Using TSA data to enhance
curriculum planning
English Language Education Section
Curriculum Development Institute
Education Bureau
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
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)
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
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
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
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
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
English Language Learning
Reading
Speaking
 Vocabulary
learning
 Integration of
4 skills
Listening
Writing
Vocabulary Building Skills
Word Formation
•
•
•
•
Affixation
Compounding
Conversion
Derivation
(e.g.
(e.g.
(e.g.
(e.g.
unhappy, careless)
foot+ball=football)
cook a meal, a cook)
excite, exciting,
excited, excitement)
English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6)(2004), pp. 168-171
Vocabulary Building Skills
Word Association
• Synonyms
(e.g.
• Antonyms
(e.g.
• Homonyms
(e.g.
• Collocations (e.g.
• Lexical sets
(e.g.
happy = glad)
bright
dark)
catch a bus, catch a cold)
make a wish, watch TV)
furniture – table, chair,
desk, cupboard)
English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1-6)(2004), pp. 168-171
Approaches to Vocabulary Learning
Paradigmatic
Approach
Receptive
Syntagmatic
Approach
Productive
Paradigmatic Approach
Word Hierarchy
FLAT
LIVING ROOM
BEDROOMS
KITCHEN
fridge
BATHROOM
rice cooker
saucepan
frying pan
Paradigmatic Approach
Superordinates
?
Sports
football
tennis
basketball
?
Furniture
desk
chair
cupboard
Paradigmatic Approach
Paradigmatic Approach
•
•
•
•
Organises words into hierarchies
Develops associative networks
Encourages efficient vocabulary learning
Allows for additions
Syntagmatic Approach
Topic: Jobs
PEOPLE ACTIONS OBJECTS PLACE
Chef
cook
meals
restaurant
Teacher
Singer
Pilot
Syntagmatic Approach
Topic: Going around Hong Kong
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’)
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.
Suggestions for Enrichment
Pupil’s revised draft
My Favourite Thing
I like music. My father bought me a
_______
(Adj?)
new piano (What
as a birthday
for?) present.
I love the piano. I think it is the best
because
do you
it is think
beautiful.
so?) I
piano. (Why
play the piano every day.(When?)
after school.
When I touch the piano, I feel very
happy.
Lexical Substitution
Too many pianos?
Pupil’s final draft
My Favourite Thing
I like music. My father bought me a
new piano as a birthday present.
present. I
love the
.
I think it is the best
thepiano.
gift.
musical
piano
instrument because it is
very beautiful. I play the piano
every day after school. When I
touch the
, I feel very
thekeyboard
piano
happy.
Integrative Tasks
Story reading:
(Reading)
1
- Learning story
structure and
vocabulary
Collaborative story telling:
(Listening and Speaking)
- Brainstorming setting, characters
and events
2
3
Individual story writing:
(Writing)
- Brainstorming storyline in groups
- Summarising the
collaboratively produced
story
- Developing storyline with teacher
support
- Creating a personalised
ending to the story