Sch-based Eng Curriculum

To enhance students’ language proficiency, school-based study guide is used to facilitate learning. Writing Process Activities and other interactive language activities are integrated into lessons. We make intensive efforts to support the learning process through singing songs, self-directed learning activities, and implementing challenging activities in different forms in class.

Key Stage One teachers are consistently impressed by how much the students enjoy these lessons and by how well they learn the key language aspects. The students’ grasp of linguistic skills is significantly enhanced. Students can grasp key grammar points easily when they participate in the activities and a strong focus on phonics provides both a clear understanding of the necessary sounds and letter identification ability. This is the key to further strong progress and advancement through the various stages of reading. The school-based curriculum provides valuable opportunities for developing writing skills, with students being required to complete class writing or group writing after learning all the language foci. We find that the students are eager to express their ideas during the writing process and they enjoy seeing their writing displayed in the classroom. Teaching in this context is a stimulating and enjoyable experience for the teachers.

We aim to develop a love of reading in our students from an early age. Hence, a school-based guided reading programme is introduced to students from P1 – P2. Students are divided into 4 groups according to their reading proficiency. Students’ proficiency in reading is expected to be enhanced after the program. During the guided reading section, each group of students read with a teacher, either NET or LET. We usually start with a discussion around the theme, inviting students to share what experiences they have with the topic, what they might learn or find out in the story. Then students take the lead of the reading process. During reading, we support students by encouraging and guiding them to use the learnt phonics skills and reading strategies to overcome the challenges in pronunciation and comprehension so as to prepare them move towards the stage of independent reading. Guided reading lets students feel actively involved in the lesson.

In guided reading lessons, students also develop their habits in independent reading and self-directed learning with school-based developed booklets which are designed based on a range of themes. Students are involved in various learning activities during lessons, including crafts-making, e-learning with iPad, and pair work with peers.

An important initiative has been the development of a school-based literacy curriculum for Key Stage 2 (P4 – P6), designed to help students read and write much more effectively. Literacy curriculum modules have been created for each of the three years, with plans, materials and learning activities covering a wide range of topics.

There is a strong focus on reading in the literacy curriculum. Each module focuses on a specific topic and includes readers and videos to provide information and ideas, which help students to prepare for writing a composition on the topic. Students are guided to undertake online research to obtain further material for their writing and class activities include brainstorming sessions on each subject. The curriculum covers a wide range of topics and text types. Subjects covered include cultural norms in different countries, tourism, heroes, dream jobs, festivals and memorable experiences. The text types that students learn to write include articles, leaflets, stories, blogs, reports and biographies.

The literacy curriculum helps Key Stage 2 students to improve their reading and writing skills in a number of ways. Researching the topics encourages students to read more widely and the modules provide a clear structure for each type of writing, vocabulary suggestions to make the writing more descriptive and colourful, and practical information about relevant grammatical elements. Teaching reading and writing this way provides very clear benefits: most students are capable of producing clearer, better-structured pieces of writing that address the topic and contain a range of appropriate vocabulary. The students enjoy learning about new subjects and have been very receptive to the way the information and ideas are presented.

Books of famous authors are also introduced to each level to develop students’ literary appreciation, including books written by Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton and Jacqueline Wilson. The books are carefully chosen with the belief that the language they use are appropriate for the class level and can foster positive values and attitudes which align with our school values education.

All the Key Stage 2 classes are working on the same up-to-date textbooks, Living Oxford English. Living Oxford English is part of the Oxford University Press series of primary courses that are designed to help teachers and students understand and benefit from the latest trends in English Language teaching and learning. The objectives of the Living Oxford English course include nurturing learners’ creativity, collaboration skills and problem-solving abilities. It is also designed to enhance students’ global awareness.

A key aspect of our work to encourage students to read more, and to get more out of what they read, has been our use of Raz-Kids, an online reading platform. The Raz-Kids guided reading programme includes interactive e-books, downloadable books and quizzes. All the books on the platform are carefully and clearly graded, so it is simple to find appropriate books for each class level. Raz-Kids has inspired many students to read – and enjoy – a large number of books.

Parents frequently express their amazement at the change in their children. They regularly report that children who had never previously suggested reading aloud, now insist on reading their storybooks at home. The students’ vocabulary retention, confidence in reading aloud and speaking skills have all been greatly enhanced. In addition, seeing their children’s enthusiasm for reading in English means that parents see this as a pleasurable and enjoyable activity and they become actively involved.

English Department has worked with Chinese Department and the School Librarian to set up the framework of reading strategies for all six years. It is to ensure that the strategies used provide the maximum benefit for students at every level.