English Language
Vision
Every GMS(P) student is an informed, competent, confident and empathetic communicator in reading and writing.
Mission
To enrich students’ learning experiences by taking them out of the classroom to experience how language is used in real-life contexts and bring the world into the classroom through the use of multimodal texts.
Curriculum Structure and Key Programmes
Taking reference from the MOE English Language Syllabus 2020 and aligning to the STELLAR 2.0 (Strategies for English Language Learning and Reading), the school’s EL curriculum is designed for real-life application and the teaching of values and social-emotional competencies. Recognising that every student has a different learning profile, there is explicit teaching in the following areas at different levels.
Level | Area of Focus |
Primary 1 and 2 | ● Penmanship- Write accurately and fluently ● Reading- Read for pleasure and understanding |
Primary 3 and 4 | ● Oral- Communicate accurately and fluently ● Language Use- Build a strong knowledge base in grammar and vocabulary |
Primary 5 and 6 | ● Reading Comprehension- Cultivate a habit of deep reading to reflect, discover and form connections. ● Writing- Write to represent ideas, thoughts and feelings in formal and informal settings |
Key programmes at the levels that supports our curricular goals:
Level Support Programmes and Activities School-Wide Programmes and Activities Primary 1 ❖ Learning Support Programme (LSP) ❖ Speech and Drama ❖ Applied Learning Programme (ALP) ➢ Primary 1 and 2 students learn to write different types of poems ➢ Primary 3 and 4 students learn to write artist statements ➢ Primary 5 and 6 students participate in writing workshops and speaking competitions ❖ English Reading Period (ERP) ➢ To inculcate good reading habits and writing skills ❖ Speak Good English Movement (SGEMS) ➢ To motivate our students to speak grammatically correct English ❖ The World Book Day ➢ To inculcate a love for life-long reading Primary 2 ❖ Learning Support Programme (LSP) ❖ A learning journey to one of the national icons Primary 3 ❖ Reading Remediation Programme (RRP) ❖ School-based Dyslexia Remediation Programme (SDR) ❖ A learning journey to the zoo- integrating English and Science Primary 4 ❖ Reading Remediation Programme (RRP) ❖ School-based Dyslexia Remediation Programme (SDR) ❖ A learning journey to the Art Musum- integrating English, Social Studies and Art Primary 5 ❖ Reading Circles ❖ Creative Writing Workshops ❖ PESA competitions Primary 6
Pedagogical Approaches / Strategies
STELLAR - Strategies for English Language Learning and Reading
STELLAR is a language teaching programme that is designed to help our students to acquire English Language skills through activities in speaking, listening, reading and writing.
One of the main focuses of STELLAR is the use of the Shared Book Approach (SBA), an integrated and balanced language teaching approach that uses motivating and enjoyable books. At the lower primary level, the books are commonly known as “big books” as they are filled with enlarged print and colourful illustrations. At the middle and upper primary levels, the students will be tasked to read different texts that serve different purposes, and they are known as the “STELLAR readers”.
Besides reading for enjoyment and understanding, there is also the Modified Language Experience (MLEA) incorporated into STELLAR where students begin their writing experiences in small groups of mixed abilities. At the lower primary, there are also learning centres where small groups of children at similar levels of progress can gather for the reinforcement and extension of SBA and MLEA.
The school provides strong support for STELLAR in training the teachers and preparing the teaching resources. It is every English teacher’s desire to nurture and guide the students so that they will be equipped with the skills to communicate effectively in English, both in oral and written forms.