Subject - English
English Language Curriculum at Wun Tsuen
Wun Tsuen offers a comprehensive English language curriculum for our students, which caters for the diverse needs of our students at all different levels. The curriculum provides ample opportunities to our students to engage in all four areas of English language, namely listening, reading, writing and speaking.
Click on the video to see a range of English learning and teaching activities being carried out and see how our students are provided with ample opportunities to use English both inside and outside the classroom.
Video 1
An English-rich Environment
A rich-language environment can have a significant impact on the child’s ability to develop their language skills. Our English Team as well as a comprehensive English language curriculum play a crucial role in shaping the English environment at Wun Tsuen.
Our English Team
Our English teachers from diverse backgrounds
Our English Team is comprised of teachers from various backgrounds with varied and diverse experiences, making English language learning fun and exciting for our students. There are 11 foreign teachers with native or near-native fluency who help our students immerse in a language-rich environment. In addition to these teachers, we also have a team of highly experienced local English teachers. Most of these teachers have been with Wun Tsuen for more than 15 years.
Comprehensive English Language Curriculum
Our English curriculum is designed to help students develop a strong foundation in all four strands of Language Arts: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. All the strands are integrated and given equal priority throughout the year. We have various programmes for Primary 1 to 6 students helping them to smoothly progress in their English language acquisition journey.
KS1: The Space Town Literacy Programme ( Space Town)
Space Town places great emphasis on communicative language learning whereby the four language skills are taught interactively and students are exposed to real-life situations to learn English language in an authentic and conducive learning environment. The programme introduces guided reading and phonics strategies from Primary 1 and helps to enhance our students’ English literacy proficiency in the areas of reading and writing throughout the Key Stage 1. Space Town also employs e-learning and self-directed learning strategies and caters for learner diversity as students are given books to read which are appropriate for their individual reading levels. In addition, the Space Town programme is taught by the native-English-speaking teachers from Primary 1 to 3.
Our foreign English teacher conducting the Space Town Lessons
The NET interacting and playing Lego with Primary 2 students
The NET interacting with the students
Our students are happy when talking to English teachers
The Advisory Teacher Team from the NET Section works closely with our English teachers and the NETs to develop specific teaching materials to enhance our students’ English literacy proficiency in the areas of reading and writing. Our school is looking forward to the progress of this project to strengthen our students’ English learning competence.
KS2: School-based English Language Curriculum
In addition to regular General English lessons, Primary 4 to 6 students are provided with 3 extra programmes to help develop and expand their language beyond the regular curriculum.
Primary 4: A Genre-based Approach to Writing
The genre-based approach emphasizes the importance of exploring the social and cultural context of language use about a piece of writing. Students are guided to analyse the overall structure of a text in terms of language features and text features often in the form of linguistic conventions. This approach is concerned with teaching learners how to use language patterns to accomplish coherent and purposeful writing. Its central belief is that “we do not just write, we write something to achieve some purpose”. In this programme:
- Students read ‘Biographies of Famous People’
- Students are exposed to reading widely
- Reading techniques are developed
- Note taking skills are developed
- Writing skills are taught and enhanced
- Presentation skills are taught and developed
- A biography of a famous person is produced as a final product
A students is preparing some notes for the presentation
Primary 5: Development of Text Sets (DTS)
Our school has implemented Development of Text Sets (DTS) since 2016 to 17 academic year. We have carried out this project in Primary 5 classes. Students work on different themes and research various topics using print and online material. Each unit lasts for several weeks during which students research, gather and organize information in written format. This project provides students with opportunities to dig deeper into a topic and broaden their horizons. It also equips students with different reading and writing techniques as well as collaboration and teamwork skills. The salient features of the programme are:
- It helps develop reading and writing skills
- It helps develop research skills
- It contains interesting topics
- It employs project learning techniques
- It helps develop presentation skills
The Advisory Teacher from the NET section and the English teacher facilitating a group discussion
A student is presenting his ideas about an interesting topic
Primary 6: The Wun Tsuen Post
One of the hallmarks of Wun Tsuen English Language Curriculum is the production of a 12-page school newspaper. The newspaper is produced by the students start to finish with the help and facilitation of our English teachers. In the process of producing the newspaper, students select the topics, research them, paraphrase and synthesise the information, interview different personalities such as the principals of various schools, take notes, present the information and then do the write-up. The following are the highlights of the newspaper:
- A 12-page School Newspaper is Produced
- 5E learning model: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, Evaluation
- Students develop research skills as well as reading & writing techniques
- The Wun Tsuen Post is delivered to different Kindergarten and Secondary schools
A student is searching information for the School Newspaper
The 16-page Class Newspaper produced by Primary 6 students
Reading Programmes
Reading books can increase the students’ exposure to language and help develop their general language, world knowledge and vocabulary. It can also lead to an improvement in writing as well as motivation to read more. In view of these benefits, our school puts a lot of emphasis on reading extensively. That’s why we have implemented the following reading programmes at our school.
PEEGS
Our school has joined Grant Scheme on Promoting Effective English Language Learning in Primary Schools (PEEGS) which is launched by the Education Bureau in the 2017/18 school year. The scheme has allowed our school to develop school-based English enhancement measures to further promote effective English language learning for our KS1 students. Our school has focused on 2 areas of development: 1. Enriching the English language environment in our school through conducting more English language activities and 2. Promoting reading across the curriculum. We have developed 4 complete units and books have been purchased for each level. The topics/ themes include:
- Happy to be me
- The World around us
- Environment and Nature
- I Live in a Global Village
Our foreign teacher is teaching the reading programme
The implementation plan is attached. Please click on the link to see more details.
Online Reading Programme
We have joined an online reading programme called MySmartABC. The reading programme covers all 8 Elective Modules recommended by EDB. The reading material is divided into 13 distinct learning levels that cater to Key Stage 1 (Primary 1 to 3) and Key Stage 2 (Primary 4 to 6). Students can access reading materials most suitable for them! The programme employs 8 learning tools which include Reading, Songs & Poems, Grammar, E-book, Vocabulary Building, Listening, Videos, and Spelling.
Reading MaMa Programme
In addition, our parents have also contributed to the English learning process by running the ‘Reading MaMa Program’. In cooperation with the school library, we invite parents to join the ‘Parent Child Reading at Home Scheme’ and keep a reading record of the child.
IT in English Language Learning
Technology plays an important role in English language learning. Online teaching and education have become the fastest way of learning. With the help of technology, a student can grasp the concept of the language and immerse themselves with the learning process. In view of this, our school makes full use of IT in Language Learning. The following are some of the salient features of IT in English language learning.
- All classrooms are equipped with WiFi connection
- Enough number of iPads
- Bring Your Own Device Scheme (BYOD)
- A number of English-language-learning apps already installed on iPads
- Google classroom, Forms, Docs being utilized
- Learning Focus Videos are produced regularly
- School YouTube Channel
Information Technology is part and parcel of English language learning
Activities to Promote English Language Learning
- Debating
- English Drama
- Seasonal Activities
- Writing Competitions
- Speech Festivals
- Storytelling
- English Ambassador Scheme
- English Club
Some students talking to the NET during a seasonal activity
Our students are all smiles after winning the writing competition
Our students are invited at RTHK to share their ideas about ‘Multiculturalism at Wun Tsuen”
Our students won the Filmit 2019 award
A student presenting his project to one of our honourable guests
A student taking notes during an outdoor activity
Students doing a group presentation during a regular English lesson to brush up their public speaking skills
Blended Learning (Face-to-face + Online)
Where the Covid-19 took away many opportunities from students to have face-to-face lessons, it has also been a blessing in disguise in terms of promoting online learning and helping students become self-directed and life-long learners. Our school has fully made use of different online learning platforms to engage our students in learning during the school suspension. Both our teachers and students have gained deeper insights into the use and benefits of online learning. Keeping this in view, our school has come up with a ‘Blended Learning” model and has decided to keep using online learning platforms even after the school has resumed face-to-face lessons, thereby providing our students with more opportunities to learn and practice English language.
A well-developed infrastructure for Blended Learning is already in place
Video 2 :
Resources available for English Language Learning
- A comprehensive range of reading materials
- Level readers
- A dedicated English Room
- Reference material
- Newspapers and periodicals
- Tailor-made notebook (My English)
- Audio pen to decode unfamiliar words
- Oxfords dictionaries for each class
- iPads fully installed with English language related apps
A comprehensive range of reading materials
