate 1 experienced and committed English teacher to be

seconded to the English Language Education Section of CDI for a period subject to mutual agreement;

 identify two upper primary levels for implementing the programme;

 consider how discussion and material development can fit into the level’s current mode of collaborative lesson preparation;

 set aside a period of time in the scheme of work to try out the project materials; and

 assist in the collection of evidence (covering tryout lessons,

Seed Schools

Seconded teachers are expected to:

 collect evidence (by supporting classroom observations, including video-recording a substantial number of tryout lessons and interviewing students/teachers) on the

processes of change and impact on student learning;

 assist in analysing and interpreting the data collected; and

 assist in the dissemination of tryout experiences/ good practices.

Seconded Teachers

Application procedures

Refer to Education Bureau Circular Memorandum No. 6/2020 Staff Interflow Schemes 2020

1. Complete Appendix B, Annexes 2 & 3 of Appendix B 2. Complete Appendix C

3. Write up a project proposal

Download the PDF copy of the CM:

https://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curri culum-development/major- level-of-edu/seed/whatsnew- 2020-21/index.html

Submit a Project Proposal

including the following

- title of “Seed” project with project code - school particulars

- proposal details

(provide details on A4 sheets)

Deadline for Application:

9 March 2020 (Monday) Send your application to:

Appendix C (pp.72 & 73 of CM 6/2020)

By hand

Drop-in Box

(Box No.: EDB02 - Staff Interflow Schemes 2020)

By post

or

EDB Human Resources Management Unit 4/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices

2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong (Application for Staff Interflow Schemes 2020)

Located at 2/F Entrance, East Wing, Central Government Offices,

2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong

Enquiries

Administrative matters:

Ms Christy NG 2892 5824 Professional matters:

Ms Isabella HUNG 2892 5874

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