Encouraging students to share their reading experience and extending literacy teaching beyond the classroom Holy Family Canossian School (Kowloon Tong) & Language Learning Support Section

reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar, vocabulary… How can I have time to teach everything?!?!??! I have so many things to teach inside the classroom. How can I have time to plan the extra-curricular English activities? English teachers’ concerns… How can I link the teaching of readers to the content of the textbook units? Why do students lack the motivation to read English books?

How can teachers handle everything? 1.Incorporating the teaching of reading into formal curriculum: Aligning Reading Workshops with the GE programme 2.Linking the formal curriculum to the informal curriculum: Providing opportunities for students to respond to texts 3.Promoting a “Reading to learn” culture: Deploying resources effectively

School case: Holy Family Canossian School (Kowloon Tong)

School cases: Inside the classroomOutside the classroom GE programme Reading Workshops Other language skills to be developed Key Stage 2 (P4 & 5) Primary Longman Express 4A – U.3 Buying food Reader: Charlie and the chocolate factory: Strategy: Drama - speaking - listening - writing - generic skills – collaboration, creativity, communication Primary Longman Express 5A – U.8 Be a good citizen Reader: The litter queen Moral values reinforced Food items and adjectives revised

1. Linking the formal and informal curricula: GE + Reading Workshops + English Day 2. Sharing reading experiences: Drama reading + writing + speaking + listening creativity + communication + collaboration Planning of the project:

Work plan PeriodContent Aug – Sep:Curriculum planning Oct:Attend professional development activities Oct – Dec:Co-planning Jan:Teaching Feb:Preparing for the English Day Mar:English Day with drama performances

P4 Reader: Charlie and the chocolate factory P5 Reader: The litter queen Thematically linked 1. Aligning Reading Workshops with the GE programme GE: Primary Longman Express 4A – U.3 Buying food Primary Longman Express 5A – U8 Be a good citizen What to teach?

Making predictions & confirm guesses Vocabulary building – lexical set Locate specific information Recognise format and language features of common text types Identify key words for the main idea

2. Monitoring students’ progress in reading through administering formative reading assessment Students being tested on: Reading skills Vocabulary Grammar points Text features

3. Familiarize students with the story and characters Make use of: Story map Story frame Sequencing exercise Discussions…

4. Introducing a new genre – play script Expose students to a play script Introduce different elements of a play script Prepare students for the writing task

5. Creative writing as a way for students to respond to the text Mode: Collaborative writing Content: new ending new episodes

6. Sharing reading responses through drama Theatre games Props and costumes preparation Rehearsal Performances (* incorporated into the English Day) -MCs / storytelling -Inter-class drama competition -Moral i i

Impact on students Personal response activities helped students ‘live’ the text, make it their own and develop a love of their reader Students’ writing, speaking and listening skills could be developed in the reading lessons if teachers put more thought into designing meaningful post-reading activities Effective use of readers helped students develop their creativity and other generic skills

Impact on teachers Reading curriculum design -Creating alignment between Reading Workshops and GE programme -Linking the formal curriculum with the informal curriculum Assessment

Tips for curriculum design Whole-school approach Perception of Reading Workshops Identifying relevant reading skills to teach and integrating language skills Careful choice of readers