Reading

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Making Use of Assessment Data for English
Language Curriculum Planning
February 2006
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Assessment Data
Assessment for Learning
Interpreting
Analyzing
Reflecting
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Listening

• Some Suggestions on the Way Forward
• Use poems, songs and rhymes to help pupils
  develop sensitivity towards the sounds and rhythm
  of the English language
• Expose pupils to more authentic listening
  materials covering a range of text types (e.g.
  advertisements, announcements, telephone
  conversations) to prepare pupils for listening to
  English in real-life situations
• Draw pupils attention to the use of spoken
  English in their daily life (e.g. conversations
  with the NETs, announcements on the MTR)
• Make use of activities like storytelling, reading
  aloud and shared reading to develop pupils
  listening skills (let pupils comprehend more
  meaningful chunks by asking them to listen to or
  read aloud continuous prose)

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Listening

• Some Suggestions on the Way Forward
• Help pupils anticipate the content of the
  listening text and tune in
• Develop in pupils the good habit of listening to
  the whole recording once to get the gist or main
  ideas the first time they listen. In subsequent
  listening, guide pupils to locate and understand
  specific details
• Teach the skills explicitly rather than just
  playing the tape/CD and checking answers
• Review the problems when pupils fail to identify
  the information required and guide pupils on how
  to get the answers
• Increase in complexity the content of the
  listening materials as pupils progress from KS1
  to KS2 (e.g. providing opportunities for pupils
  to listen to extended texts rather than merely
  short and discrete items)
• Help pupils develop their simple note-taking
  skills
• Teach pupils to deduce the right answers by
  eliminating the unreasonable or illogical options
  in the MC questions (as a useful examination
  technique)

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Reading

• Some Suggestions on the Way Forward
• Use multi-media resources to boost pupils
  interest and confidence in reading
• Expose pupils to a range of text types
• Teach pupils different reading skills explicitly
  with close reference to the text types instead of
  just explaining the meaning of the vocabulary
• Guide pupils to read for meaning (i.e. understand
  the main ideas/gist of the whole text before
  learning how to locate specific information)
• Use effective questioning techniques to help
  pupils develop reading skills as well as critical
  thinking skills and creativity
• Allow wait time for pupils to formulate their
  responses
• Do not just drill the item types without telling
  pupils how they can make sense of what they read

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Effective Questioning Techniques

• Ask questions to check knowledge and
  comprehension
• Ask more open-ended questions to stimulate
  thinking

• Application
• Analysis
• Synthesis
• Evaluation

Please refer to pg.150-151 of the English
Language Curriculum Guide (P1-6)
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Writing

• Some Suggestions on the Way Forward
• Learning and teaching
• Ask open-ended questions

• Encouraging pupils to express their personal
  experiences, ideas and feelings
• Helping pupils develop creativity

• Gradually reduce the support given to pupils

• Providing a model
• Providing guiding questions
• Providing an outline

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Writing

• Some Suggestions on the Way Forward
• Learning and teaching
• Expose pupils to a variety of text types
• Discuss the topic for the writing task, clarify
  the purpose and audience, discuss the format,
  conventions and language features whenever
  appropriate
• Use shared writing, process writing to help
  learners progress from the stage of guided
  writing to independent writing
• Provide opportunities for the application of the
  language items and structures learnt
• Develop pupils capacity to use a variety of
  language structures and vocabulary
• Guide pupils on how to organize ideas (e.g.
  understand the use of a mind map and appropriate
  cohesive devices rather than just answering
  guiding questions)

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Writing

• Some Suggestions on the Way Forward
• Learning and teaching
• Help pupils develop the habit of reviewing their
  own work to avoid careless spelling and
  grammatical mistakes
• Give quality feedback to pupils on how they can
  improve their writing (acknowledging pupils
  efforts and give encouraging remarks)
• Foster a good learning culture in class by
  demonstrating examples of good pupil writing and
  highlighting pupils strengths

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Speaking

• Some Suggestions on the Way Forward
• Provide more practice on reading aloud
  (application of phonics skills)
• Provide more practice on giving presentations or
  rehearsed speech (e.g. show-and-tell)
• Provide more practice on spontaneous interaction
  (e.g. more interactive activities for pupils to
  practise using the language for purposeful
  communication, not just answering teachers
  questions)
• Speak with pupils in English both inside and
  outside the classroom
• Encourage and guide pupils to give appropriate
  elaboration (tell them different ways of giving
  elaboration)
• Develop pupils confidence in speaking up
  (emphasis on fluency/message before accuracy)
• Teach the communication strategies explicitly

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Marking Writing / Speaking
Some Suggestions on the Way Forward

• Use holistic marking
• Identify the focus of the task
• Decide on the marking criteria which can cover
  the different aspects (e.g. content, language and
  organization for writing)
• Acknowledge what pupils can do
• Avoid counting every single grammatical/spelling/p
  ronunciation mistake
• Practise consensus marking to gain a common
  understanding of pupils performance and
  facilitate the provision of feedback

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English Language Education Section Curriculum
Development Institute
Ms Cindy Chan Tel. no. 2892 5888 Ms Emilie
Tong Tel. no. 2892 6571
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Thank You
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Resource Packages
Strategies and Activities to Maximize Pleasurable
Learning Experiences (SAMPLE)
Lets Experience and Appreciate Poetry (LEAP) KS1
KS2
Lets Experience and Appreciate Drama (LEAD)
Songs, Rhymes and Tales for KS1 KS2
Poems, Songs and Games
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Resource Packages
Phonics Multimedia Resource Pack
Phonics in Action
Good Practice in Speech Activities
Promoting Assessment for Learning in English
Language Education at Primary Level
Using IT to Learn, Learning to Use IT