1. External assessment data
2. Internal assessment data (refer to assessment tools)

Learning

• Students lacked interest in writing and they didn't know how to plan and organise ideas to form coherent texts. In addition, grammatical and spelling mistakes hindered the development of their writing skills.

Teaching

• Teachers didn't provide enough opportunities for students to develop writing skills. Students lacked exposure to different text types. In addition, teachers' professional knowledge on writing was limited.

• Teachers developed a process writing project in S3 on teenage problems.
• They infused language arts and different text types as input at the brainstorming stage to help students generate ideas.
• Different modes of assessment activities such as self-reviewing and peer-editing were introduced to develop students' writing skills.

Motivation

T asks Ss :
Do you think secondary students / teenagers have any problems?
What problems do they usually have?
T shows a mind map and leads a class discussion.

If necessary, prompt students with additional questions, e.g.

Do you worry about how you look?
Do you worry about your schoolwork?
Do you have problems with your friends?
Do you sometimes argue with your brother or sister?
Do you think that you do not have enough money to buy what you want?

T leads Ss to fill in the mind map with the following teenage problems:

• self image – poor skin, too fat
• study – too much homework, don't know how to do exercises
• friends – no friends, quarrels with friends
• family – parents do not allow to do something, quarrel with family members
• money – not enough money to buy things
• other

• to brainstorm ideas
• to provide language input

Mind map

• to identify their own problems

T shows some pictures and asks Ss to identify problems with pictures.

T uses a picture (PowerPoint) to teach Ss how to share problems, e.g.

A: I'm worried about Mark.
B: Why?
A: Mark has a problem.
B: What problem does he have?
A: He has a lot of homework every day. He has no time to do activities.
B: I'm sorry to hear that.
A: He does not know what to do.
B: He should plan his time better.
A: I will tell Mark. Thanks for your advice.
B: You're welcome!

• to identify problems

• to provide solutions to problems

Pair work

Ss have oral practice by using other pictures (refer to textbook P.24).
T asks Ss to talk about what problems people in the pictures have and identify which category of problems they have.
T invites some Ss to report in front of the class.

• to identify different kinds of problems and make classification

Motivation

Ask Ss about the favourite part(s) of their body and why they like it/them.

• to motivate Ss
• to provide language input s

• to know about oneself

Pair work

Ask Ss to finish the questionnaire about the celebrity and compare the result.

• to have group discussion

• to share their findings

• to share their interest

• to share their past experience

• to brainstorm ideas

• Share some positive messages about self image with the Ss
• Teach the 'ME' poem
• Ask Ss to write a poem about themselves

• to develop a positive concept about self-image

1. T asks Ss to complete a stress test.
2. T discusses the test results with Ss.
3. T introduces the story of Polly.

• to motivate Ss
• to help Ss understand their problems
• to help Ss understand the importance of coping with stress

Worksheet 2.1

PowerPoint 2.2

Pair work

T asks Ss to read Peter's letter and find out his problems and complete the discussion questions.
Ask Ss to report their answers.

• to write / talk about teenage problems
• learn useful words, sentence structures or expressions about teenage problems

Pair work

T asks Ss to listen to the telephone conversation of Peter and Miss Wong and complete the exercise of 'problems and advice'.

• to write / talk about advice
• to learn useful words and sentence structures of giving advice.

Individual presentation

T asks Ss to give a 2-minute presentation.

T asks some Ss to present in class and ask the rest of Ss to give feedback.

• to help Ss consolidate the learned grammar items and vocabulary.
• to empower Ss' problem-solving skills in daily life.

Motivation

A class survey
T draws a table with 5 columns: parents, teachers, friends, brothers & sisters and other people. (Ss can choose more than one answer)

T asks Ss to whom they will tell their problems.
T asks Ss to whom they will tell their secrets.
T asks Ss with whom they want to go shopping.
T asks Ss to raise their hands and put the numbers against the column.
T points out that 'friends' are important to teenagers.

• to motivate Ss
• to help Ss understand the importance of friends

Presentation

T tells Ss that some teenagers have problems and they have to match the people with the problems.
T shows Ss the PowerPoint and listening material about some teenagers' problems.
T discusses the answers with the class.

• to provide language input
• to identify main ideas

• Listening material
• Worksheet 3.1
• PowerPoint

• to have class discussion
• to brainstorm ideas
• to help Ss understand there are solutions to every problem

Pair work

T asks Ss to try to solve the problems for those teenagers in pairs.
T nominates Ss to report their work to the whole class.
T puts down the points of Ss on the blackboard.
T shows Ss the PowerPoint about the solutions.

• to make consolidation
• to prepare Ss to write a short reply

• Worksheet 3.2
• PowerPoint

• to remind Ss to use the appropriate tense & sentence structures

• Worksheet 3.3

Poem –While I'm asking

T guides Ss to think about the message of the poem.
Ss write their own poem.

• to develop Ss' listening skills
• to teach Ss how to write poems

• poem & worksheet

• T introduces a blog about Jason (who has communication problem with his parents).
• T goes through a part of the blog and asks Ss to write down their comments in the blog.

• to provide language input
• to provide vocabulary items
• to integrate IT

• Blog

Group discussion

• T shows Ss a TV interview which is about Rachel, a girl who lives a miserable life.
• T asks Ss a few questions related to the content of the interview.
• T distributes a discussion worksheet which follows the format of TSA questions.
• T asks Ss to discuss among themselves.
• T nominates Ss to report what they have discussed.
• T tells Ss that they are going to write a letter to give Rachel advice.

• to integrate with IT
  
• to check Ss understanding
  
• to collect Ss' ideas
• to help Ss brainstorm the way of solving problems
  
• to make consolidation
  
• to introduce the new task for the next lesson

• Interview
• Worksheet 4.1

Individual writing

• T tells Ss that they are going to write a letter to Rachel.
• T distributes a worksheet which is a letter from Rachel.
  
• T goes through the worksheet with Ss.
  
• T revises the way of giving advice with Ss.
  
• Ss start doing their short writing

• to have consolidation
  
• to remind Ss of the appropriate tense to use
• to remind Ss of the vocabulary items they can use

• Worksheet 4.2

Pre-writing activity

• T shares the problems of some teenagers and asks Ss to match the problems with the advice given.
  
• T asks Ss to think about the problems they have and provide solutions.
  
• A mind map is given to help Ss stimulate ideas.

• to revise the vocabulary and language items learnt
• to identify the main ideas
• to generate and develop ideas

• Worksheet 5.1
• Worksheet 5.2

Drafting

• Ss are invited by the student association blog to write an article to share the problems teenagers face nowadays and provide solutions.
  
• Concepts about paragraphing, the use of TSC and graphic organizers are introduced to develop Ss' writing skills.

• to help Ss organize, select and connect ideas

• Worksheet 5.3

Reviewing and Editing

• Self-reviewing (for content and organization in Draft 1) and peer-reviewing (for grammar in Draft 2) are introduced as assessment tools to track Ss' learning progress.
  
• Teacher models the review and editing process using samples of Ss' work.

• to develop self-editing and peer-reviewing skills
• to develop creativity and independent learning skills

• Worksheet 5.4

Post-writing activity

• T gives comments and feedback on Ss' work through using the assessment checklist.
  
• Ss are given a proof-reading task to identify and correct the common mistakes made by their classmates.

• to provide constructive feedback to Ss
• to identify the common errors in writing

• Worksheet 5.5
• Worksheet 5.6

Internal data

• scheme of work
• test and exam paper
• students' performance in lessons
• teachers' interview

External data

• TSA results
• Design of TSA questions

With the help of TSA and internal assessment data, teachers were able to identify problems in curriculum planning as follows:

• poor transition between levels
• lack of alignment between learning, teaching and assessment
• textbook-bound teaching
• gaps identified between objectives and learning outcomes

Vertical planning

• Teachers scaffolded the TSA skills descriptors in S1-3 curriculum plans according to their level of difficulty and complexity. (descriptors) They also integrated a variety of text types into all levels, ensuring students have a balanced and comprehensive exposure to different kinds of text types. (text types)

Horizontal planning

• A balanced coverage of objectives, learning outcomes, text types and values and attitudes, etc. were included in unit and module planning.
• A clear alignment between assessment and curriculum was identified and different assessment activities were used to track students' progress in learning. (horizontal planning)