ENGLISH ACTIVITY DAY

Choi Wan St. Joseph Primary School (A.M.)

INTRODUCTION
The English Activity Day was conducted as an extra-curricular activity which
aimed at promoting the learning and use of English in the school. This was
achieved through a series of interesting activities which stimulated the active use
of language for meaningful communication.

Objectives
❃ to relate pupils’ learning to real life use
❃ to help pupils understand how what they have learnt in the classroom can
be applied in daily life situations.
❃ to enable pupils to apply what they have learnt through simulations, games,
etc.
❃ to foster pupils’ confidence in communicating in English
❃ to enable the helpers (pupils from Primary 5 & 6) to improve their
language proficiency through helping out in the English Activity Day

The programme
Three activities were designed for pupils of each level. The activities aimed to
promote English speaking for purposeful communication. It was hoped that by
providing a lot of fun and enjoyment, such activities could help to sustain and
increase pupils’ interest in learning English.

P.1 Fun with Action Songs P.4 Simulation (Go Shopping)

Number Games Quizzes
Video shows Game (Understand Yourself)

P.2 Game (Repeat if it is True) P.5 Game (What’s Next)

Game (Face to Face) Role Play (In a Shop)
Puzzles Guessing Games

P.3 Grammar Games P.6 Treasure Hunt

Simulation (In a Shop) Simulation (In a Restaurant)
Acting out Songs Songs and Rhymes

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English Activity Day 1
Preparation
The following preparations were made for the English Activity Day:
❃ Individual teachers designed the activities and prepared the necessary
teaching materials. Due consideration was given to pupils’ interest and
language ability.
❃ Resource materials were borrowed from the ILE Resource Centre, eg.
videos, teaching kits, big books, tapes and reference books on games and
activities.
❃ Stalls for the different activities were set up in the classrooms.
❃ A display board on the English Activity Day was set up at the school
entrance.
❃ Signs and instructions were posted on the walls, corridors and staircase to
direct pupils to the venues of the various activities.
❃ Some pupils from Primary 5 and 6 classes were invited to serve as helpers.

Publicity
In order to publicize the event and to create an environment conducive to
English speaking, the following promotional actions were taken:
❃ Frequent announcements of the event were made in the morning
assessments, starting two weeks before the event.
❃ Letters were sent to parents informing them of the objectives and details of
the event.
❃ A display board about the event was set up at the school entrance.
❃ Signs and instructions about the activities were posted on the walls and
corridors.
❃ On the day of the event, the morning assembly was conducted solely in
English.

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English Activity Day 2
The Promise Card Award Scheme
A Promise Card was distributed to each pupil for making a pledge to speak in
English during the event. At the successful completion of each activity, the
pupil would be awarded a sticker to be put on the Promise Card. After three
stickers had been obtained, the teacher would sign the card and comment on the
pupil’s achievement.

The Promise Card Award Scheme

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Comments: ____________________________________________________

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Implementation

On the English Speaking Day, all classes were suspended. Pupils of each level
went round the various classrooms to participate in the activities. Each activity
was conducted by the teacher who designed it, with the assistance of another
teacher and some student-helpers.

All communication between the teachers and pupils and among the pupils
themselves was in English. The teachers took the lead to set a model. They
greeted the pupils in English and talked to each other also in English. Pupils
were reminded to keep their ‘promise’ and encouraged to obtain as many
stickers as possible by completing the tasks in English.

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English Activity Day 3
Evaluation
The English Activity Day proved to be very successful. The pupils, including
the helpers, participated actively and happily in the activities, though to varying
degrees. Their experience in the event had a lasting effect on their attitude
towards learning to speak English. Speaking and listening to English in the
activities gave them the ‘feel’ of communicating in the language. It boosted
their confidence and made them aware of their capability in expressing
themselves in English, however limited their language resources were. Even
more important was their realization that they should take an active role in
learning the foreign language, that it was their responsibility to take more
initiative to speak English. All teachers agreed that this growing awareness of
pupils and change of attitude were the greatest achievement of the English
Activity Day.

The teachers themselves were convinced by the results of the event that pupils
were interested in and capable of learning to speak English. Given the
appropriate learning environment and stimulus, they were ready to respond.
Teachers concluded that it was important that they themselves should take the
lead, for example, by speaking to the pupils in English in the first place in order
to elicit responses in the target language.

Part of the success of the event was accounted for by the well-planned
programme and careful preparations made for the various activities. The
promotion procedures were believed to have been very effective. The
announcements in the morning assemblies and displays in the school premises
all helped towards building up an atmosphere of expectancy. Pupils looked
forward to the event with excitement. The majority of them responded
enthusiastically. Their active participation was rewarded not just by the stickers
on their promise cards but also by the satisfaction that they were capable of
achieving what their teachers expected them to do - speaking and listening in
English.

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English Activity Day 4
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English Activity Day 5