1. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School 11 June 2010 2009-2010 English pull-out programme: Young Playwrights’ Theatre

2. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Background of our school Name of school: C. & M. A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Type of school: Subsidized Location: Yuen Long No. of classes: 24 Textbook used: My Pals are Here!

3. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Background of our school Language ability: Average Family: most students come from middle-income families Family support: Most parents are educated but they have to work in the daytime. Many students go to tutorial classes after school.

4. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Selection of target students Name of our programme: English Pull-out Programme: Young Playwrights’ Theatre Target level: P.5 & 6 Students are selected by: 1)Average English exam. result: Top 25% in their levels 2)English teachers’ recommendation 3)Pre-assessment results

5. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Pre-programme assessment 1)Written: reading and writing 2)Oral 1)Reading and writing: - Objectives: i) assess students’ basic knowledge about different elements of a play script ii) assess students’ writing and creative abilities - content designed based on a play they were going to read

6. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Design of the pull-out programme 2) Oral: - Objectives: i) assess students’ fluency, pronunciation and tone of voice ii) assess students’ knowledge about stage directions iii) assess students’ improvisation skills - content designed based on a play they were going to read

7. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Aims and Objectives of the pull-out programme This programme aims at: 1) developing students’ writing skills by i) broadening students’ vocabulary bank e.g. action verbs, adjectives and adverbs used to describe people’s feelings, gestures or the way they speak ii) improving their editing skills e.g. involving them in editing their own and their classmates’ writing and play scripts

8. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Aims and Objectives of the pull-out programme This programme aims at: 2) developing students’ speaking skills by i) teaching them to read with appropriate tone of voice ii) improving their fluency in speaking iii) increasing their confidence in speaking iv) raising their awareness of voice projection when acting on stage

9. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Aims and Objectives of the pull-out programme This programme aims at: 3) developing students’ knowledge of the elements of a play e.g. stage directions, setting, climax etc. 4) developing students’ acting skills e.g. gesture, facial expressions, body movement 5) promoting students’ interpersonal and intrapersonal skills e.g. collaboration skills and self-confidence

10. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Aims and Objectives of the pull-out programme At the end of the programme, students should be able to: - write up their own play script that matches with the school’s year theme ‘ Love Your Neighbours, Love Your School’ - act out their play script in a drama performance and the graduation ceremony

11. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Design of the pull-out programme Time: Extra-curricular activities period (Every Wed) Duration: 55 min (2:20 – 3: 15 p.m.) No. of lessons: 22 lessons Read 1 storybook and 1 play script Storybook: The Worry Website (by Jacqueline Wilson) Play script: “Once Upon a Fairy Tale” (by Christina Hamlett)

12. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Lesson Design From The Worry Website, the students learn: 1)To use first- and third-person narrative to create characterisation through a character’s actions, emotions or personalities in writing. 2)To construct meanings, share ideas and make value judgement. 3)To analyse different characterisation techniques and create characters with the use of characterisation techniques in acting and writing. 4) To analyse the different elements of a plot. 5) To use facial expressions to express emotions and attitudes. 6) To concentrate on making movements in acting.

13. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Lesson Design From “Once Upon a Fairy Tale”, the students learn: 1)The elements and plot of a play. 2)How a playwright interacts with the readers and actors in a play. 3)Action verbs through body movements and rewriting. 4)Characterisation in plays by focusing on stage directions (Adjectives and adverbs) 5) To write a play script for performance

14. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Lesson Design Teaching contents: In each lesson: -Include activities integrating the four skills; from reading + listening  speaking + writing (input) (output) - Include acting games

15. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Implementation of the lessons Teachers discuss the lesson design with the Gifted Education (GE) Section, CDI, EDB a week before implementation The GE Section writes up and revises the lesson plans Before the lessons:

16. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Implementation of the lessons During the lessons: Teachers The GE Section, EDB - Mainly responsible for teaching and giving instructions to activities - Offers help when necessary - Gives feedback to students’ performance

17. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Implementation of the lessons After the lessons: Evaluation of the previous lessons Planning for the next lesson

18. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Difference from Regular English lessons 1)More time for practice: writing and acting 2)More demanding: students need to read one chapter of a storybook every week; they need to write their own play script 3)Wider range of vocabularies taught e.g. adjectives, adverbs and action verbs 4)Small class learning allowed students to gain more opportunities to practice and interact with the teachers and classmates. 5) Approach

19. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Evaluation Means of evaluation: -Teachers’ observation -Students’ group work -Students’ individual work -Questionnaires -Post-programme assessment

20. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Evaluation 1) Students wrote with better use of action verbs, adjectives and adverbs. 2) They were able to edit their scripts and their group mates’ scripts based on the notes given to them. 3) They were able to read fluently with appropriate intonation. 4)They became more confident in speaking in front of the others.

21. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Evaluation Results of the pre- and post-program assessment on students’ knowledge of different elements of a play 5) Students knew better about the different elements of a play e.g. setting, characters, climax, gesture etc.

22. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Evaluation 6) Students were able to write stage directions. 7) They were able to act with appropriate gesture and facial expressions. 8) Students reflected that they learned how to cooperate with the others.

23. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Difficulties encountered 1)Limitation of time: - students could not arrive in time  over-run - lunch recess  follow-up 2) Teachers’ preparation - a lot of preparation required 3) Variation in student abilities

24. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Future development Two directions for future development: 1)Re-run the programme Advantages: - Teachers can reuse the teaching materials - As teachers have already used the materials once, they can implement the lessons more effectively Disadvantages: - The P.5 students who have joined the programme this year can’t join it again next year, their skills and knowledge can’t be further developed through the programme

25. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School Future development 2)Extended module – the students who have joined the programme for one year (P.5) will become group leaders in the second year Advantages: - Some of the materials can still be reused - The P.5 students can continue to build up their knowledge and skills based on their knowledge and skills built previously - Their leadership skills can also be trained Disadvantages: - Teachers have to develop another set of materials for the leaders.

26. C. & M.A. Chui Chak Lam Memorial School The End Thank you!