30 April 2014 (Wed)14:00 – 17:00

English Language Education Section

Curriculum Development Institute

Education Bureau

DESIGNING LEARNING AND TEACHING ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ WRITING SKILLS AT THE

SENIOR SECONDARY LEVEL

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

By the end of the workshop, you will have

• 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.

PART 1HOLISTIC PLANNING FOR A WRITING PROGRAMME

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?

Teachers’ Concerns

Activity 1Discuss 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?

S4 S5 S6

Purpose DescriptiveImaginativeDiscussion

ExpositoryProblem solving

Argumentative Persuasive

Text-type Personal letterStoryEssay

Formal letterSpeechProposal

Debate speechEditorial Feature articles

Comment on the following senior secondary writing programme of School A:

Examples of text-typesDiaries

/ Journal

sEditorials

Debate

Speeches /

Presentations

Newspaper

Articles

Memoranda

Short Stories

Book / Film Reviews / Reports

Plays

Informational

ReportsFormal Letters

Brochures

PostersPostcards

Emails

Personal

Letters

Leaflets

Proposals

Feature Articles

Writing topicWrite a proposal to

persuade the Principal to purchase 40 IPads for

students to use in English lessons.

Examples of text-typesDiaries

/ Journal

sEditorials

Debate

Speeches /

Presentations

Newspaper

Articles

Memoranda

Short Stories

Book / Film Reviews / Reports

Plays

Informational

ReportsFormal Letters

Brochures

PostersPostcards

Emails

Personal

Letters

Leaflets

Proposals

Feature Articles

Writing topicWrite 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.

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Diagrammatic Representation of the English Language Curriculum Framework

Strands

Interpersonal Knowledge ExperienceLearning Objectives: Forms and

FunctionsSkills and Strategies

AttitudesFlexible and Diversified Modes of

Curriculum Planning +

Effective Learning, Teaching and Assessment

The English Language Curriculum

Overall Aims and Learning Targets of

English Language

9 G

ener

ic S

kills Values and

Attitudes

Public Examinations for English Language

HKCEE (Before 2007) HKCEE (2007-2011) HKDSE Exam (2012 onwards)

• 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

• 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

• 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

Alignment between the Senior Secondary EL Curriculumand 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 devices, 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

Writing questions in public examsMany 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 2DESIGN OF LEARNING AND TEACHING ACTIVITIES FOR A WRITING MODULE

Activity 2In 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 WritingText-type: Letter to the Editor Theme: The InternetTime needed: 5 hours 20 minutesSuggested 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.

PART 3EXPLORING EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS

Analysing the task requirements and establishing success criteria

Reviewing and editing one’s writing

Deconstructing and understanding the writing topic

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

Helping students to develop effective learning strategies to enhance their writing performance

Teacher’s role

Devising a writing plan

Steps

(1) Deconstructing & understanding the writing topicPre-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?

What? (Text-type)

(Purposes)(Your role + Audience)(Tenses)

Why?

Who?When?

Strategy:Highlighting keywords (the 4 Ws)

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.

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

Text-type

Writer’s role & Target readers The purpose of the

article

Understanding the topic

Topic Compulsory community serviceText-type An article for the school

magazineRole of the Writer A studentTarget Readers Students and teachers in a

schoolPurposes To express and justify views, to

persuadeTone & Register Semi-formal

(2) Analysing the task requirements & establishing success criteria

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

Activity 3 (Feedforward)

Detailed analysis of the task requirements (Y.1)

Designing a task-specific assessment form (Y.2)

(3) Devising a writing plan

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?

Activity 4In 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)

Group 1: 2014 HKDSE Writing Paper: Part B Q1

Learning English through Sports CommunicationA 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.

Group 2: 2013 HKDSE 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.

Group 3: 2014 HKDSE Writing Paper: Part B Q7

Learning English through Short StoriesYou 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.

Group 4: 2013 HKDSE Writing Paper: Part B Q8Learning English through Poems and SongsYou 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 heTime waits for no one, and he won’t wait for me

Write your speech.

Support for students in the planning stageSuggested 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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(4) Reviewing and Editing One’s Writing

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?

Support for students in the planning stageSuggested 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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Helping students become more aware of the expected learning outcomes

Creating criteria of good practice with the students to provide reference points for the learning outcomes

Engaging students in the reflection / self-monitoring process

Providing constructive feedback to students as they learn

Enhancing Students’ Metacognitive skills

Teacher’s role

Helping students become more aware of the use of learning strategies through explicit teaching of learning strategies

PART 4PROMOTING SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING IN WRITING

PURPOSES OF ASSESSMENTPurpose Key Assessor

Assessment as Learning

Self-monitoring & self-correction or adjustment

Student

Assessment for Learning

Information for teachers’ instructional decisions, attainment

Teacher / Students

Assessment of Learning

Judgments about placement, promotion, attainment

Teacher

Lear

ner I

ndep

ende

nce

Adapted from Lorna (2003) Assessment as Learning: Using Classroom Assessment to Maximise Student Learning. Thousand Oaks, Ca, Corwin Press.

What is Assessment as Learning (AaL)?

• Assessment as Learning (AaL) focusses on students and emphasises assessment as a process of metacognition.

(Earl & Katz, 2006)

Self-reflection/

monitoring process

Relating to prior knowledge

Considering a range of strategies

Making Adjustment to

learning strategies, goals, etc.

Evaluating

the

performance

The Process of Metacognition

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

Developing Good Writing Habits Self-reflection & Self-monitoring (G.5)

Providing Constructive Feedback

Providing Constructive Feedback (Y.6-7)

Engaging Students in Self-Reflection (Y.9)

LEARNING AND TEACHING RESOURCES

• 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 PortalLogin with HKEdCity login ID

Search by ‘KS4’ and ‘Reading’

Thank you

Example of providing multi-modal input and rich prior learning experience• 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

inputActivity

Viewing & Reading

Students view the clip “Dating for Quick Cash”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRYZxMAc0Ko

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.

Speaking & Listening

Students brainstorm solutions to the problem from different stakeholders’ perspectives and conduct a forum.

Examples of graphic organisers useful for planning and generation of ideas

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)

Examples of graphic organisers useful for planning and generation of ideas

Causes & EffectsDescriptionClassification

Comparison & Contrast

Process (cyclical)

Sequence

Plot Diagram

Topic: Write the causes and effects of a social issue (e.g. compensated dating)

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Examples of graphic organisers useful for planning and generation of ideas

Modelling on good sample work (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)56

Examples of different ways of opening

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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Examples of different ways of closing

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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Examples of different supporting details