Preface

This book of Young Playwrights’ Theatre (YPT) is the outcome of the collaboration between theGifted Education Section, Curriculum Development Institute, Education Bureau, and the primary schoolsteachers in facilitating the English language learning and teaching of high ability studentsin a pull-out programme and in the regular English classroom respectively in 2009/10. With this book, we aim to provide primary schools with examples and suggestions on the design, implementation and evaluation of a school-based gifted languageprogramme as pull-out provision and for use in the regular classroom.

Reading, writing, speaking, listening and thinking are interlocking experiences. Language conveys meaning through symbols, which often have no definite connection to the things they represent. The meanings in human communication include definitions or denotations of concepts but most of them are connotations. These connotations are expressed in contexts through symbols and representations of images generally understood in a community. Typical examples are the metaphors we use in spoken and written contexts, such as, “roses” used to associate with “love,” “sunshine” with “warmth” and “hope” and so on. Language carries culturally-accepted meanings and develops across communities. The shades of meaning expressed through English language provide gifted learners in English with the space to extend their potentialnot only to use the language to speak for themselves and the community, but also to communicate thoughts and feelings for respected relationships with others. Counting on linguistically gifted students’ potential in appreciation of language, precocious reading ability and/or keen interests, teachers may encourage students to read literature of different genres and cultures to enhance understanding and interpretation of humannature, relationships, social values and bonds, and in the meantime, construct values that speak to the living world.

Short stories and plays have their theme, setting, characters and plot well thought out for different aesthetic meanings and effects. They can be useful resources to nurture students’ creativity, critical thinking, language skills and social skills in resolving conflicts in the real world. With appropriate instruction,students’ language, literacy and problem-solving skills will develop through studying short stories and plays. This is one of the educational aims that we work to achieve, as stated in the Learning to Learn Life-long Learning and Whole-person Development (2001). Schools are encouraged to plan and developcoherent and extensive language programmes for linguistically gifted learners whose interestsin language learning extends beyond the implemented curriculum, with reference to the learning targets, objectives and outcomes suggested in the English Language Curriculum Framework.

Like the peers of their ages, gifted students need the opportunity to learn to understand,accept and appreciate the roles of the individuals in order to be a responsible, committedpart of a community. Drama, or acting in roles, is a spontaneous mode of learning for students because it promotes a sense of story sequence and characterisation. It invites students to become actively involved with abstract thoughts and language, and learn to see the same issues from different perspectives. Acting in front of an audience encourages students to work as a team because the success of a production depends on each member of the cast doing his or her share. Teachers may select short stories and plays containing complex messages to have students interpret the meaning ofrelationships between individual and society according totheir reading interests and abilities. By guiding them to seedeeper meanings from reading alone and in groups, in addition to the language skills and knowledge,gifted students will learn to recognise the value of respect, acceptance, tolerance and self-confidence by experience.

Aims

Based on the emphasis on language arts activities in the primary English language curriculum stated in the English Language Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 – 6) (CDC, 2004), the Gifted Education Section, CDI, EDB encourages English language teachers to use short stories and plays to:

guide more able young English language learners to see reading, writing and playmaking as a vital part to learn the language as an expression of imaginative lives;

help learners explore new awareness, develop their empathies and understanding as people with the language; and

provide teachers with ideas for use in teaching more able learners of Englishthe English language, critical thinking and interpersonal skills.

This book starts with a description of the piloted programme, Young Playwrights’ Theatre, in the participating schools in 2009 and 2010. The selection procedure adopted to place students inthe programme, lessons plans, learning and teaching materials with highlights of giftededucation considerations, recommendations for use in the regular classroom, and remarks on programme evaluation are all included forteachers’ reference.

The suggested activities in the book aim to engage students in games,role-plays, discussions, free expression of personal responses, self-reflection and creative work.In any case, teachers are welcome to use and adapt the activities to suit the abilities, needsand interests of students.

We welcome feedback and suggestions from teachers who tried out the activitieswith their students. Comments and suggestions can be sent to the Chief CurriculumDevelopment Officer, Gifted Education Section, Education Bureau, Rm E328, 3/F,Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre, 19 Suffolk Road, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong,by e-mail to or by facsimile on 2490 6858.

For further enquiries about this book, please contact the Gifted Education Section on3698 3472.