'Big book' approach worth a thousand words
Primary Four pupils at Baptist Lui Ming Choi (pm) School were captivated by the big book The Dark Dark Tale. As the shared reading session in a corner of the library progressed, the children moved closer and closer to teacher Jane Cheng So-ching. They eagerly joined in the reading and the search for an elusive cat on each page.
Later they retold the tale, with pupils volunteering to pick out unfamiliar words from a group of cards. Ms Cheng then prepared them to write their own story on a similar theme. At first many shook their heads, but as soon as she gave them the cue: 'It was a dark dark night in Hong Kong', they were away.
Ms Cheng is convinced that using large-format storybooks, or 'big books', is an effective way to teach children to read and improve their English, and much more stimulating than following textbooks that drill grammar and vocabulary. 'The most exciting moment is seeing the pupils' work,' she said. 'Their imaginations are very wonderful.' Louisa Tang Mei-sin, the school's principal, is so determined to get children reading that she has introduced a special reward, held every month. 'If children are good readers they can come and have lunch with me,' she said. She has also devised a home reading programme and incorporated reading into English and Chinese exams, the latter being the stick to encourage teachers and parents to take it seriously.
'If children have good reading habits and a range of reading materials they will have a broader view of things,' she said. If they did not read, their minds would be confined to their own narrow environment. 'This is one of the major problems in Hong Kong.' Her commitment to teaching reading is rare in Hong Kong. Her Sha Tin school is one of five that have been taking part in the Primary English Reading Project (PERP) during the past four years. The project was extended last September to seven more schools.
Teacher educators from the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) and City University have been working with the schools to devise programmes which use stimulating children's literature as the starting point for teaching English. Central is the use of high-interest big books shared with whole classes. These provide the context for a wide range of language development activities that explicitly teach children to read and write imaginatively. Pupils also read widely for pleasure.
The Centre for Early Childhood Education Services (CECES) is running a similar project in pre-schools. Children don't just read and listen. Games, drama, art, songs and some writing are all worked into lesson plans.