Beliefs

The English Language & Literature Department strives to design effective and engaging programmes that encourage authentic learning while allowing students to apply the language and literary skills learned to real-life settings so that they can confidently use them meaningfully.

The focus of the department’s core curriculum in English Language and Literature in English is a combination of the following teaching and learning strategies and tools:

• Productive Skills: Process Writing, Journalling and Gradual Release of Responsibility

• Receptive Skills: Purposeful Annotation

• Multiliteracies: Multimodal Forms of Linguistic Expression and Representation

• Assessment for Learning: Effective Questioning and Teaching Actions

Signature Programmes

• The Reading Programme encompasses daily silent reading and reading magazines.

• ‘Recommended Reads’ is a programme that empowers students and enables them to share their favourite books with the school.

• Alternative Assessments for Secondary 1 to 3 students, including non-traditional modes of assessment, like video podcasts and group choral reading.

Achievements and Recognition

• Silver Award at the National Schools Literature Festival (Choral Speaking Category)

• Winner of the 2021 Clusters Idea Bank Submission: ‘Recommended Reads - Engaged & Inspired for Life’

• Participation in the 34th YMCA Plain English Speaking Awards

• Participation in the Read for Books Charity Drive

Chinese Language Unit

Beliefs

• The Chinese Language Unit strives to nurture our students to be confident and competent users of the Chinese Language.

• A myriad of programmes are organised to arouse their interest and joy in appreciating the Chinese Language, culture and traditions.

• The unit aims to develop our students’ character and imbibe in them sound values through literary stories.

Signature Programmes

• The Reading Programme on Wednesdays encompasses silent reading of Chinese language books and magazines “Douhao” and “Shaonian Wenzhai”.

• Digital Reading, ‘zbschools’ free website had been introduced to students to make them self-directed readers so that they could develop their language proficiency as well as keep them abreast with current affairs.

• Chinese New Year festive celebration across school level immersed students in the Chinese cultural and traditional activities so that they could appreciate the significance of the CNY festival.

• Mother Tongue Fortnight Programme had created an authentic learning environment for our students to learn about Chinese culture and traditions.

Achievements and Recognition

• Participation in the Chinese Language Pen Calligraphy Competition organised by Foguangshi Temple in Term 1. Achieved Commendation Trophy.

• Took part in National Essay Writing Competition organised by Singapore Press Holdings.

• Twelve Sec 3 students took part in the National Essay Writing Competition organised by创意无限”全国儿童故事创作大赛筹委会 and awaiting results now.

• Ten Sec 3 students participated in the National Comic Competition. One of them qualified for the final round.

• Ten Sec 2 Higher Chinese Language(HCL) students took part in the National Self-Guided Tour Training organised by the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. They completed their training and applied their knowledge and skills tour-guiding visitors visiting the Memorial Hall.

• We published a compilation of sixty-six essays of our Chinese Language students. Singapore Speak Mandarin Campaign has funded this project.

Malay Language Unit

Beliefs

• The Malay Language Unit strives to nurture our students to be confident and competent users of the Malay Language.

• A myriad of programmes are offered to stoke their interest and joy in appreciating the Malay Language, culture and traditions.

• The Unit endeavours to nurture our students’ to be Arif Budiman learners as envisioned by the Malay Language teaching fraternity.

Signature Programmes

• The Reading Programme on Wednesdays encompasses silent reading of books and magazines.

• The unit leverages on the use of our Sastera@SKSS Package as our niche to instill the love of the Malay Language and culture as well as values.

• Hari Raya E-celebration is an infotainment that incorporates the culture aspect that is synonym to Malay celebrations such as Malay Dance and ketupat weaving using coloured paper template as well as informative videos on Hari Raya.

• Mother Tongue Fortnight is a platform to celebrate and reminisce one’s cultural roots that includes the making of Wau, Batik Painting, Jawi Calligraphy and Wayang Kulit.

Achievements and Recognition

• 2 students, Nur Hazwani and Nur Khalishah were appointed as Rakan Bahasa (Malay Language Student Ambassadors) for 2021.

• Our student ambassadors went through virtual training sessions and competed in the NewsMaker competition, a national competition where they produced a 2-minute video about “Malay Legends and Folklore” in Malay language.

• Collaboration with N1 Cluster schools to organise the Karnival Dunia Melayu as well as Malay Language online workshops for students.

Tamil Language Unit

Beliefs

• The Tamil Language Unit strives to nurture our students to be confident and competent users of the Tamil Language.

• A myriad of programmes are offered to stoke their interest and joy in appreciating the Tamil Language, culture and traditions.

• The Unit endeavours to develop our students’ character and imbibe in them sound values through literary stories.

Signature Programmes

• The Reading Programme on Wednesdays encompasses silent reading of books and magazines.

• Digital Reading, ‘Seithi Mediacorp App’ has been introduced to students to make them self-directed readers so that they could develop their language proficiency as well as keep them abreast with current affairs.

• Pongal Festival celebration across school level immerses students in the Indian cultural and traditional activities so that they will appreciate the significance of the Festival.

• Mother Tongue Fortnight Programme creates an authentic environment for our students to learn about Indian culture and traditions.

Achievements and Recognition

• Participation at the North Zone Role-Play Competitions and won consolation prizes.

• Participation in Budding Writers’ and Actors’ National Level Competition organised by MOE. Attainment of Certificates of Accomplishment.

• Collaborated with PMTT & MTTs and executed Tamil Cultural and Literacy Project. Lead Teacher, Mdm Rosina Bakam, shared at the National Platform for the Tamil Teachers’ fraternity.

• Recognised by AST for conducting ‘Connecting the Dots for Diverse Learners’. Facilitation for Tamil Language, Teacher Leaders, which was led by Lead Teacher Mdm Rosina.

Beliefs

In Seng Kang Secondary School, teachers apply a range of strategies and approaches to deliver the understanding of Mathematical concepts and help students find motivation and meaning in learning mathematics. Through instructions, reasoning, problem-solving, and discourse, teachers support students in making sense of mathematics concepts and encourage perseverance in the productive struggle to solve mathematics problems.

The Mathematics programme spans across four years in a progression that ensures the foundation of numbers, algebra, geometry, graphing, and statistics are instilled in students as they progress the depth of the mathematics syllabus at Seng Kang Secondary School.

Students will be given ample opportunities to develop problem-solving skills and higher order thinking skills. Group work is planned in the curriculum to allow students to collaborate and learn together. Students will also be given authentic tasks to allow them to explore and apply what they have learnt in the classroom and connect the concepts to the world outside. Activities and manipulatives are incorporated into pedagogical methodologies in a structured approach to better engage low-progress learners to develop their appreciation and positive attitude towards mathematics.

Mathematical understanding is measured through the use of a variety of assessment strategies and tasks. Assessments are planned to support learning and help make teachers and students make adjustments to instruction and learning.

Achievements and Recognition

ICAN-trained (Improving Confidence and Achievement in Numeracy) teachers apply ICAN strategies to better engage and level-up mathematics proficiency of lower progress learners, addressing key areas of learning gaps, language, motivation and sustenance of knowledge in our students.

Talented students participate in Singapore Math Olympiad (SMO) competitions. Participation in the SMO provided the students with a platform to challenge themselves and further develop their thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills.

Collaborative Learning

The Mathematics department aims to develop students to be independent and self-sufficient learners who are able to work collaboratively. Students are given ample opportunities to co-construct their own learning through group work and peer discussions in class.

Joy of Learning

To sustain interest in Mathematics and to ignite the joy of learning, mini-competitions and fun events are organized for the whole school. In one event, staff and students were invited to

estimate the number of balls that were enclosed in a clear display case. In another event, a Mathematics Easter Egg Hunt was organized, whereby participants hunt for the Easter eggs and solve the mathematics questions.

Support and Enrichment

Structured baseline remediation programme is planned for all levels to assist students to achieve expected competencies in core mathematics skills.

The Covid-19 pandemic has presented some challenges for teaching mathematics as teachers were forced to continue lessons in a fully remote learning approach. However, relevant mathematics resources were collated quickly and implemented to achieve effective online teaching during Home Based Learning.

Beliefs

To engage, enthuse and inspire students to become active and confident learners in a scientific world, the Science Department employs Inquiry-based Learning (IBL) pedagogies and implements various programmes. The Science lessons focus on developing critical and inventive thinking skills in our students so they are able to relate scientific concepts that they have learnt to real life. Moreover, the Science teachers are constantly upgrading themselves to better their craft so that they can design the best lesson experiences for the students to get them interested in and even pursue a career in Science.

Signature Programmes

The Science curriculum focuses on the acquisition and application of various scientific concepts. Our students are not only engaged in lessons that apply IBL pedagogies, they are also engaged in various activities that make use of collaborative learning to enhance their learning. We believe in the application of science in all areas of life and thus collaborate with the ICT and CCE departments to carry out the Applied Learning Programme (ALP) in school. Our ALP focuses on the area of Health Science and Technology and we make use of the Design Thinking Framework to allow students to find solutions to real-life problems.

The Design Thinking Framework is applied by students to carry out Values in Action projects that involve the collaboration of the Science, ICT and CCE departments. This allows students to be provided with an authentic audience and learning experience so that they can generate solutions to solve existing issues that the elderly face. Furthermore, the programme allows students to design devices or living quarters to help the elderly as well as plan projects or workshops to aid the elderly in developing new skills.

This interdisciplinary approach is unique as it aligns the various school programmes and provides students with authentic learning experiences to allow them to positively impact the community. Students who show an interest in ALP are trained by a dedicated group of teachers for various competitions.

Achievements and Recognition

Finalists in the Dancing Drone Competition at IgNite Challenge 2021

Hosted Minister of Education Chan Chun Sing for ALP visit

Beliefs

Building Character through Sports and Outdoor Adventure

“Stronger Athletes, Tougher Individuals and Better Learners.”

Sports and Outdoor Adventure are key platforms for character building and leadership development. They play a key role in building an inclusive community of active and healthy individuals. SKSS’s Learning for Life Programme aims to build character and develop leaders through Sports and Outdoor Adventure. The programme seeks to nurture students to be learners for life by enabling them to be stronger athletes, tougher individuals and better learners.

Signature Programmes

“Stronger through Sports Science”

“Leaders through Sports and Outdoor Adventure.”

These programmes aim to develop our students to be stronger athletes and tougher individuals.

• Basic Sports Science Programme

• GCE ‘O’ Level Exercise and Sports Science

• Outdoor Adventure Learning Programme

• Sports Leaders Programme

The following programmes are organised to promote healthy living and provide a platform to build character through PE and Sports.

Secondary 1 - Netball and Badminton

Secondary 2 - Basketball and Football

Secondary 3 - Softball, Handball and Floorball

Secondary 4 - Frisbee and Volleyball

Secondary 5 - Touch Rugby and Tchoukball

All Levels - Outdoor Education (OE) and Basic Sports Science (BSS)

GCE ‘O’ Level Exercise and Sports Science

To further develop our students’ diverse talents in sports, the school offers Exercise and Sports Science (ESS) as a GCE ‘O’ Level subject. ESS is an interdisciplinary applied subject where students learn about Sports Science and develop an understanding of Sports Sociology. Through the study of ESS, students develop inter-disciplinary thinking, enabling them to be better stronger athletes, tougher individuals and better learners.

Key Events

"Building an active and inclusive community"

Students across all levels are taught a myriad of sports skills and the key aspects of healthy living through a rigorous PE program. They are provided opportunities to apply what they have learnt in a competitive setting at various levels.

• Secondary 1 and 3 Outdoor Adventure Learning Cohort Programme

• Get Active Class Challenge

• SKY Titans Challenge

• Sports Science and Outdoor Adventure Resilience Programme

Beliefs

Quality and Innovation – The Way to Success

The department believes that authentic learning and student engagement are key to developing and preparing the students for the 21st Century. Our collective aim is to design authentic lessons that are relevant to the syllabus. Thus, Communication, Collaboration and Information Skills, as well as Civic Literacy, Global Awareness and Cross-Cultural Skills are continually interwoven into our curriculum.

To enrich students’ learning of the various Humanities subjects across various levels, the Humanities Department adopts a developmental structure for Humanities Investigation using Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL). The vehicle to develop these skills in our students is through the IBL fieldwork investigation packages, which provide teachers with the opportunity to align the lower and upper secondary syllabuses to facilitate greater depth of learning, subject mastery and progressive development of skills in the students. These packages are used to introduce hypothesis creation and develop students’ skills and competencies, such as data-gathering skills in fieldwork and investigation, technical skills in using ICT applications, as well as social-emotional competencies.

In these unprecedented times, the department went the extra mile to ensure that Humanities IBL continued beyond the classroom during the various Circuit Breaker phases. Blended learning approaches were explored and adopted, which enabled the students to effectively learn the Humanities subjects of Social Studies, Geography and History through various modes of asynchronous learning and adaptive learning platforms.

Signature Programmes

Secondary One Geographical Investigation & Inquiry: Virtual Investigation on Tropical Rainforests

The Secondary One students participate in experiential outdoor learning journeys as part of their Geographical Investigation. They engage in fieldwork activities such as observing their surroundings and sketching the human activities to deepen their learning and understanding of a particular geographical phenomenon and its impact on life and the environment.

Last year, the Secondary One students embarked on a virtual investigation of the impact of the Cross-island Line on Singapore's rainforests. This adapted blended learning created new and enriched IBL experiences in virtual visual-audio settings for the students.

This year, the department collaborated with Nparks Officers (from the Design Division) to produce digital resources for Secondary One students to learn about how nature parks in Singapore, such as Coney Island, are planned and designed. Nparks’ Deputy Director Tan Yit Chuan and Park Manager, Sheryl Lim, provided a guided tour of Coney Island and shared some of the history and key natural features of Coney Island. Through the process, both teachers and students also appreciated some of the key facilities that make a nature park inviting and attractive for all park-goers.

Secondary One Historical Investigation & Inquiry: Leveraging on ICT to Facilitate Historical Investigation

Unlike in previous years when our Secondary One students engaged in museum-based learning as part of their Historical Investigation (HI), we leveraged on the use of ICT this year to facilitate the students’ HI projects, which focused on the concept of Historical Evidence. Through the Student Learning Space, we conducted a pre-HI lesson to help the students better understand the definition of ‘archaeology’ and the work of archaeologists. Then, the students carried out their individual research on various archaeological sources during the Home-based Learning period to address the Inquiry Question, ‘Was Singapore a safe place for the migrants during the British colonial period?’ The students recorded their findings and inferences on Google Classroom. Subsequently, the students collaborated with their group members through various ICT platforms, such as Google Meet, Google Doc and Google Slides, to write a story about the lives of people who lived in Singapore during the British colonial period.

Secondary Two Historical Investigation & Inquiry: Exploring Change and Continuity in the Lives of People Living in Sengkang and Punggol

The Secondary Two Historical Investigation project required students to investigate ‘How far has life changed for people living in Sengkang and Punggol after World War Two?’ The students were required to examine several aspects of the inquiry question. Each group member researched a particular area, such as Housing and Living Conditions, Economic Activities and Jobs, Leisure and Entertainment, and Types or Modes of Transport. The groups then consolidated their findings and examined the change and continuity in the various aspects of the lives of the people living in Sengkang and Punggol. Finally, they presented their findings through a PowerPoint or video presentation.

Secondary Three Geographical Investigation & Inquiry: Virtual Coastal Investigation

In this new innovative Inquiry-based project, the Secondary Three Geography students conducted their physical geographical investigations and inquiry on the coastal formations and phenomenon along the coasts of Singapore through various visual-audio platforms. In a safe indoor adapted environment, the students were given the opportunity to explore the various stations to learn about Singapore’s coastal surroundings through the use of virtual sensory fieldwork.

Secondary Three Historical Investigation & Inquiry: Using Historical Sources and Evidence to Evaluate Stalin’s Leadership of the Soviet Union

The students explored the topic ‘Stalin’s rule over the Soviet Union’ through the study of various historical evidence. Working in groups, the students analysed textual and pictorial sources, including propaganda posters and political cartoons, to understand how Stalin ruled the Soviet Union and the impact of his rule on the country and its people. Through this approach, the students also developed their source-based skills such as making inferences, drawing comparisons, detecting bias and evaluating reliability.

Achievements and Recognition

With the guidance of Ms Kathleen Kwan, our Geography team of Tong Mao Gen, Mogens of Secondary 4-1, Darryl Mok Kai Lun, Jolie Ong Vee Voon and Ho Xuan Ying, Evelyn of Secondary 4-2, took part in the NUS Geography Challenge 2021, an annual competition jointly organised by the NUS Department of Geography and the NUS Geographical Society. Darryl Mok further brought honours to the school with him clinching one of the Individual Bronze awards.

With the guidance of Mr Noah Zhang, two teams from Seng Kang Secondary School, comprising Secondary 2 Geography students, participated in the Asia Oceania Geographical Society - Earth Observatory Observatory of Singapore (EOS) International Geoscience Challenge 2021. The teams started preparing since January and made it to the finals held virtually on 4th August 2021.

The AOGS-EOS International Geoscience Challenge 2021 is part of the organizations’ effort to inspire and create greater interest in Geophysical Sciences among middle and high school students. The aim of the Challenge is to give students the experience of conducting an investigative Geoscience project under the guidance of their geography teachers and provide students with a platform to exhibit and share their findings with others.

Despite the constraints posed by safe management measures on their research preparation, we are proud that both teams gave their best, and they motivated and encouraged one other to stay focused throughout this competition. We would like to acknowledge all of their incredible efforts to prepare the research proposals, posters, videos, and the final presentation. Excellent work, students!

AOGS 2021 Projects

Group project: Where are feral pigeons commonly found in Singapore?

Students: Mau Si Qi Queena (2-4), Sai Xin Yee (2-4), Amrita Ram (2-4)

Video link for group project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk4OfcTMvJ4

Group project: How green is Singapore’s CBD?

Students: Wong Tze Hanz (2-4), Mohamed Aseem (2-4), Jeganath Deepapriyan (2-4)

Video link for group project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk9QpEh2VK0

Art Unit

Beliefs

We are dedicated to developing self-directed learners and critical thinkers. Their determination to create profoundly personal and technically competent works of art is of utmost importance.

Signature Programmes

Lower Secondary:

Our students go through vigorous exercises on idea creation and expansion. Through exposure to a wide array of art, they learn to hone their skills and demonstrate their creativity. In the studio, students discuss topics that relate to themes like existence and connections to our world.

They work towards finding their places in the world and expressing their interpretations of things and events around them.

Basic Photography was introduced to give the students greater exposure to art outside of the classroom and encourage them to appreciate art from different perspectives.

Upper Secondary:

The Art students are exposed to a wide range of art mediums and skills to prepare them for their national examinations and aid in their personal growth.

In the studio, they are encouraged to express their individual thoughts and share constructive feedback to help each other grow.

The Printmaking and Ceramics Module was reintroduced to the upper secondary students to expose students to hands-on art making and to help them develop their skills by exploring a myriad of art techniques.

Music Unit

Beliefs

At Seng Kang Secondary School, we believe that every student is able to appreciate music and engage in the art of music-making regardless of their background or experience. Our Music curriculum is designed to make musical learning as authentic as possible as we feel that Music should be treated as an applicable skill rather than simply content knowledge.

Signature Programmes

Our Music curriculum aims to equip students with musical understanding and encourage them to be confident musicians who enjoy engaging with the various aspects of Music: Listening, Performing and Composing. Music lessons not only equip students with musical skills but also inculcate moral values and multicultural awareness in them.

Achievements and Recognition

Mr Gerald Teh, in collaboration with the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the Arts, published his critical inquiry project, ‘The Impact of Differentiated Tasks on Student Motivation, in the e-publication, ‘Sounding the Teaching V: Technology and Inclusion in Pedagogy’.

Design & Technology Unit

Beliefs

Through the teaching and learning of Design & Technology (D&T), we are committed to equip every child with the ability to solve real-world problems. Every child is engaged with activities, which allow them to use the design thinking process to improve life.

Our curriculum is based on three main justifications for design in general education:

• Design develops innate abilities in solving real-world, ill-defined problems.

• Design sustains cognitive development in the concrete or iconic modes of cognition.

• Design offers opportunities for development of a wide range of abilities in nonverbal thought and communication.

(Cross, N., 2007)

Signature Programmes

Learning Through Play

• Secondary 2 students learn through manipulating IKEA blocks. These serve as an inspiration for their Animagine project, where they promote the importance of saving endangered animals.

• In 2020, the Secondary 3 students had the chance to design their SKY Learning Space. They had the autonomy to create a more conducive and creative learning environment.

Learning through Exploration with Everyday Objects

The learning of technologies in upper secondary is very abstract and engaging for many students new to this topic. It is designed as a tactile learning experience as students tinker with everyday products such as nail clippers and can openers. Lessons are scaffolded and students construct their knowledge and understanding on how mechanisms work, while they ‘play’ with the product and watch slow motion video clips. For electronics, students get to tinker with real circuits and learn through disassembling products.

Achievements and Recognition

• Learning through Exploration with Everyday Objects was one of the Keynote Presentations at the SKSS Learning Festival 2020.

• The Learning through Play project was the recipient of the Coyote Fund.

Nutrition & Food Science Unit

Beliefs

The Nutrition & Food Science Unit is committed to developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes required by the students to succeed in the 21st century. The focus is on improving the lives of those around them through knowledge in nutrition and health, food literacy and food science. We utilise the Inquiry-based Learning pedagogy, which enables the students to relate and apply knowledge learnt to real-life situations. The cyclical process engages the students with tasks that lead to intellectual exploration, explanation of information and application of ideas.

Signature Programmes

Lower Secondary:

Our students are exposed to investigative food science experiments where the inquiry-based learning model is used to facilitate the discussion and exploration of the functions of different ingredients used in food preparation. Students get the opportunity to modify recipes and examine the food characteristics on the final product by conducting sensory evaluation.

Upper Secondary:

The self-directed learning and inquiry-based learning approach were used to encourage our students to champion sustainability efforts; especially on sustainable food consumption. As the nation moves towards reducing food wastes, our students also embarked on a project to identify current food consumption practices and their impact on the environment. Through the project, they learnt to select food from sustainable sources and apply sustainable food consumption guidelines in the preparation and cooking of food. The learning was shared with family and friends to raise awareness on the importance of practicing sustainable food consumption.

Achievements and Recognition

Our heartiest congratulations to Mohammed Aiman Zulkhair Bin Mohammed, Goh Dong Ce Cipher, Loh Yu Wei Kyran, Vaanisri D/O Parameswaran and Tan Jing Hui Karrise from class 3-7 for achieving the first position at the Health & Food Science Competition (Nutri-booster Competition 2021) organised by The Science Centre and Republic Polytechnic.

During the 3 month long competition, our students had to complete a nutrition canvas, film and edit the process of preparing a dish and dietary supplement for a specific target group and finally present their findings to the judges.

We would like to commend the students for demonstrating resourcefulness and tenacity during the competition. We would also like to thank Ms Kho Hui Han for her guidance throughout the competition.