English Language and Literature

Teaching & Learning Approach

Cedar’s English department uses the Parallel Curriculum Model (PCM) as a tool for curriculum planning. At the Core of the curriculum are language skills and literary concepts which are scaffold in spiral progression across the students’ four years in the school. The Curriculum of Connections explores age-appropriate macro concepts and themes which act as conduits for the application of learning from the Core Curriculum.

In the Curriculum of Practice, students experience authentic tasks where they learn how to act as practitioners in specially curated contexts. Finally, in the Curriculum of Identity, students’ are given platforms and opportunities to explore their personal stance in social issues around the world.

The curriculum is delivered using the social constructivist approach with a strong focus on collaborative and discovery learning to enhance the joy of learning. Since language is a skills-based subject which is often intuitive to the proficient user, pedagogies which promote active learning and greater student engagement are employed, and emphasis is placed on making thinking visible. Teachers model questioning such as using the Think Aloud strategy to show students how to use questioning techniques to critically evaluate what they read.

We have incorporated teaching questioning techniques such as Socratic Questioning in our IP curriculum as a tool to enable our students to think critically and deeply. Differentiated Instruction is also carried out to cater to differing student needs. To ensure that students are future-ready, ICT is integrated into the curriculum through the use of Google Classroom, Google suite for Education and various web 2.0 tools. Students are also taught how to responsibly utilise various Artificial Intelligence tools to augment their learning.

Programmes

Literature Fest (“Lit Up!”)

Literature Fest is a week-long school-wide event that aims to nurture a love for Literature in every Cedarian. Students develop an appreciation for literary texts and characters through varied platforms such as creative student representations of texts, meet-the-author sessions, roundtable discussions, film screenings and interactive displays.

Literature Enrichment

Enrichment programmes are organised to broaden our students’ appreciation of Literature through making connections from literary texts to self, other texts, other readers and the world around them. These programmes include learning journeys to theatre performances and creative writing workshops.

In 2024, Year 2 students participated in spoken word workshops as part of the school’s Beyond Classroom Learning Week. In addition, Year 3 and 4 students attended a performance-lecture on Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.

Talent Development Opportunities

Students keen on pursuing their interest in Literature and the English language at a more advanced level can apply for research and creative writing opportunities through the school’s Talent Development (TD) programme