Fostering cross-curricular connections in KS2 through conducting a Reading across the Curriculum project

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Background

The teachers from Tuen Mun Government Primary School believe that reading is a fundamental ability which enables students to access a wealth of information and, consequently, is essential for academic and lifelong success. Implementing a "Reading across the Curriculum" (RaC) project encouraged students to make connections among different subjects, gain a holistic understanding of the chosen topic and develop values and attitudes. It could also enhance students' comprehension skills, vocabulary development, and critical thinking skills.

Through holistic curriculum mapping of the school's English Language, General Studies (GS) and Visual Arts (VA) curricula, teachers were able to provide opportunities for students to learn to read a variety of reading materials which shared a common theme. As GS was taught in Cantonese, text types such as graphs, charts and diagrams together with the specialised vocabulary students learnt in GS could be reinforced in English lessons through engaging students to read different non-fiction texts related to the same theme. Students were also able to incorporate the text type learnt in both English and GS into a Visual Arts activity. The visual representations created by students proved that they could communicate information and demonstrate their understanding of the content learnt in both English and GS.

Different curriculum initiatives such as life-wide learning, Life Planning Education, national education, STEM education and values education were also organically integrated into the project to arouse students' learning interest, extend their learning beyond the classroom and facilitate students' whole-person and all-round development.

Level

P4

Strategies used

1. Mapping the General Studies and English Language curricula to identify a common theme for implementing the RaC project
   Teachers of the two subjects identified a common theme from both curricula by looking for connections between the texts used in English and the content covered in General Studies (see the diagram below).

   

   The theme "Healthy eating" was subsequently chosen because of its high relevance to students' daily life and its potential to engage and motivate students. Students were given opportunities to demonstrate their ability to use the knowledge gained from both subjects by doing a Visual Arts activity and sharing reading experiences through different means.

2. Integrating various new curriculum initiatives into the RaC project to foster students' whole-person development
   Different curriculum initiatives such as STEM education, Life Planning Education, national education and values education were organically integrated into the RaC Project. Apart from building students' knowledge on the topic, teachers believed that language teachers could play a crucial role in supporting students' personal growth and well-being. By conducting a variety of activities for promoting curriculum initiatives, students' critical thinking skills, creativity and proper values could be nurtured and their awareness of the importance of setting short-term and long-term goals for their future was heightened.

3. Engaging students to read a variety of materials to foster their intellectual curiosity
   With a variety of theme-based materials chosen, including fiction and non-fiction, print and non-print, English teachers taught reading skills explicitly in class to ensure students understand text types and the language features that characterise them, learn more vocabulary items and analyse the use of target language items. They also helped students develop a more in-depth understanding of the topic and improve their critical thinking skills. Students' learning needs and interests could also be better catered for.

4. Engaging students in sharing their reading experiences through a variety of tasks
   In order to increase students' motivation to learn, General Studies, Visual Arts and English teachers worked together to design meaningful activities such as a visit to a pizza making restaurant, ice cream making, food bag design for students to strengthen connections between reading and real-life experiences. Teachers used different ways to sustain students' learning interest, empower them to learn independently and maximise their learning time.

What happened

Planning
At the planning stage of the RaC project, curriculum mapping was conducted as it encouraged collaboration among teachers from different subject areas and facilitated discussion about the role of reading in various disciplines. This process allowed teachers from the two KLAs to have a better understanding of the learning content of the two subjects. The English teachers took the lead to think about how GS content knowledge and related vocabulary could be enriched in the English lessons. English teachers also collaborated with the Visual Arts and Mathematics teachers to work out relevant fun activities which were related to the chosen theme and infuse them into the project.

Implementation
Learning inside the classroom
To address the diverse needs of the students, a range of pedagogical strategies were deployed to cater for their learning interest and increase their engagement in the learning process. Teachers also aimed at fostering deeper comprehension, critical thinking and engagement with cross-curricular texts which could help students develop a better understanding of the theme "healthy eating".

Pedagogies	Tasks	Learning evidence
Maximising digital reading and viewing maximisation Leverage online reading resources and multimodal learning resources to optimise students’ reading time and engagement in self-directed learning tasks Encourage students to do preparation for the lessons Engage students to apply the knowledge gained in lessons for independent learning Cater for different learners’ reading competence and interest	Watch a video and evaluate someone’s eating habits based on the knowledge gained from GS and English Reflect on and evaluate personal daily eating habits Watch a video to learn the steps of making ice cream to prepare for the ice cream making activity in class Think about the ingredients needed for homemade ice cream and the ones used in ice cream bought from supermarkets	Students watch a video about one's eating habits and answer some questions. Students watch a video and sequence the steps of making ice cream.
Navigating non-fiction texts Engage students to read non-fiction texts which enable them to consolidate what they have learnt from the non-language subject Raise students’ text type awareness by guiding them to identify common knowledge structure, in non-fiction, such as cause-and-effect, compare-and-contrast, problem-solution and the associated language features	Preview text features and identify key vocabulary for part of the text modelled by teacher Apply the same strategy to read the whole text independently through annotating the passage and answer text-dependent questions Apply the same non-fiction navigation strategies to read more theme-related texts across the curriculum Apply the knowledge gained for making suggestions to people on the kinds of food they need based on the jobs they do for developing students’ analytical and critical thinking skills	A student reads information and identifies key words for telling the functions of different nutrients. He then reads and annotates the text by circling the names of the nutrients and underlining their functions. Students compare people’s needs on nutrients and explain their needs by conducting case studies (e.g. You are a fireman. You need to eat more chicken or tofu because it gives you protein. Protein makes you strong.)
Interacting with stories Select captivating stories that are thematically linked to the target non-fiction topic "Healthy eating" Enhance students’ motivation to engage with non-fiction texts through including a story which is related to the theme so as to foster students’ personal connections with the theme	Identify the names of healthy food items from the story and recall the names of healthy food items learnt before Design a menu using the vocabulary items learnt for encouraging the main characters to eat healthily Think critically in the food selection process based on the knowledge gained from reading fiction and non-fiction texts	Students design a menu for the main character using the target vocabulary learnt. Students learn more vocabulary items on vegetables after reading the story about healthy eating.
Making content connections through cross-curricular reading Expose students to a diverse range of non-fiction text types (e.g. food labels, tables) Provide opportunities for students to apply their learning from cross-curricular reading content to real-world problems and decision-making scenarios	Learn the thematic vocabulary by reading non-fiction texts (e.g. amount of calories, carbs, fat, fibre, protein, and vitamins per serving of the food from food packaging and food label) Reflect on the snack intake and analyse the consequences of taking those snacks Design food packaging to apply the knowledge learnt from English and non-language subject  Encourage peers to eat healthy snacks	Students read information on food labels. Students design food packaging in Visual Arts lessons using different materials and include a food label on the food packaging.
Connecting with national education Weave elements of national education and cultural awareness into the school English Language curriculum for fostering students' understanding and appreciation of their national identity	Discover Chinese New Year festive food items and learn the names of them in English Learn about the culture of Chinese New Year Evaluate the nutritious values of Chinese New Year food items	Students learn the names of Chinese New Year festive food items and comment on their nutritious values.

Learning outside the classroom
To maximise students' learning time, teachers extended students' learning beyond the classroom. Apart from arousing students' learning interest through a variety of activities, different curriculum initiatives were strategically incorporated into the project.

Activities	Purposes	Learning Evidence
Visiting a pizza restaurant	Enable students to get some hands-on experience in cooking Utilise the life-wide learning fund to organise meaningful learning activities for students so that they can put what they have learnt in use Provide opportunities for students to select their own ingredients based on their own needs on different nutrients which the ingredients can provide	Students follow instructions to make a pizza in the restaurant. Students try the pizza they made and they all enjoy the cooking experience in this life-wide learning activity.
Making ice cream in the classroom	Infuse a STEM activity into the project to enable students to understand the role of different ingredients, the correct proportions of ingredients to use and the effect of salt on the freezing point of liquid in the formation of ice cream Teach students to read a procedural text on ice cream making for task completion Engage students to observe the change of state of the mixture in the ice cream-making process Guide students to compare the ingredients used in homemade ice cream with the ones they buy from the supermarket and tell the difference between homemade food and processed food to encourage students to eat healthily	Students read a procedural text in class before making ice cream. Students learn to make the right mixture. Students add the right amount of salt into the bag of ice. Students taste the ice cream to feel the texture.
Researching jobs related to the catering business as a self-directed learning task and making a video to share with others a job they want to take up if they can serve in the catering business	Incorporate Life Planning Education into the project to enable students to learn the job names in the catering business Help students understand the development trends and rapid changes in the workplace Provide opportunities for students to share with others their vision and expectations for future career if they enter the catering business	Students write about the job they want to take up in the catering business. Students make a video for presenting the written work.
Watching a cartoon about “Count your blessings” and learn the meaning of the Sayings of Wisdom (SOW)	Encourage students to reflect on their daily practices and habits on food consumption and remind them not to waste food Teach the concept of “waste reduction” using the resources on the government waste reduction website Give a brief introduction to “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDG) and guide students to think about how they can contribute to some of the goals to improve their well-being and others’	Students watch a cartoon to understand the SOW. Students think about when people waste food. Students show their willingness to contribute to SDG number 2 “Zero hunger” and SDG number 3 “Good health and well-being”.

Evaluation
Through observing students' engagement and participation in the lessons and in different activities, analysing student work and collecting teachers' reflection and feedback on the feasibility and usefulness of the RaC project, the impact of the project on teachers, students and curriculum could be evaluated.

Impact

Student development

• Though most students initially found learning English difficult and did not have a strong motivation to learn English, their improvement in reading ability and reading interest could be observed. Students learnt to make connections between what they read and their daily experience and practices. They also learnt to synthesise and summarise information gathered from different disciplines in the RaC project. They were able to read to learn after they had learnt to read and read more independently.

• The knowledge gained from General Studies was consolidated and extended and students’ vocabulary was enriched through reading a variety of topic-related materials in the English lessons.

• Students’ proper values and attitudes were nurtured when they were guided to respond to stories, reflect on their daily practices and understand better the needs of the world.

• Students’ generic skills and lifelong learning skills were enhanced through participating in a variety of RaC activities. Their learning motivation was also raised as learning was no longer confined to the classroom setting.

Teacher development

• The teachers involved gained a broader view of the school curriculum. Both language and non-language subject teachers could see more coherent links between subjects when they conducted curriculum mapping. They aligned the themes of the two subjects for carrying out the RaC project.

• Curriculum leadership was nurtured through implementing the RaC project. English teachers took the lead to make connections across subjects and General Studies teachers realised that content and language learning could be integrated to create more coherent learning experiences for students. The panel heads could propose concrete and workable actions when implementing the RaC project for the first time and they were able to demonstrate their subject and pedagogical knowledge. Teachers made the best use of the available funding to facilitate life-wide learning activities so as to maximise students' learning time and help increase students' motivation to learn.

Curriculum development

• RaC encourages the integration of knowledge and skills into various subject areas, fostering a more holistic and cross-curricular approach to learning. This helps students understand the relevance and application of knowledge and skills in diverse contexts.

• Exposing students to a variety of texts and subject-specific content allows students to learn a broader range of vocabulary, including subject-specific terminology. Students' vocabulary can be enriched in RaC projects. Apart from vocabulary enrichment, students also have a wider exposure to text types and they can learn the different text structures and text features.

• RaC projects engage students to read extensively on the selected themes and they subsequently learn to comprehend, analyse and interpret information, which help enhance their overall understanding and mastery of the subject matters.

Conclusion

Facilitating factors
The strong support and involvement from the principal, curriculum coordinators and panel head contributed to the success of the project. They were proactive in allocating funding and manpower to ensure the smooth implementation of different activities. The strong teaching team also allowed for the development of cross-curricular connections, shared resources and consistent application of pedagogical strategies across the curriculum. Teachers also developed the shared goal of increasing students’ engagement and motivation. Thus, the activities and materials were engaging and relevant to students, fostering their interest and motivation in the RaC project. Sufficient time was also allocated for the teachers to plan, collaborate and implement the project. All the parties in school helped create an environment that supported the successful implementation and sustainability of an RaC project. The P4 teachers were empowered to lead RaC projects at other levels in the new school year and they are prepared to refine this year’s project and explore new topics for another RaC project.

Difficulties and suggestions
Assessing the effectiveness of an RaC project can be a complex task. In this RaC project, teachers mainly aimed at assessing students’ knowledge on text structures and language-related knowledge such as their ability to apply the target language items and vocabulary items learnt in English and non-language subjects for completing different reading, writing and speaking tasks. Teachers mainly assessed students based on how well they completed the worksheets developed. However, insufficient attention was paid to assessing students' interest, enthusiasm and participation in the different activities or evaluating the project from the point of view of different stakeholders. Thus, more advanced planning needs to be done to improve the data collection processes so that more relevant data and information can be obtained throughout the implementation of the project.  

Way forward
Based on the experience generated this year, curriculum leaders should ensure that RaC should be integrated into the core curriculum across different subject areas, rather than just be treated as an add-on or a supplementary activity. Teachers, regardless of their subject allegiance, should build up their capacity in implementing effective literacy instruction and strategies across the curriculum so that teachers from more KLAs can participate in the future RaC projects. Curriculum leaders should foster collaboration among teachers from different KLAs so that their instructional approaches can be aligned and there would be more cross-curricular learning opportunities for students.

Bibliography

Curriculum Development Council. (2014). Basic Education Curriculum Guide – To Sustain, Deepen, and Focus on Learning to Learn (Primary 1 - 6). Hong Kong: Author.

Curriculum Development Council. (2017). English Language Education Key Learning Area Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 – Secondary 6). Hong Kong: Author.

Curriculum Development Council. (2024). Primary Education Curriculum Guide. Hong Kong: Author.

Tuen Mun Government Primary School
Amy FAN (Language Support Officer)