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Teaching English in Bukit Panjang Primary School A Strong Foundation for Rich Language & Life

Overview Why change?  What we want for our children  Competencies for a world in flux What is changing for the better?  New ways to teach and learn  A revised syllabus & curriculum How will we move to a new level?  Aligning the teaching and assessment  Education for Life

WHY change? The Child & The World

What we want … All children should enjoy learning English, develop good language skills, be effective communicators and lifelong learners.

New skills for a changing world  Need to prepare our children for life and work in the 21st century  Develop students to be  Effective communicators  Confident, self-directed learners

Key Messages April 2012 STELLAR Centre 21 st Century Competencies Framework Core R3ICH values Respect Responsibility Resilience Integrity Care Harmony Character and Citizenship Education

21 st Century Competencies The outer ring of the framework represents the 21 st Century Competencies necessary for the globalised world we live in. Civic literacy, global awareness and cross-cultural skills Contribute to society and nation Develop a broader worldview and ability to deal with diversity (culture, ideas and perspectives). Critical and inventive thinking Think critically, assess options and make sound decisions Explore and think out of the box Information and communication skills Know what questions to ask and extract what is relevant and useful. Be discerning and adopt ethical practices in cyberspace.

WHAT is changing for the better? New Ways to Teach & New Ways to Learn

Emphasis on Strengthening the foundation of language learning Enriching the EL curriculum in our schools EL Syllabus 2010

Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.  The revised 2010 English Language (EL) Syllabus is implemented at Primary Four from  It has been implemented from 2010 at Primary 1 and 2 for primary schools.  The key influences in the revision process:  More systematic and effective way of learning language  Digital technology  Changing profile of our learners  Globalisation of language in an increasingly complex world. The EL Syllabus 2010

Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.  The new syllabus is an evolution of the former 2001 EL syllabus.  It will continue to emphasize on ‘effective communication’ such that our pupils will be able to communicate effectively and confidently and be well prepared for the next stage of learning.  Teachers will continue to emphasize the teaching of internationally acceptable English (Standard English) to our pupils.  Students who are taught the new syllabus will sit for the revised Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) EL papers in The EL Syllabus 2010

Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.  A key feature of the new EL Syllabus is a systematic approach to teaching language skills, using rich texts and a variety of language resources to enable students to appreciate the language beyond the classroom.  This approach is delivered through the Strategies for English Language Learning and Reading (STELLAR) programme in primary schools.STELLAR The EL Syllabus 2010

Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.  The revised PSLE English Language (EL) and Foundation English Language (FEL) examination papers will be introduced from 2015, in line with thechanges to the teaching syllabus.changes to the teaching syllabus  The language skills tested in the revised PSLE are the same as those tested in the current PSLE. The EL Syllabus 2010

Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.  The EL revised examination papers beginning in 2013 will give greater emphasis to the 21st century competencies in the teaching syllabus by:21st century competencies a.Giving students greater scope for providing personal response in speaking and writing; b.Greater emphasis on viewing skills integrated with listening and reading. The EL Syllabus 2010

Strategies for English Language Learning and Reading Aims to move EL learners towards independence using authentic texts and learning activities that motivate and engage different learners STELLAR

The STELLAR Vision Children who  love reading and  have a strong foundation in the English Language

Language Skills  Listening & Viewing  Speaking & Representing  Reading & Viewing  Writing & Representing STELLAR lessons develop … STELLAR Lessons

Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.  Listening, Reading and Viewing Teach pupils to listen, read, view, speak, write and represent to demonstrate their language competence. The STELLAR Strategies:

Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.  Speaking, Writing and Representing Teach pupils how to use English effectively, in a sustained manner and with increasing ease to suit purpose, audience, context and culture as well as in both formal and informal situations. Teach pupils knowledge about language so that they can use the language effectively for creative, personal, academic and functional purposes. The STELLAR Strategies:

STELLAR Lessons Social Skills  oral interaction among peers in non-threatening situations  working in partnership with other children  turn-taking & respect for others during class discussions STELLAR lessons develop …

What is a lower primary STELLAR lesson like? 22 1.Shared Reading Experiences 2. Shared Writing Experiences 3. Language Use Activities in Learning Centres Children read a storybook with the teacher and engage in discussion with teacher and peers. The teacher prepares mini-lessons based on specific needs of children to prepare them for reading & writing activities, e.g. grammar, vocabulary, word recognition, decoding skills & spelling. The teacher models writing using children’s language. Children engage in writing together and writing independently.

Making the Transition P1 - 3a  P3b, 4-6 Learning to Read  Reading to Learn Shared Reading  Silent Reading Big Books  Range of Text Types From Lower to Upper Primary

What is an upper primary STELLAR lesson like? 24 Reading To Learn Writing As Process Differentiated Instruction The teacher modifies her teaching to cater to the specific needs of children to build their language skills. The teacher models the writing processes for different text types. Children engage in writing together and writing independently. Teacher uses different strategies to help children read and understand different types of texts.

What is getting better? Children will have more opportunities to develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills using a wide variety of different types of texts.

Rich Texts

P4: Explanation

P5: Information Report

P6: Information Report

P6: Narrative

P6 EL: Argument

Teaching Strategies

Ways to Teach Reading for Understanding 33 Supported Reading Retelling K-W-L K= what I Know W = what I Want to know L= what I have Learnt

 a strategy where a passage is chunked into smaller parts to help children to read  opportunities to make predictions, read silently, discuss ideas and difficult words Adapted from Guided Reading (Fountas & Pinnell) 34 Reading for Understanding: Supported Reading

K= what I Know W= what I Want to know L= what I have Learnt Ogle, Donna M. (1986). The Reading Teacher Reading for Understanding : K-W-L A way to teach children how to read information texts. Children brainstorm, ask questions and read a text on their own to find out more about a topic.

Brown, H. & Cambourne, B. (1987). Read and Retell. Australia: Methuen Australia Reading for Understanding: Retelling A reading comprehension strategy using thinking skills. Children actively read to confirm their predictions and are given opportunity to share their ideas about a passage.  Read silently  Retell the story to a friend

Adapted from work by Robert Graves, and Flower and Hayes A step-by-step process where children learn to write as a class, in groups and then independently. Planning - Writing - Reviewing Teaching Writing: Writing Process Cycle Reading Passage ClassGroup Canoe Diary Diary entry about a class trip JournalDiary of my trip Example: Individual

Different Ways to Teach passages Amount of support given tasks Tomlinson, Carol A. (2001). How To Differentiate Instruction In Mixed-Ability Classrooms Differentiated Instruction : Ways to cater to the different learning needs of children.

What is getting better? Children will enjoy learning and learn better with the new EL curriculum that was implemented at P1 in 2010.

HOW will we move to a new level? Aligning Teaching and Assessment

HOW will we move to a new level? Assessment is part of learning and teaching. Children will be assessed on what they have been taught.

 Assessment is part of the learning process, and must be closely aligned with learning objectives, content and teaching.  Both school-based assessment and national examinations play important and different roles in our education system.  A balanced assessment system should have both Assessment ‘for’ Learning as well as Assessment ‘of’ Learning. Our Assessment Philosophy

Aligning Teaching and Assessment  Giving children greater scope for their own interpretation and personal response in speaking and writing  Greater attention paid to viewing skills with listening and reading

Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.  identify pupils’ strengths and weaknesses.  adjust the instructional programme to meet pupils’ needs.  monitor pupils’ progress.  give feedback to parents on their child’s learning at the appropriate stages of development.  provide information on pupils’ readiness for the next level of education or course of study. How assessment helps :

Assessment Assessmentfor Primary 4 from 2013

P4 Assessment  EL Guided Writing  EL Visual Text Comprehension  EL Listening Comprehension  EL Oral Communication These are examples of changes in assessment to give students greater scope for interpretation and personal response.

New Format Part 1  Picture Matching  Picture Sequencing Part 2  Note-taking  Listening Comprehension Listening Comprehension Old Format Part 1  Picture Matching Part 2  Note-taking  Dictation Increase in the number of questions with graphic representation.

P4 Listening Comprehension: Show understanding by using listening and viewing skills ( ) More Examples

New Format Part 1  Reading Aloud Part 2  Stimulus-based Conversation (refer to sample practice papers given to pupils) Oral Communication Old Format Part 1  Reading Aloud Part 2  Picture Discussion Part 3  Conversation New Stimulus-based Conversation component will feature a co n text familiar to students that will provide a springboard for conversation.

P4 Oral Communication: Use of a visual to focus on a familiar topic To be engaged in a conversation

New Format Question 1  Picture series (three pictures with one question mark) Question 2  Guided Writing (based on a topic with picture prompts and helping words) Writing Old Format Question 1  Picture series (three pictures with one question mark) Greater scope for writing from different perspectives, and flexibility for candidates to choose any text type such as narrative or exposition.

P4 Guided Writing: Picture Series Format similar to the 4- picture composition but with the last frame left blank Scope for different ways to end the story Questions and helping words provided Write a story of at least 120 words based on the pictures below. Give the story your own ending. You may use the words and phrases in the box. You are encouraged to include other relevant points to make your composition interesting. Helping words:  mobile phone  attractive  recess time  tempted  reported the matter  ordered a search  culprit Consider the following points when you plan your composition: -When and where did the incident take place? -What happened before the incident? -Who was the victim? -Why did the culprit decide to carry out the act? -How was it done? -What happened in the end?

P4 Guided Writing: Scope for different ways to sequence ideas and develop a storyline Questions and helping words provided Option for students to base their writing on one, two or all three pictures.

Paper 2 New Format  Visual Text Comprehension (Similar to Graphic Stimulus) Old Format  Graphic Stimulus New Visual Text Comprehension section will features a multi-modal print text which will include visuals such as pictures, diagrams, charts, graphs and tables together with the written texts.

P4 Visual Text Comprehension: Text whichincludes visuals Viewing skillsused whenreading Multiple-choicequestions

Assessment Assessmentfor Primary 5 from 2014 Primary 6 from 2015

 Giving children greater scope for their own interpretation and personal response in speaking and writing  Greater attention paid to viewing skills with listening and reading Aligning Teaching and Assessment

Timeframe  Teachers will have adequate time to prepare children.  First year of revised P6 examination: 2015

In Summary:  Your child will benefit from changes to the way English is taught.  Assessment changes are aligned with teaching.  Teachers will have ample time to prepare your child for these changes.

Copyright © Ministry of Education, Singapore.  STELLAR strategies – daily lessons in EL curriculum  Teacher-prepared exercises to supplement resources  ICT-infused lessons  Revision practices  EL activities in and around school  ‘Ask n Learn’ portal ––   /Index.aspx /Index.aspx How are we preparing our pupils?

Enriched Education For Life 21 st CC

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