REVISED STANDARD-BASED ENGLISH

LANGUAGE PRIMARY SCHOOL

CURRICULUM (KSSR)

2017

INTRODUCTION
THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH

Taught as a second language in all

Malaysian primary and secondary
schools.
Essential for pupils to gain access
to information and knowledge
written in English.
Enable pupils to have easy access
to information that is available via
the electronic media such as the
Internet.

In line with the governments policy on

strengthening English;
the curriculum has been designed to
produce pupils who will be proficient in
the language.
The content and learning standards in
the curriculum are designed to:
help pupils acquire the language so
that they can use it in their daily lives,
to further their studies and for work
purposes.

The English Language

Curriculum
Focuses
on the development
for Primary
School

of

basic literacy.

Ensures pupils to be literate and be

given a strong foundation in the
language so that they can progress
towards language proficiency at the
secondary school level.

AIM
Primary ( exit after Year 6)
The English Language Curriculum for
Primary Schools aims to:
equip pupils with basic language
skills to enable them to communicate
effectively in a variety of contexts
that are appropriate to the pupils
level of development.

OBJECTIVES OF
By the end of Year 6, pupils should be able to:
THE CURRICULUM
1.communicate with peers and adults
confidently and appropriately in formal and
informal situations;
2.read and comprehend a range of English
texts for information and enjoyment;
3.write a range of texts using appropriate
language, style and form using a variety of
media;
4.appreciate and demonstrate understanding
of English language literary or creative works
for enjoyment; and
5.use correct and appropriate rules of

THE FRAMEWORK FOR STANDARD-BASED CURRICULUM FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS

The Standard-Based Curriculum for Primary Schools (KSSR) Framework is built on the
basis of six fundamentals strands of: communication; spiritual, attitude and values;
humanities; personal competence; physical development and aesthetics; and science and
technology.

Figure 1: The Framework for Standard-Based Curriculum for Primary Schools (KSSR)
Framework

PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF THE CURRICULUM

The Standard-Based English Language Curriculum for Primary
Schools is developed based on the following principles:

i.

Back to Basics

ii.

Fun Learning

iii.

Learner Centredness

iv.

Integration of salient new technologies

v.

Assessment for learning

vi.

Character Building

Social skills

Educational Emphases

Listening

Writing

Phonics

Speaking
Vocabulary

Multiple Intelligences
Contextualism
Constructivism
Learning How to Learn
Skills
Entrepreneurship
Creativity and
Innovation
ICT skills

21st Century Skills

Reading

High Order
Thinking Skills

Values and Citizenship

CONTENT ORGANISATION
The curriculum is modular in design and this is reflected in the organisation of the content and
learning standards. In Years 1 and 2, the English language curriculum emphasises the
development of basic language skills :

Listening and Speaking

Reading
Writing
Language Arts
From Year 3 onwards, where pupils build on the skills they have acquired in Years 1 and 2, a fifth
module, Grammar, is added to the above four modules. Therefore, the modules for this stage are:

Listening and Speaking

Reading
Writing
Language Arts
Grammar

LEVEL 2
(YEARS 4, 5 & 6)
5 HOURS PER WEEK SK
3 HOURS PER WEEK - SJK

LEVEL 1
(YEARS 1,2 & 3)
5 HOURS PER WEEK SK
2.5 HOURS PER WEEK - SJK

STRAND 1

STRAND 2

Language Focus

Language Arts

Skills Listening &

Speaking,
Reading and Writing
Vocabulary
(includes Science & Maths
themes
as well as Grammar )

Contemporary Childrens
Literature
Genres:
Short Story, Poems and
Graphic Novel

Skills Listening &

Speaking,
Reading and Writing
Vocabulary
Grammar (Year 3)
Phonics: SK - Y1 & 2,
SJK - Y1-Y2
Penmanship

Readers
- Big Books
-Lady Bird Series
Music, Poetry & Drama

LISTENING AND SPEAKING MODULE

READING MODULE

WRITING MODULE

LANGUAGE ARTS MODULE (CONTEMPORARY CHILDRENS

LITERATURE YEAR 4-6)

GRAMMAR MODULE
YEAR 1

YEAR 2

STAGE
STAGEONE
ONE
(YEARS
1
(YEARS 13)
3)

YEAR 3

YEAR 4

YEAR 5

STAGE
STAGETWO
TWO
(YEARS
4
(YEARS 46)
6)

YEAR 6

CONTENT CONFIGURATION FOR

YEARS 1 & 2
L1 L2 L3 L4
World of Stories

World of Knowledge
World of Self, Family and Friends
World of Stories
World of Knowledge

WRITING

World of Stories

READING

World of Self, Family and Friends

LANGUAGE ARTS

World of Knowledge

LISTENING & SPEAKING

World of Self, Family and Friends

THE MODULAR APPROACH FOR TEACHING

ENGLISH (YEARS 1 &2)
Recommended structure for English language
lessons stretching from one to two weeks for a
particular topic:

LESSON
4
Languag
e Arts

LESSON
1
Listenin
g&
Speakin
g
LESSON
2
Reading
LESSON
3
Writing

Recommended Time Allocation for English Language Lessons

The table below is a recommendation on how the English language hours can be
allocated for English language lessons throughout the week based on modular
configuration.
However, schools are given the flexibility and liberty to adapt the hours according to the
needs of the pupils as long as the allocated periods ( 5 hours [SK] and 2.5 hours
[SJK]) are adhered to.

SK - 5 hours (per week)

Lesson 1
(1 hour )

Lesson 2
( 1 hour)

Lesson 3
( 1 hour )

Lesson 4
( 1 hour )

Lesson 5
( 1 hour )

Listening &
Speaking

Reading

Writing

Language Arts

Listening &
Speaking

SJK- 2.5 hours (per week)

Lesson 1
(30 minutes)
Week 1

Listening &
Speaking

Lesson 2
( 1 hour )
Reading

Lesson 3
(30 minutes)
Writing

Lesson 4
(30 minutes)
Language Arts

KSSR

KBSR

1. CURRICULUM
DOCUMENTATION
SYLLABUS
CURRICULUM
SPECIFICATIONS

STANDARD
DOCUMENT
CONTENT
STANDARDS
&
LEARNING
STANDARDS
&
PERFORMANCE
STANDARDS

KBSR

KSSR

2. CURRICULUM ORGANISATION
LANGUAGE TAUGHT
THROUGH THREE
BROAD AREAS

LANGUAGE TAUGHT
THROUGH THREE
BROAD AREAS
MODULAR
STRUCTURE

INTEGRATION OF
SKILLS

INTEGRATION OF
SKILLS

KSSR

KBSR

3. CURRICULUM CONTENT
FOCUS ON FOUR
LANGUAGE SKILLS

FOCUS ON FOUR
LANGUAGE SKILLS
BASIC LITERACY

SOUND SYSTEM

PHONICS
PENMANSHIP
LANGUAGE ARTS

GRAMMAR IN
CONTEXT

GRAMMAR IN
CONTEXT

KSSR

KBSR

4.

APPROACH

WHOLE LANGUAGE

PHONICS

STANDARD BRITISH ENGLISH

5.

ADDED VALUES

EDUCATIONAL
EMPHASES

EDUCATIONAL EMPHASES
CREATIVITY & INNOVATION
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
ICT SKILLS

 Language Arts Contemporary

Childrens Literature
The Modular Approach/Configuration
Assessment for Learning

CONTENT

CURRICULUM
PEDAGOGY

ASSESSMENT

21

CURRICULUM CONTENT
This document outlines the English language
curriculum for Year 1. The curriculum content is
organised according to Content Standards, Learning
Standards and Performance Standards.
Content Standard
Content Standard

Learning Standard
Learning Standard

Performance Standard
Performance

specifies the essential details the relevant

Standard serves as a

knowledge and skills

tool to monitor pupils

knowledge and language

pupils need to acquire skills that pupils need to

developmental

by the end of Year 6.

acquire in a particular

progress for each

year in relation to the

Learning Standard.

Content Standards.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD
The Performance Standard details six levels
of performance with descriptors for each level
based on clusters of learning standards.
Performance Level

Descriptor

Very Limited

Limited

Satisfactory

Good

Very Good

Excellent

Performance Standard Levelling

The overall description of performance for each level is detailed below:

Performance
Level

Generic Descriptor

1
Very Limited

Pupils show very limited command of the language and

require a lot of guidance to perform basic language tasks.

2
Limited

Pupils show limited command of the language and require

guidance to perform basic language tasks.

3
Satisfactory

Pupils show satisfactory command of the language. They

have the ability to use language adequately but require
guidance for some challenging language tasks.

4
Good

Pupils show good command of the language. They have the

ability to use language fairly independently but require
guidance for more complex language tasks.

5
Very Good

Pupils show very good command of the language. They

have the ability to use language almost independently. They
are able to perform challenging and complex language
tasks with minimal guidance.

6
Excellent

Pupils show excellent command of the language. They have

the ability to use language independently. They are able to
perform challenging and complex language tasks.

Descriptions of Performance Level

SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT

YEAR 1 ONWARDS 1 document; CURRICULUM AND
ASSESSMENT STANDARD DOCUMENT (CDD)
A document which contains Content Standards, Learning
Standards and Performance Standards
1. The teaching and learning of Year 1 English Language follows
the modular structure of Listening & Speaking, Reading,
Writing and Language Arts.
2. Assessment is done for all the language skills.
3. Assessment is recorded for L&S, R and W in the EXCEL
template.

bpk.moe.gov.my

4. Assessment is formative in nature and is ongoing.

Therefore, teachers should constantly assessing the pupils
as they teach, making changes to their teaching methods
or approaches so that the pupils will understand better.
4. How does a teacher justify the levels of performance that
he/she assigns to each pupil?
- Through the exercises, worksheets, class presentations,
exercises in the activity books, quizzes etc. Teachers do
not need to have a special file to collect and keep all these
evidence of their pupils. The evidence is in the form of the
written and oral work that teachers do in the classroom.
6. If the school carries out the mid term and end of year
examination, the format will have to incorporate all the 4
modules stipulated in the DSKP; L&S, R, W & LA. So, the
testing is not only paper and pen but covers all these
modules.

21ST CENTURY SKILLS AND PUPILS PROFILE

The educational practices of the traditional
classroom are no longer effective and teachers need
to adapt and develop new teaching strategies that
are entirely different from those employed in the
traditional classrooms.
The modern day classroom should be more pupilcentred and teachers should take the role of
facilitators instead of being mere providers of
knowledge. They must ensure that pupils are
engaged in learning and provide effective instruction
using a variety of instructional methods and following
different pedagogical approaches aided with
technology.

The aim of the 21st century skills is to produce pupils with the
following profile as shown below:
PUPILS PROFILE

DESCRIPTION

Resilient

Pupils are able to face and overcome difficulties and challenges

with wisdom, confidence, tolerance, and empathy.

Thinker

Communicative

Team Spirit

Pupils are able to think critically, creatively and innovatively; solve

complex problems and make ethical judgments. They are able to
think about learning and about being learners themselves. They
are able to generate questions and are receptive towards other
peoples perspectives, values, individual traditions and society.
They are confident and creative in handling new learning areas.
Pupils are able to express their thoughts, ideas and information
confidently and creatively in oral and written form, using a variety
of media and technology.
Pupils are able to cooperate effectively and harmoniously with
others. They share collective responsibility, respect and cherish
the contribution of each member in the team. They acquire
interpersonal skills through collaborative activities, which in turn
moulds them into better leaders and team members.

PUPILS PROFILE

Inquisitive

Virtuous

Informative

Loving / Considerate

Patriotic

DESCRIPTION

Pupils are able to develop natural inquisitiveness to explore new

strategies and ideas. They learn skills that are necessary for
inquiry-learning and research, as well as display independent
traits in learning. The pupils are able to enjoy continuous life-long
learning experiences.
Pupils have a sense of integrity and sincerity, equality, fairness
and respect for individuals, groups and the community. They are
responsible for their actions, reactions and decisions.
Pupils are able to obtain knowledge and develop a broad and
balanced understanding across the various disciplines of
knowledge. They can explore knowledge effectively in terms of
local and global contexts. They understand issues related to
ethics or laws regarding information that they have acquired.

Pupils are able to show empathy, pity and respect towards the
needs and feelings of others. They are committed to serve the
society and ensure the sustainability of the environment.
Pupils are able to show their love, support and respect for the
country.

 Thinking skills have been emphasised in the

curriculum since 1994 with the introduction of Creative
and Critical Thinking Skills (CCTS). Beginning 2011,
the Standard-based Curriculum for Primary Schools
gives emphasis to Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS).
HOTS encompasses the ability to apply knowledge,
skills and values along with reasoning and reflective
skills to solve problems, make decisions and be
innovative and creative. Higher order thinking skills
refer to the skills of applying, analysing, evaluating and
creating.

HOTS

Application

Analysis

Evaluation
Creation

Explanation
Using knowledge, skills and values
in different situations to complete a
piece of work
Ability to break down information into
smaller parts in order to understand
and make connections between
these parts
Ability to consider, make decisions
using knowledge, experience, skills,
values and justify decisions made
Produce an idea or product using
creative and innovative methods

Blooms Taxonomy

Barretts Taxonomy

 Enquiry Based Learning

Project Based Learning
Differentiated Learning

in the
classroom
activity

Enquiry based learning starts by posing

questions, problems or scenariosrather
than memorising and simply presenting
established facts or portraying a smooth path
to knowledge.
The process is often assisted by the teacher.
Pupils learn best when they are at the centre
of their own learning.

Project-based learning

PBL is a
from the
centred
activities
centred.

model for classroom activity that shifts away

classroom practices of short, isolated, teacherlessons and instead emphasises learning
that are long-term, interdisciplinary, and pupil-

In the project-based learning (PBL), pupils will be

motivated to acquire new information to create
meaningful and authentic process and outcome of their
learning. This method involves pupils analyse and
investigate the subject matter of their choice or assigned
task critically and analytically before presenting its final
outcome. Critical thinking, problem solving and creativity
for example, are important components in the process of
achieving the final outcome of a project.
It also helps teachers assess the progress or the quality
of learning of the pupils. Hence, in determining the
completion of the project, pupils will be driven into the
notion that they need to communicate effectively and
work collaboratively with other members in the team

WHY PROJECT-BASED LEARNING?

 Also known as differentiated instruction.

It is the way in which a teacher
anticipates and responds to a variety of
student needs in the classroom.
To meet student needs, teachers
differentiate by modifying the content
(what is being taught), the process
(how it is taught) and the product (how
students demonstrate their learning).

Traditional Instruction

Differentiated Instruction

A single teaching approach for

the entire of class.

A variety of approaches of
lesson delivery.

Pupils practice looks the same

for the entire class.

Pupils have access to the

content through a variety of
learning styles.

Pupils who have already

mastered wait until the rest of
the class catches up.

Pupils who have mastered the

material are given challenging
tasks which deepen their
understanding of the content.

Pupils have little choice on

what they study.

Pupils are given choice in the

area of study whenever
possible.

Pupils are all expected to have

the same outcomes and
progress is judged using the
same guidelines for everyone.

The teacher modifies the

grading rubric to take into
account varying levels of
readiness for the given task
among pupils.

Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning is a method of teaching and learning
in which pupils work together in small groups on a structured
activity to explore a significant question or create a
meaningful project. The advantage of having small groups is
that pupils can share their strengths and also develop their
weaker skills as well as their interpersonal skills. They will
learn skills to resolve conflicts. Pupils are individually
accountable for their work, and the work of the group as a
whole is also assessed.
In order to create an environment in which cooperative
learning can take place, teachers have to ensure that pupils
need to feel safe, but also challenged. Groups need to be
small enough so that everyone can contribute. Diversity is
celebrated, and therefore, all contributions are valued.
Lastly, the task pupils work together on must be clearly
defined.

Thank You