Mother Tongue Languages Department

Mother Tongue Languages Department

Vision

To create a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares our students for the future.

Mission

To develop students to be passionate about MTL and be lifelong learners for Mother Tongue language.

Curriculum

By the end of the Secondary 4 year at Crescent, a student should be able to:

• Think critically and communicate their ideas confidently, in both written and spoken forms;
• Make the connection of the cultures associated with MTL languages;
• Achieve a deeper appreciation of culture, history and values because the essence of much cultural inheritance is best imbibed in its original language form

Special Programmes

Secondary 1 to 3 Mother Tongue Fortnight Activities
Mother Tongue fortnight activities allow authentic usage and exposure to MTL. Students are exposed to a wide range of activities during the MTL Fortnight in addition to learning and using the language. We collaborated with key stakeholders, including alumni to organise school-based MTL Fortnights. During the MTL Fortnight, a wide range of outside–class MTL activities are conducted to enable students to learn and use MTL in novel and exciting ways. The activities include performing arts such as drama, cross talks, storytelling, learning journeys, Wayang, talks by authors of the CL/ ML/ TL community, etc. Cultural camps are organised to provide students with an immersive environment to learn and use the language.

Focus: Oral and Communication skills

Secondary 1 and 2 Chinese Special Programme
Chinese Special Programme (CSP) is offered to Malay and Tamil Language students, giving them the opportunity of learning Chinese. The programme prepares students for the CSP examination at GCE ‘O’ Level. These students attend lessons twice a week, two hours per session in our school outside school curriculum time.

Focus: Writing and Communicative skills

Secondary 1 to 3 Newspaper Reading Programme
As reading is an integral part of language learning, the school subscribes to Chinese, Malay and Tamil newspapers to further cultivate the habit of reading newspapers in the MTL languages. Students have to complete newspaper cutting activities after reading the newspapers.

Focus: Expository Writing through newspaper cutting activities

Mother Tongue Learning Journeys
School immersion programmes are also organised for students as immersion experiences have a positive effect on students’ MTL learning as well as their attitude towards MTL. Chinese students have the opportunity to go to Beijing for immersion programme and they have the chance of collaborating with students from Beijing No 171 Middle school. Malay students have the opportunity of going to Malaysia for a homestay programme where students can enhance their use of the Malay Language in an authentic environment. Students are required to do post immersion activities so as to reinforce learning.

Malay Community Outreach Programme
Crescent Girls’ School Malay Language Department embarked on a community outreach programme entitled “Island Tales in conjunction with the National Library Board for the year 2013. The students prepared two different productions: “Kusu Island-The Untold Story” & “Sisters’ Island: Ties that Bind” for the community to enjoy at the Woodlands Regional Library and Tampines Regional Library.

Students presented these two special feature performances in Malay Language (with English subtitles). They also included an introduction to the Malay culture like the Dikir Barat (Malay Traditiona Chorale Singing) and Tarian (Traditional Malay Dance).

The students’ strengths and forte in the cultural as well as Mother Tongue Language domains were much tapped on as they worked together on this community outreach project. They also received very positive feedback from members of the public for both performances and due recognition from the National Library Board for their efforts.

Internal Competitions
Secondary 1 to 4 Chinese New Year decoration Competition
Secondary 1 Chinese Storytelling Competition
Secondary 2 Chinese Song Singing Competition
Secondary 1 Tamil Drama Competition
Secondary 1 to 3 Tamil Debate Competition
Secondary 1 and 2 Tamil Singing Competition
Secondary 1 and 2 Language Competition in IT
Secondary 1 and 2 Malay Singing and Lyric Writing Competition
Secondary 1 and 2 Malay Traditional Costume Competition

Achievements

2016
Malay Language Quatrain Competition in conjunction with Malay Language Month

• 1st (Upper Sec)
• 2nd
• 3rd
• 2 consolation prizes (Lower Sec)

Tamil Impromptu National Advertisement Competition

• 2nd

Tamil National Dance Competition

• 3rd

Tamil National Oratorical Speech

• 1st (Upper Sec)
• 1st (Lower Sec)

Tamil National Essay writing Competition

• Consolation prize

Tamil National Singing Competition

• Consolation prize

Tamil Oratorical Speech

• 2nd