el curriculum & writing assessments at primary 3 & 4 levels

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


• Overview of Primary 3 & 4 Curriculum • Reading-Writing Connection • Writing Curriculum • Writing Assessments

Content of Presentation


Springdale English Curriculum

Modified STELLAR School-based

curriculum

Our English Programme


• 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


• 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


Introduce good books to your children

Why is reading so important?

Ignite the Passion for Reading


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


Cognitive Model of the Composing Process (Flower & Hayes, 1981)


• 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)


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


• 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


• 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


• 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


Write a composition about an accident. Topic

P4 Writing Format


• 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


PSLE Format


Any Questions?


Elements of a Good Narrative

A story has:

1. Introduction

2. Problem

3. Climax

4. Resolution

5. Conclusion


1.Description

2.Dialogue

3.Sound

Types of Introductions


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)


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)


1.Lesson learnt

2.Feelings

3.Question

Types of Conclusions


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)


Question Sam wondered to himself, “Why did I not listen to my parents’ advice?”

Good Conclusions (P4)


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


• 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


• 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


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


Any Questions?


Writing Assessments


Assessment for Learning

Assessment as Learning

Assessment of Learning

Writing Assessments


• Formative assessment • Emphasises strengths, identifies challenges and

points to the next step. • Occurs throughout the learning process.



Planning Drafting Final version? Revising / Editing

Final version

The Writing Process (Harmer, 2004)


P3 & P4 Process Writing


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.


Stage 3: Final Draft

Samples

Stage 1: First Draft

Stage 2: Peer-Editing on 1st Draft


Hyperlinks/P4 3rd Stage Sample 1.docx


• 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


• 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


• 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


• 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?


• 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

Hyperlinks/Compo Mark Scheme for Pupils - P3 & P4.docx


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


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


• Summative assessment • Occurs at the end of the process.



• Duration: 45 minutes • Write a coherent story of at least 100 words • Story must include: - Introduction - Problem - Resolution - Conclusion



Sample Question


• Read Handout 3 & 4. • Look at the sample writing and consider which band

you would award for Content and Language.


• 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?


Any Questions?


Thank You…

el curriculum & writing assessments at primary 3 & 4 levels

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