English Language Education Section Curriculum Development Institute Education Bureau

1. Collaborative Research & Development (“Seed”) Project for 2009 – 2010 Effective Strategies to Enhance the Implementation of the Reading Workshops of the English Language Curriculum at KS2 English Language Education Section Curriculum Development Institute Education Bureau

2. School-based English Language Curriculum

3. Objectives of the Project (I) • To help pupils progress in the development of reading skills and strategies from KS1 to KS2 • To enhance teachers’ skills and strategies in conducting Reading Workshops at KS2, especially supported reading and independent reading • To enhance teachers’ questioning skills to help pupils develop critical thinking skills and creativity

4. Objectives of the Project (II) • To widen pupils’ exposure to a variety of text types, including both narrative and information texts • To develop appropriate learning, teaching and assessment tasks / materials • To promote reading across the curriculum

5. Contents • Introduction • Our school • Positive impacts of the Seed Project • Way Forward

6. School background HKFYG Lee Shau Kee Primary School • Established in 2000 • Situated in Tin Shui Wai

7. School background • Our English teachers • Energetic, open-minded, hard-working • Ready to accept new ideas and make • innovative changes

8. School background Our pupils • Obedient and polite • Limited family support • Less motivated in learning English • Lack confidence in using English

9. Development of reading skills Pupils • Struggling to progress from KS1 to KS2 in the development of reading skills • Experiencing difficulty in reading information books • Lacking confidence in handling less familiar text types • Lacking strategies in understanding the intention of the writer

10. Development of reading skills Teachers • Limited experience in conducting the Reading Workshops at KS2 • Unfamiliar with the use of supported reading and independent reading • Exploring effective strategies to provide support in reading (e.g. use of questioning techniques, prompts) • Exploring ways to cater for learner diversity in the development of reading skills

11. What can we do? To help pupils: • approach a variety of text types • progress in the development of reading skills and strategies from KS1 to KS2 • read across the curriculum To enhance teachers’ skills in: • conducting the Reading Workshops at KS2 • using questions to help pupils develop critical thinking skills and creativity • developing appropriate learning, teaching and assessment tasks / materials Seed Project “Seed” Project Effective Strategies to Enhance the Implementation of the Reading Workshops of the English Language Curriculum at KS2

12. Project Information

13. Seed Project Approach a variety of text types Healthy snacking habits I Know Why I Brush My Teeth Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Birthday Feast Food labels Recipes Explanation of how and why Story Helping to save the Earth Having fun in games and activities Earth Saviour Environ-mental Test How to Have a Green Day Our Fragile Environ-ment Games We Play Fun and Games Rollercoaster Expositions Expositions, Instructions Story Instructions Story, Poem Leaflet • Identifying the purpose, structure and grammar features • of different text types • Broadening pupils’ horizons through reading authentic materials

14. Progress in the development of reading skills and strategies from KS1 to KS2 Seed Project Q: How much have we done to save the Earth? Theme: Helping to save the Earth Earth Saviour – Environmental Test Q: How can we save the Earth in our daily life? Q: How can we save the Earth at school and at home? Earth Saviour Environmental Test Q: What are the problems the Earth is facing? Q: Why do we need to save our Earth? Our Fragile Environment Our Fragile Environ-ment How to Have a Green Day Supported Reading Independent Reading • Evaluate own • practices • Give critical • response G.E. Text Supported Reading That’s our Earth • Compare and • contrast ideas • Analyse and apply • ideas / information Supported Reading Independent Reading • Connect what is read • and already known • Integrate information Moving from Learning to Read to Reading to Learn • Acquire vocabulary and • language structures • Develop basic concepts • about the topic

15. Progress in the development of reading skills and strategies from KS1 to KS2 Seed Project Work out the meaning of unknown words by using word association, visual clues, context & knowledge of the world Guess the meaning of unknown words by using pictorial and contextual clues Skim a text to obtain the main ideas Identify key words for the main idea in a sentence Understand intention, attitudes and feelingsconveyed in a text Make predictions Understand the information provided on the book cover, index and glossary Understand the information on the book cover and contents page Recognise the features of a variety of text types Recognise the features of some common text types Re-read the text to establish and confirm meaning Construct meaning from texts KS1 KS2

16. Seed Project Competent Stage How to Have a Green Day Everyone can help to look after the natural world. Follow the instructions in this book, and make sure you have a green day every day. You really can make a difference to help save our planet. Geography Instruction Conducting the Reading Workshops at KS2 Making effective use of information texts to develop reading skills and strategies Where do I begin? Cover Blurb Contents page How to Have a Green Day Contents What does green mean? 3 What do you need to be green? 5 Getting up 6 Going to school 11 At school 12 After school 16 Going to bed 20 Summary 22 Glossary 23 Index 24

17. Seed Project Competent Stage How to Have a Green Day Everyone can help to look after the natural world. Follow the instructionsin this book, andmake sure you have a green day every day. You really can make a difference to help save our planet. Info Trail Geography Instruction Conducting the Reading Workshops at KS2 Making effective use of information texts to develop reading skills and strategies Blurb Cover Contents page How to Have a Green Day Contents What does green mean? 3 What do you need to be green? 5 Getting up 6 Going to school 11 At school 12 After school 16 Going to bed 20 Summary 22 Glossary 23 Index 24 • Connect different parts to understand • the overall organisation of the text

18. Seed Project Blurb Competent Stage How to Have a Green Day Everyone can help to look after the natural world. Follow the instructions in this book, and make sure you have a green day every day. You really can make a difference to help save our planet. Geography Instruction Conducting the Reading Workshops at KS2 Making effective use of information texts to develop reading skills and strategies Contents page Contents What does green mean? 3 What do you need to be green? 5 Getting up 6 Going to school 11 At school 12 After school 16 Going to bed 20 Summary 22 Glossary 23 Index 24 Introduction Cover How to Have a Green Day Instructions for readers to follow A green day Conclusion Reading tools • Familiarise pupils with the organisation cues (e.g. headings, • bullets, tables) • Use the introductory and concluding chapters to highlight • and reinforce key concepts

19. Seed Project Conducting the Reading Workshops at KS2 Making effective use of Supported Reading Read p.9-10 to find out the green instructions for washing breakfast dishes. How to Have a Green Day Present manageable challenges that encourage purposeful reading Observe pupils’ responseand provide feedback on their application of reading strategies Oh no! They missed the semantic clues – the verbs at the beginning of a sentence! It’s difficult for them to distinguish main ideas from supporting details. P.9 Wash up your breakfast dishes by hand. It only takes a few seconds….. ………………………….. …………………………... P.10 They can be recycled. When they are clean, put them in a box……….. ……………………………. …………………………………………………………. Should I read out the whole page to answer the teacher’s question? All sentences are instructions for washing breakfast dishes.

20. Seed Project Conducting the Reading Workshops at KS2 How to Have a Green Day Making effective use of Supported Reading Not every sentence is an instruction for washing breakfast dishes. Look for action words that come at the beginning of an instruction. Use the following table to help you. Observe pupils’ response and provide feedback on their application of reading strategies Guide pupils to attend to the semantic clues How to provide support? Look for action word Look for ‘Don’t’

21. Seed Project Food stick on your teeth Germs called bacteria Bacteria in the plague feed on the sugar Acid Holes Read across the curriculum Tryout Module: Food and drink G.E. Text Unit 3: What’s in our food? Reading Workshop: I Know Why I Brush My teeth Teeth brushing Teeth changing G.E. Text Unit 3: What’s in our food? I Know Why I Brush My Teeth Tooth decay Teeth structure Types of teeth Concepts of food pyramid and a balanced diet Concepts of growth and health Providing coherent and connected learning experiences to acquire andapply knowledge • Developing language skills and establishing • cross-curricular linkage

22. Seed Project Read across the curriculum Tryout Module: Food and drink Providing coherent and connected learning experiences to acquire and apply knowledge Sam told us sugary food would make holes in our teeth. Let us look at the menu for our Christmas party again and decide if we should remove all the sweet food. Question for a debate activity: • Should we remove all the sugary food from our Christmas party menu? Why? • Should we keep all the sugary food in our Christmas party menu? Why? Can we have snacks and drinks without getting holes in teeth? How? I think we should _____________ ___________________________ ___________________________

23. Seed Project Using questions to help pupils develop critical thinking skills and creativity Seven UpP.21 Equipment: A ball and a wall Steps: 1. Bounce the ball off the wall 2. …………………………… 3. … add a trick…………… ............................................ Fun and Games Task: Redesigning a new ball game for school picnic Present the new situation Where are we going for school picnic? What changes will you make to the equipment or steps? • Brainstorm the • possibilities of changes : • size of ball • number of steps • types of tricks What other changes can we make to the game? Why? Don’t bounce the ball. Kick the ball! More difficult! Add more tricks! Very exciting! Change the steps! More fun! Use a bigger ball. Easier!

24. Seed Project Using questions to help pupils develop critical thinking skills and creativity Rollercoaster Understanding the character’s fear of going on the rollercoaster Was Mickey a little scared of the rollercoaster ride or was he very frightened? Read Chapter 1 creatively. Let’s jump right into the scene to watch Mickey. Thermometer Fear Prompts: • Use your • eyes to see Mickey’s action • ears to hear Mickey’s words • and his voice • hands  to feel Mickey’s heartbeat • Use different senses to locate details to support • understanding of the character’s feelings in narrative texts • Use prompts to encourage pupils to read between the lines

25. Seed Project Using questions to help pupils develop critical thinking skills and creativity Understanding the writer’s intention / attitude Reading opposite views on winning and losing Fun and Games How many groups of opinions are there? Fun and Games Winning and Losing Vince Lombardi, a famous football coach, once said, “Winning isn’t everything – it’s the only thing.”…………………………………...………………….……...................................... They say that games should teach people to work together, not against each other. P.6 Which opinion sounds the strongest? What strong words are used? Whose opinion is it? Draw attention to the use of emphatic words to express strong opinions Do you agree with the football coach? Why? What would you tell him if you met him today? Broaden perspectives by viewing a situation from different angles Develop pupils’ own questioning strategies and provide opportunities to question obvious bias

26. Seed Project Developing appropriate learning, teaching and assessment tasks / materials Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Rollercoaster Our Fragile Environ-ment I Know Why I Brush My Teeth Task: Charlie won the chocolate factory. What would Willy Wonka say at the award ceremony? Fill in Mr. Wonka’s speech bubble Task: If you were Mickey, would you tell people you were afraid to go on the rollercoaster? Why? Task: Write a thank you card to the tree to thank him for what he does for us Task: Make a poster to teach children how to brush their teeth • Design questions on application, analysis, synthesis and • evaluation to assess pupils’ progress in the development of • reading skills, creativity and critical thinking • Observe and assess pupils’ understanding and interpretation • of book content

27. During the Seed Project… • Support: • explain the rationale of the • Seed Project • teach them the reading skills • explicitly • give positive encouragement Challenges our pupils faced: Changes • Support: • seek administrative support • allocate time for co-planning • learn through peer observation • and sharing of experiences • arrange co-teaching Challenges our teachers faced: Pressure

28. Impact on pupil learning • More interested in reading different text types • More able to apply a wider range of reading skills and strategies to handle different text types • More ready to give a critical response to the book content • More confident in reading English books

29. Impact on project teachers • A variety of teaching skills and strategies are developed to conduct Reading Workshops • Questioning techniques are explored and improved • Professional development is enhanced through • co-planning, sharing and peer observation • A collaborative culture is fostered

30. Way Forward Sustaining the impact of the Seed Project • Organise in-house workshops and sharing to enhance teachers’ professional development • Deploy some of the experienced project teachers to continue with the project at P.5 • Deploy the panel chair to lead some new project teachers to develop materials for the tryouts at P.6

31. Way Forward Sustaining the impact of the Seed Project • Review and revise the existing school-based English reading curriculum to better cater for the needs of pupils • Strengthen the development of reading skills in G.E. Programme and Reading Workshops • Strengthen the progressive development of reading skills to enhance the transition from KS1 to KS2 • Promote a ‘Reading to Learn’ culture to facilitate the smooth transition from primary to secondary education

32. Thank you !