English Language and Literature

Subject Offered

• English Language
  
  

Curriculum

Our English Language Syllabus, in alignment with the MOE English Language Syllabus 2020 for Secondary, builds on the progression of language skills, learner strategies and knowledge about language as set out in the MOE English Language Syllabus 2020 for the Primary level.

The overarching aim of the EL Syllabus 2020 is to develop effective and affective language use in students in the following areas:

1.    Listen to, read and view critically and with accuracy, understanding and appreciation a wide array of literary and informational texts in standard English from print, non-print and digital networked sources.

2.    Speak, write and represent in standard English that is grammatical, fluent, intelligible and appropriate for different purposes, audiences, contexts and cultures.

3.    Use standard English grammar and vocabulary accurately and appropriately, and understand how speakers/writers put words together and use language to communicate meaning and achieve impact.

The syllabus aims to advance students’ language learning and develop students into Empathetic Communicators, Discerning Readers and Creative Inquirers.

English Language Lessons at JWSS

The lessons focus on the enjoyment of language as students learn, integrate and apply knowledge across areas of language learning.

To foster self-directed learning, opportunities are provided for students to apply metacognitive strategies through review and reflection. Other than teacher and/or peer conference, students are guided to notice, monitor and regulate how they are learning, and to reflect on the extent of their learning or improvement through the use of rubrics, checklists and reflection activities.

To encourage higher-order thinking, opportunities are provided for students to progressively read, view and respond to age-/ year-appropriate texts (print, non-print and digital networked sources) of increasing complexity and create a range of texts, including multimodal and hybrid texts, for various purposes. 

Monthly Thursday Sharing

Is there a real-world issue that you are intrigued by and would like to share with the school?

The Monthly Thursday Sharing is a platform for students to share their views about a hot button issue and simultaneously hone their ability to communicate confidently, effectively and sensitively. They evaluate and synthesise information from credible sources as well as share their perspectives and reflections using the appropriate tone and register. They then invite their peers to think further about the issue by posing stimulating questions. This platform enables the presenters to raise awareness of real-world issues and encourage the audience to think deeper and more holistically about them.

Wednesday Morning Sharing – Speak Well, Speak Right

“How can I be a more engaging and effective speaker?” If you have these questions, fret not, as the weekly sharing sessions provide tips on how to speak well.

Selected students focus on features of clear pronunciation and aspects of expression (e.g., volume, stress and intonation) that would help their peers become clearer, more effective and confident speakers.

Subjects Offered

• Literature in English (Lower Sec)
• Humanities Literature in English (Upper Sec Express)
• Pure Literature in English (Upper Sec Express and Normal Academic)

Curriculum

The aims of the Literature in English syllabus are to enable students to:  discover the joys of reading Literature and become aware of new ways of perceiving the world around them  appreciate the aesthetic value of language  engage personally with a variety of texts and draw connections between self, texts and the world in order to develop intellectual, emotional, socio-cultural, and global awareness  articulate perceptive and analytical thinking when discussing and writing about literary texts  explore how the elements of different genres function in literary works to achieve specific effects; and  appreciate the importance of the contexts in which literary texts are written and understood.

The study of Literature centres on literary response – the negotiation of meaning between readers and texts.

Achievements

Activities 2020

W3 Cluster Literature Symposium 2020 The 5th W3 JWSS Literature Symposium was successfully conducted by the JWSS Literature Unit on 15th of October 2020. Unlike past years, this year’s symposium was conducted entirely online this year for the 130 student and teacher participants from 4 other schools in the West Cluster/Zone.  The aims of this Literature Symposium were to: a. Provide a platform for Literature students in the West Zone to interact and collaborate, thus increasing their confidence and passion in Literature. b. Allow greater collaboration among the Literature teachers in the West Zone by sharing effective teaching pedagogies and resources for Literature. This year, we were honoured to have the CEO of Strategic Moves, former Nominated Member of Parliament, Mr Viswa Sadasivan, as Guest-of-Honour to share on how Literature has shaped his life and provided him with the confidence he needs as a speaker, mediator and journalist. We also welcomed Ms Meenakshi Palaniappan from CPDD ELL who gave the keynote address on how Literature is used as a tool to discover new realities in society. Our Principal, Mr Michael Muhunthan, gave an opening address on how Literature has shaped his life over the years, and also shared some of his favourite Literature texts with the participants. The students’ workshops were conducted by  • Ms Lee Pei Yong – CPDD, ELL, Hook & Eye: Peering into the Margins • Mr Ian Tan – NIE Graduate Scholar, Unseen Poetry: An Analysis for Experiences and Expressions for Greater Meaning  • Ms Orry Zhang – JWSS Head of Literature Unit, Off Centre: An Analysis and Appreciation of Theatrical Elements The teachers’ workshop was conducted by  • Ms Esther Vincent, Editor-in-chief & Founder of the Tiger Moth Review, Discovering the Other in Literature  With overwhelmingly positive response and feedback given by both the teachers and student participants for this event, it is certain that the teaching and learning needs of the participants were met through this Literature e-Symposium.  Taking our annual Literature Symposium online this year! Mr Michael giving his opening address to share about his lifelong passion in Literature Everyone tuned in for the Keynote address by Ms Meenakshi from CPDD ELL Students taking their learning online at JWSS Literature e-Symposium 2020!  Students engaged and learning more about their Literature text Hook & Eye from presenter Ms Lee Pei Yong (CPDD/ELL) Oratorical Competition: Voices of the West 2020 On 25 August 2020, three of our students pitted their oratorical skills against other participants in Voices of the West 2020, an inaugural oratorical competition organised by Methodist Girls’ School. They expounded their perspectives and experiences on the following topics: 1. The real frontlines of the pandemic 2. Does a crisis make or break a nation? 3. Who is really essential? Their blend of oratory, wit and enthusiasm for the subject led them to the finals and eventually to clinch the coveted top and third placing. Saravanan Tanisha (2E2) First Placing Teo Bo Hao (2E2) Third Placing Nur Muhd Syahmi (2E1) Finalist Read! Fest 2020 @ JWSS The annual Read! Fest is organised in conjunction with the National Reading Movement. Many engaging activities are held to celebrate the joy of reading and encourage reading widely in the week-long event. Creative Writing Workshop By renowned local author Author of short story collection, We Rose Up Slowly and co-founder of Sing Lit Station This online practical workshop ignited the creative spark in our young aspiring writers who explored distinctive narrative features and wrote compelling stories. Writing Competitions For each level Blackout Poetry  ●  Chain Stories  ●  Alternative Endings ●  Haiku The collective unleash of the inner poet Dramatisation of fragments merged in a unified story Winners whose poetic spontaneity manifested with a black marker and text The Descent of the Book Fairies Gifting our favourite reads In our reading voyage, favourite reads were gifted by EL teachers and hunts in the school commenced with much excitement Our Instagram page @jwssreaders Designed to foster students’ enthusiasm for reading

Activities 2019

National Schools Literature Festival (20 July 2019) The National Schools Literature Festival (NSLF) is a literary festival for students in Singapore and has provided a platform to develop students’ passion and love for Literature. This year, the Literature festival was held at Woodlands Ring Sec Sch. JWSS brought both Upper and Lower Secondary students to NSLF to instil greater passion in the subject through their participation in the Lower Secondary Choral Reading and the Upper Secondary Unseen Debate.  The students enjoyed the learning experience and opportunity to exchange views with other Literature students from other schools on the texts that they have studied. Upper Sec Literature students engaged in Unseen Poetry debate during NSLF 2019
Read! Fest 2019 (22 - 26 July 2019) A murder mystery challenge, a workshop with one of the most creative local writers, and the hunt for books from book fairies – if you like the sound of this, you would have thoroughly enjoyed our school’s Read! Fest. With the aim of inspiring students to develop the joy of the written word, the teachers from the English department organised a slew of activities which spanned over a week. One of the activities was a level-based writing competition which saw students penning blackout poetry or adding their own unique twist to their favourite stories. The winning teams presented their writing to the school, eliciting chuckles and wonder from the audience for their play on words and creative twists. We also had the honour of hosting local writer Mr Suffian Hakim who brought along his satire and wordplay and inspired budding writers to pursue their passion. In Alice in Wonderland Escape Room, our Secondary 3 students raced against the clock to solve challenges to crack the code and save Alice. Last but not least, our Book Fairies descended again to spread their love for reading through leaving their favourite reads around the school to be discovered. Let us continue to discover the written word together! Students engaging in the creative process, with some indulging in linguistic invention and many showing their writing pieces with a sense of fulfilment at the end of the activity The proud winners of the writing competitions who read to the audience their creative poems and stories during morning assembly
W3 Cluster Literature Symposium 2019 (5 July 2019) The 4th W3 Literature Symposium was organized by the Literature Unit of JWSS on Friday, 5th Jul 2019. The aims of the Literature Symposium are to: provide more platforms for our cluster Literature students to interact and collaborate, thus increasing their confidence and passion in Literature; allow greater collaboration among the W3 Cluster Literature teachers in terms of sharing best teaching pedagogy and resources for Literature. The Students’ Workshops were conducted by Ms Meenakshi Palaniappan and Ms Nithya Rajaratnam (ELLB/ CPDD), Ms Esther Vincent, Editor-in-chief and Founder of The Tiger Moth Review, and our JWSS Literature teacher, Ms Sunita. The Teachers’ Workshops were conducted by Ms. June Henry from Maris Stella High on Higher Order Thinking Skills in the Literature Classroom, and by Ms. Sukhjeet Kaur from CHIJ Katong Convent on Assessment for Learning in Literature. The response to the Symposium was overwhelming as evident from the positive feedback given by both teacher and student participants at the end of the programme. It was heartening to see the teaching and learning needs of the cluster met through the Literature Symposium. Student participants enjoying the spoken word poetry performance by Local Poet Ms Stephanie Chan Student participants honing their personal response writing skills through the  Developing Personal Insight for Unseen Poetry by Ms Meenakshi Palaniappan Teacher participants learning how to tap on AfL in teaching of Literature from  Mdm Sukhjeet Kaur, Senior Teacher (Literature) CHIJ Katong Convent
Secondary 3 Inter Class Debate Tournament (28 – 31 May 2019) This house regrets the rise of social media influencers’.This was evidently a debate motion close to the hearts of many, with the finalists from 3E1 and 3E4 fervently arguing their perspectives onstage and the long queue formed by members of the audience who posed questions that stimulated further thinking and gave rise to further thoughtful questions. The finalists from 3E1 impressed the audience with their oratorical skills and emerged as the champion. This year's Secondary 3 Inter Class Debates Championship saw active participation across all our Secondary 3 classes who attended a two-day debates workshop, followed by an inter-class round that enabled them to hone further their skills of rhetoric and argumentation Students applying what they learnt from the workshop in an intra-class debate Semi-finalists determining who would be team proposition and team opposition respectively with a coin toss  The finalists from 3E1 and 3E4 debating fervently, with 3E1 emerging as the winner for the Inter Class Debates Championship 2019
Secondary One Public Speaking Workshop (30 May 2019) From conceiving to crafting to delivering an impactful presentation – how can we connect with the audience and deliver effectively? In this workshop, students had the opportunity to further apply the skills they learnt during English Language lessons and hone their public speaking skills. Students discussing the techniques they would use to effectively engage their audience
Secondary Two Newscasting Workshop (29 May 2019) Being in a newsroom team – gathering news sources, interviewing, writing, and finally reporting. In this workshop, students gleaned insights into the world of newscasting as they learnt effective writing and reporting techniques. Everyone was a news presenter with a cameraman and soundman; there was also a teleprompter to complete the experience!  Students learning about effective vocal delivery and body movement, including the procedure and technique of using a teleprompter  Students sharing their knowledge and perspectives as they write their scripts Each student presented the news with cameramen, soundmen and a teleprompter – a simulated experience that encourages authentic engagement
Off Centre Theatre Learning Journey (15 February 2019) Our Upper Secondary Literature students were given the opportunity to watch their Literature text, Off Centre by Singaporean playwright Haresh Sharma, in action at Victoria Theatre on 15 February. The Learning Journey was part of the Literature unit’s efforts to further expose students to drama and theatre, particularly local productions. For some students, it was their first foray into the local theatre scene. It was additionally meaningful as students get to see their national examination text played out before their eyes, enhancing their understanding and reading of a drama text. Students were engaged by the stellar performance of the cast fuelled by a compelling narrative. The play brilliantly explored the struggles and pains of mentally ill people with numerous moving moments that saw hardly a dry eye at the end of the play. JWSS Literature students at Victoria Theatre to watch their literature text Off Centre come to life