Page 15 - Beacon Hill School Annual Report 2016-17

English and Information Literacy English and Information Literacy

It is often said that language is a window This year, two members of the school’s English
to the world and that communication is key team have worked with colleagues from across

to successful relationships, and a belief in ESF on an ACT project designed to meet the
both is evident in the teaching at Beacon need of teachers to find new ways to teach
Hill. The responsibility of ensuring that our reading comprehension. This culminated

students have every opportunity to learn to in a website of comprehension resources
communicate effectively through English is one and teaching ideas that all ESF teachers

that is shared by all members of staff, which have access to. The project was a valuable
reflects the IBO philosophy that every teacher opportunity to work across the foundation
is a language teacher. and the website will be very useful in future

planning. The research done towards this has
This year has seen the teachers continue to led to new thinking about the approaches we

collaboratively plan the best quality learning use to teach reading and the strengthening of
experiences for children in a range of enjoyable these will be our focus for development in the
and meaningful contexts. Summative and coming year.

formative assessments have informed these
plans so that the learning needs of the children The library has been a place of laughter and

have been met effectively. learning this year, it’s central role in the lives
of the children seen clearly by their enthusiasm
Under the leadership of the PYP coordinator and engagement during weekly library sessions

planning procedures for English have been and lunchtime opening. The children have
reviewed in a move to ensuring that outcomes spent time in the library sharing their love of

are more comprehensively mapped across the reading and learning about how the library is
year. Time and money has been spent on organised. When not relaxing with books at
resources to support the teaching of English in lunchtimes, the children have taken part in a

school and professional development. Teachers range of activities around books, celebrations
English and have participated in training in school, led by and spent time creating, particularly during

the school’s English team, to strengthen their our “Tinkering Tuesday” sessions. Their
ability to teach comprehension strategies interests and ideas have been reflected in the

Information Literacy explicitly. Several teachers have explored fantastic and colourful displays put together by
the work of educationalists such as Misty our school librarian. The library has been used
Adoniou and Stephanie Harvey during trainings by the wider school community too, our family

organised by ESF and Hong Kong International borrowing program has continued to grow and
School. Their learning has been shared with parents have regularly visited to read stories
staff and inspired changes that will benefit the in different languages.

children’s learning.