Faculty of English

Aims and Objectives

The English Department at Sha Tin College has the special responsibility to develop and extend the English language skills of all students. The fact that Sha Tin is an international college with students from a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds is a significant consideration. It becomes all the more important that students develop a high level of competence in what is, in effect, a world language and the language that they will make use of for the rest of their lives. The English language plays a key role in all areas of the curriculum and a crucial role in many. Consequently, the English curriculum aims to enhance the speaking and listening, reading and writing skills of all students and, for those in Years 10 to 13, fully prepare them for external examination assessment. It is difficult to state that one language skill is more important than another but much of the study that students will be engaged in will relate to the reading and writing components of the four language skills.

Curriculum Overview

Years 7 to 9

The English Faculty follows a curriculum that draws on the best of the National Curriculum for England and Wales but this is significantly adapted for the international context of the students at Sha Tin College.

All students in Years 7 to 9 follow common topic-based courses which last approximately half a term. In addition to the study which students will undertake in connection with these, they will also be following a programme of language skills, a programme of spelling skills and reading a class ‘reader’ - this will usually be a novel.

As far as possible, students have the same teacher for all of their lessons and some classes have additional teachers to provide support in lessons. There is provision made for students requiring additional assistance in English to receive in-class support or to join an EAL class for some lessons.

Students make use of exercise books and retain ‘best’ pieces in storage folders. The Department is fortunate in having a dedicated ICT suite and this is regularly made use of for students to undertake a wide variety of ICT activities.

Some of the topic based units that students will undertake in Years 7 to 9 are;
My Autobiography; Theseus and the Minotaur; Travel and Holidays; Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales; Ballads and Narrative Poetry; An Introduction to Shakespeare - ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’; People and the Environment; Poetry from Other Cultures; Shakespeare - ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and a Survival unit amongst others.

Years 10 and 11

Students in Years 10 and 11 follow courses leading to IGCSE qualifications in English and English Literature. Whilst each of these is a subject in its own right leading to a separate qualification, the courses are taught alongside each other and are inter-dependent.
A small number of students follow a course leading to IGCSE English as a Second Language in addition to the IGCSE English and Literature courses.

The IGCSE English and English Literature courses.

These:
develop students’ skills in speaking and listening, reading and writing;
provide students with qualifications that are essential for university entrance and employment;
prepare students for the English component of the International Baccalaureate that they will study in Years 12 and 13;

Both IGCSE English and IGCSE English Literature are assessed through course-work and end of course examination. Written and oral coursework is completed early in the Spring term of Year 11 in order to leave plenty of time for examination preparation and revision.

The structure of the individual IGCSE courses is as follows:

IGCSE English Language

This comprises coursework – worth 30% of the overall assessment and an end of course examination – worth 70% of the overall assessment.

IGCSE English Literature

This requires the study of Prose, Drama and Poetry. Similar to IGCSE English, students will be assessed through both coursework – 30 %and an end of course examination – 70%.

Years 12 to 13

International Baccalaureate

The International Baccalaureate is now firmly established at the College. The very nature of the course is informed by guiding principles related to developing internationally minded young people who will contribute to creating a “better and more peaceful world.” All Year 12 and Year 13 students follow the International Baccalaureate course and a major component of this is English. In practice, for most students this means the study of literature from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.

The courses followed are:

A1 Higher and Standard Levels.
A2 English for Standard and Certificate courses.

During the two years, students study a wide range of both classical and contemporary texts from all of the main literary genres. Assessment takes the form of oral presentations, essays and examinations. Some students choose to base their individual research project or ‘Extended Essay’ on some aspect of literature. Indeed, a number proceed to study English or Literature at university.

The English Language skills:

Speaking and Listening:

Most of the work which goes on in the department pertains to reading and writing. It is a fact, however, that whilst students may not be involved in reading and writing activities every day of their lives, they will engage in speaking and listening activities. Oral communication forms an essential part of the learning process across the whole curriculum. Therefore, speaking and listening activities designed to enhance these language skills feature significantly in lessons.

Reading:

Literature - wide reading and a broad experience of valued literature is essential to developing appreciation for the English language and the range of thoughts and feelings which may be expressed through the written word.

It is almost a truism that those children with the greatest facility for language are the most willing readers. Indeed, reading is probably the most effective means of enhancing the language skills of comprehension, sentence construction, vocabulary, spelling and expression apart from its potential for cognitive development. Therefore, reading will feature very significantly in most English related learning and the work of the library is seen as crucial to the fundamental aims of developing reading abilities and related language skills.

The department makes use of a wide range of reading material for all Year groups. It has been a conscious decision to reflect the ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity of the Sha Tin students in the selection of texts. Hence students will encounter English and Chinese authors especially but also the work of European, American, Asian and Australasian authors.

Shakespeare - we are fortunate in being users of the language which has the very finest literary traditions and works. Amongst these, Shakespeare is ranked at the very pinnacle. Therefore students will read at least two Shakespeare texts between Years 7 and 11 and further texts in Years 12 and 13 whilst following the IB course.

Writing:

This comprises many different areas and skills. For example, writing tasks include the writing of extended narrative, discussions, arguments, personal accounts, letters, diaries and reports amongst others. It also encompasses the construction of sentences and paragraphs; drafting and redrafting; punctuation; spelling; presentation and IT skills and handwriting. Students are taught to produce clear and accurate written work that is appropriate for the intended audience and purpose.

Curriculum Extension

Homework:

Students are given homework for English every week. This will usually involve some written work. It may also involve reading, undertaking research, learning spellings or redrafting assignments.
Students may submit written work which has been word-processed or desk-top published but this is certainly not essential. At certain times, students will be required to hand-write responses especially in the period leading up to formal assessments.

The English Department and the Library:

Students also follow a library skills programme through their English lessons. This involves students spending one half-lesson per week in the library to develop reading, library and research skills. Students keep a record of books which they have read in a reading log and work towards ‘Book Trek’ Certificates that celebrate development and achievement in reading.

Extra Curricular Activities.

The English Department is committed to extending and enriching the range of language related experiences available to all students. All students are encouraged to participate in the various activities that run regularly or at certain times throughout the year.

The Debating Group:

In addition to House competitions, students participate in the ESF Debating Competition and inter-school competitions. There are some very competent and articulate debaters within the students body and their performances invariably reveal new dimensions to the student you thought you knew. Apart from the enjoyment afforded by being a spectator or taking part in a lively debate, the activity inevitably develops confidence and the ability to express oneself in a public, formal setting. The College has a tradition of doing very well in Debating competitions.

‘Voice’ magazine puts on display some of the real composition and artistic talents that exist amongst the students. It is an impressive production all the more commendable for the fact that it is largely compiled and edited by an editorial team of students.

Competitions:

Every year, students from Sha Tin College enter pieces of writing for Hong Kong and international writing competitions such as the Hong Kong Young Writers’ Awards and the Royal Commonwealth Society Writing Competition.