2019-2020 Issue No. 17

THE VISIONKowloon Tong School

(Primary Section)

Captain English Didyounoticethatsomeofourstudentswearaspecial‘CaptainEnglish’badge?Doyouknowwhattheirdutiesare?Actually,thesestudentscanbeveryhelpfulifyouwanttoimproveyourEnglish!

Thisyear,ourPrimaryOnetoThreestudentshavehadawonderfulopportunity todemonstrate their Englishskillsand inspireothers.Theseresponsibleandveryenthusiasticstudentshelptomakesurethat everyone can experience an English-speaking environmenteveryday.ThankstoeveryCaptainEnglish,students’interestintheEnglish language has been increasing daily. Each Captain Englishdoestheirbest tospreadtheEnglish-speakingatmosphere inandoutside theclassroom.Theyalso setverygoodexamples for theirpeersandmotivatethemtoimprovetheirEnglishonadailybasis.Moreover,eachCaptainEnglishisanirreplaceablehelperforEnglishteachers.

English

CaptainEnglishtakingtheiroath.

“I’mveryhappytohelpourEnglish teacher every day. Forexample,Icollectthebooksanddistribute them in class. I alsohelpmyclassmatescorrecttheirmistakes in speaking or writinginEnglish.”

-AdelaWu(2D)

Oral LessonsTheme-basedApproach This year has seen an update to the Oralcurriculumtobetterreflecttheschool’sbeliefintheincreasingimportanceofinternationalmindednessin today’s world. This new design also allows fora more dynamic theme-based approach. It ishoped that the students will have gained a betterappreciationoftheworldaroundthemandthattheyaredevelopingasenseofbeingaglobalcitizen. StudentspractisingOralpresentationsingroups.

“I’mveryhappytobeCaptainEnglish. I’m a very helpful andcheerfulperson.Everymorning,Ihelpmyteachercollectthebooks.I also like tohelpmyclassmatesandencourage themto speak inEnglish.”

-JeannieYung(1E)

ReadingWorkshops Inadditiontopresentationclasses,readingworkshopshavealsobeenredesignedtoplacegreateremphasisonthematicdiscussions,reader-basedactivitiesandroleplays.Studentshavebecomefarmoreadeptatplacingthemselvesintheshoesofthecharactersandunderstandingtheauthor’smessage.Formoresenioryeargroups,studentshave been encouraged to lookbeyondthepageandsharpentheiranalyticalcapabilitiestoo.Thishasenabledthemtobetterrealisetheimportance of understanding notonlywhatissaidonthepage,butalso what is not said. As a result,the students have been able todisplay an enhanced ability toindependently make inferencesandunderstandsubtext.

ThemesForOralLessons2019-2020

APrimaryFourstudentdiscussingthefamousfullEnglishbreakfast!

AcaptiveaudienceforaPrimaryFour‘ComeFlyWithMe!’presentation.

PrimarySixstudentspractisingtheirgrouppresentations,‘ATravelVlog’.

Semester1 Semester2 Semester3

PrimaryOne MeAsAFriend MyFavouriteStory InternationalFood

PrimaryTwo MyFavouriteFilm WhenIGrowUp MyHealthyWeek

PrimaryThree MyFestival MyEco-FriendlyWeek MyWeird,WonderfulJob!

PrimaryFour ComeFlyWithMe! RemarkablePeople Eco-Warriors!

PrimaryFive ADangerousJobInTheWorld ANewCountry Self-Introduction

PrimarySix HolidayVlog! BreakingNews! TimeTravelling

PresentationClasses In each semester, the students have had a brand new theme to work on in their presentationclasses.Thethemeshavebeenvariedandrich,includingtopicsrelatedtopersonalandenvironmentalhealth, international culture, news and media as well as story and movie appreciation. The lessonshave produced lively discussions and students have taken part in a wide range of challenging andstimulatingactivitiesthroughouttheyear.Towardstheendofeachsemester,studentshavegiventheirpresentationsonthedesignatedtheme.Thisyear,thepresentationshavebeendesignedtoincorporatea combination of lesson content, research, creativity and personal opinion and reflection. Studentshaverespondedpleasinglywelltothenewframeworkandlooksettogofromstrengthtostrength.

ReadersforPrimary4,5and6respectively.

English Language Days

Different Activities And Themes On Language Days English Language Days have always been extremely popular for

students and teachers alike. This year, the students once again had

theopportunitytoplaytheroleofKTSAdventurersandcontinuewith

the English Passport award scheme. This year’s passport theme was

“One small step for you, one giant leap in your English!” Students

wereencouragedtotakepartinthevariousEnglish-speakingactivities

organised around the school campus and earn passport stamps.

StudentswhoachievedasilverawardorabovereceivedauniqueKTS

keychain!

Studentstryingtheirbesttoearnstamps!

Studentstakinganonlinequizcreatedbyourownstudents,usingKahoot.

StudentslininguptotalktotheirEnglishteacher.

KTSadventurersshowingofftheirstampsintheirpassports.

Class5AstudentspromotingtheirupcomingRadioFunProgramme.

KTSadventurerscanalsouseKahoottohavefunduringlunchtime!

DoyouwantoneoftheuniqueKTSkeychains?

Language Day activities echo the topics that the presenters talk about during the Radio Fun

Programme,givingstudentsachancetoapplythelearntknowledgeandpractiseteamworkwiththeir

peers.In‘MobileApps’,studentswereintroducedtotheever-evolvingworldofapps.Studentsarequite

familiarwithmanyapps,sotherewasafocusonsomeless-used,newertypesofapps.Studentswill

hopefullyhavedevelopedanincreasedinterestinproductivityandlifestyleapps,suchasCitymapper

andFitbit.AlotofthemhavementionedusingappsintroducedtothemduringthisLanguageDay,and

itisreallypleasingtoseeLanguageDayshavingapositiveimpactontheirbroaderlives.Thestudents

took part in answering questions from English

Ambassadors at lunchtime that tested their

knowledge of apps and earned them passport

stamps.ThestudentsalsotookpartinaniPadquiz

intheEnglishRoomandreallyenjoyedcompeting

againsteachotherusingtheappKahoot.

Our team of teachers and students design

LanguageDaysinawaysoastopromoteEnglish

languagelearningamongstudentsandencourage

themtoapplytheselearntskillsintheireveryday

lives.Itisalsohopedthatthesedayswillprovide

themwithfondmemoriesofactivelearning.

Enjoy Radio Fun Programmes Again Thisyear,wehaveextendedthelearningopportunitiesforthestudentsbyuploadingtheRadio

FunProgrammefromeachLanguageDaytoeClass.Inthisway,thestudentscanwatchtheprogrammes

againattheirownpace.

Herearethestepsforyouwhenyouwanttorewatchtheprogrammes:

Step1.LogintoyoureClassaccount.

Step2.Findthetab“LearningCentre”andclickonit.

MobileAppswasapopularLanguageDaytopicthisyear!

Step3.Find“SubjectArea”andclickonit.

Step4.Findthe“Self-learning”folder.YoucanfindalltheprogrammesforRadioFunProgrammethere.

KTS Theatre Theintroductionofabrandnewelement;theKTSTheatre,wasreceived

withalotofenthusiasmbythestudents.KTSTheatrewasinitiatedtobring

theLanguageDayexperienceintotheclassrooms.ForeveryLanguageDay,

theteacherschooseanEnglishlanguagevideotobeshownintheclassrooms.

ThechosenvideoslikeABriefHistoryofLondon,Arthur,andTheFlintstones

were carefully selected not only for educational purposes basis, but also

becausetheywereinterestingandmadetheEnglishlearningexperiencea

lotmorefun.

English Ambassadors The English Ambassadors played a key role in ensuring the smooth running of Language Days.

Theirpositivityandhelpfulnatureareintegraltotheprogramme’ssuccess,andtheyalwayssetagood

exampleforalltheirschoolmates,particularlythejuniorstudents.EnglishAmbassadorsassistwiththe

preparation for each Language Day by helping to coach and supervise the students who have been

assignedresponsibilities.Theycheckscripts,observerehearsals,helporganisetheworkloadandliaise

withtheNETs-in-charge.

“BeinganEnglishAmbassadorhasmademyschoollifemorefruitful.Itgives

meanopportunitytopromoteEnglish inourschoolcampusandencouragemy

fellow students to speak in English. I have learnt some important lessons about

teamwork,andIamverygratefultotheteacherswhospendtimeandeffortto

guideusonLanguageDays.”

-AlfonsoNg(6A)

“IhavebeenanEnglishAmbassadorforthreeyears.Iamhonouredtohavethis

roleandrepresentmyschool.AsanEnglishAmbassador,Ihavetheresponsibility

tospreadtheuseofEnglishandencouragestudentstospeakinEnglish.Itakepart

invariouslanguagedayactivitiesinordertobeapositiveinfluenceandinspire

otherstofollowmylead.Ialsotrymybesttoofferhelptotheteachersandfollow

instructionswell.Itreasurethisopportunityverymuch.”

-KellyChan(6A)

2019-2020KTSEnglishAmbassadors.

Tips For Reading Strategies

Many parents always look for advice on how to improve the reading strategies of their

children.Unfortunately,thereisnouniversaltechniquethatwouldsuiteverylearner.Withtrial

anderror,parentscanchoosethemosteffectivetechnique(oracombinationofseveralofthem)

that theirchildren feelcomfortablewith.Herearesomebasic readingstrategies for improving

comprehensionskillsthatparentsandstudentsmightbewillingtotry:

• Skim:readforthebriefideaoroverview.

• Scan:readforspecificdetailsoraspecificreason.

• KWL:determinewhatyouKnowaboutthetopic,whatyouWanttoknow,andwhatyouLearnt.

• Skip:ifyoudon'tunderstandawordorsection,keepreadingahead.Comebacktothesection

orwordagainandtrytofigureoutthemeaning.Useadictionaryifnecessary.

• Lookforheadings,subtitlesandkeywords.

• Readoutloud:getcomfortablehearingyourEnglishvoice.

• Createtimelinesorcharts:reorganisewhatyoureadinadifferentformat.

• Illustrate:ifyouthinkyouareavisuallearner,sketchimagesoraninfographicrelatedtowhat

youread.

• Writethequestions:asyouread,thinkaboutwhichquestionsyoumightfindonatestorquiz.

Writethemdownandanswerthem,orquizafriend.

• Summariseorretell:youcandothisbywritingalettertoafriend,writingablogpost,making

awebcamvideo,orjuststartingaconversationonthistopic.

• Keepavocabularyjournal.

• Useapenorruler:somepeoplefinditiseasiertoreadwithapacer.Apen,rulerorfingertip

canhelpyoukeepyourplaceandpreventyoureyesfromwanderingoff.

You probably know that even in your mother tongue, reading is regarded as important

becauseitcanbeentertainingandeducational.Itcanopenupnewworlds,enrichyourlife,and

alsoenhanceyoursocialskills.

Readingisanessentialskill for languagelearners.Whenyourreadingskills improve,your

listening,speakingandwritingskillsimprovetoo.

Todayareader,tomorrowaleader!

Recommended Reading List"Thereismoretreasureinbooksthaninallthepirate'slootonTreasureIsland."– Walt Disney

KTSplacesagreatemphasisonnurturingself-motivatedstudents.Oneofthebestwaysforstudentstomaximisetheirdevelopmentandenrichtheirlanguageskillsistoreadasmuchastheycan.Tohelpfacilitatethis,KTShasintroducedselectedrecommendedreadingliststoallstudents.Thelistsprovideanumberofrecommendedbooksofdifferenttopicsandinterestsforstudentstochoosefromsotheycandeveloptheirreadinghabitsemi-independentlyattheirownpace.

Thelistsalsoserveasawaytoencourageourstudents’interestinreadingwhiledevelopingtheirlanguageskills.Ultimately, it ishopedthattheycanhelpourstudentsdevelopthehabitofbeingalifetimereader.

AsampleoftheRecommendedReadingListforstudents:

PrimaryThreeandFourBarrie,J.M.PeterPanCowell,CressidaHowToTrainYourDragon(series)Dahl,RoaldCharlieandtheChocolateFactoryTheBFGTheMagicFingerTheTwitsDeSaint-Exupéry,AntoineTheLittlePrinceDonnelly,JudyTheTitanic:LostandFoundGray,KesDaisyandtheTroublewiththeVampiresGriffiths,AndyThe117-StoreyTreehouseKinney,JeffDiaryofaWimpyKid(series)Lynas,EmWitchSchoolCollection-3BooksMessner,KateRangerinTime(series)Murphy,JillTheWorstWitchOsborne,MaryPopeDinosaursBeforeDarkPalacio,R.J.WonderPyle,HowardTheMerryAdventureofRobinHoodTurnbull,StephanieIncredibleIllusionsWoolf,AlexTrekkingintheCongoRainforestYomtov,NelPerilinPompeii!NickolasFluxandtheEruptionofMountVesuvius

PrimaryFiveandSixAlbom,MitchTheFivePeopleYouMeetinHeavenBunzl,PeterCogheartCarpenter,HumphreyMr.Majeika(series)Carroll,LewisAlice'sAdventuresinWonderlandThroughtheLooking-GlassandWhatAliceFoundThereColfer,ChrisTheLandofStories(series)Dahl,RoaldMatildaDuPrau,JeanneTheCityofEmberLewis,C.S.TheChroniclesofNarnia:TheLion,theWitchandtheWardrobeLowry,LoisTheGiverNesbit,E.TheRailwayChildrenOppel,KennethTheBoundlessOrwell,GeorgeAnimalFarmParry,RosanneAWolfCalledWanderRiggs,RansomMissPeregrine’sHomeForPeculiarChildrenRiley,JamesStoryThievesRiordan,RickPercyJacksonandtheOlympians(series)TheKaneChronicles(series)Rowling,J.K.HarryPotterseriesWalliams,DavidTheWorld'sWorstChildren(series)

PrimaryOneandTwoAtwater,RichardandFlorenceMr.Popper'sPenguinsBaum,L.FrankTheWonderfulWizardofOzBeresford,JasonTheFabulousFourFishFingersBlume,JudyFreckleJuiceBroad,MichaelOtterChaosBullard,LisaBrandon’sBirthdaySurpriseButchart,PamelaBabyAliensGotMyTeacher!Coxon,MicheleTheCatWhoLostHisPurrDr.SeussTheCatintheHatFearnley,JanMr.Wolf’sPancakesFoley,JamesBrobotGastronautsLacey,JoshTheDragonsitter(series)Lobel,ArnoldFrogandToad(series)McKee,DavidElmerNees,SusanMissy’sSuperDuperRoyalDeluxe(series)Potter,BeatrixABeatrixPotterTreasurySazaklis,JohnTheDangersofDogWalkingSendak,MauriceWheretheWildThingsAreStrong,JeremyPirateSchool:JustaBitofWind

Fun With IPA

Students’ Thoughts

Studentsaretryinghardtopronouncethevowels!MrKwokintroducingvowelstostudents.

“My favourite subject is English.Sometimes Mr Kwok, our IPA teacher,comestoteachusIPAinourEnglishlessons.IenjoythelessonswithhimverymuchaslearningIPAcanhelpuspronouncewordsmuchmoreprecisely.ItwasquitedifficultformeatfirstbutIlearntfrommycarelessmistakesandsoonIwasabletoreadIPAtranscriptionslikeapro.Myclassmatesalsoenjoy IPA lessonsa lotastheyarequiteinteractive. I thinkthat IPA isawonderfultoolforustoimproveourstandardofspokenEnglish.”

-ValerieLee(4A)

“I think IPA isuseful. It can help mepronounce the wordsbetter. Moreover, itdoes not only helpimprovemygradeintheSpeaking Assessment,but it also helps us correct commonlymispronounced words. During IPAlessons, I listen toMrKwokattentivelyandlearnasmuchaspossible.”

-ZigicWong(4B)

WhyDoWeTeachIPA? TheInternationalPhoneticAlphabet(IPA)isbasedonthe"onesymbol,onesound"principle.IfstudentscanreadtheIPAofunfamiliarwords,theycanpronouncethesewordsmoreaccuratelyandreducetheirpronunciationerrors.

TheIPAProgrammeAtKTS AccordingtoresearchconductedbyCityUniversityofHongKong,IPAcouldassistESLlearnerstoacquirethecorrectpronunciationofEnglishwords.Buttoday,onlyafewschoolsinHongKonghavetheresourcestoimplementIPAteaching.KTSisoneoftheseoutstandingschoolsprovidingIPAlearningandsupportforstudents.AndIamtrulyprivilegedtohavetheopportunityofintroducingandconductingtheIPAprogrammeatKTSsince2014. AsitisimportantforstudentstobuildasolidfoundationofEnglishpronunciationearlyintheirlives,westarttheIPAprogrammeinPrimaryOne,whichisthenfollowedbyenrichmentandreviewlessonsinPrimaryTwoandPrimaryFour. InordertofacilitatethelearningandapplicationoftheIPA,onlineIPApracticePowerPointsareavailableontheschool’swebsite.Inaddition,EnglishnotesandworksheetswiththeIPAforselectednewwordsareprovidedtohelpstudentslearnthecorrectpronunciation.AndpostersoftheIPAcanevenbeseenineveryclassroom! TeachingKTSstudentshasbeenahighlyenjoyableandencouragingexperiencetomeasmostofthestudentsareenthusiasticaboutthesoundsoftheEnglishlanguageandtheylearnreallyfast!IthuswouldliketoexpressmysinceregratitudetoMs.Yeung(theprincipal)andalltheEnglishteachersandstaffofKTSfortheirstrongsupportformeconductingtheIPAprogrammes.

DerekKwok

The Amazing Tour - UK Study Tour

TheUKStudyTourlastsummerwasanopportunityforthestudentsofKTStoimmersethemselvesin some of the rich history and culture of the United Kingdom. Students gained a variety ofexperienceslikestayingatHolmewoodHouseSchool,visitingmuseumsandplacesofculturalinterestandbefriendingEnglishstudents.Thetourwasonceagainahugesuccess,offeringthestudentsastimulatingandculturallyenrichingexperienceaswellas some life-longmemories.Everydaywasalearningopportunity.Thetourreinforcedtheschool’sbelief ininternationalmindednessanddedicationtodevelopingwell-roundedindividualswithaglobaloutlook.

Oneof thehighlightsof thetripwasattendingthemusical‘Matilda’ at Cambridge Theatre in Covent Garden. Matilda,originally a beloved novel written by renowned children’sauthorRoaldDahl,wasadaptedtomovie format in 1996.Sincethen, ithasbeenadapted for the stageandbecomeaglobalphenomenon,winningarecordsevenOlivierAwardsin2012andfiveTonyAwardsin2013.

“WatchingthemusicalMatildawasoneofthemostexcitingactivitiesonthewonderful16-daystudytourintheUK.Weallleftwithlovelymemoriesafterwatchingthemusical.BeforewewenttotheUK,theteachersaskedustodoafewworksheetsaboutthestoryofMatilda.WelistenedtothesongsandwatchedclipsfromthemusicalofMatildawhichwererecordedearlier.Weimmediatelyfellinlovewiththosesongs!OntheninthdayofourtripintheUK,wecouldfinallywatchMatilda!Thatwasmyfirsttimewatchingamusical.Ifounditveryimpressive.Itisaboutanintelligentgirlwhohasmagicalpowers.Themusicalwasveryhilarious! Icanstill remember theplotverywell.Next time, if IhaveachancetogototheUK,Iwillgotothetheatretowatchamusicalagain!”

-RebeccaZhou(6B)

Beforethetrip,studentswereaskedtodosomeworksheetsinordertoknowmoreaboutthestoryofMatilda.Somestudentstoldushowtheyfeltabouttheshow:

“Lastsummer,IhadthewonderfulopportunitytogoontheUKStudyTour.IlearntalotaboutthecultureandhistoryofEngland.IenjoyedvisitingsomefamoussiteslikeDoverCastle,LondonEye, the spectacularTowerBridge,BuckinghamPalaceandWindsorCastle.Apart from itsgreathistoricalbackgroundandpicturesquebeauty,EnglandhassomeoftheloveliestpeopleIhaveevermet.Imadesomelong-lastingbondswithmybuddy,AbigailandmyroommatesJennyandRenee.IamextremelygratefulforKTSforprovidingmewiththisopportunityasthistourhasencouragedmetolearnnewthingsandseetheworldfromdifferentpointsofview.IhopetoreturntotheUKagaininthefuture.Thisexperienceshallalwaysholdaspecialplaceinmyheart.”

-PeggieChoy(6C)

Allinall,thetripwasahugesuccessforthestudents,allowingthemtodelveintoanewcultureandgivingthemlotsofinsightthatilluminatedmanyaspectsoftheirlives.

BirthdaycelebrationatHolmewoodHouse. Time-travellingatTowerBridge!

CruiseontheThames.AfineviewfromDoverCastle.

Webecamebestbuddies!CambridgeUniversityvisit.

Somefuturestudentsperhaps?

Q: Why did the clock go to the principal’s office?

A: For tocking too much.

Q: Why can’t you give Elsa a balloon?

A: Because she will let it go!

Q: What is the best day to go to the beach?

A: Sunday, of course!

Idioms1. Don’tcountyourchickens(beforetheyhatch!)

Thisisasayingthatwarnspeoplenottoassumetheyhavesucceededinsomethinguntilitis100%confirmed.Theexamplestemsfromfarmers–theymayhaveachickenwholays100eggsandwanttocelebratetheirwealth.Buttheeggsarenotvaluabletothemuntiltheyhatchintochicks!Thisidiomteachesustobecertainaboutthingsbeforewecelebrate,inordertoavoiddisappointmentlater.

“Liverpool are 15 points ahead at the top of the table. We’re going to win the Premier League!”

“Don’t count your chickens, the season is not over yet!”

2. Killingtwobirdswithonestone

Thisidiomisusedtodescribecompletingtwodifferenttaskswithoneaction.

“I needed to buy some stamps but as I had to collect a parcel from the post office anyway, I was able to kill two birds with one stone.”

3. Lettingthecatoutofthebag

Thisidiomdescribessomeonewhorevealsasecretorsurprise,oftenbyaccident.

“We were planning a surprise party for Mum, but Simon let the cat out of the bag. He is terrible at keeping secrets!”

Consultants: Headmistress Yeung Mee Kuen, Vice-Headmistress Leung Yee Wah

Committee members: Ms Tong Ka Wai, Ms Chan Sze Mun Ms Au Pik Yan, Mr Hawkins, Mr Farag, Ms Wasi, Ms KashinaGuest: Mr Derek Kwok

Address: NKIL 2721 Cumberland Road, Kowloon Tong

Tel: 2336 3802

Website: http://www.ktsps.edu.hk

Email: info@ktsps.edu.hk

English Fun: International Mindedness

Word SearchM U S I C S F U E G J K

I C E Y R O T S I H C E

R N S C P O C E D E F R

E O I N H R T A L N Y U

L I M Z O J H E H K R T

I T O L C I B T G G T L

G A A P F R T R I S N U

I L V K A A I I K N U C

O U N T O T M V D V O K

N P I O V X A I V A C H

I O C S W N U Q L A R T

N P B E L I E F S Y T T

TRADITIONS COUNTRY ARTCELEBRATION MUSIC POPULATIONFAMILY HISTORY CULTUREBELIEFS RELIGION

Jokes