1. Using TSA data to enhance curriculum planning
English Language Education Section
Curriculum Development Institute
Education Bureau

2. Listening Some Suggestions of the Way Forward:
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
Use poems, songs and rhymes to help pupils develop sensitivity towards the sounds and rhythm of the English language
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
Design activities which provide pupils a clear purpose for listening
listening skills can be taught together with reading skills, which can give them more language input for listening comprehension and enable them to infer meaning and locate information
Ask pupils to read aloud continuous prose so that they can comprehend more meaningful chunks instead of discrete items only

3. Listening Some Suggestions of the Way Forward:
Teach the skills explicitly rather than just playing the tape/CD and checking answers
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
Help pupils develop their simple note-taking skills
Review the problems when pupils fail to identify the information required and guide pupils 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)

4. Reading Some Suggestions of the Way Forward:
Expose pupils to a range of text types
Use multi-media resources to boost pupils’ interest and confidence in reading
Teach pupils different reading skills explicitly 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

5. Writing Some Suggestions of the Way Forward:
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
Ask more open-ended questions to stimulate pupils’ critical thinking and creativity
Guide pupils how to organise ideas with the use of mind maps and appropriate cohesive devices
Provide opportunities for the application of the language items and structures learnt
Encourage pupils to use a variety of language structures and vocabulary
- not just assigning writing tasks to pupils as homework without teaching

6. Writing Some Suggestions of the Way Forward:
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 (apart from 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
Gradually reduce the support to help pupils progress from the stage of controlled writing to guided writing and to independent writing
- not just assigning writing tasks to pupils as homework without teaching

7. Speaking Some Suggestions of the Way Forward:
Encourage pupils to apply the phonics skills in reading aloud
Provide more practice on giving presentations or rehearsed speech (e.g. show-and-tell)
Provide more practice on interactive activities (not just answering teacher’s questions)
Encourage pupils to talk with the NETs or English teachers in English both inside and outside the classroom
Encourage and guide pupils to give appropriate elaborations
Develop pupils’ confidence in speaking up (emphasis on fluency before accuracy)
Teach the communication strategies explicitly

8. Marking – Writing / Speaking
Some Suggestions of 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 organisation for writing)
Practise consensus marking to gain a common understanding of pupils’ performance and facilitate the provision of feedback
Give constructive feedback to help pupils identify their strengths and improve on their work
Avoid counting every single grammatical/ spelling/ pronunciation mistake

9. English Language Learning
Reading
Speaking
Vocabulary learning
Integration of 4 skills
Listening
Writing

10. Vocabulary Building Skills
Word Formation
Affixation (e.g. unhappy, careless)
Compounding (e.g. foot+ball=football)
Conversion (e.g. cook a meal, a cook)
Derivation (e.g. excite, exciting,
excited, excitement)
English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6)(2004), pp

11. Vocabulary Building Skills
Word Association
Synonyms (e.g. happy = glad)
Antonyms (e.g. bright dark)
Homonyms (e.g. catch a bus, catch a cold)
Collocations (e.g. make a wish, watch TV)
Lexical sets (e.g. furniture – table, chair,
desk, cupboard)
English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6)(2004), pp

12. Approaches to Vocabulary Learning
Paradigmatic
Approach
Syntagmatic
Receptive
Productive

13. Paradigmatic Approach
Word Hierarchy

14. Paradigmatic Approach
Superordinates
Sports
Furniture

15. Paradigmatic Approach

16. Paradigmatic Approach
Organises words into hierarchies
Develops associative networks
Encourages efficient vocabulary learning
Allows for additions

17. Syntagmatic Approach Topic: Jobs PEOPLE ACTIONS OBJECTS PLACE Chef
cook
meals
restaurant
Teacher
Singer
Pilot

18. Syntagmatic Approach
Topic: Going around Hong Kong

19. Syntagmatic Approach Develops associative networks
Helps with the productive use of English
Focuses on multi-word units
(e.g. ‘See you later.’, ‘Have a good trip!’)
Learns word collocations
(e.g. ‘go shopping’, ‘have a shower’, ‘play football’)

20. Providing Opportunities for Practice
Pupil’s initial draft
My Favourite Thing
I like music. My father bought me a piano. I love the piano. I think it is the best piano. I play the piano every day. When I touch the piano, I feel very happy.

21. Suggestions for Enrichment
Pupil’s revised draft
My Favourite Thing
I like music. My father bought me a _______ piano I love the piano. I think it is the best piano I play the piano every day When I touch the piano, I feel very happy.
new
(Adj?)
as a birthday present.
(What for?)
because it is beautiful.
(Why do you think so?)
(When?)
after school.

22. Too many pianos? Lexical Substitution
Pupil’s final draft
My Favourite Thing
I like music. My father bought me a new piano as a birthday present. I love I think it is the best
because it is very beautiful. I play every day after school. When I touch , I feel very happy.
present.
the piano.
the gift.
piano
musical instrument
the piano
the keyboard
the piano

23. Integrative Tasks Writing a story Story reading: (Reading)
- Learning story structure and vocabulary
Writing a story 1 2 3
Collaborative story telling:
(Listening and Speaking)
Brainstorming setting, characters and events
Brainstorming storyline in groups
- Developing storyline with teacher support
Individual story writing:
(Writing)
Summarising the collaboratively produced story
Creating a personalised ending to the story