The Adapted Learning Targets and Learning Objectives for the English Language Curriculum for Students with Intellectual Disability (P.1-S.3)(2018) (Draft)(as at February 2018)

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The Adapted Learning Targets and Learning Objectives for the English Language Curriculum

for Students with Intellectual Disability (P.1-S.3)(2018)

(Draft)(as at February 2018)

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Key Messages

English Language Education Key Learning Area

Schools for children with intellectual disability (ID schools) are encouraged to make reference to the English Language Education Key Learning Area Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 – Secondary 6)(2017) (ELE KLACG (2017)) when planning and implementing their school curriculum. The English Language Education Key Learning Area is an important part of the school curriculum that provides students with a wide range of learning experiences to enhance their:

 English language proficiency for study, work and leisure;

 personal and intellectual development, and social skills;

 cultural understanding; and

 global competitiveness.

Entitlement of Students with Intellectual Disability (ID)

 All students from Primary 1 to Secondary 6 are entitled to opportunities for developing the above capabilities according to their abilities and special educational needs in the context of English Language Education.

 At least 7.5% of the total lesson time is allocated to the English Language curriculum for each key stage from Primary 1 to Secondary 3.

Position of English Language Education in the School Curriculum in ID Schools

English Language Education seeks to develop students’ English language proficiency

for study, work and leisure, provide them with opportunities for personal, intellectual

and social development, extend their knowledge and experience of other cultures

through the English medium, and nurture their generic skills as well as positive values

and attitudes to prepare them for the challenges of the rapidly changing world and the

keenly competitive knowledge-based society of Hong Kong in the 21

century.

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Every student is entitled to English Language Education. Regardless of their special

educational needs, ID schools should be provided with a wide range of learning

experiences that help them develop capabilities for lifelong learning and prepare them

better for further studies, future careers and the demands of the modern world.

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English Language Education Curriculum Framework

The Central English Language Education Curriculum: An Open and Flexible Framework

The curriculum framework for English Language Education is the overall structure for organising learning and teaching for the subject of English Language. The framework comprises a set of interlocking components including:

 subject knowledge and skills, which are expressed in the form of learning targets under the Interpersonal, Knowledge and Experience Strands, as well as learning objectives;

 generic skills; and

 positive values and attitudes.

Below is a diagrammatic representation of the framework:

English Language Education Curriculum Framework

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The framework sets out what students should know, value and be able to do at various stages of schooling. It gives schools and teachers flexibility and ownership to plan and develop their school English language curriculum to meet the needs of their students.

The principle of ‘One Curriculum Framework for All’ advocates that students of different capabilities, including students with ID, are provided with similar learning experiences as their counterparts in ordinary schools to enable them to develop their potential to the full.

The flexibility of the central curriculum allows plenty of space and scope for whole- school curriculum development. ID schools are encouraged to adopt the framework and general direction provided in the central curriculum in developing their school English language curriculum. With the overall aims and organisation of the curriculum remaining the same, ID schools are strongly encouraged to make appropriate adaptations to the learning targets and learning objectives, taking into consideration factors such as the needs, interests and abilities of students. Following the general direction and recommendations provided in the central curriculum, schools are encouraged to:

 develop a suitable, balanced and coherent school English Language Education curriculum;

 design and carry out innovative curriculum plans and build on good practices;

 vary the organisation of learning content, learning and teaching strategies, pace of learning and teaching, homework requirements, as well as criteria and modes of assessment, taking into consideration factors such as students’ special educational needs, teachers’ readiness and school contexts; and

 make plans for the effective use of lesson time based on the needs of students on

a developmental continuum.

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Aims

The overall aims of the English Language Education curriculum are:

 to provide every student of English with further opportunities for extending their knowledge and experience of the cultures of other people as well as opportunities for personal and intellectual development, further studies, pleasure and work in the English medium; and

 to enable every student to prepare for the changing socio-economic demands resulting from advances in information technology; these demands include the interpretation, use and production of materials for pleasure, study and work in the English medium.

Subject Targets

English Language has its own specific target, which sets the main direction for the learning and teaching of the subject.

The subject target of English Language is for students, including those with ID, to develop the capability to use English:

 to think and communicate;

 to acquire, develop and apply knowledge; and

 to respond and give expression to experience;

and within these contexts, to develop and apply an ever-increasing understanding of how language is organised, used and learnt.

Strands and Learning Targets

Strands are categories for organising the curriculum. Their major function is to organise content for the purpose of developing knowledge, skills, and values and attitudes as a holistic process. They also define the broad purposes of learning English Language.

The contents of English Language are primarily organised around three interrelated strands – Interpersonal, Knowledge and Experience.

The learning targets of English Language, as adapted from the central curriculum, set

out what students with ID are expected to learn throughout the different stages of

schooling in the subject. The learning targets, which cater for the diverse abilities and

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educational needs of students with ID, are complementary to the interrelated strands and can be grouped under each strand. The list of adapted learning targets for KS1 – 3 under the various strands is provided in Appendix 1.

Learning Objectives

The learning objectives describe explicitly the essential focuses of learning and what students with ID are expected to learn and use at each key stage in order to work towards the learning targets for that key stage. They serve as a reference list for curriculum, lesson and activity planning.

The subject-specific learning objectives for English Language are organised under the following general areas:

 language forms and communicative functions*;

 language skills and language development strategies; and

 attitudes specific to English language learning*.

*Please refer to pp.20-22 and Appendices 4 and 6 of the ELE KLACG (2017) for details about the learning objectives in these two areas. ID schools are encouraged to make adaptations according to students’ capabilities and needs.

Language Skills and Language Development Strategies

Despite their different capabilities and needs, in order for students with ID to be able to

use English for the various purposes described in the learning targets, it is important

that they develop a certain degree of competence in the skills of listening, speaking,

reading and writing, as well as the essential language development strategies. The lists

of adapted language skills and language development strategies for KS1 – 3 are

provided in Appendices 2 and 3 respectively.

A1

Adapted Learning Targets for Key Stages 1 – 3 (P1 – S3)

Interpersonal Strand Knowledge Strand Experience Strand

KS1 To develop the attitude and confidence in interacting with people and things around using simple English

a. to understand English words and conversations related to everyday life b. to enjoy using simple English words,

phrases or sentences to respond to questions, requests or instructions related to their life and school experiences

To gradually develop basic concepts of English a. to gradually understand the English

alphabet and simple English words

b. to develop the basic concepts of print and books, and develop basic reading skills c. to recognise some obvious features of the

English language in simple spoken and written texts such as the direction of writing in English, the characteristics of an alphabetic script and the sound patterns of English; and apply this awareness to one’s initial learning and use of the language

To build an interest in English

a. to display interest in English signage or broadcasts in their surroundings

b. to enjoy singing nursery songs and saying rhymes in English and to participate in fun English activities

c. to find pleasure in listening to or reading English stories

KS2 a. to establish and maintain relationships and routines in carrying out classroom activities

b. to converse about feelings, interests and experiences

c. to obtain and provide objects and information in simple classroom situations and through activities such as interactive games and role play

a. to provide or find out and present simple information on familiar topics

b. to interpret and use simple given information through processes or activities such as labelling, matching, sequencing, describing, classifying; and to follow simple instructions

c. to state opinions using information and ideas in simple spoken and written texts

a. to develop an awareness and an enjoyment of the basic sound patterns of English in imaginative texts through activities such as participating in action rhymes, singing songs

b. to respond to characters and events in simple imaginative and other narrative texts through oral, written and performative means such as:

(i) making predictions

(ii) describing one’s related experiences (iii) participating in the telling of stories c. to give expression to imaginative ideas

through oral, written and performative means such as supplying captions to and/or describing pictures that depict a scene, object or character

d. to give expression to one’s experience through activities such as making illustrations of selected events and

Appendix 1

A2

describing and/or providing captions for them

KS3 a. to establish and maintain relationships and routines in school and other familiar situations

b. to converse about feelings, interests, preferences, ideas and experiences c. to exchange messages through activities

such as writing simple texts, making telephone calls

d. to obtain and provide objects, services and information in classroom situations and through activities such as interactive games and simple open-ended role play

a. to provide or find out, organise and present information on familiar topics

b. to interpret and use given information through processes or activities such as matching, sequencing, describing, classifying and to follow instructions c. to identify ideas in simple spoken and

written texts, form opinions and express them

d. to recognise and solve simple problems in given situations

a. to develop an awareness of the basic sound patterns of English and an enjoyment of imaginative texts through activities such as reciting poems and rhymes, singing songs b. to respond to characters and events in

imaginative and other narrative texts through oral, written and performative means such as:

(i) making predictions

(ii) describing one’s feelings towards characters and events

(iii) imagining oneself to be a character in the story and describing one’s feelings and reactions

(iv) participating in dramatic activities c. to give expression to imaginative ideas

through oral, written and performative means such as:

(i) constructing with appropriate support simple stories that show some understanding of “setting” and events (ii) providing simple oral and written descriptions of a situation, object or character

Appendix 1

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Adapted Language Skills for Key Stages 1-3 (P1 – S3) Reading skills

KS1 KS2 KS3

Understand the basic conventions of written English

 follow left to right directionality

 identify and name all the letters of the English alphabet

 distinguish between capital and small letters

 recognise the beginning and end of sentences

 sight read common, phonically irregular words, (e.g. are, a, you)

 recognise familiar words in new texts

 use basic conventions of written English and prior knowledge of known words to read aloud short, simple texts

 use knowledge of basic letter-sound relationships to read aloud simple words and short simple texts

 sight read a wide range of common, phonically irregular words (e.g. have, said, was)

 recognise known clusters of letters in unknown words (e.g. in, chin, thin)

Construct meaning from texts

 recognise common abbreviations and contracted forms (e.g. Mr., Mrs., 10:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m., She’s clever.)

 work out the meaning of unknown words by recognising the base word within other words (e.g.

mother/grandmother, rain/rainy)

 understand the information provided on the book cover (e.g. title, author, illustrator), contents page and page numbers

 guess the topic by using personal experiences and knowledge of the world

 guess the meaning of unfamiliar words by using pictorial clues

 guess the meaning of unfamiliar words by using contextual clues

 guess the likely development of the topic by using personal experiences and knowledge of the world

 understand the connection between ideas by identifying cohesive devices, including connectives (e.g. and, but, or) and pronouns (e.g. he, them, my)

 understand the information provided on the book cover, spine or blurb and index

 work out the meaning of an unknown word or expression by using visual clues, context and knowledge of the world

 predict the likely development of a topic by recognising key words, using personal experiences, and making use of the context and knowledge of the world

 recognise the format, visual elements and language features of some common text types (e.g. signs, stories)

 make predictions about stories, characters, topics of interest using pictorial clues and the book cover

 obtain a general impression and the gist or main ideas with teacher support

 identify key words for the main idea in a sentence

 recognise the presentation of ideas through headings, paragraphing, spacing, italics, bold print and punctuation0

Appendix 2

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KS1 KS2 KS3

Locate information and ideas

 locate specific information in a short text in response to questions

 scan a text with teacher support to locate specific information by using strategies such as looking at repeated words, words in bold, italics or capital letters

 scan a text with teacher support to locate specific information by using strategies such as looking at headings and repeated phrases

Appendix 2

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Adapted Language Skills for Key Stages 1-3 (P1 – S3) Listening skills

KS1 KS2 KS3

Identify and discriminate sounds, stress and intonation

 identify basic consonant sounds (e.g. pen, thin, head, ball, rang)

 identify basic vowel sounds

 recognise features of language use (e.g. rhythm) in simple spoken texts

 recognise the difference in the use of intonation in simple questions and commands

 discriminate between a small range of initial and final consonant sounds in words (e.g. walk/talk, cat/cap)

 recognise features of language use (e.g. rhyme) in simple spoken texts

 recognise the difference in the use of intonation in statements

 discriminate between different middle vowel sounds in words (e.g. hot, tape, sit/sat)

 identify a small range of consonant blend sounds (e.g.

black, milk, school) and discriminate between a small range of initial and final consonant blend sounds in words (e.g. glass/grass)

 identify long vowel sounds (e.g. boy, chain, care) and discriminate between different long vowel sounds in words (e.g. dear/pear, drew/dry)

 recognise differences in the use of intonation in expressing approval, disapproval, queries and doubts

Listen for explicit and implicit meaning

 work out the meaning of unknown words using pictorial clues

 recognise that audio clues (tone, volume) convey meaning

 recognise that clues from gestures and facial expressions convey speakers’ intention, feelings and opinions

 work out the meaning of unknown words using contextual clues

 identify key words in short utterances by recognising the stress

 guess the topic and the likely development of the topic by using personal experiences and knowledge of the world

 recognise the connection between ideas supported by appropriate cohesive devices, including connectives (e.g. and, but, or) and pronouns (e.g. he, them, my)

 identify the gist or main ideas in simple spoken texts (e.g. short stories) with the help of cues

 use audio clues (tone, volume), contextual clues and knowledge of the world to work out the meaning of simple spoken texts

 identify the gist or main ideas by recognising the stress in connected speech

 locate specific information in spoken texts

 predict the likely development of a topic by recognising key words, using personal experiences, and making use of context and knowledge of the world

 recognise language patterns and vocabulary items previously encountered in new spoken texts with teacher’s support

Appendix 2

A6

KS1 KS2 KS3

 locate or provide specific information in response to simple instructions or questions

 recognise repeated expressions in simple spoken texts

 understand the speakers’ intention, attitudes and feelings through their choice and use of language, gestures and facial expressions

Appendix 2

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Adapted Language Skills for Key Stages 1-3 (P1 – S3) Speaking skills

KS1 KS2 KS3

Present information, ideas and feelings clearly and coherently

 pronounce correctly letters of the alphabet and words in isolation (e.g. girl /gɜ:l/)

 pronounce correctly words in connected speech by linking words together and using appropriate stress (e.g. Thank you /ˈθæŋkju:/)

 produce simple phrases and sentences involving repetition

 use simple phrases and sentences to communicate with others with the help of cues

 produce simple phrases and sentences involving lists (e.g. I like bananas, apples and oranges)

 imitate appropriate stress, rhythm and intonation

 use appropriate register when speaking to familiar interlocutors such as teachers and peers (e.g. May I go to the toilet?)

 use gestures and facial expressions to convey meaning and intention

 connect ideas by using cohesive devices (e.g. and, but, or)

 apply grammar rules such as subject-verb agreement correctly (e.g. Peter plays football every Sunday.)

 connect ideas by using cohesive devices (e.g. also, at last, before)

 use appropriate intonation and stress, and vary volume, tone of voice and speed to convey intended meanings and feelings

Participate and communicate effectively in a conversation or an interaction

 use simple formulaic expressions to greet someone politely

 use single words and formulaic expressions to acknowledge, agree and disagree

 get help from other students or the teacher (e.g. Can you help me?)

 use simple formulaic expressions (e.g. Good-bye.)

 provide information in response to factual or yes/no questions

 introduce oneself by naming themselves (e.g. I am John.)

 use single words and formulaic expressions to ask questions and reply

 elicit a response (e.g. How are you?)

 greet someone in an appropriate manner

 verbalise inability to understand or asking for slower repetition of an utterance (e.g. Pardon?)

 introduce oneself briefly

 ask for spelling (e.g. Can you spell “Mary” for me?)

 introduce oneself giving some details

 elicit a response by asking questions or providing information on a topic (e.g. I’ve borrowed three very interesting books. Would you like to have a look?)

 maintain an interaction by participating, contributing and responding appropriately to others during an interaction:

- taking one’s turn at the right moment and recognising others’ desire to speak (e.g. It’s my turn . . . It’s your turn now.)

- asking and responding to others’ opinions (e.g. Do you like that book? What do you think of (name of a character in the book)?)

- acknowledging, agreeing or disagreeing, asking questions and replying

Appendix 2

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KS1 KS2 KS3

 use appropriate formulaic expressions to end a conversation (e.g. See you tomorrow.)

Appendix 2

A9

Adapted Language Skills for Key Stages 1-3 (P1 – S3) Writing skills

KS1 KS2 KS3

Use the basic conventions of written English

 use the left to right directionality sequence

 use print script

 combine letters to form words

 space letters, words

 use capital and small letters

 use basic sentence punctuation  use paragraphs, capitalisation and conventional punctuation

Present information, ideas and feelings clearly and coherently

 reproduce sentences based on the teacher’s model and use words from print in the campus

 put words in a logical order to make meaningful phrases or sentences

 use appropriate cohesive devices (e.g. and, but, or, too)

 use appropriate formats and conventions of short written texts (e.g. greeting cards, signs)

 make changes to incorrect spelling and punctuation

 provide personal ideas and information based on a model or framework provided

 use appropriate formats, visual elements, conventions and language features when writing/creating a variety of text types (e.g. notes, personal letters, emails, procedures)

 gather and share information, ideas and language by using strategies such as brainstorming, questioning and interviewing with teacher support

 express imaginative ideas with the help of cues

 make changes to incorrect grammar and add details if necessary

 use appropriate cohesive devices (e.g. also, at last, because)

 use concepts of order and time (e.g. last night, this morning)

 draft, revise and edit short written texts with teacher support by:

Appendix 2

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KS1 KS2 KS3

- using available references or resources (e.g.

dictionaries, glossaries, Apps)

- presenting writing using appropriate layout and visual support such as illustrations, tables and charts

Appendix 2

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Adapted Language Development Strategies for Key Stages 1-3 (P1 – S3)

KS1 (P1 - 3)

KS2 (P4 - 6)

KS3 (S1 - 3)

 Develop thinking skills

- distinguish between positive and negative values

 Develop reference skills

- use given materials to find out required information

- locate simple information in materials (e.g. price lists and menus)

 Develop information skills

- extract information and ideas from texts with the help of visual clues

- apply simple IT skills to search and process information and ideas in multimodal texts

 Plan, manage and evaluate one’s own learning - concentrate on one’s work

- make use of opportunities to learn and use English in the classroom (e.g. trying to talk to the teacher and classmates in English)

 Develop self-motivation and positive attitudes

- participate actively in tasks in an English classroom although there is the possibility of making mistakes or encountering difficulties - tell the teacher one’s feelings concerning English

learning in general and specific tasks

 Work with others

- work with others to complete a task

 Develop thinking skills

- recognise and solve simple problems in a given situation

- find out, organise and classify information on familiar topics

 Develop reference skills

- classify the materials and put them into files of different topics or themes with teacher support - use organised information to check spelling or

meaning (e.g locating vocabulary cards in a word bank)

 Develop library skills

- obtain information from the different parts of a publication (e.g. the cover, title, table of contents, blurb)

 Develop information skills

- organise words into alphabetical order and refer to them as a resource for spelling when writing

 Develop self-motivation and positive attitudes

- make positive statements to oneself as an encouragement before and while engaging in a language task

 Work with others

- ask others for help with the meaning and pronunciation of words

 Develop thinking skills

- recognise and solve simple problems with reasons

- compare and contrast ideas to find similarities and differences

 Develop reference skills

- categorise the materials of different topics or themes into different files for easy access

- use directories for purposes such as locating places, services and addresses - use an English dictionary to check

meaning or spelling

 Develop information skills

- skim and scan through texts with teacher support or listen to locate relevant information and ideas

- focus on important information in reading materials through a variety of emphasis techniques (e.g. underlining, starring, colour coding)

- share prudently information and ideas through the use of online communication tools

 Develop self-motivation and positive attitudes - push oneself to take risks in an English

learning situation although there is the

Appendix 3

A12 KS1

(P1 - 3)

KS2 (P4 - 6)

KS3 (S1 - 3) - appreciate the use of English by others

- work cooperatively with others and treat others’

suggestions positively to complete a task

possibility of making mistakes or encountering difficulties

 Work with others

- ask questions to clarify information - offer help to others in English learning

situation when appropriate

Appendix 3