主要學習領域

Introduction

Student-centred with a focused and innovative learning environment. 

This is what defines the HKUGA Primary School English Department. Through this environment, our students are supported to develop their interest in and love of both reading and writing. Then, both in and out of the classroom, students use discussion, games, and group activities to develop their speaking and listening authentically. In our English department, we do not just want our students to learn; we want our students to thrive.

The primary aims of our English Language Curriculum are:

• to provide every child with opportunities for extending their knowledge and experience of different cultures and how to show respect for these different cultures;
• to help children prepare for their further studies and work in the English medium as good communicators who are able to cope with daily demands of communication in the modern world;
• to foster personal and intellectual development and to be enthusiastic about learning through the medium of English;
• to promote STEM and IT in Education; and
• to create diversified and life-wide learning experiences. 

Our Curriculum

Students develop the skills of reading, writing, listening, speaking and knowledge of grammar through a broad and balanced curriculum with well-scaffolded learning materials. Each unit revolves round a particular theme or topic which provides a strong context for all learning activities. Reading texts, with grammar items carefully embedded, serve as the input and context for subsequent listening, speaking and writing tasks.

Each unit begins with clearly-defined learning outcomes to allow learners a clear picture of what they will be learning and achieving. Students return to these outcomes both in the middle and at the end of each unit. In the middle, they work on reflecting what they are doing well and what they need more help with. At the end, they reflect on“What Went Well” and how to move forward with “Even Better If” planning.

Experiential and hands-on activities enrich students’ learning experiences by making them memorable, authentic and contextualized. Dr. Seuss’ "Green Eggs and Ham" comes alive when P.1 students make green eggs and ham with the support of their teachers and parents. How to use imperatives in instructions become entrenched when P.4-6 students create board games, demonstrate cooking a recipe and organise games for younger students respectively.

 

Curriculum-related Activities

 

P1 Job Sharing

We are committed to offering our P1 students a diverse and stimulating learning experience that extends beyond the traditional classroom setting. As part of our effort to expose our students to real-life examples, we invite parents to participate in our unit on occupations. Parents share about their jobs, providing an engaging and meaningful learning experience that goes beyond the typical jobs often found in books. The children are excited to see their parents' participation, and we are grateful for their involvement in making this initiative a success. This exciting initiative underscores our school's commitment to providing a well-rounded education that prepares our students for success both in and out of the classroom. Our school’s dedication to offering a holistic education, emphasizing our home-school collaboration, is highlighted by this initiative.

 

Overseas learning trips

Overseas learning trips

Overseas learning trips

P1 Green Eggs and Ham

We take pride in offering our P1 students a unique and engaging approach to writing instructions, inspired by the beloved children's book, "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss. Through a fun and collaborative cooking activity centered around this classic tale, the students develop their instruction writing skills while having a blast in the process. Students, together with the support of the parents, try their own hand at cooking the "green eggs" and ham, and then use the process to write the recipe. We are deeply grateful to the parents who generously lend their time and support to make this fun and educational activity possible. This initiative underscores our commitment to providing a well-rounded education that nurtures creativity and critical thinking skills, while fostering a love of learning that will last a lifetime.

 

Overseas learning trips

Overseas learning trips

Overseas learning trips

P1 Chai Wan Park Visit

In an effort to continue to extend learning outside the classroom, students wrap-up their nature unit with a visit to the nearby park! With a lot of help from the parents, they tour the park in groups, working through different stations to explore the nature that was being brought into the classroom. They use lots of adjectives and their newly-acquired vocabulary to describe and respect the nature that they see every day. This memorable experience continues the home-school cooperation found in previous units, while inspiring a love for nature that will persist long after the activity has been finished.

 

Overseas learning trips

P2 Weather Report

How is the weather today? Well, look no further than the P2 students, who give us a detailed weather report showing the concepts they learned in the weather unit. This meaningful activity utilizes all concepts that were taught throughout their unit. This not only expands their knowledge, but also connects it to the real world, where the weather is an everyday topic! This activity helps to give the students confidence in their oral language and teaches them just how important our weather really is.

 

Overseas learning trips

Overseas learning trips

Overseas learning trips

P3 Animal Talk

For the P3 unit on animals, students do not just read about animals, they also explore them! Through hands-on experience and interaction with many of the unique animals introduced in this unit, describing these animals comes easily! Many of these animals would not be typically seen in the students’ daily lives so the talk helps in cementing concepts and language that they learned beforehand. Through this fun and engaging topic, a love for the environment and for taking care of animals are taught intrinsically alongside the other extrinsic language topics they learned.

 

Overseas learning trips

P4 Board Games

How much language is communicated through board game instructions? How about when you play the board games themselves? Our P4 students know very well! From imperatives to conditionals, they learn all the pieces of language necessary to understand the components that make up games. Through this understanding, they can then utilize this language to create their very own board games! This activity allows all group members to contribute and create something special together. Then, for the rest of the term, they have these games to play whenever they have extra time!

 

P5 GS-English Cross-curricular Space Unit

Solar System Presentation + Space Museum Visit

At HKUGAPS, we prioritize immersive learning experiences and authentic teaching methods. Furthermore, we strive to take our students' learning to the next level by encouraging them to think critically and creatively. In one of our units, students delve into the captivating subject of space and the solar system. As part of a group project presentation, students are tasked with designing their own planets and solar systems, taking into account both physical and chemical limitations, as well as the impact of planets on each other. They also design alien life forms capable of withstanding the extreme conditions of their "designed" planets. This project promotes collaboration and presentation skills, while providing an opportunity for students to explore their imagination and expand their knowledge beyond the prescribed curriculum. At HKUGAPS, we believe in providing a dynamic and diverse learning environment that prepares our students for the challenges of the real world.

Students at HKUGAPS don't just learn from textbooks, but through discovery and experience. They have been studying space and the solar system in both General Studies and English classes. Their learning is taken to the next level with a cross-curricular excursion to the Hong Kong Space Museum. This provides a unique opportunity to experience the wonders of space through fun-filled activities including guided tours and interactive exhibits. Students have a memorable and enriching experience, gaining astronomical knowledge beyond textbooks. At HKUGAPS, learning goes beyond the classroom, embracing the world and making knowledge livelier, broader, and longer-lasting.

 

Overseas learning trips

Overseas learning trips

Overseas learning trips

 

 

P6 STEM Walking Horse Project

HKUGA Primary School's P6 students have integrated English acquisition with STEM by designing a paper walking horse, exploring scientific concepts like friction and weight. They embrace a growth mindset, learning from failures and passing on knowledge to younger P3 students. This hands-on experience provides a stimulating and practical learning opportunity for both sets of students, highlighting the school's commitment to fostering students' growth mindset and proficiency in writing instructions while incorporating key scientific concepts across disciplines.

 

Overseas learning trips

Overseas learning trips

Overseas learning trips

P6 Group Presentation: Endangered Species

Our P6 students' remarkable creativity and self-directed learning skills shine in our dynamic research project on endangered animals. Collaborating in groups, they design logos, slogans, cartoons and persuasive presentations advocating for animal protection. The top-performing teams from each P6 class showcase their work before their peers, recognizing their diligent effort, collaborative prowess, and effective teamwork. This initiative fosters a deep appreciation for animal conservation while promoting self-learning and recognizing our students' positive effort in their learning journey.

 

Overseas learning trips

Overseas learning trips

Overseas learning trips

 

Overseas Learning Trips

Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School Visit

Ahmad Ibrahim Primary School Visit

Cambridge

 Challenging Oneself

Others

Innovative teaching strategies such as the incorporation of coding in the teaching of writing using Scratch Jr in P.2-4 strengthen students’ ability to plan, visualise and organise their writing in a systematic manner. Lego WeDo allows P.3-4 students not only a tactile but also a collaborative learning experience for the learning of the Life Cycle and Natural Disasters units. Learning about animals works so much better when it is hands-on, as the P3 discovers in their life cycle unit! Virtual reality tours and iBooks further enrich the students’ experiences when learning about inspirational people like Anne Frank. The judicious use of various eLearning platforms and Apps allows English lessons to be interactive and individualised while promoting independent learning.

P3 Life Cycle, Learning about animals

P4 From Coding to Writing, Lego WeDo

P4 From Coding to Writing, Scratch Jr

Our Focus on Developing Reading

Key Stage 1 students “learn to read” through storytelling, shared reading and guided reading lessons. They are provided with ample opportunities to practise their reading strategies which will promote their fluency, expressiveness and confidence in reading.  

Key Stage 2 students “read to learn” through reciprocal reading and independent reading. By reading a variety of non-fiction text types such as newspaper articles, webpages and biographies, students learn to apply strategies such as skimming and scanning, looking for main ideas and supporting details and applying their inferring skills when reflecting on Question-Answer-Relationship (QAR). 

Reading is an integral part of our everyday teaching. Supported by theme-based readers readily available in each classroom, online reading platforms such as Epic and Britannica, students are provided with opportunities to interact with reading materials at any time. Eagerly anticipated annual events such as Pyjama Reading Day and the Character Dress-up Day strengthen students’ interest in reading with full participation by both teachers and students.

 

Below are some of the ways we support reading at our school.

 

Reading Across the Curriculum

Our school promotes reading across all subjects through extensive reading programs, allowing students to develop independent research skills and broaden their knowledge. By Key Stage 2, students can conduct independent research, write news articles, and design leaflets. We have class sets of books on topics such as the Solar System and the Holocaust, and as part of cross-curricular reading initiatives, students make presentations on their endangered animals. Our goal is to instill a passion for lifelong learning and a love for reading, both vital to students' success in and out of the classroom.

Author visits

HKUGAPS believes that face-to-face interaction with authors is a powerful way to promote a love for the English language and reading. By inviting authors to share their experiences and works with students, they are given a unique opportunity to engage directly with the creative minds behind the literature they enjoy. Through author visits, students can ask questions, gain insights into the writing process, and develop a deeper appreciation for literature. This interactive approach can inspire students to become writers themselves and foster a lifelong love of reading.

Pajamas Reading Day

At HKUGAPS, we know that promoting a love of English and reading doesn't have to be boring. That's why we host an annual Pajamas Reading Day, where students come to school dressed in their comfiest PJs, sip milk, nibble on cookies, and, of course, read their favorite books in class. This fun and sophisticated event encourages reading as a daily habit and also provides an opportunity for students to share their literary passions with their peers, fostering a love for language and literature in a relaxed and enjoyable environment.

Character dress up day

Who says reading can't be fun? At HKUGAPS, we make sure it is! Our annual Characters Dress Up day is the perfect opportunity for students to let their imaginations run wild as they come to school as their favorite book characters and walk around school with the corresponding book in hand. This fun-filled event promotes a love of reading and encourages students to embrace their creativity and passion for literature.

Reader’s Theatre

Readers Theatre is a fun and interactive way for schools to promote a love of English and reading. By performing plays and stories with expression and enthusiasm, students develop their language skills, build confidence in public speaking, and cultivate a love of literature. This engaging approach can inspire a lifelong passion for reading and language.

Library Visits

HKUGAPS is dedicated to instilling a passion for reading among its students and see the value of integrating supplementary library visits within different teaching units, such as the unit on jobs, whereby students are encouraged to explore books relating to various professions. Additionally, the school places a strong emphasis on equipping students with the essential library search skill. By providing students with these tools, HKUGAPS aims to cultivate a deep-seated love of reading that will endure well beyond their time at the school.

 

Teachers at Character Dress Up Day

 

Teachers as Readers on Pyjamas Reading Day

Students on Pyjamas Reading Day

 

Storytelling in the Library

Library Exploration Lesson

 

Classroom Library

 

Reciprocal Reading

Reciprocal Reading

 

Reader's Theatre

 

Our Students and Teachers

With open-minded, life-long learners as their teachers, students learn and use English in a warm and safe environment. They become increasingly confident and highly participative through using authentic language in well-scaffolded tasks. As the students are applauded for effort, not simply achievement, they learn to accept failure as a natural part of learning and how to move forward with their learning using their Growth Mindset.

As students’ reading and learning experiences become broader and more diversified, they see the value and the importance of English as one of the means of “learning across the curriculum,” and that they acquire a tool not only for learning but also for understanding and communicating with people from other cultures.