School Support Plan (PPKBIS)

Program Peningkatan Kemahiran Bahasa Inggeris
di Sekolah (PPKBIS)

School Support Plan

Workshop Handbook

English Language Teaching Centre, Malaysia (ELTC)
Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia
Kompleks Pendidikan Nilai
71760 Labu
Negeri Sembilan
Tel.: 06-7979 000
Fax: 06-7979 113/ 114
Website: www.eltc.edu.my

Organiser
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CENTRE, MALAYSIA

Module Writers
SCHOOL SUPPORT PLAN WORKSHOP HANDBOOK
COURSE DESIGN AND CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

Dr Joy Quah Yien-ling
ADDITIONAL CONTENT

Dr Jasvir Kaur
Leela James Dass

© 2018
Hakcipta English Language Teaching Centre, Malaysia
Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia
Hakcipta terpelihara. Tidak dibenarkan mengeluar atau ulang mana-mana bahagian isi kandungan modul ini dalam
apa juga bentuk dan dengan apa juga cara sama ada elektronik, fotostat, mekanik, rakaman atau cara lain sebelum
mendapat izin bertulis daripada English language Teaching Centre, Malaysia, Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia,
Lebuh Enstek, Bandar Enstek, 71760 Labu, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

2

PREFACE

Program Peningkatan Kemahiran Bahasa Inggeris di Sekolah (PPKBIS) is an initiative of
the Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB). The program has been implemented from 2014 and will
be extended to 2020 under ELTC’s 5-year Operational Plan. The PPKBIS focuses on student
outcomes. As such, the initiative’s impact is measured through pupils' improved performance in
English language in the SPM Examination. The program targets hotspot schools, defined as those
scoring below the 2012 national average of 77% in the SPM English Language paper.

Although the PPKBIS’s focus is on student outcomes, its professional
development programmes involve School Improvement Specialist Coaches (SISC+) and English
language teachers. The training programme for SISC+ enables them to guide teachers more
effectively to meet the multi-level needs of a range of students.

Since 2015, the PPKBIS has been extended to include English language teachers teaching
in hotspot schools under the School Support Plan. Workshops conducted under the School
Support Plan allow ELTC to provide more direct support to teachers.

The content of the School Support Plan draws directly from the Differentiated Teaching
and Learning course designed for SISC+s in 2014. Key concepts were identified and developed
into a series of hands-on tasks that provide teachers with practice in using student performance
data to inform planning. An evidence-based approach underpins the design of the School Support
Plan workshops and enables teachers to:

• use various types of data to support effective pedagogical problem-solving.
• analyse student performance data to identify gaps in students' knowledge and

skills.
• interpret data to develop and implement interventions which address the gaps
This teacher education programme is part of continuing efforts of the Ministry of
Education Malaysia to develop reflective practitioners committed to fostering cycles of student
improvement through responsive, student-centered pedagogy. We hope that teachers attending
the School Support Plan workshops will adopt this approach and infuse it as an integral part of
their practice.

3

School Support Plan (Phase 1)

Program Peningkatan Kemahiran Bahasa Inggeris di Sekolah (PPKBIS)

Workshop Schedule

08.00 – 10.00 10.30 – 12.30 2.00 – 4.30

MONDAY SESSION 1
- Fostering Student

Improvement:
An Overview of the
Process

TUESDAY SESSION 2 SESSION 3 SESSION 4
- Planning: Unpacking - Using Student - Formulating

Skills and Knowledge Performance Data Feedback
Requirements to Inform
Planning

WEDNESDAY SESSION 5 SESSION 6 SESSION 7
- Lesson Planning: - Lesson
- Designing
Preparing for the Demonstration/
Interventions: Post-Test Developing an
Implementation
Practice and Some Plan

Ideas

THURSDAY SESSION 8 SESSION 9
- Consolidating the - Summarising

Implementation Learning (2)
- Summarising

Learning (1)

4

Workshop Content Page
6
Session 1 12
Fostering Student Improvement: An Overview of the Process 19
25
Session 2 29
Planning: Unpacking Skills and Knowledge Requirements 34
39
Session 3 41
Using Student Performance Data to Inform Planning 43

Session 4
Formulating Feedback

Session 5
Designing Interventions: Practice and Some Ideas

Session 6
Designing an Intervention Plan: Preparing for the Post-Test

Session 7
Refining an Intervention Plan: Presentation and Feedback

Session 8
Consolidating the Implementation & Workshop Summary

Resources
Strategies for Struggling Writers

5

Session 1

Fostering Student Improvement: An Overview

Learning Objective

On completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• plan for improved teaching and learning outcomes by integrating student
performance data

Success Criteria

You will be successful if you can: Achieved Partially Not yet
achieved achieved
• gain an overview of the School Support Plan
within the Program Peningkatan Kemahiran
Bahasa Inggeris di Sekolah (PPKBIS)

• review your practices of pedagogical
problem solving

• identify the types of data teachers use in
fostering student improvement

• articulate how data-use supports
improvement in student performance

6

Introduction and Overview: School Support Plan (30 mins)

BACKGROUND

The School Support Plan is a component of the Program Peningkatan Kemahiran Bahasa
Inggeris di Sekolah (PPKBIS). The PPKBIS initiative helps pupils to prepare for the SPM
Examination. The plan is a direct approach in helping teachers design pedagogical interventions
that foster cycles of student improvement.

COURSE AIM

• Enabling teachers to apply a data-driven approach in designing context- and needs-
based interventions to foster student improvement

• Enabling SISC+s to apply a similar data-driven approach in all 1191 schools

TARGET PARTICIPANTS

• English teachers in all hotspot schools by 2020 (Direct Approach)
• All SISC+s (Eng. Sec.)

OVERVIEW

In this segment, you will gain an understanding into the approach and structure of the School
Support Plan. The facilitators will explain how the course process, depicted by the table below,
will unfold via a brief PPT presentation.

PROCESS: FOSTERING STUDENT IMPROVEMENT THROUGH A DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH

At School At Workshop WHERE? At Workshop At School
(BEFORE Phase 1 Phase 2
WORKSHOP) At
School

Collect Student • Report pre-test DO WHAT? • Report post-test Apply refined
Writing Samples results
(Student Data): • Implement the results interventions
• Analyse pre-test intervention plan
Administer pre- data • Analyse post-test data / Begin a new
test (Paper 1 • Conduct post-test
Directed / • Identify gaps in • Mark and grade post- • Write a reflective cycle
Continuous skills and
writing) knowledge test report

• Develop an • Refine interventions
intervention plan

7

Warmer: Examining my Own Practices of Problem Solving (35 mins)

“What do you do when you observe pupils struggling in different aspects of writing?”
Observe pupils

Reflect

Teachers:

Answer the question by filling in the empty squares with 5 to 7 elements representing different
aspects of your problem-solving processes.
Then, arrange the key elements of your teaching practices to reflect the way you respond to the
challenges your pupils face.
Use post-its, markers and A3 paper to complete this activity.
Share your creative effort with your table group.

8

Collecting and Using Data for Student Improvement

Discussion (30 mins)

What types of data are suitable for teachers to collect and use in order to improve student outcomes?
Discuss in your table group.

Types of Data Relevant for How will the data be used?
SISC+
Lesson Observations:
• Formal and Teacher-
• Informal Use?
• Focused
TEACHER DATA • Peer

STUDENT DATA Teacher PD & Meeting Attendance
Teacher Performance Management
Records
Teacher Attendance
Student written work
Student Grade Spread
Grade Point Average
Student Workbook Scrutiny
Student Personal Data Records
Student Attendance
Student Survey
Parent Meeting Attendance

OTHER Parent Survey
DATA

Source: SISC+ Guide - Coaching and Mentoring, LeapEd Services

9

Informing Planning with Multiple Data Sources

Combining various sources of data helps us to understand pupils’ needs more holistically
when planning for improved outcomes.

Here’s how it works:

Student Grades/Marks Classroom EL Syllabus

Performance + (various test and + Observation Notes + (Unpacking*)
exam results)
data *we will discuss

(samples of this later

pupils’ writing)

equals
Holistic understanding of

student-needs.

More effective planning
for fostering improved student outcomes.

10

FOSTERING CYCLES OF ST

School Support Plan P

Teachers: How do these stages relate to how you foster stude
will define each stage of the process.

1. GUIDED
PLANNING

3. REFLECTING, REVIEWING,

ASSESSING

1

TUDENT-IMPROVEMENT

Processes (20 minutes)

ent-improvement? Fill in the balloon with activities you think

2. IDENTIFYING STUDENT NEEDS,
PLANNING

3. IMPLEMENTING, ASSESSING,
REPLANNING

11

Session 2

Planning: Unpacking Skills and Knowledge Requirements

Learning Objective
On completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify the essential knowledge, skills and processes pupils need to
master a specific learning outcome

Success Criteria

You will be successful if you can: Achieved Partially Not yet
achieved achieved

• describe the skills and knowledge pupils
need to demonstrate when attempting a
Directed Writing / Continuous Writing
question

• unpack skills of an exam question to
support formulation of goals and
strategies during lesson planning

• draw links between the unpacking and
planning processes

12

Reviewing Planning Documents Required for Unpacking (10 mins)

1. English Language Syllabus - specifies the content to be taught from the
Remove Class through to Form 5.
(Sukatan Pelajaran, KBSM, Bahasa Inggeris).

2. English Language Curriculum Specifications – a GUIDE to the skills to be
achieved, the topics or themes to be dealt with, and the vocabulary,
grammar items, and the sound system to be taught.
(Huraian Sukatan Pelajaran, KBSM, Bahasa Inggeris).

3. SPM, Bahasa Inggeris - the national examination.

Other support materials:

• reference books, articles and other research reporting
• materials from the Internet
• training courses
• teaching resources: text books and support materials
• SPM past and practice papers and mark schemes
• peers

Source:
Differentiated Teaching and Learning SISC+ Guide,

©Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2014

13

Defining “Unpacking”

Unpacking the Curriculum from the Top-Down

Unpacking an SPM task requires teachers to know the MoE English
Language curriculum content and be able to recognise what the teaching and
learning steps are for mastery – from the top, down to the bottom.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Pupils come to the class with different levels of mastery of all the knowledge, skills
and processes required to achieve SPM exam success. In Form 4 and 5 teachers
cannot start at the bottom and work up to find out pupils’ levels. Knowing that
not all the pupils have achieved the same level of mastery, it is perhaps easier to
find out pupils’ levels and work from the top to the bottom, as in the diagram
above.

Source:
Differentiated Teaching and Learning SISC+ Guide,

©Ministry of Education Malaysia, 2014

14

In your table groups, complete the tasks below:

Unpacking: Skills and Knowledge Requirements of Writing an Essay

Draw a diagram which shows a teacher’s unpacking process when planning
to teach essay writing to pupils.

What does a teacher need to consider?

Complete this sentence (in your table groups):
For a teacher, unpacking skills and knowledge pupils need to write an essay involves…
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

15

Activity 2.1: Unpacking an SPM Question (25 mins)

Let’s practice unpacking!

You will be provided with an example of an SPM question.
What skills are essential for pupils to successfully complete this SPM question? Fill in the table below.
Work individually, then, compare your answers with your table group.

1. Unpack: Identify and list skills and knowledge pupils require in the left column below.
2. Develop learning objectives and success criteria based on the knowledge and skills you have

identified through unpacking.
3. Briefly list activities for teaching each skill/knowledge requirement you have unpacked.

LESSON PLANNING

UNPACK FORMULATE DESIGN

Skills and Knowledge Learning Objectives / Activities
Pupils Need Success Criteria

16

Discussion (15 mins)

To what extent were your answers similar or different from members of your table group? What
conclusions can you draw from this activity?

Activity 2.2: Further Practice in Unpacking (25 mins)

Refer to the SPM question you selected for the pre-test you administered to students. Work individually
on the task below, then, compare your answers with your table group.

1. What skills will your pupils need to successfully complete this question? Unpack: Identify and list
skills and knowledge pupils require in the left column below.

2. Develop learning objectives and success criteria based on the knowledge and skills you have
identified through unpacking.

3. Briefly list activities for teaching each skill/knowledge requirement you have unpacked.

LESSON PLANNING

UNPACK FORMULATE DESIGN

Skills and Knowledge Learning Objectives / Activities
Pupils Need Success Criteria

17

Carousel Feedback (10 mins)

Take a walk around the room to view how your fellow participants have unpacked skills and
knowledge their pupils need to accomplish answering an SPM exam question.

Discussion (15 mins)

• Why is it important to be able to “unpack” the skills that are required to successfully
attempt a question? How will this help you plan more effectively? Discuss this with
members of your table group.

• Why is unpacking a challenging for teachers?
• How can you apply this unpacking skill to other sections of the SPM paper (e.g.

reading)?

18

Session 3

Using Student Performance Data to Inform Planning

Learning Objective
On completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• use student performance data to inform planning
Success Criteria

You will be successful if you can: Achieved Partially Not yet
achieved achieved
• analyse student writing data to identify
gaps between expected and actual
performance

• classifying patterns related to gaps in
pupils’ knowledge and skills.

• use student performance data to inform
lesson planning

19

Map of the Process

We are
here!

Conduct Analyse Develop Design a series Apply Conduct
pre-test
student data intervention of intervention intervention post-test

lessons

Warmer: Take off Touch Down

Respond to the statements below by standing up if you agree and remaining seated if you
disagree.

1. Student errors are informative.
2. Pupils will commit errors that are unique to each individual.
3. Errors are meaningless.
4. Pupils need help in becoming aware of their errors.
5. Pupils’ written, or oral output can help teachers identify gaps in their

knowledge and skills.

20

Activity 3.1: Examining Our Stance towards Student Errors

Discussion (15 mins)

Read the excerpt below and discuss these questions with your table group.
• In your opinion, and drawing from the excerpt below, how should teachers view student

errors (writing or speaking)?
• According to the excerpt, why is pupils’ written output valuable to teachers? What are

the implications for treating errors during your writing lessons?

The Output Hypothesis

Merril Swain (1985, 1995) studied a group of learners in a French immersion programme. She
discovered that output (writing or speech) was very beneficial for learners. The more output
her pupils produced, the more they improved in their language proficiency. She concluded
that output played many important functions in language learning.

Firstly, Swain’s studies showed that output enables learners to “notice a gap between what
they want to say and what they can say, leading them to recognize what they do not know, or
only know partially” (Swain, 1995, p.125). This means that output provides learners with
opportunities to notice problems that exist in their use of the language. Some researchers,
however, have found that learners may not notice their own language problems on their own.
They need help in becoming aware of gaps in their language-use in more explicit ways. Thus,
the need for consciousness-raising and drawing attention to a mismatch between pupils’ use
of language and target forms (Ellis, 1993a).

SLA researchers generally agree that noticing or some form of awareness-raising is necessary
to help pupils overcome their problems and improve their grasp of language.

References:

Ellis, R. (1993a). The structural syllabus and second language acquisition. TESOL Quarterly ,27(1), pp. 91-
111.

Swain, M. & Lapkin, S. (1995). Problems in output and the cognitive processes they generate: A step
towards second language learning. Applied Linguistics,16, 371-391, p. 371.

21

Activity 3.2: Analyzing Student Performance Data

Data provides evidence to help us pinpoint gaps in pupils’ understanding of the language. The first step
in using student data to support further planning involves analyzing the evidence.
The facilitators will provide you with a common set of data to analyse.
Teachers and SISC+ will work together.

Step 1: Identifying Gaps in Knowledge and Skills (40 mins)

Review each student sample. Identify gaps in skills and knowledge found in the student’s
writing. Use symbols and other suitable methods to help you tag the different types of errors

in your student’s work.


Repeat the process for the other student samples.


Question:
Do you notice patterns emerging?

Can you draw inferences about gaps in pupils’ skills by interpreting what the data does not
show? (for example, a lack of variety in pupils’ range of vocabulary)

Step 2: Interpreting the Data – Classifying Gaps in Knowledge and Skills (40 mins)

a. In the grid (following page), note down the gaps emerging in the student performance data.
b. To provide some structure in this process, we will map the groups of errors according to the writing
process.

Step 3: Prioritizing the Types of Interventions

a. Rank the type of gaps which have emerged in the data. What are the implications for prioritizing the
interventions you will design?

22

Categories: Gaps in Student Knowledge and Skills

Stage of the Evidence Description
Writing
Process  Lack of ideas

Brainstorming

Outlining  Text organization: Failure to organize
points

Development  Inability to expand sentences
of Paragraphs

 Lack of vocabulary

 Sentence Structure

 Word order

Editing: 

Grammatical 
Errors 





Others

23

Discussion:
Comparing Types of Gaps (20 mins)

a. What are the most common types of gaps revealed by the student data provided?
b. Compare the student gaps and your observation notes with members of your table group.
What are similarities and differences evident in the data?

24

Session 4

Formulating Feedback

Learning Objective

On completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• examine the role of feedback in improving student performance

Success Criteria:

You will be successful if you can: Achieved Partially Not yet
achieved achieved

• articulate the advantages and
disadvantages of individual and whole-
class feedback

• explore different strategies for drawing
pupils’ attention to gaps through
whole-class feedback

25

Map of the Process

We are here!

Conduct Analyze Develop Design a series Apply Conduct
pre-test interventions post-test
student data interventions of intervention

lessons

Activity 4.1: Drawing Attention to Gaps: Give one, Get one (20 mins)

Providing feedback by drawing pupils’ attention to gaps is the first step in the intervention process.

However, we need to consider this: Do we provide individual or whole-class feedback to pupils? To help
us make more informed decisions, let us weigh some of the pros and cons of the two types of feedback.

Individual Feedback to Pupils

Advantages Disadvantages

26

Whole-Class Feedback

(Common types of errors)

Advantages Disadvantages

Activity 4.2: Strategies to Raise Student Awareness through Whole-Class
Feedback (50 mins)

How would you help your whole class notice common gaps in their knowledge and skills?
a. Return to the grid where you earlier recorded the pupils’ gaps in knowledge and skills. Refer to
this grid and design activities to raise awareness of gaps in their knowledge and skills through whole-
class feedback. Your interventions must be designed to treat gaps ranked first or second in your
prioritized list.
b. You MUST incorporate student data in your intervention strategies to make the exercises more
relevant and authentic for your pupils. Errors must be authentic.

27

b. Prepare to demonstrate your intervention to members of your table group. Prepare materials
(worksheets, etc.) you will use during the demonstration.

Use the grid below to guide you:

Whole-Class Feedback

Type of Common Error Suggested Strategies to Draw
(If applicable) Pupils’ Attention to Knowledge and Skills

e.g. Disorganized paragraphs Gaps
Displaying exemplars via LCD projection / poster

paper. Then reorganizing it as a class.

e.g. Inability to expand sentences Your suggestion

Others

Demonstration (50 mins)

Prepare to demonstrate the intervention activities you designed to your fellow participants,
providing justification as you present your intervention strategies.

28

Session 5

Designing Interventions: Practice and Some Ideas

Learning Objective

On completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• design intervention strategies based on student performance data

Success Criteria

You will be successful if you can: Achieved Partially Not yet
achieved achieved

• design effective grammar intervention
activities based on evidence emerging in
student data

• review a range of suggested intervention
strategies

• design another 2 interventions for the
most common type of gaps found in your
student data

29

Map of the Process

We are still
here!

Conduct Analyze Develop Design a series Apply Conduct
pre-test interventions post-test
student data interventions of intervention

lessons

5.1 Activity: Designing A Mini Grammar Intervention Activity (35 mins)

• Use the set of student data you brought with you.
• Analyze the data and identify the 2 most common types of grammatical errors your pupils have

made.
• Develop an intervention for each type of error. Use the grid to help you plan your intervention.

Note:

• Keep in mind how you would draw pupils’ attention to errors as a class.
• Use authentic examples of pupils’ work as exemplars to draw attention to types of grammatical

errors.

Grammatical Errors Intervention Activity / Exercise

(Lesson Notes: How I would solve this
problem.)

1.

2.

30

Carousel Feedback (15 mins)

Take a walk around the room to view examples of interventions your fellow participants have designed.
Note effective examples you might want to adopt or adapt for your pupils.

Activity 5.2: Reviewing a Range of Intervention Strategies (30 mins)

Take some time to review a range of suggested strategies that you may incorporate into your design of
interventions. The strategies can be found in the resources section.

Activity 5.3: Further Practice in Designing Interventions (40 mins)

Continue to analyze the student data you brought along with you.
Select another 2 of the most commonly occurring gaps in knowledge and skills (we’ve already covered
grammar).
Develop an intervention to address each type of gap in knowledge and skills. Briefly note your teaching
procedures on A3 paper.
Also, develop worksheets/materials that you will be able to use right away when you enter the class.
Develop the interventions individually, and then later, with the guidance of the SISC+.
Important reminder:
• Keep in mind how you would draw pupils’ attention to gaps as a class.
• Use authentic examples of pupils’ gaps to promote consciousness-raising.

31

Use this grid to help you analyse and classify your pupils’ gaps.

Gaps in My Pupils’ Knowledge and Skills

Stages of the Evidence in Description
Writing the Data
Process
 Lack of ideas
Brainstorming

Outlining  Text organization:
Failure to organize points

Development of  Inability to expand sentences
Content in  Lack of vocabulary
Paragraphs

 Sentence structure

 Word order

Others

32

Next Session

(Contd.) Activity 5.3: Further Practice in Designing Interventions (30 mins)

Carousel Feedback (15 mins)

Take a walk around the room to view examples of interventions your fellow participants have designed.
Note effective examples you might like to adopt or adapt for your learners.

33

Session 6

Designing an Intervention Plan: Preparing for the Post-Test

Learning Objective

On completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Incorporate unpacking and intervention as part of helping pupils to prepare
for the post-test

Success Criteria

You will be successful if you can: Achieved Partially Not yet
achieved achieved

• Design an intervention plan to help pupils
prepare for the post-test

• integrate unpacking into your planning
process

• consider how the process of fostering
student improvement will unfold in the
next several months

34

Map of the Process You will also
design rubrics
We are here! for this post-
test.

Conduct Analyze Develop Design a series Apply Conduct
pre-test interventions post-test
student data interventions of intervention

lessons

Activity 6.1: Intervention Plan: Preparing Pupils for the Post-Test (80 mins)

After you have implemented your interventions in school, you need to find out if they have been
effective. However, learners should not be plunged into doing a post-test immediately. They need help.
Designing an intervention plan involves the entire process of planning forward (unpacking) and further
addressing learners’ gaps in knowledge and content.

Tasks:
1. 8-week Intervention Plan
Design an 8-week intervention plan to address the gaps in knowledge and skills indicated by
an analysis of your pupils’ samples of writing. Use the template provided in the following
page. You will need to unpack the question to ensure that the skills and knowledge required
in the pre-test and post tests are aligned. You may include the interventions you designed
during the previous session into your intervention plan. Create the template in a Word
document and add the subsequent weeks of interventions into your softcopy.

2. Post Test Rubrics
Also, design your rubrics for a post-test which will determine if your interventions have been
successful.

35

Preparing pupils to take the post-test

Visualise how you would prepare pupils better to deal with questions which require a similar set of skills.
Although the themes and topics may differ, the set of skills share many similarities.

Pay special attention to sets of skills that can be applied widely across
many similar types of questions (parallel applications).

Example:

Language Function - Giving Advice

Pre-test Post-Test: Any of the questions below

Letter of advice to sister: Letter to a younger Letter to a cousin: Letter to a friend
How to save money brother: How to prepare for who plans to buy a
How to maintain a an exam car: How to
healthy lifestyle maintain a car

Unpack (what similar skills pupils require to do all the above questions?):

36

Example: A narrative essay along similar lines:

Pre-test Post-Test: Any of the questions below

A frightening An incident I will Suddenly...there was Ali was so relieved
experience never forget. a light in the forest when he woke up.

Unpack: (what similar skills pupils require to do all the above questions?):

37

INTERVENTION PLAN TEMPLATE

Class: No. of Pupils:

Pre-Test Exam Question:

UNPACK knowledge and skills:
For pupils to successfully attempt this question, they need to know:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Etc.
Have I pre-taught the above  Yes  No

Intervention Activities/Lesson Notes Worksheets / Other
Resources

Week 1

Gap Identified:

Learning Objectives / Success Criteria:

Awareness Raising Strategies: (MUST use authentic data minimum
twice)

Intervention Activities:

Note: After you have completed the task (at the end of the next session), present your series of lessons
to members of your table group for feedback. You must complete a minimum of 3 weeks planning.
Then, as a class, we will review several exemplars.

38

Session 7

Refining an Intervention Plan: Presentation and
Feedback

Learning Objective
On completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• provide feedback on coursemates’ intervention plans
• refine your intervention plan to support cycles of student improvement
Success Criteria

You will be successful if you can: Achieved Partially Not yet
• continue to develop your intervention plan achieved achieved

• provide feedback on coursemates’
intervention plans

• refine intervention plans based on
coursemates’ feedback

39

Activity 7.1 Continuing to Develop an Intervention Plan (60mins)

Use this time to refine your plan and build worksheets and other materials you will need.

Activity 7.2 Presentation of Intervention Plans (70 mins)

Several groups will present their intervention plan, while you observe.
As you observe, record feedback for the group through the “Three Stars and a Wish” form.

Wish

40

Session 8

Consolidating the Implementation & Workshop
Summary

Learning Objective

On completion of this session, participants will be able to:

• Consolidate your understanding of applying a data-driven approach in
fostering student improvement

Success Criteria

You will be successful if you can: Achieved Partially Not yet
achieved achieved

• consolidate intervention plans, activities
and resources to be used during
implementation

• consider the possibilities and challenges of
using a data-driven approach in
supporting student success

• summarize what you learned through a
variety of response formats

41

Discussion (30 mins)

Possibilities and Challenges: A Data-Driven Approach
Now that you have had some experiences in designing intervention strategies:
What have you discovered about the process? What are its potential advantages and challenges you
anticipate when you apply this data-driven approach?
How will this approach fit in with your present practice?

Activity 8.2: Our Learning Journey (50 mins)
Together with members of your table group, summarize one of the key concepts of this workshop
through a skit, song, poem, jazz chant, mime, rap, drawing or any other response format.

42

Resources

43

STRATEGIES FOR STRUGGLING WRITERS

Our focus for writing is firstly geared toward generating writing and improving the content of
writing. Mini lessons on grammar, spelling, or mechanics are conducted periodically based on
current needs. If pupils are not writing at all or writing very little, there is a need to first to focus on
providing pupils with specific writing tools to get them writing and to teach grammar, spelling, and
mechanics as the writing process progresses or as the need arises. The 5 strategies discussed here
will help pupils generate ideas, organize their thoughts and plan their writing effectively. They also
provide support to help build student confidence.

1. Writing Frames: The writing frame is formatted for pupils to respond by filling in blanks. For
example, if a teacher wants pupils to predict what will happen in a text, or write down their
prediction before a science experiment, the frame is set up for pupils to fill in the blank with
their own ideas. The frame might begin, "In the next chapter, I predict that _____. The evidence
for my prediction is _____. This connects with my personal experience because _____."
For English language learners, writing frames offer lexical, syntactic, and organizational
support. It's challenging for pupils learning English to write sentences in an unknown
grammar with vocabulary they don't know. The writing frames for beginning language
learners would include options. For example, when describing the characteristics of
something, such as an animal, the frame would include options like, "My animal (runs,
crawls, hops) _____. My animal has (stripes, spots) ____." The Writing Frame encourages
pupils to write a full paragraph.

Refer to Appendix 1- Sample Frames

2. Sentence Starters: Sentence Starters are similar to writing frames but they don't necessarily
encourage fluent, paragraph writing. These are useful for reflecting upon a lesson.
Examples of sentence starters include:

 I believe ____,
 I learned _____,
 I wish _____.
The teacher can also change up the grammar by starting sentences with "If I want to ____,
I will have to ____." For creative writing, the teacher might challenge the pupils with a
sentence starter such as, "The policeman asked me if I needed help, and I replied ____."
Pupils enjoy reading these out loud.

Refer to Appendix 3 – Sample Sentence Starters

44

3. Free Writing with Graphic Organizers: When assigning Free Writing, give guidance to those who
want and need it. For example, rather than just asking pupils to comment on an idea they've
learned, ask them to organize it in a particular way. If pupils have just learned about a
character, real or imagined, ask them to write about one characteristic they share with this
character and one which is very different and put it into a T-Chart, giving an example for each.
Refer to Appendix 4 – Sample Graphic Organizers

4. The Postcard or Picture Method: Teachers can also provide a picture to assist pupils in their
writing. One way is to incorporate the postcard technique. Give pupils a picture relating to
the topic under study, or they can draw their own or use clip art, and have them write a short
text relating to the picture. It could be about what they've learned, about a character, a
prediction, or what they hope to find out in future lessons.
Refer to Appendix 5 – Sample postcard

5. Three Descriptive Words: Another way to get started with Free Writes is to brainstorm, individually
or as a class, three descriptive words to start the piece of writing with.
For example, if pupils are asked to write a reflective piece about a biography they've
read, they might choose;
 Inspiring.
 Encouraging.
 Thought-provoking.

Pupils then tell why or elaborate on each word with an example making a connection
between the text and their personal lives. Employing sentence starters might be necessary
as well, like,
"The story is inspiring because ____."
Refer to Appendix 6 – Sensory Words

45

Appendix 1A – Sample Writing Frames

A. Frames to help pupils summarize a story or retell an event:
Pupils sometimes need assistance with organizing a summary of something they have read or
providing a logical sequence to the recounting of an event. The following frames may be helpful:
Example 1:

 Although I already knew that ...
 I have learned some new facts (from our trip/from watching this video/filmstrip)...
 I also learned that...
 Another fact I learned...
 However, the most important/interesting thing I learned was...
 (Or, finally, I learned that...)
Example 2:
 I found ______________ interesting for several reasons...
 I discovered that...
 I also learned that...
 It was interesting that...
 Finally...
 As you can see ...
Example 3:
 To begin with...
 Next...
 Then...
 After that...
 Finally...
 Now...

46

B. Explanation Frames:
Explanations are written to explain the process or to explain how something works. They are often
used in social studies, and science. An explanation usually consists of;

 a general statement to introduce the topic
 a series of logical steps explaining how or why something occurs
Example 1: Problem/Solution
 I want to explain why...
 There are several reasons for this. The chief is...
 Another reason is...
 A further reason is...
 So now you can see why...
Example 2: Cause/Effect
 There are differing explanations as to why (how, what, when)...
 One explanation is that...
 The evidence for this is...
 An alternative explanation is...
 The explanation is based on...
 Of the alternative explanations, I think the most likely is...

47

C. Procedure/Sequence Frame.
Procedures or instructions are written to describe how something is done through a series of
sequenced steps. A procedural text usually consists of:

 a statement of what is to be achieved
 a list of materials / equipment needed to achieve the goal
 a series of sequenced steps to achieve the goal
 often there is a diagram or illustration
Example 1:
 I want to explain how...
 To begin with/It starts by...
 and this makes/means/changes...
 After that...
 and as a result...
 Next...
 Then...
 The final result is that the...

48

D. Report Frame.
Reports are written to describe the way things are. A report usually consists of:

 an opening, general classification
 a more technical classification (optional)
 a description of the phenomena, often including:

• qualities
• parts and their function
• habits/behaviours or uses
Example 1: Compare/Contrast (a more complex version of the Report Frame)

Write the names of the objects being compared/contrasted in columns A and B.

List the characteristics being studied in the left hand column. Use a grid to record information prior
to writing.

Characteristics A B

Soccer football

players _______________ _______________

rules _______________ _______________

ball _______________ _______________

padding _______________ _______________

Example 2: Comparison Frame

 Although... and ... are different...

 they are alike in some interesting ways.

 For example they both...

 They are also similiar in...

 The... is the same as...

 The... resembles...

 Finally they both...

Example 3: Contrast Frame

 Although... and...
 are both ... they are different in
 many ways. The... has...
 Another way in which they differ is...
 Finally...

**(Using a Venn Diagram can be helpful in this exercise.)

49