Bonnie Edwin Fellince Marail

ENGLISH LINUS 101

PrefaceThe LINUS programme was introduced in 2013 to increase literacy rates

amongst Level One pupils, as well as to provide remedial support so they could

acquire basic literacy in the English language. However, after several screening

tests in SK Pekan Pitas, we found that many pupils did not master the constructs.

On the other hand, most teachers who were involved in LINUS consisted of novice

and non-optionist teachers who are eager to help their pupils but need more guidance in administering the programme.

For this purpose, we set up a blog called “ENGLISH LINUS 101” for Level One

English teachers and a manual abridging the site and how to access it. It is hoped

that this project will help English teachers in ameliorating literacy amongst the

pupils. We also welcome suggestions and comments from teachers all over Malaysia

in which can be channeled through the site.

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AcknowledgementsWe would like to extend our thanks to:

PPD Pitas, Sabah The Administrators and staffs of SK Pekan Pitas Our dedicated mentor, Mark Walenta of British Council Fiona Wright of British Council Mr. Neil O’Brien Joseph of PPD Subis, Sarawak Mdm. Carmella Sukim of PPD Pitas, Sabah Miss Patsy Alison of PPD Pitas, Sabah Miss Nur Solehah Hanafiah of SK Ramuan China, Melaka Miss Mas Fairiziana binti Mas Rosli of SK Beladin, Pusa, Betong, Sarawak Miss Morisah Dali of SK Pekan Pitas, Sabah

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CONTENTS

The Constructs 1

LINUS - based Activities 6

Tips Sharing 19

The Blog 26

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The Constructs

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There are 12 constructs assessed in English Literacy screening. Each construct specifies skills that a child has to acquire. We summarized these skills into ‘The Skill Square’. Those constructs were then divided into five strands. These strands are meant to help teachers in planning intervention activities for pupils. For instance, if a child does not pass Construct 3, he or she is ranked under Strand 2. Teachers then may refer to the component of intervention activities that are listed under Strand 2.

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Reading

C1 Read letters. C2 Sound the letters. C3 Sound letters and say the word.

C4 Breaking words into sounds/letters.

C5 Read and understand simple words

C6 Read dialogues and respond appropriately

C7 Read phrases and match to correct pictures.

C8 Give answers in phrase level.

C9 Read sentences.

C10 Read sentences and match to correct pictures.

C11 Read a text and answer Wh-questions.

C12 Read and make sentence based on picture.

Writing

C1 Write capital and small letters.

C2 Write letters to phonemes.

C3 Teacher sounds out phonemes and pupils write the letters.

C4 Spell and write the word.

C5 Recognize words and use it correctly.

C6 Write the appropriate respond.

C7 Match and write phrases to correct pictures.

C8 Write the correct phrases.

C9 Copy sentences correctly.

C10 Punctuate correctly. C11 Write the answers to Wh-questions.

C12 Rearrange words to form a sentence.

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The Skill Square

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Strand 2

Strand 4

Construct 1: Able to identify and distinguish letters of the alphabet.�Construct 2: Able to associate sounds with the letters of the alphabet. "�

Construct 3: Able to blend phonemes into recognizable words.�Construct 4: Able segment words into phonemes. �Construct 5: Able to understand and use the language at word level.�

Construct 6: Able to participate in daily conversations using appropriate phrases.�Construct 7: Able to understand and use the language at phrase level in linear texts. �Construct 8: Able to understand and use the language at phrase level in non-linear

texts.�

Construct 9: Able to read and understand sentences with guidance�Construct 10: Able to understand and use the language at sentence level in non-linear

texts.�

Construct 11: Able to understand and use the language at paragraph level in linear texts.�

Construct 12: Able to construct sentences with guidance�

Strand 1

Strand 3

Strand 5

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What pupils should master...(5)

The Elements Table

Strand Elements Construct

1 Alphabets and phonemes 1 & 2

2 Phonemes, blending & segmenting, Vocabulary

(Words list)

3, 4, & 5

3 Simple conversation, phrases (preposition and

adjective), verbs

6, 7, & 8

4 Short sentences, punctuation 9 & 10

5 Wh-questions, Yes No questions, building sentences 11 & 12

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LINUS-based Activities

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The Alphabet & Phonemes

Provide pupils with paper plates. Put some sand on them.

Let them practice writing the alphabet in capital and small letters.

Letter dictation: Say out a phoneme, and pupils write the letter form.

In groups, get a pupil to say a phoneme and the others will write the letters (some pupils will act as judges)

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Blending  &  Seg+entingUse a strip of paper. Fold the strip into parts according to the number of phonemes as shown. Focus on the familiar phoneme and then guide pupils to blend it with the adjacent phonemes in separate parts (ie “a” first, then “an”, finally “pan”).

l oo kh i tp na

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Teacher models the target structure. Example: Hello, I am … / Good morning,…/

Can I .. / May I …/ Pupils practice the structure with their friends.

Chanting (to practice the dialogue the pupils had learnt)

Teacher and pupils make finger puppets. Puppet shows by group.

Conversation/Dialog

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PunctuationPut up a correct sentence as reference.

Pupils read the sentences with teacher’s guidance.

Teacher then put up another set of sentence as below (with the previous still on the board as guide)

Provide answer choices. Then ask pupils which answer is the best.

Repeat with more examples and once the pupils fully understand the concept, remove the answer choices.

My name is Upin.

_y name is _pin_

M , , , , , m U u .

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WH-QuestionsIntroduce the keywords (what, when)

Read a text.

Draw a large # sign on the board.

Divide the class into two teams – X and O.

Ask questions based on the text read

Teams race to write answers on their mini whiteboard.

First team to correctly answer gets to insert X or O into #

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Introducing WH-questions

“Where”Write down a sentence on the board. “Where do you live?”Emphasize on “where” by acting it out – raise one hand (as if saluting) up to the forehead. (To help pupils make sense of the word ‘where’ – without telling them its mean in their mother tongue)

“Where do you live?” In Taman Indah. (Make sure that the place mentioned in the answer is familiar to the pupils. Reason: to make them realize that when they are asked “where”, they are to give answer relating to places.)

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Yes-­‐No  Questions

Draw a line down the middle of the ground.

Label one side “Yes” and the other side “No”.

Pupils stand one foot on each side of the line.

Show an object/flashcard or ask a question.

Ask “Is it a __________?”

Pupils jump to the correct side while saying “No, it isn’t/Yes, it is”

Pupils are eliminated if they are wrong or late. Last pupils standing wins (14)

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Put up a picture and a sentence strip on the board.

Ron loves drawing.

Guide pupils to read the sentence few times. Then ask them:

“Does Ron love drawing?” (Yes) Repeat with other questions. Once pupils have grasp the concept, introduce the ‘No’ questions.

Example: Harry wears a blue shirt. “Does Harry wear a green shirt?” (No)

Yes-­‐No  Questions

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Introduce keywords (works, teacher, school, doctor, hospital, police, police station, firefighter, fire station)Teacher stands at the front.

Teacher shows an object/picture card/etc.

Teacher makes a statement about the picture.

Example: “A teacher works in school”

Pupils stand up if the statement is correct.

Pupils sit down if the statement is incorrect.

Pupils who perform neither are out.

Last student standing is the winner.

Building Sentences

stand up

sit down

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Tips Sharing

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Desk LabelFold a paper into a triangular prism. Draw three lines on one of the sides. Write down the pupil’s name as shown in the picture. Put it on the pupil’s desk. It helps pupils in knowing the alphabet and writing their own names.

- Madam Carmella Sukim, PPD Pitas-

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Little TeacherPick a pupil who has mastered all the constructs and assign him/her to be a tutor to those who have not yet mastered the constructs.

One at a timeSet an achievable target, such as introducing a letter at a time. Once pupils achieve this, move on to another letter and so forth until they know the alphabet.

- Madam Carmella Sukim, PPD Pitas-(21)

- Miss Nur Solehah Hanafiah, SK Ramuan China, Melaka-

ChalkWhen it comes to writing the alphabet, I normally ask my pupils to trace letters in the air with their forefinger. Then, I hand out chalks for them to write on their board. This way I’m able to show them how to hold the chalk properly as how they would with a pencil.

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‘Befriend’ pupilsGet to know pupils, find out their strength and needs. Then focus on their strength. For example, if pupils love drawing, use this to attract their attention to what you are teaching.

- Miss Patsy Alison, PPD Pitas-

Clear instructionsI use simple instructions in English and Concept Checking Questions (CCQ) during my class. This helps me to check if my pupils understand my instructions whenever I assign them tasks.

- Miss Morisah Dali, SK Pekan Pitas-(23)

WH-Questions (Practice)

I use colours to relate questions to the answers in the text or picture. This way pupils are able to comprehend the text or material better.

- Miss Mas Fairiziana Mas Rosli,

SK Beladin, Pusa, Betong, Sarawak(24)

Work with parentsI try to foster a good relationship with parents and I always look for a way to communicate to them in regards of their children’s performance in class. I sometimes ‘tutor’ parents, for instance phonemic awareness, so they can teach their children at home.

PatternI often repeat the activities of my lesson to create a pattern and give my pupils confidence.

- Miss Bonnie Edwin, SK Pekan Pitas-

- Miss Fellince Marail, SK Pekan Pitas-

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The Blog

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Please visit the blog atlinus101.weebly.com

and share your ideas for more literacy activities!

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This link will direct you to our photo gallery.

Click on this to access the LINUS-based activities and feel free to share your ideas!

This link will direct you to the ‘Skill Square’, ‘LINUS Strands’, ‘Component Table.

Articles + Tips sharing from teachers who are involved in LINUS.

Click on this to read the background information this project.

This link will direct you to the home screen of this site.

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All of these activities are downloadable so anyone can benefit from this site!

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If you have interesting activities or tips in teaching literacy, please share them with us! Post your sharing by filling out the name and comment box below.

Thank You