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Springdale Primary School
Why?
Parents’ Seminar English Language Sharing
5 March 2016
EL Curriculum & Writing Assessments at Primary 3 & 4 Levels
Presented By: Mr Julian, Mr Teng, Mdm Rohana
Springdale Primary School
• Overview of Primary 3 & 4 Curriculum • Reading-Writing Connection • Writing Curriculum • Writing Assessments
Content of Presentation
Springdale Primary School
Springdale English Curriculum
Modified STELLAR School-based
curriculum
Our English Programme
Springdale Primary School
• Coverage of 10 STELLAR e-books for SBA/ SR/ KWL as baseline items
• E-books cover the various genres like narratives, recounts, information texts
Level No. of units Scope
P3 10 units 1) SBA (Sem 1) / SR & SSR (Sem 2) 2) Process Writing & Peer Conferencing 3) Learning Centres
P4 10 units 1) SR, KWL & SSR 2) Process Writing & Peer Conferencing 3) Learning Centres
P3 & P4 Modified STELLAR Curriculum
Springdale Primary School
• Student handouts used to teach the language features • Remaining STELLAR e-books are covered as part of
Learning Centres reading materials • Complete corresponding Companion Booklets
- Parallel stories - Language features and Grammar
P3 & P4 Modified STELLAR Curriculum
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Introduce good books to your children
Why is reading so important?
Ignite the Passion for Reading
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Link between Reading & Writing
• Use same intellectual strategies, i.e. organising, monitoring, questioning & revising meaning, which are further enhanced through reading and writing activities.
• Reading and writing processes are similar, e.g. activating prior knowledge, constructing meaning & setting purposes
• Use same skills for reading and writing, e.g. phonetic skills for decoding words and also phonic knowledge to spell words and apply spelling rules
National Writing Project, 1999
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• The Writer’s Long Term Memory (Schema) includes
- Knowledge of Topic
- Knowledge of Audience
- Stored Writing Plans
• The Long Term Memory affects Generating Process which in turn affects organising, goal setting and translating.
Cognitive Model of the Composing Process (Flower & Hayes, 1981)
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Focus Areas Learning Outcomes
Writing and Representing Skills
Generate and select ideas for writing and representing for a variety of purposes, audiences, contexts and cultures.
Develop, organise and express ideas coherently and cohesively in writing and representing for a variety of purposes, audiences, contexts and cultures.
Review, revise, proof-read and edit to improve writing and representation.
MOE English Syllabus 2010
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• 4 pictures given • Pictures are in sequence • Students are to write
about every picture, ensuring the elements in a narrative genre are all covered
P3 Writing Format
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• Some question papers may have the last picture as a question mark instead (Semester 2)
• Students come up with their own conclusion
• Conclusion has to be feasible
P4 Writing Format
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• Moving away from P3 format towards PSLE format • Students are encouraged to come up with interesting
storylines; More scope for a variety of ideas • 3 pictures given (may be random or related pictures) • Pictures may not be in sequence • Students need to only use at least one picture • Topic must be addressed
P4 Writing Format
Springdale Primary School
• 3 pictures given
• Pictures can be unrelated to one another
• Students must write based on at least one of the given pictures
• Topic must be addressed
PSLE Format
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Elements of a Good Narrative
A story has:
1. Introduction
2. Problem
3. Climax
4. Resolution
5. Conclusion
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Description (5W1H)
One quiet morning at 10 a.m., Sam and his family were taking a bus to the newly-opened Waterway Point Shopping Mall. They wanted to buy some Chinese New Year clothes and festive goodies.
Avoid writing introductions like: 1) Last Saturday/ June holidays, … 2) Fluffy white clouds dotted the sky …
Good Introductions (P3)
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Dialogue
“What a beautiful day!” exclaimed Sam. “Yes, let’s go to Waterway Point Shopping Mall,” replied his mother.
Sound
Ring! Ring! The alarm clock sounded loudly in Sam’s ears and it woke him up immediately.
Good Introductions (P4)
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Lesson learnt Sam learnt his lesson not to run or play on escalators again. It was a lesson he would not forget. Feelings Sam felt remorseful for his actions, yet relieved that he survived the ordeal.
Good Conclusions (P3)
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Question Sam wondered to himself, “Why did I not listen to my parents’ advice?”
Good Conclusions (P4)
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Death E.g. Despite the operation, the doctor could not save him in time and he died from his injuries. Dreams E.g. He screamed and woke up with a start. Then, he realised it was just a bad dream. Bed to bed stories E.g. One early morning, Sam woke up…… Soon, it was 10 p.m. and Sam went to bed.
What to Avoid in a Conclusion
Springdale Primary School
• Timeline of stories should not be too long - Over a few days or a week • Meting out inappropriate punishment/ fines E.g. As a result, John was told to clean the school toilets for two months. • Having loose ends in the story
What to Avoid in a Conclusion
Springdale Primary School
• Students are taught not to ‘tell’ an action, but to ‘show’ it through descriptive phrases.
• Aim is to provide a vivid imagery to readers. It addresses the question of ‘How does it look like’?
• Instead of writing ‘She started to cry’, one can write: ‘Her eyes began to redden and she felt her cheeks becoming hot. Though she tried to control it, tears started rolling down her cheeks.’
Writing Technique: Show Not Tell
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Refer to Handout 1.
Change the following ‘tell’ statements to ‘show’ statements.
1. My mother was tired.
2. My brother was excited.
3. The stray dog was fierce.
You may discuss with one another.
Hands-on Activity
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Assessment for Learning
Assessment as Learning
Assessment of Learning
Writing Assessments
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• Formative assessment • Emphasises strengths, identifies challenges and
points to the next step. • Occurs throughout the learning process.
Assessment for Learning
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Planning Drafting Final version? Revising / Editing
Final version
The Writing Process (Harmer, 2004)
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P3 & P4 Process Writing
Assessment for Learning
Stage 1: 1st Draft
Class brainstorm for ideas.
Students plan Introduction, Problem, Climax and Resolution.
Students begin writing.
Stage 2: Peer Editing on 1st Draft
Teacher/Student edits peer’s writing by checking for:
- Content
Teacher/Student makes suggestions where necessary.
Stage 3: Final Draft
Teacher reads edited writing.
Teacher marks the final draft.
After that, students do corrections where applicable.
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Stage 3: Final Draft
Samples
Stage 1: First Draft
Stage 2: Peer-Editing on 1st Draft
Assessment for Learning
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• Students have been trained from P2 to include the following elements in their stories: Introduction Problem Climax Resolution Conclusion
• At P4 level, students are required to use a planning template to analyse the given topic. This is to help students ensure that their stories do not deviate from the given topic.
Planning
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• Involves replacing, adding, deleting and re-ordering words or sentences
• Also involves identifying language or content inappropriate to audience, context and culture
• Improve on the sequence, progression and coherence of ideas and details
• P3 & P4 students will be trained to do peer conferencing so that they learn how to look out for gaps in the story and give suggestions for improvement
• Students will then revise their writing accordingly
Revising
Springdale Primary School
• Spotting mistakes such as spelling errors, punctuation mistakes, common word mix-ups, and other grammatical problems
• The child will conduct the editing process either with their peers or teacher. At times, students may also be required to carry out this process independently.
• Students then do 2nd or 3rd drafts of their writing • Common errors include spelling, tenses (present tense used
instead of past tense) and lack of time markers when introducing the next idea e.g. Then, Suddenly, Soon, After a while
Editing
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• Develop an interesting yet feasible idea • Story must flow in a smooth and coherent manner
without any gaps • Have a good structure (introduction – body –
conclusion, or problem – resolution) • Have varied language features (appropriate use of
vocabulary (words / phrases), use of similes, different types of sentence structures)
How can we improve our writing?
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• Represented in analytical rubrics to show relative and specific degrees of completeness of student product in relation to specific criteria.
• Students are aware of the criteria for performance
Rubrics for Students
Assessment as Learning
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Bands Content Language and Organisation
Band 1 Fully relevant ideas
Interesting and thoroughly developed composition
Language is accurate with hardly any errors in grammar, expression, spelling and punctuation
Good and appropriate use of vocabulary
Very good sequencing, paragraphing and linking of ideas and facts
Band 2 Relevant ideas
Interesting and sufficiently developed composition
Language is largely accurate with a few errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation
Adequate and mostly appropriate use of vocabulary
Good sequencing, paragraphing and linking of ideas and facts
Band 3 Generally relevant ideas
Composition is of some interest and is slightly developed
Some errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation but communication is not affected
Mundane words are used and some may not be used appropriately
Fairly good sequencing, paragraphing and linking of ideas and facts
Rubrics
Springdale Primary School
Bands Content Language and Organisation
Band 4 Some relevant ideas
Mundane composition that is mostly undeveloped
Numerous errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation that slow down reading and may affect communication at times
Limited vocabulary
Poor sequencing, paragraphing and linking of ideas and facts
Band 5 Ideas largely irrelevant
Composition is vague and confusing
Full of errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation such that communication is affected
Very limited vocabulary
Very poor sequencing, paragraphing and linking of ideas and facts
Rubrics
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• Summative assessment • Occurs at the end of the process.
Assessment of Learning
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• Duration: 45 minutes • Write a coherent story of at least 100 words • Story must include: - Introduction - Problem - Resolution - Conclusion
Assessment of Learning
Springdale Primary School
• Read Handout 3 & 4. • Look at the sample writing and consider which band
you would award for Content and Language.
Springdale Primary School
• Parents can encourage their children to read more. By reading, their children can expand their vocabulary.
• Keep practising: To be a good writer, one needs practice.
How to help struggling writers?
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