New Chinese Language Curriculum 2007 Primary Three Meet-the-Parents Session The Singapore Education Service - Moulding the Future of Our Nation

Chinese Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review Committee set up in Feb 2004 in response to changing home background of students Background

Generational Shifts in Use of CL in Homes

Differentiated Objectives for Range of CL Students  All CL students: enthuse them to learn CL  Majority of students: focus on oral communication and reading; writing to reinforce language skills  Students with ability and interest: develop fluency in all four language skills and good understanding of Chinese culture  An essential group of students: achieve both high proficiency in four language skills and an intuitive understanding of culture and contemporary developments in China

The Pedagogical Approach

有效识字 Recognise Characters Effectively 读写跟上 Follow on with Reading and Writing 多听多说 Listen and Speak More 快乐学习 Enjoy Chinese Language Learning

Listen and Speak More  Language learning begins with ability to converse in the language  Engaged participation in classroom activities to encouraged students to express themselves using the language  Build a strong foundation in oral communication

Recognise Characters Effectively  A range of character recognition strategies will be taught explicitly to students  No “one-size-fits-all” strategy  Teachers and students will be encouraged to adapt strategies to suit their needs

Teaching of Reading  Early reading helps students acquire the language faster  It helps students consolidate characters learnt  Teach students reading strategies explicitly

Teaching of Reading  Structured framework to teach reading throughout the 6 years.  P1 to P2: Focus on nurturing the intuitive grasp of the language （培养语 感）  P3 to P6: Specific reading skills

Teaching of Writing  Essay writing skills will be taught systematically  At lower primary, students will be taught to compose simple sentences ( 写话 )  As they move up the levels: Sentences → Paragraphs → Short Essays ( 写段 ) ( 写篇 )  Aid of hanyu pinyin writing software

sound 音 form 形 Listen and speak more Recognise characters effectively Early Reading Writing meaning 义 汉字 Incorporate learner’s experience Enjoy learning CL

Modular Approach Greater Customisation and Flexibility

Students who need more support in learning CL 70-80% Core Module 20-30% Reinforcement Module Core Module 70-80% Students with interest and ability 20-30% Enrichment module 70-80% Core Module Majority of students Modular Approach (P3-4) School-based Curriculum 20-30%

B R R B PSLE C C C C C C E E E E E E P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 PSLE - only Core Modules Legend B: Bridging R: Reinforcement C: Core E: Enrichment

Student Grouping  Students will be organised into R/C/E groups based largely on:  teacher’s evaluation of students’ language competency, e.g. through classroom performance  their results in the previous year  Students may move laterally across the various module combinations at appropriate times of the year

Instructional Materials for New CL Curriculum

Categories of Characters  Characters for Writing 识写字  Required to read and write these characters  Characters for Reading 识读字  Required to read these characters only  “Meet-Once” Characters 见面字  To retain authenticity of the passages  Only required to read these characters in context

New Textbook Format  Core Module  Reading Passage  Language Garden ( 语文园地 )  Listening and Speaking ( 听听说说 ) or Character Recognition ( 识字课 )  Learning Treasure ( 学习宝藏 )

Core Module: Reading Passage

Core Module: Language Activites

Core Module: Listening and Speaking

Core Module: Learning Treasure

Reinforcement Module  To provide support for character recognition in Core Module  To reinforce recognition of characters learnt previously

Reinforcement Module

Enrichment Module  Encourage independent learning  Promote reading  Further enhance reading and writing skills

Curriculum Transition

P3 Connecting Package  For Primary Three students in 2007, MOE has provided them with a “Connecting Package”.

P3 Connecting Package  The “Connecting Package” consists of modified chapters from the new curriculum.  Objectives:  Advance benefits of new CL curriculum and pedagogy;  Facilitate students’ transition to new CL curriculum in 2008.

Parent Support

 Encourage children to speak to family members in Mandarin  Encourage your child to read good Chinese books  Public libraries  Books with attractive illustrations to start the child  Audio books, electronic books

Parent Support  Expose your child to good Chinese television programmes, e.g. cartoons  Tap on the environment such as road signs and advertisements to engage your child in Chinese conversations during outings

Parent Support

 Do not excessively correct children’s mistakes  Build up their confidence  Children are more willing to use the language, thus, will acquire it better  Allow the children to learn through meaningful games

Thank You