DESIGNING LEARNING AND TEACHING
ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ WRITING
SKILLS AT TH E SENIOR SECONDARY LEVEL
30 April 2014 (Wed)
14:00 – 17:00
English Language Education Section
Curriculum Development Institute
Education Bureau

Part 1
Holistic planning of the school-based writing programme at the senior secondary level
Part 2
Design of learning and teaching activities for a writing module
Part 3
Exploring effective strategies for enhancing the learning and teaching of English writing skills
Part 4
Promoting self-directed learning in writing

• a better understanding of the key considerations in planning for the progressive development of writing skills at the senior secondary level; and
• explored some effective strategies for helping students to formulate, develop, elaborate on, organise and present ideas in their writing.

Teachers’ Concerns
What do I expect students to achieve at the end of a three-year writing programme?
What teaching strategies should I adopt when teaching writing?
What skills and learning strategies should students acquire in order to approach writing tasks with greater confidence?

Discuss with your partner:
1.
What are your concerns in teaching writing?
2.
How is the writing programme for S4-S6 planned at your school?
3.
What do you expect your students to have mastered in writing upon the completion of S6?
Comment on the following senior secondary writing programme of
School A:
S4 S5 S6
Purpose Descriptive
Imaginative
Discussion
Expository
Problem solving
Argumentative
Persuasive
Text-type Personal letter
Story
Essay
Formal letter
Speech
Proposal
Debate speech
Editorial
Feature articles

Diaries /
Journals
Editorials
Brochures
Formal
Letters
Plays
Debate
Emails
Proposals
Short
Stories
Writing topic
Write a proposal to persuade the
Principal to purchase 40 IPads for students to use in English lessons.
Postcards
Posters
Book / Film
Reviews / Reports
Feature
Articles
Leaflets
Newspaper
Articles
Personal
Letters
Informational
Reports
Memoranda
Speeches /
Presentations

Diaries /
Journals
Editorials
Debate
Brochures
Proposals
Feature
Articles
Emails
Short
Stories
Writing topic
Write a letter to the Principal to explain how a fight over a basketball match began, plead for leniency and suggest an alternate form of punishment.
Leaflets
Newspaper
Articles
Personal
Letters
Informational
Reports
Formal
Letters
Posters Memoranda
Postcards
Plays
Book / Film
Reviews / Reports
Speeches /
Presentations

Diagrammatic Representation of the
English Language Curriculum Framework
The English Language Curriculum
Strands
Interpersonal Knowledge Experience
Learning Objectives: Forms and Functions
Skills and Strategies
Attitudes
Flexible and Diversified Modes of
Curriculum Planning
+
Effective Learning, Teaching and Assessment
Overall Aims and Learning Targets of
English Language
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HKCEE (Before 2007)
• Assessing contextual meaning of words and phrases
• Contexts provided in all tasks
• Comprehension assessed through MC questions
• Grammar explicitly assessed
• Limited text-types
• Assessing content and language
• Syllabus A and Syllabus B to cater for learner diversity
HKCEE (2007-2011)
• Assessing contextual meaning of words and phrases
• Contexts of some tasks thematically linked
• Assessment of a range of reading skills
• Grammar assessed in context
• Coverage of a range of text-types
• Assessing content, language & style and organisation
• Inclusion of SBA to promote assessment for learning
HKDSE Exam (2012 onwards)
• Assessing contextual meaning of words and phrases
• Contexts of some tasks thematically linked
• Assessment of a wide range of reading skills
• Grammar assessed in context
• Coverage of a wide range of text-types
• Assessing content, language
& style and organisation
• Graded Approach and a wider choice of questions to cater for learner diversity
• Inclusion of SBA to promote assessment for learning

Alignment between the Senior Secondary EL Curriculum and the HKDSE Examination for English Language
Learning Objectives for Writing Skills Assessment Objectives
To develop students’ ability to present information, ideas, views, attitudes and feelings clearly, coherently and appropriately in a variety of written texts, for example:
 plan and produce coherent and structured texts
 present and elaborate on main ideas and supporting details through exemplifications, paraphrases, explanations, etc.
 use appropriate linguistic and structural dev ices, a variety of structures and an appropriate range of vocabulary to achieve desired purposes
 use appropriate style and register in writing
 draft, revise and edit a piece of writing
 organise and integrate information and ideas , and write texts appropriate to the context, purpose and audience
 present different views and arguments clearly and logically
 use appropriate discourse markers
To assess the ability of candidates to:
 plan and produce coherent and structured texts with ideas effectively presented and developed
 write texts for different contexts, audiences and purposes with relevant content and adequate supporting details
 convey meaning using varied vocabulary, linguistic devices and language patterns appropriately and accurately
 write texts using appropriate tone, style and register and the salient features of different genres
 draft and revise written texts

Many young couples these days are choosing not to have children. What do you think of this choice? Write an essay on this topic, stating your personal view and giving reasons for your opinions.
(HKALE AS UE 2002)
As part of the ‘Creative Writing Week’ at your school, your teacher has asked you to complete a diary entry that begins with the sentence ‘I woke up this morning and discovered I was eight feet tall.’
Write the diary entry , describing what the day was like for you.
(HKCEE Eng Lang Syll B 2006)
You have decided to enter an Essay Writing Competition. Say whether you agree or disagree with the statement and give reasons for your view.
It is better to travel alone than to join a tour group.
(HKCEE Eng Lang 2011)

You are a human resources assistant . Your boss has observed that many people are leaving the office very late. He has asked you to write an article for the company newsletter describing the situation and discussing the negative effects. You have also been asked to give two suggestions to improve the situation. Provide a suitable title for your article.
(HKDSE Exam Eng Lang 2012)

Suggested key considerations for planning a writing programme:
To develop students’ writing skills at the SS level, it is important to:
• gauge students’ writing proficiency;
• provide opportunities for writing on different topics and producing a good range of content (i.e. information, ideas, personal experiences and opinions);
• cover a variety of writing purposes (text features); and
• expose students to a wide range of text-types (text structures).

PART 2
DESIGN OF LEARNING AND
TEACHING ACTIVITIES FOR A
WRITING MODULE

In groups:
1.
Study the exemplar module on argumentative writing.
2.
Identify the learning objectives and the language skills involved in the learning activities in each part.
Genre: Argumentative Writing
Text-type: Letter to the Editor
Theme: The Internet
Time needed: 5 hours 20 minutes
Suggested number of lessons: 9 (40-minute lessons)
Suggested target level: S4 (less advanced students)

Suggested key considerations for planning a writing module:
When designing learning and teaching activities, it is important to:
• adopt a task-based approach;
• choose materials which are at an appropriate level;
• include multi-modal input;
• provide adequate support to students in content, language & style and organisation; and
• integrate the writing activities with other language skills.

Deconstructing and understanding the writing topic
Analysing the task requirements and establishing success criteria
Teacher’s role
Devising a writing plan
Reviewing and editing one’s writing
Identifying the strengths and weaknesses in one’s writing based on the feedback from teachers and setting appropriate goals for the improvement of writing skills

Pre-writing: Identifying key elements in the writing topic:
• Who am I?
• Who am I writing to?
• What is the purpose of writing?
• What is the text-type?
• How formal should the writing be?
• What is the context/topic?
Strategy:
Highlighting keywords (the 4 Ws)
What? (Text-type)
Why?
(Purposes)
Who?
When?
(Your role + Audience)
(Tenses)

Pre-writing: Highlighting keywords
Some experts in education have observed that Hong Kong teenagers are too pampered and spoilt by their parents, resulting in their lack of self-management and problem-solving skills. One proposed solution to this problem is requiring students to undertake 50 hours of community service, in addition to the community services organised by the schools for the Other Learning Experiences (OLE), before they are allowed to graduate from secondary school. Write an article to the school newspaper to express whether you agree with this proposal and give at least three reasons for your view.

Topic of the article
Pre-writing: Highlighting keywords
Some experts in education have observed that Hong Kong teenagers are too pampered and spoilt by their parents, resulting in their lack of self-management and problem-solving skills. One proposed solution to this problem is requiring students to undertake 50 hours of community service , in addition to the community services organised by the schools for the Other Learning Experiences (OLE), before they are allowed to graduate from secondary school. Write an article to the school newspaper to express whether you agree with this proposal and give at least three reasons for your view.
Writer’s role &
Target readers
Text-type
The purpose of the article

Topic
Text-type
Compulsory community service
An article for the school magazine
Role of the Writer A student
Target Readers
Purposes
Tone & Register
Students and teachers in a school
To express and justify views, to persuade
Semi-formal

Pre-writing: Establishing success criteria with reference to the question
Some experts in education have observed that Hong Kong teenagers are too pampered and spoilt by their parents, resulting in their lack of self-management and problem-solving skills. One proposed solution to this problem is requiring students to undertake 50 hours of community service, in addition to the community services organised by the schools for the Other Learning Experiences (OLE), before they are allowed to graduate from secondary school. Write an article to the school newspaper to express whether you agree with this proposal and give at least three reasons for your view.

1.
What are the task requirements?
2. What am I expected to demonstrate in the following aspects of my writing to successfully complete the task?
Content Language & Style Organisation

(Y.1)

(Y.2)

Pre-writing: Questions to consider
• Have I read/viewed any texts relevant to this topic? Can I recall any useful information and ideas worth including in my writing?
• How many paragraphs should I write?
• How should I start my writing?
• What is the focus and main idea of each paragraph?
• What supporting details (e.g. personal experiences, examples) can I think of for each body paragraph
• How should I end my writing?

In groups, with reference to the topic provided, devise a writing plan that presents the following clearly:
• The overall structure of the writing
• How you would open and end the writing
• The focus and main idea of each paragraph
• The supporting details (e.g. personal experiences, examples) for each paragraph
You may present your plan in any form (e.g. bullet points, a table, a graphic organiser)

Writing Paper: Part B Q1
Learning English through Sports Communication
A local fitness centre is being renovated. As the chairperson of your school’s Sports Club, write a letter to ask the fitness centre to donate some of their old equipment to your school. In your letter, describe how the donation could benefit your school and the fitness centre.

Writing Paper: Part B Q6
Learning English through Workplace Communication
The Hong Kong Daily is asking students to submit an article about their summer job experiences. You were employed as a costumed character performer in on of the local theme parks last year. In your article, write about your typical working day, the good things and bad things about your job. Write the article.

Writing Paper: Part B Q7
Learning English through Short Stories
You are taking a creative writing workshop and you have to submit the following assignment:
Imagine you are a university student living in a student hall. Your roommate has suddenly decided to leave. Write a short story describing the events that led up to your roommate’s sudden departure.

Writing Paper: Part B Q8
Learning English through Poems and Songs
You are the President of Students’ Union. You are giving a speech to the graduating classes. The inspiration for the speech comes from the following popular song about how time can slip away of you don’t make good use of it.
Time can tear down a building or destroy a woman’s face
Hours are like diamonds, don’t let them waste
Time waits for no one, no favours has he
Time waits for no one, and he won’t wait for me
Write your speech.

Suggested strategies:
(1)
Exposing students’ to a range of multi-modal input
(2) Providing rich learning experiences involving the integrative use of different language skills
(3)
Using concept maps and graphic organisers
(4)
Modelling on good sample work
(5)
Introducing different ways of opening and closing
(6)
Introducing different ways to add supporting details and
elaborate on ideas
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Post-writing: Questions to consider
• Have I used a wide range of vocabulary on the topic? Have I used the same verbs (e.g. said, asked) /adjectives (e.g. happy, excited, afraid) repeatedly?
• Have I used a variety of sentence patterns and some complex sentence structures?
• Is the tone and register appropriate?
• Have I made any grammatical mistakes?
• Have I used any rhetorical strategies (e.g. rhetorical questions, emphatic sentences) or stylistic features (e.g. simile, metaphor, exaggeration) to enhance the effect of my writing?

Suggested strategies:
(1) Making use of various tools / resources / reference materials (e.g. thesaurus, collocations dictionary, concordancer)
(2) Selecting appropriate language areas for students to focus on (e.g. comma splices, passive voice, agreement)
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Teacher’s role
Engaging students in the reflection / selfmonitoring process
Helping students become more aware of the expected learning outcomes
Helping students become more aware of the use of learning strategies through explicit teaching of learning strategies
Creating criteria of good practice with the students to provide reference points for the learning outcomes
Providing constructive feedback to students as they learn

Assessment as
Learning
Purpose
Self-monitoring & selfcorrection or adjustment
Key Assessor
Student
Assessment for
Learning
Information for teachers’ instructional decisions, attainment
Teacher / Students
Assessment of
Learning
Judgments about placement, promotion, attainment
Teacher
Adapted from Lorna (2003) Assessment as Learning: Using Classroom Assessment to Maximise
Student Learning. Thousand Oaks, Ca, Corwin Press.

The Process of Metacognition
Relating to prior knowledge
•
Assessment as
Learning (AaL) focusses on students and emphasises assessment as a process of metacognition.
(Earl & Katz, 2006)
Making
Adjustment to learning strategies, goals, etc.
Self-reflection/ monitoring process
Considering a range of strategies
Evaluating the performance

Engaging Students in Goal-Setting & On-going Review (G3-4)

(G.5)

(Y.6-7)

(Y.9)

• Resources from the EDB
• One-stop Portal
(Writing assessment tasks)
• Graphic organisers
• http://www.teacherfiles.com/resources_organizers.htm
• http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/
• http://my.hrw.com/nsmedia/intgos/html/igo.htm

One-stop Portal
English Language Education
Assessment Tasks Bank

One-stop Portal
Search by ‘KS4’ and
‘Reading’
Login with HKEdCity login ID

• Topic: Write an article on compensated dating, commenting on the trend, analysing the causes and consequences and suggest solutions to the problem (B.1-7)
Types of input Activity
Viewing &
Reading
Students view the clip “Dating for Quick Cash” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRYZxMAc0Ko
Speaking &
Listening
Students read two newspaper articles:
(1) “Girls Sell Sex in Hong Kong to Earn Shopping Money”
(2) “The Cost of Dating”
Students identify stakeholders involved in the issue and their views on it.
Students brainstorm solutions to the problem from different stakeholders’ perspectives and conduct a forum.

Topic: Write a story about a day that went totally wrong

Topic: Write an article on different parties’ roles in tackling a social problem (e.g. global warming)

Classification Description
Causes & Effects
Plot Diagram
Process (cyclical) Comparison &
Contrast
Sequence

Topic: Write the causes and effects of a social issue (e.g.
compensated dating)
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(Y.4-5)
• Topic: Write an article on different parties’ roles in tackling a social problem (e.g. global warming)

For expository/argumentative writing: (B.8-9)
• Using rhetorical questions to involve the readers
• Building a scenario to show the importance of the issue (e.g.
using dialogue and vivid description)
• Citing current news or recent findings to provide background information
For stories: (P.1-2)
• Flashback
• Dialogue
• Starting with a surprise
• Description and introduction of a character
• Description of the setting (e.g. place, time, weather)
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For expository/argumentative writing: (B.10-11)
• Recapturing or summarising the key points made
• Suggesting solutions and appealing for action
• Expressing a wish
• Making reference to the opening
For stories: (P.3-4)
• Ending with a surprise, i.e. twist
• Ending the story on a positive note (e.g. offering hope)
• Ending with a question
• Dialogue
• Reflections
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For expository/argumentative writing: (B. 11-12)
• Examples, anecdotes and cases
• Statistics
• Expert opinions
• Details, explanation and description
For stories : (P. 5-6)
• Sensory descriptions (of characters and the setting)
• Use of dialogue
• Figurative language
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