How Literature is Being Assessed at Swiss Cottage Secondary School

Currently, my kids are studying Shrek, the movie.

Firstly, the go through a series of assessments meant to assess the students' knowledge on things like, themes, plot, characterisation, character view points. For the assessments, the school tries to come up with relevant yet fun tasks, such as writing a diary entry as Shrek highlighting his viewpoints on Love and Friendship at the start of the movie, and at the end of the movie. The tasks tend to be relevant, yet not wholly academic in nature. These assessments are tabulated as part of their continuous assessment. I think the students enjoy the process as well as the task. However, I find that some students take it as all fun&games, and tend to forget what they are being assessed on when doing the tasks. This is where rubrics are a very important part of our assessments.

For SA, students also go through a series of tasks. However, the tasks are slightly more academic in nature, which is meant to prepare them for the final exams. We have essay questions, tableaux and dramatisation. To prepare the students for their final exams assessments, these tasks are taught in a more academic way as well, such as, teaching and assessing close-reading skills, etc.

I think that the structure of the assessment as a whole is very sound, as I'm dealing with Sec 1 students who have never studied literature. However, if there is a way to make the students see the relevance of the tasks to what they need to learn (knowledge and skills), I think it will be more successful, even if it means changing the tasks all together.

How Literature is being assessed at Yusof Ishak Secondary School

At YISS, the students are doing a play Free! by David Grant.
In the ten weeks of one term, there is one formal assessment which goes to their CA grades and there are several informal assessments. There is no diagnostic tests done in the start of the lessons, however after a new topic/ theme/ skill is taught, there is a final deliverable.

For instance, in learning characterization, the students (as a group) use A3 sized paper and draw the characters with their traits on them. The teacher will photocopy the paper into A4 sized sheets for their individual assessment. For the march holidays, the students are instructed to choose one scene from a list to perform.
This is to facilitate understanding of the text. As the text centers around a group of students in the classroom, the students enjoy the book and find it accessible.
For the second term, the final formal assessment is in the form of the mid-year examination. During the term, it is up to the teacher to decide how/ when/ what she wants to do for an informal assessment.

Literature Assessment at Presbyterian High School

For Secondary One Literature which I'm teaching, the assessment consists mostly of summative assessments. Beyond the usual mid- and final year examinations as well as common tests, the school also gives students class tests every term. The difference is in the number of chapters being tested for each test type and also, the choice of chapters. For class tests, chapters taught in class are tested while for examinations, students are being notified that they will be tested on chapters covered in depth in class as well as chapters they were expected to read on their own.

Other than these various formative assessments, the Secondary One Literature department also decided to incorporate drama to test knowledge of the text. Known as the Dramatisation Project to students and teachers, the assessment looks at how groups of students dramatise their assigned chapter from the text. I personally enjoyed this and was a part of the assessment just today. While some students did not take the project seriously, some other groups made the effort to present characters fully and memorize lines from the text. I think the students generally enjoyed it really. They brought in props and were willing to be silly in front of their classmates. We then had a chance to teach them drama/stage concepts like blocking and voice projection as well.

How Literature is assessed in Whitley Secondary

As usual, a large part of the grading weightage for Literature comes from summative assessments like common tests, pop quizzes, mid and end of year examinations. Their common tests for the end of the first term is concentrated on how well the students understand their texts, and comes in the form of passage-based questions, answered with the PEE structure. The mid year exams would consist of two components, the passage-based questions on their texts, as well as an additional component of an unseen poetry essay question.

However, a portion of their grades are left for teachers to test their students are they see fit. Therefore, these assessments can be made more interesting for the students, which I felt gave teachers some room to allow them to attempt what they feel students are able to achieve. Assessment in this form is made more creative and fun for the teacher and students. For this, my CT has very nicely allowed me to devise methods to test them for what they call their Pupil’s Progress Report (PPR) grade. This would then form part of their CA grades that is to be added to their SA grades.

For my secondary 1 express class, I have decided to have them break down the last few chapters of Narnia and come up with a comic strip that reflects the theme of good triumphing over evil. This hopefully encourages their interest in the subject itself, as many of them do not like reading, what more a text for school.

The focus being on poetry this term, I would have my secondary 2 students (both Express and Normal Academic) write a poem with a few of the elements that they were taught this term included in the poem. I really enjoyed the creative writing class that we had in NIE, and was thinking of utilizing the idea for my students and have them create a poem outside of the classroom environment. After which, they would exchange poems and analyze each other’s poems. This would prepare them for the unseen poetry section of their mid-year examinations.

How English Literature is being assessed in Yusof Ishak Sec School

In Yusof Ishak Secondary School, the drama text, Free, is currently being taught to Sec 2 Normal (Academic) and Express students. A series of formative assessments are currently being carried out, leading to the Mid-year examination, which would be held in mid-May. In addition, students sit for tests that place a heavy emphasis on plot action and development, as well as characterisation. They are expected to be familiar with the text’s characters, their speeches and actions, and how these contribute to plot development.

They have to craft their personal thoughts and responses to inferential and evaluative questions about the text and to substantiate their claims with evidence from the text. However, I feel that there are not enough of such questions to stimulate higher-order thinking. The assessment of English Literature in YISS follows a rigid structure that does not allow students to conduct a critical appreciation and exploration of the text beyond the usual PEEL method that has been taught to students and applied to almost every task and activity that they do. In most cases, students fail to engage with the text on an emotional level. The main focus of the tests is on themes and characterisation. Students are not tested on their knowledge of literary devices or their ability to do a thorough and sophisticated analysis of the text. The students are better at describing events in the play than explaining the key issues.

For their continuous assessment, students are required to perform parts from the play, Free. They are given the choice to select scenes in the play that they wish to enact in front of the class as part of their assignment. This allows students the opportunity to showcase their acting talent and to demonstrate their understanding of the text.

How Literature is being Assessed?

The assessment of Literature in First Toa Payoh Secondary takes place throughout the year. However, what is used for assessment is not fixed, with the exception of a term test every term, common tests in terms 1 and 3 and the SA in terms 2 and 4. These continual assessments contributes towards students’ CA scores every term, where apart from the use of scores from term tests, teachers can also use homework (essay, short answer questions), pop quizzes, classwork, projects to grade students and chart their progress.

In term 2, the assessment consists of a term test (taken in week 3/4/5), several pieces of homework, classwork and pop quizzes. While the term test will take a fixed percentage in the CA score, the other forms of assessment and the percentages allocated for each assessment is not fixed.

Based on what I understand, the teacher is expected to grade the work that is given to students and, collect the grades for the given work. Then, at the end of the term, she will select some of these grades to be computerized into the students' CA score. It is also not necessary that students are informed in advance that the grade from a given piece of work will be counted towards their CA grade. I suppose that this is a relatively good practice because it means that students will have to take every piece of work that they do seriously, instead of doing it for the sake of getting a good grade and, forsaking the other pieces of work. 

How Literature is being assessed at Manjusri Secondary

As Literature is only being taught at the lower secondary level, I will only be commenting on that.

From what I have seen, the assessment format is fairly widespread. Students are assessed based on a wide range of activities including drama, poster-making, journal writing and of course, the good ol' written exams.

For the drama component, this is mostly done in Secondary 2. Students are encouraged to act out scenes from the text that they are doing (Animal Farm). They are then assessed on a set rubrics that includes: their acting, the props used and overall ability to effectively communicate to their classmates the main idea of the scene.

Over the holidays, the students were also told to come up with a poster on 'Power - How to Gain it and How to Keep it'. This was to be a group project. Once again, they were assessed based on a set of rubrics that included: the content, organization and design of the poster.

For the Secondary 1's the teachers are still working on developing their ability to articulate themselves and form coherent arguments. Thus, most of the assessment is done during lesson time. This would include asking them questions and getting individual students to stand and verbally respond to the questions. Students are then encouraged to write down the responses, following the S-E-E format (Statement, Evidence, Explanation). As they are writing, the teacher will then walk around the class to check on them individually and correct their mistakes on the spot.

The students are also encouraged to keep a journal and write down weekly reflections. The journals are then checked by the teacher once a month, just to see their progress and note down any lazy students who may or may not have done their work.

Assessment of Literature in Catholic High School

As the lower secondary students are taking Language Arts, the assessment of Literature is done together with the assessment of their English. For the Literature component, the students are tested on literary devices (eg. irony) and their sensitivity towards words and phrases used in the texts. They are not required to write a full essay.

For their continuous assessment, the students will need to work on mini projects. For instance, for the March holidays, the students (Secondary 2s) are required to do a tabloid on Animal Farm to assess their understanding of the key events of the text, and also their organisation of their information. Of course, they will be graded on their creativity as well.

Another task for Term 2 is for the students to write and deliver a speech. This relates to the use of persuasive speeches in Animal Farm.

More of the tasks designed for the students are focused on general knowledge. For example, they will have to do a research presentation on Arab Spring. As mentioned in the previous post, the school hopes to use the Literature texts as a platform to expose the students to larger issues in the society, and not only focusing on the analysis of the Literature text.

As for the upper secondary students, since I am not involved in their level meetings for Literature, I am not too sure about the summative assessment tasks. However, from what I know, the formative assessment is rather conventional. This is because the students are no longer taking Language Arts, but instead, are taking Literature as a subject on its own. They will thus, be required to write full essays for their examinations and are prepared for the different components required in the GCE 'O' Level examination.

Literature Assessment at SOTA

This might come as a surprise but literature assessment at SOTA is fairly conventional! At all levels, assessment consists of a written test conducted each term, with a fairly small portfolio component.

For the year 1s, the test currently focuses on identifying similes, metaphors, personification and alliteration. The test follows the unseen format, but instead of writing an essay the students are given short-answer questions to test understanding and identification of these literary details, and are expected to explain its effect.

One interesting variation in the test that the year 1s have is that instead of an unseen poem, they also have a seen poem component. Students are given the poem before the test itself, without the questions, and are encouraged to discuss it with their classmates or to search online. To offset this advantage, the poem is often quite difficult: Term 1's test was The Jaguar by Ted Hughes, for example.

The portfolio component involves a long list of creative activities that exhibit knowledge of these devices. Students are encouraged to write a poem that has one of the above devices, or to experiment with existing poems, such as turning it into prose and vice versa. Students are free to choose which activities they would like to do, as long as they meet a minimum requirement.

The 2nd years are currently doing local short stories. The previous assessment was similar to the Year 1 examination, but as they are now doing prose the assessment has escalated to passage-based questions, and an essay. The former still keeps the focus on close-reading, while the latter adopts a more thematic approach to the story involving the PEEL structure.

For their portfolio component, they are conducting this activity called SCAVENGER, which basically involves finding a variety of emotions in different books, and copying those quotes down. Students will present in whatever manner they deem fit.

Blog Post 2

In my school, literature at Lower Secondary is assessed in the following ways:

Secondary One:
In the first semester, the level is focused on dram:
2 plays: Zeep by Stella Kon, and a stage adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. For each play, students undergo a 5 - 7 week course on the script and prepare for a 5 minute skit which they will present to the class in groups of 5-6. The presentations are graded and students have to write an individual evaluation based on their practices. The evaluation, which is graded by rubrics, is submitted right after their skit presentation.

The focus on the plays are split -
Zeep was primarily a study of Characterization, and the literary device introduced was Personification through poetry and text analysis.
Dracula, which I am teaching now, will focus on assessing students on theatrical staging i.e. Set, Stage directions, Props, Lighting, Costume etc.
In between the two plays, the students were introduced to Similes & Metaphors through poetry and worksheet practice.
There was no CA exam last term, but they will be expected to revise similes, metaphors, personification and characters for their Mid-Year exams.

Secondary Two:
Students are doing close analysis (weekly, chapter by chapter) of Red Sky in the Morning, concentrating on character analysis and theme. CA will include a term test and the Mid-Year exams.

Describe how Literature is being assessed in the school you are posted to

Hi all,

as mentioned in the previous post, literature in Sembawang Sec is not offered in the upper sec levels thus it is not constrained by the O level syllabus.

For poetry, they did a wide array of genres, and have been assessed through class tests (20% of Poetry's alloted percentage) as well as the common test(35%). Homework (which is ongoing) takes up a small percentage of those marks also. The remaining percentages will make up the MYE paper.

As for drama, 50% goes to their group drama project, where all students have to perform the play-Emily of Emerald Hill to their class. The rubrics have been given out to them, and they are assessed on their delivery, creativity as well as content. It is very exciting as I will also be part of the judging panel, and I am in the midst of guiding/consulting these students. The other 50% is divided out amongst their homework, 2 class tests that will be happening very soon, and the MYE.

The math is a little complicated for my brain to handle, but the teachers are all supported by the school portal, where all they have to do is to key in the marks and voila, somehow, the grade percentages work out.

All the class tests and common tests are based on the PEE structure (which I guess isn't Dennis' fav) but it works for these students, as they have already been used to it since Sec 1. However, for the homework component, some of my worksheets have included reflective questions as well as some drawing. I guess when there isn't a national exam looming over our heads, the department is relatively flexible with what can be done.

Cheers
Carol

Literature Assessment in Zhonghua Secondary

As mentioned, in Zhonghua Secondary, the lower secondary students either take literature in semester 1 (lower sec) or in semester 2 (upper sec). There are five components to the literature assessment  for the lower secondary students.

For the secondary ones, their first formal assessment appears in the form of a common test in week 7-8 of term 1. This common test comprises of roughly 25% of the overall 75% of common test, class tests and assignments weightage. The second and third components to the assessment are the 2 class tests (1 in term 1 & 1 in term 2) which would take up another 25% each in the overall 75% of common test, class tests and assignments. The fourth component of assessment comprises of daily class assignments (1 in term 1 & 1 in term 2). In term 1, the class had to participate in a Haiku or Limerick performance competition for the literary festival. The students' poetry performance for the audition would be assessed and used to fulfill this fourth component in term 1. In term 2, we have decided that the essay practice assignment would be used to fulfill this fourth component. Finally, the fifth component for literature assessment would be taken from the mid year literature results and this grade would make up the final 25% over all assessment grade.

Literature Assessment in St. Anthony Canossian Secondary School

The assessment in SACSS is focussed on students’ ability to write proper paragraphs for their answers, using the PEEL structure as a framework. Although the thinking behind the analysis of the text is equally as important, the teachers are more concerned with the way the students write the essays as they do illustrate that they have ideas but are not able to project them clearly. For example, the recent Common Test Literature papers for all the levels are assessed primarily on the structure and clarity of the answers, and whether students have answered the questions correctly. The students are given poems which they have already studied in class, as part of the assessment of Unseen Poetry during the Common Test.

As part of their summative assessment, students are required to do a Poetry Project which coincides with the school’s Creative Arts Week. On top of that, students are also given assignments which require them to do online research on specific subjects that are related to the central themes of their set-text novel. To prepare the Secondary 4 Literature students for their O-Levels, they are given different types of essay questions for them to practise on, in which they are asked to apply the same writing techniques that the teacher had taught them.

How Literature is assessed at Bukit View Secondary

Formative assessment of students' learning comprises of:

(1)  Reader’s Theatre – they are assessed according to pronunciation and enunciation, volume and clarity, characterization as well as their engagement with the performance as spectators;

(2)  Vlog (or Video blog) where students assumed the role of a key character and fit into the time and setting of the prescribed text. They expressed their point of view towards an issue raised in the text with the use of improvised dialogue. They are assessed according to their facial expressions, characterization, visual aids, voice volume, intonation, articulation and script.

(3)  Common Test, which comprises of unseen poetry and questions at the literal and inferential level on the prescribed text

(4)  Dramatization of Sing to the Dawn where each group in each class will pick a scene from a chapter they are assigned to; they will explain its significance, come up with a script, and perform it on stage. Student engagement and reflective thinking are fostered; they are encouraged to draw on what they have learnt from the Reader’s Theatre program and to think of ‘missing scenes’ (or scenes that could have been incorporated by the author) that would further the reader’s knowledge and understanding of the text and increase engagement between the reader and the text. I observe that students have thus far been quite responsive to such an assessment approach (some groups in the normal academic stream even produced type-written scripts and submitted them way before the deadline). This assessment will form 30% of their CA marks.

Such assessments not only measure student progress but also encourage them to think on higher levels. Students in the normal academic stream receive the same tasks as those in the Express stream; they are complemented with differentiated instruction and scaffolding. There will be a summative assessment in the form of a mid-year exam.

Assessment of Literature in Hougang Secondary

For the Secondary 2 Express students, their SA1 grade for Literature will comprise of 5 CA components and a mid-year examination.

The 5 CA components are:
1. A written test on technical terms like "speaker vs poet", "alliteration", etc and identification of imagery in 2 short unseen poems
2. An analysis of the use of metaphor in "The Sea" by James Reeves, written in a table form
3. Group skit on a bullying scenario in "Cause and Effect" by Andrea Wilson"
4. A type-written essay on "Why do the characters in "Cause and Effect" bully?"
5. MCQ quiz on 5 of the stories in "Little Ironies" by Catherine Lim

Out of the above 5, the first two are what I would term the more "traditional" modes of testing, as they focus on ensuring students understand the use of certain traditional literary devices. Task 3 focuses on the active, performative side of Literature as students are given free reign to craft a story for each character and then act it out, based on the information given the poem. Task 4 veers slightly into a comprehension task as there are no actual literary devices used in the poem. The poem basically hints at the reasons why people bully, and the way the content was presented makes it seem as though the poetic form was not really necessary. In that sense, this task is more or less a comprehension task as students need only pick out the reasons from the poem then write it out in an essay form. Task 5 is definitely comprehension-based and could have worked just as well for an English lesson.

Assessment of Literature in NYGH

From my observations of Secondary 1 and 2 classes up to this point of time, apart from the usual stock of written work (essays, research, character sketches, plot outlines, etc) and class participation (posting mindmaps, essay drafts, etc on online platforms or speaking up in class), there is also a mode of assessment termed student-initiated assessments (SIA). This takes up 20% of the students’ overall grades (with the exception of Secondary 4 students). There is an element of choice in this assessment mode. Within a given structure, for example, newscast, students (in groups) are given the freedom to decide what they would like to work on, and this is an opportunity to apply and contextualize the knowledge and skills they have picked up meaningfully and relevantly. I recall some Secondary 3 students publicizing their SIA during assembly and inviting other students to participate. My sense of it is that it is like a project which is extended to the rest of the cohort/school (teachers were asked to participate in one instance!) in terms of involvement/performance.

The oral component is also extended to unit-based assessments. For the Secondary 1s, who are focusing on storytelling, they will be assessed on discussions of stories that they have been reading in the year (during the Bookcart sessions held at least once every 3 weeks whereby they choose a novel from about 40 titles, and have to make notes as they read the novel). They will also have a storytelling performance, where they are required to adapt a story and perform it for their classmates. For the Secondary 2s, who are embarking on a unit on newspapers, they will be assessed in their newspaper discussions, for example, the relevance of the questions and answers they ask in a small group setting in relation to newspaper article(s).

Describe how Literature is being assessed in Outram Secondary

Literature is only taught at the lower secondary level at Outram Secondary School. There is a combination of formal and informal assessments. Aside from the usual class test which is the formative assessment tool, the students are also required to do and are assessed based on a creative written assignment and performance (for Poetry Slam!) which make up 60% of the CA components. This informal assessment will actually encourage the students to score, because they are able to showcase their knowledge (poetry writing) and other talents (acting) by participating in activities that keep them engage, and their interest level high. For the creative performance as a group, there are marks award for Teamwork too, to ensure that there is collaborative learning that has been taking place. Lastly, 20% of the CA mark weightage goes to class participation.

How Literature is assessed in Tanjong Katong Secondary School

In Tanjong Katong Secondary, especially in the case of the upper Secondary classes, Literature is assessed in a more exam-oriented fashion. In terms of summative assessment, there are timed assignments in class, usually in the form of full-length essay questions based on either the text they are studying at the moment or an unseen poem or prose, depending on the focus for that term. For formative assessment, students are also accustomed to writing short reflections in class at the end of every few chapters covered in their set text. This not only serves as revision in terms of content, but also hones their ability to express their argument in an insightful yet succinct manner.

For the lower Secondary classes, their formative assessment is often more flexible and creative, and they are occasionally given group projects to carry out. Some examples of such projects include selecting a passage from their text which they find particularly meaningful or appealing and reinterpreting in through a different medium --- be it a skit, a song or even a video. Other projects are centred on poetry, where students are required to use typography to change the visual form of the poem, in order to express the themes, mood or language being conveyed in its different stanzas.           

Literature Assessment Methods in Bukit Batok Secondary School

Assessment of literature is constantly and consistently done through various methods.

This can range from verbal recall of facts from an examinable text to written essays, in-class group presentations and structured questions worksheets.

Assessment can be formal or informal - Pop quizzes, where the teacher simply calls a random student to answer a question on the spot happens occasionally. And common tests and exams are the usual formal assessment tools used as well - I believe this is common to most schools.

The school has an upcoming Poetry Slam program for the Secondary One students in which I shall be involved in and I hope to informally assess students’ creative dispositions, flair for the language and quick-wittedness. I believe that such opportunities for students also allow the teachers to evaluate how well students perform in intense and ‘difficult’ situations that these programs simulate, and whether the class is ready to meet higher expectations.

At school level, the usual assessment tools, as discussed above, are used so there is nothing special. However, I suppose that assessment is a constant habit of a teacher, and at times it occurs even when the teacher is not conscious of it. As literature teachers in BBSS, we constantly look out for students with a flair for the subject through their insightful comments in class and day to day attitude and practices that exhibit an inclination towards the Language Arts.

Assessment of Literature in Bendemeer Secondary School

Literature is assessed mainly through tests and examinations. Students are expected to sit for their common tests every term and teachers will use these tests to assess students' understanding. However, students are also given what is known as "mastery tests" every week through the term whereby students will be tested on a different subject each week. Therefore, teachers also use these mastery tests to assess students.

Informally, understanding of literature is mostly assessed through assignments completed in class. As students in the school are rather weak academically, struggle with English language and are unmotivated, teachers avoid giving students homework as students do not seem to complete their homework on a regularly basis. As such, short, timed writing assessments are given to students in class as a way for teachers to assess students' learning and writing ability.

How Literature is Being Assessed in Ngee Ann Secondary School

In my school, most of the summative assessments are done formally; it will be a full essay assessing the students’ ability to comprehend and analyze whatever that was focused on for that term (i.e. unseen poem, unseen prose, drama etc) using the techniques and skills that was taught to them. For lower secondary, especially Secondary 1s, there are a bit more guiding questions to help and guide them in their answers.

For the formative assessments, however, it is more informal. There is no limit except that it has to of course be relevant to what the students are learning and are being assessed on. For the Secondary 1s, in the upcoming formative assessment, they will be writing a letter as the main character to another character. For the Secondary 3s, they will be given a quiz to test their knowledge on the first two acts, and they will also be given a homework assignment of writing a diary entry.

Assessment of Literature in VJC (IP level)

From what I have observed so far, Literature for the IP students in VJC are assessed by the standard few methods - written assignments and timed tests. 

Where written assignments are concerned, the students are assessed mainly for their creativity, as well as the strength and clarity of their personal voices in writing. The 'personal voice' component is particularly pertinent to the theme of their Singapore Literature package, which is "Space vs Place"; students need to input their personal responses to show that they understand the difference between the concepts of 'space and place'. 

Timed tests which take place in regular intervals during the whole semester focus more on assessing skills than content knowledge. Students are expected to be able to apply on unseen texts the skills which they have picked up, e.g. PEEL, identification of literary devices, and elaborating on the effects of these devices. That is not to say that the application of skills are all that matter. Students will also be assessed on how well they can link their unseen texts back to the larger themes and issues explored in the course.

Assessment of Literature in CGS

In Crescent Girls’, assessment tend to be structured more towards collaborative work such as a filming project that the secondary 3 girls are doing for Chrysalids. This takes more weightage as compared to the traditional form of timed assignment for unseen prose/poetry. Such is generally due to the culture of the school that places importance on development of concepts and mastery of content through collaborative work where the girls are in charge of their own learning. However, timed assignment as that mentioned earlier do exist but it is more towards crafting answering skills of the girls more than using assessment as a measurement for learning and mastery of content etc. Although this can be an interesting tool to cultivate interest for the subject as a whole, the lack of exam skills in particular answering technique does pose a problem for the teachers who often find that the girls are unable to score despite having the relevant content and points.  

As for the lower secondary level, assessment of literature takes form in a much much interesting light where the girls come up with creative pieces etc and have them performed either during class, workshops such as storytelling workshops and other school events. Assessment of literature thus focuses on the appreciation more than anything else.

Literature Lessons in Zhonghua Secondary School

Literature at the lower secondary levels are being taught in the first semester of the year for the Secondary Ones, and in the second half of the year, they would focus on History instead. Similarly, the Secondary Twos would study History in the first semester of the year  and study Literature in the second semester. Five periods (Three lessons per week) are dedicated to Literature every week,

The school uses a textbook to teach Literature for the Secondary Ones and teaches them Short stories first before embarking onto poems. As I'm currently teaching the sole Secondary One NA class, it difficult for me to gauge the general students' interest level and aptitude for Literature in this school.

Every year, they have a literary festival for their students. This year, the Secondary Ones are supposed to research and select an Asian Haiku or Limerick to perform. They would perform the poem and the best group in the class would be selected to take part in an inter-class competition amongst the Secondary Ones. As for the Secondary Twos, they would be dramatizing a self-composed script based on Local Myths and Legends and competing with each other as well. These tasks are given as their March holiday assignment and they will have to showcase their work in the first week of Term 2. I'm not certain what sort of programmes the Upper Secondary Level Classes are involved in. However, I do know that they have a pure literature class for Secondary Three and Four.

Literature Lessons in Ngee Ann Secondary School

In Ngee Ann Secondary School, every level study a different text; the Secondary Ones study “The Outsiders”, Secondary Twos study “The Merchant of Venice”, “Secondary Threes study “The Crucible” and the Secondary Fours study “Things Fall Apart.”

Most of the students would have learnt about similes, puns, metaphors, imagery and personification in their English Language classes, so in the Literature class itself, there is higher focus on content and analysis.

For the lower secondary classes, especially for the Secondary Ones, during Literature classes, it is more about engaging them and getting them interested into the subject of Literature. They only have a 1-hour Literature period every week, so it is quite hard to go in-depth, or plan activities that would allow them to study a certain part or scene from the text. We usually have to include some form of ICT to sustain their interest.

For the upper secondary classes, they would have 2-3 hours of lessons per week. The cohort is quite small, e.g. the Secondary 3 Literature group has only 9 students, so a lot more interaction takes place during lessons.

Literature Lessons at Yusof Ishak Secondary School

The text the Secondary 2 Express and Normal Academic students are dong in Yusof Ishak Secondary School is Free! by David Grant.

It is a new text and not many schools are engaging in this. It is about a group of students in a classroom and the mischief they create in the absence of the teachers. In Yusof Ishak, literature is mainly taught through drama. The students are very familiar with dramatic works and plays. The school is pretty famous for some of its school productions. Drama is also chosen because the students do not like reading and sometimes a whole text is intimidating to them. A play is chosen as it gives an illusion of lesser text. Thus, the text is chosen based on the student profile.

In Secondary One, the students are reading a book called Buddy. It is relatively short and about friendship. This is taught in a very comprehension style as the students do not understand why they need to see things differently in the text. Tests and issues are taught through comprehension and with the use of extracts.

In Secondary Two, they learn a play and poetry. The first half of the year focuses on the former and the second half, the latter. In teaching the play, characterisation is taught through group work and visuals and the use of mind maps. The students visually represent what the characters look like and their various character traits. After which, the teacher gives them a worksheet with their traits and the respective quotes that are relevant to them. In that way, they are kind of spoon fed.

After the first 10 weeks, they dwell more into the themes of the play. Literature is only once a week so no much can be done. In the express classess the students read the book. However in the normal academic class, they do not engage with the text and do not read it also.

Literature at Swiss Cottage Secondary School

Literature at Swiss Cottage is taught to all lower Secondary students and as an Express elective subject.I am currently teaching all Sec 1s.

For Sec 1s, to make the learning more fun and engaging, the school has selected the film, Shrek to introduce literature. So they focus a lot of stereotypes, anti-fairytale, characterisation and themes about friendship, love, beauty. I think that it's a great way to start introducing lit because the kids are generally familiar with the story, so the school can focus more on skills and critical thinking instead of drilling content.

The kids are assessed through a variety of means that ultimately cumulate into a portfolio for submission. This includes things like storyboarding, dramatisation, movie poster, diary entries. All the students are given the rubrics, and the components are always explained to them clearly, so the students are aware of what they are assessed on. The final SA will be a critical analysis paper, so all the assessments are preparing them for critical thinking. For example, the students are tasked to come up with a diary entry where Shrek or Fiona reveals their real thoughts and feelings on friendship/love. We guide them through the unraveling of viewpoints (themes) and using evidence (not just actions, speech, but also non-verbal communication) to substantiate. Essay writing will be introduced to them at a later part.

How Literature is taught at Nanyang Girls' High

English and Literature are integrated in Language Art classes for the lower secondary which I am teaching. For example, the Secondary Twos are doing To Kill A Mockingbird, thus apart from learning about symbols and themes, the students examine the Judge’s and Atticus’ speeches to study the features and style of persuasive writing. The Secondary Ones are currently focused on writing narratives, specifically, writing a story using the Future Problem Solving framework. Students also analyse video clips to learn about setting, character, motivation, etc. Students move on to comprehension skills in Term 2, where they will read texts in detail to identify the function of literary devices. To build on the students’ storytelling skills, students will also learn storytelling techniques. Lower secondary students attend philosophy classes as well- they have a few philosophy classes every year for exposure.

-Kaelyn

Literature in Yuan Ching Secondary School

Literature in Yuan CHing Secondary School is limited to only the lower secondary students. The students are heavily dependent on the textbook. Hence, they do not do any books in particular. Both levels follow the system of being taught prose, poetry and drama through the year. Prose was to have been completed in term 1 and poem in term 2 and drama in tern 3. The text that the students come across are those that are in the textbooks. Hence, for prose they do not handle the entire book but only excerpts of it that have been chosen by the textbook editors. So for example, The Merchant of Venice has been reduced to selecting four small parts for study and analysis. This is good in a way as they are not doing this at O levels and hence, they do not need the rigour of going through the entire text but I feel it  takes away the beauty of seeing the text as a whole.

Literature is also a non examinable subject. Hence, they are graded based on simple assignments such as storyboards or drama presentations. It is actually a good thing for the teachers as I feel I am not rushed to finish something just for the sake of completion. Sometimes, there is time to do activities that would be fun and time consuming.

The children also attend a Literature enrichment workshop that teaches them how to read with expression, how to do a tableau for a poem and so on. It is also for their ELDDS where they use Literature as a way to spot students for the CCA and to develop talents.

Literature in Catholic High School

For lower secondary students, Literature is taught in Language Arts lessons. In Language Arts lessons, aside from analyzing the text, teachers are also supposed to use the literature text to teach English. The text will also be used as a platform for discussion of larger issues related to the society. For instance, the Secondary 2s are currently doing on Animal Farm. The students will also learn about persuasive techniques/rhetoric devices. Leadership is also one of the topics that will be covered in class.

As for the upper secondary students, the students are either doing Pure Literature or Elective Literature. Both groups are doing on Things Fall Apart. Students doing Pure Literature have to do an additional text--Romeo and Juliet. The students also have a Literature textbook which the teacher uses to prepare them for their Unseen paper. The textbook covers the various literary techniques and devices, for instance, symbolism and diction.

The students in Catholic High are generally diligent, and therefore, most of the students will do their readings before attending classes. As the lower secondary students are having Language Arts classes, the main focus is not really on the in-depth analysis of the text, but rather, raising their awareness regarding current affairs. This approach is to allow the students to see the connection between a text and the real world.

Teaching in class focuses on discussions. The students are allowed to have different opinions as the teachers usually remind them that there are more than one possible answer when it comes to Literature. Teachers usually guide the students by analyzing a text together as a class.

Literature at Presbyterian High School

From what I’ve observed in lessons and seen in the Secondary 1 Lit Scheme of Work, the school takes a very methodical and rational approach to Lit. The Sec 1 students are doing Friedrich by Hans Peter Richter currently, followed by a short story (“Monkey’s Paw”) in Term 2 solely to introduce practical criticism skills. Then in Term 3, they will start on Rome & Juliet. I say they are taking a methodical and rational approach because Friedrich is a very short novel with equally short chapters and the lead characters in the novel are teen boys. So the text is very accessible for Sec 1 Lit newbies. Romeo & Juliet, naturally more complex, only comes in Term 3 but more importantly, it’s also the school’s choice of O-level drama text. So they get to ‘Shakespeare’ once which then helps them decide at Sec 2 if they want to take up Lit at Upper Sec.

Even the way Friedrich is covered is very methodical. Not all the chapters are gone through. Classes will cover key chapters in the novel and the key issues in those chapters. Students are then expected to read the chapters in between on their own but anticipating that they might not, every lesson gives a brief summary of the chapters in between key chapters being covered. I personally thought the Lit SOW was very precise. They even stipulate what NE messages can brought up in relation to the chapter. Like whoa.

Practicum First Post

Post 1: Describe how Literature is being taught in the school you are posted to for Teaching Practice?


Literature is being taught as an 'O' Level subject in my school. The texts for the levels are as follows:


Secondary One: Tales of the Unexpected, Roald Dahl
Secondary Two: Red Sky in the Morning, Elizabeth Laird
Secondary Three: (Literature is not offered)
Secondary Four: Crick Crack Monkey


Sec One students, (whom I am teaching) began the year with being taught the short play, Zeep by Stella Kon. The teacher has also managed to tie in poetry to teach students personification as a literary device as personification also appears in Zeep. In my first week at the school, I observed the tail end of the lessons on Zeep, which had culminated in the students performing excerpts of the play in small groups. The week after, I observed the teacher starting to teach similes, which I then took over before going on to teach metaphors in the third week. 


In summary, students will concentrate on Unseen and Plays for two terms, before concentrating on Prose for the third term. 'O' level students focus more on Unseen and devices in Sec 3, before starting on Crick Crack Monkey, which they will focus on till Sec 4.


The Sec Ones, I am told, will only read a prose text in Term 3. In the second term, they will be concentrating on another play.


Su Zhen

Literature at Bukit Batok Secondary

In BBSS, the sec 1 and 2 students study Matilda by Roald Dahl and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens respectively. The upper sec students study Tell Tales by Gwee Li Sui and Boom by Jean Tay for two years.

There is no whole-school approach to teaching literature and teachers are given free reign over pedagogical methods. Literature lessons are allocated only two 45-minute periods a week for the lower sec classes, and four 45-minute periods for the upper sec classes.

The literature department however tries to make teaching and learning innovative and engaging through vistas like infusing graphic adaptations of the literary works, like graphic novels and various movie adaptations, into the lessons. The Drama Club CCA is putting on the play Boom.

Intensive work shops and enrichment classes are organised occasionally.

Practical criticism of poetry and prose (unseen) are done in blocks now and then it seems, and skills and knowledge of literary devices are usually taught at these times.

It is heartening to hear (during an interview) that most students (usually girls) possess a hunger to read and study literature, and that they devour notes and recommended books. I personally feel that the teaching and learning of literature is pitched at a level that is accessible and that students can understand. A lot of scaffold is done in terms of internal questioning (reflection) and critical thinking through various formats of formative assessments.

Last year, the school achieved 70% O’Level distinctions for literature, and I was told this is attributed to a sole beginning teacher who “mothers her students”.

How Literature is taught in Whitley

Literature is taught only at lower secondary and elective level Whitley. The teaching of Literature is seemingly very exam oriented. Therefore, what students learn in class is very much structured around the Point, Evidence and Analysis structure. However, this may be due to how we came in to the school right before the common test period.

In class, questions are mainly broken down for the students and explained before students are given the question paper. This is to ensure that the students would be able to handle the work that is given them, and they have a specific direction they may follow.

Currently, Sec 1 students are studying The Lion, The Witch and The Wardobe of the Narnia series, and the Sec 2 express students are studying The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Secondary 2 normal academic students are reading The Outsiders by S. E Hinton.

Because I was given this range of classes, I was able to experiment with the different ways to teach. For secondary 1, they are able to grasp more abstract concepts, and I may use videos to engage their interest. While with the secondary 2 normal academic, I would steer them towards a particular direction and guide them more so that they would be able to understand what the key points of the text is.

The students would be taught poetry at the beginning of term 2, and the SOW for poetry is focused on teaching the students the various devices frequently seen in poetry.

Literature at Tanjong Katong Secondary School

In Tanjong Katong Secondary School, there are only one or two Upper Secondary classes doing Literature. They are currently focusing on Boom and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. There is a strong emphasis on language and literary devices when analyzing the texts, and the teachers use creative methods to help the students connect better with the texts.

For example, in their study of a monologue from Boom, the students were instructed to arrange their chairs in the middle of the classroom, then shift all remaining tables and chairs to the sides. They were then allocated (in pairs and threes) certain lines or phrases from the monologue, until every student had a part. Starting from the pair with the first line, they proceeded in a circle, reciting their lines the first time round, then adding in appropriate hand gestures the second time. They were also given the chance to give comments on each other’s “performance” and discuss how it could be more effective. Finally, they got up from their seats and wandering around, reciting their lines with their finalized hand gestures. All this physicality got them warmed up and allowed them to repeat and listen to the lines many times without getting bored, so when they settled down to analyse each line more closely at the end, they were more inclined to offer their opinions and insights. The teacher I observed was very meticulous when it came to language, and would get students to identify the literary device used and its effectiveness, supplementing their thoughts with her own detailed interpretations.

Teaching Practice Blog Entry 1

Literature is studied only at lower secondary levels in First Toa Payoh Secondary School. In both secondary one and two, the students read the same text – “The Lightning God and other stories” by Catherine Lim. The secondary twos are currently reading “Father and Son”.

The method of instruction is mostly frontal (verbal) teaching with minimal worksheets and/or use of PowerPoint presentations. Students are expected to listen and respond based on what they can recall from reading the text and jot their notes into a notebook. The express class learns by thinking about general themes. Also they are taught to characterize characters in the stories through the use of the dramatic techniques of role-on-the-wall and freeze-frame. The normal academic students learn by answering comprehension style question, reviewing one-and-a-half to two pages of the text per lesson.

Students are assessed on their learning when they sit for their CAs and SAs. At intervals, students are tasked to write essays. From what I understand, there are two parts to each essay question with a total of 25 marks. However, the parts are not assigned fixed scores – a student is graded based on how much he/she writes in total for both questions instead of being graded based on each question.

Literature at SOTA

SOTA currently adopts the IB programme, so this is a 6 year course for the students. Bearing that in mind, lower secondary and upper secondary (Years 1 - 4) have more time to experiment and explore, instead of buckling down for examination in the 4th year.

Currently, the Year 1 and 2s are adopting a genre approach, with the first term focusing on poetry. Close reading, with a strong emphasis on identifying literary devices and explaining their effect, is the approach taken. The content includes a general selection from local authors, alongside more canonical works, such as Daffodils by Wordsworth and other English poems often used to describe basic poetic devices. The attempt at contextualization is often extremely successful: students are able to immediately identify with the local poems, and this serves as a springboard for comparison to launch into the less accessible poems.

Term 2 will see them move into short stories. The approach they adopt to prose segues into more macro concerns. Although close reading is still employed, the approach is used to explore things like characterization and theme.

How Literature is taught in Bukit View Secondary School

In Bukit View Secondary School, the Secondary One students are doing unseen poetry and Sing to the Dawn (STTD). They just completed a Reader’s Theatre: students perform collaboratively and use appropriate vocal expressions to depict a particular character (including narrator) in the script. External instructors were engaged (one class I observed had Craig Teo as their instructor) – the school is quite understaffed; they are short of Literature teachers. Aiming to foster literary appreciation, proper enunciation and diction, reading fluency, self-confidence and listening skills, this program, with its focus on students’ comprehension of the scene and interpretation of the character, goes hand in hand with the lessons on STTD where students will demonstrate enhanced comprehension and interpretation of the plot and characters. I observed that the students were very comfortable with the idea of using drama as a response to literature; and this is the current approach adopted for the subsequent task in which students will put up a drama performance based on the scene in STTD where they will have the opportunity to think like playwrights, actors, directors and designers. The plan is to allow the students to learn and practise drama techniques and increase their exposure to more literary devices. Differentiated approaches are adopted for the express and normal academic stream. Lessons for the express classes – in particular the highest-ability class – focus more on inferential and evaluative thinking while those for the normal academic stream comprehension and sometimes inferential. The Secondary Two students will be doing Animal Farm next semester. There is only 1 class at the upper secondary level doing literature; they are currently focusing on Singapore literature.

English Literature at Riverside Secondary School

At Riverside Secondary School, Literature is only offered at lower secondary level. Both the Secondary 1's and 2's are currently studying Red Sky In The Morning and both levels study the exact same thing. There is little variation in the worksheets (and thus the skills) that are taught at Secondary 1 and Secondary 2. I'm not too sure what the students in Secondary 2 learnt when they were in Secondary 1.

Literature, even at lower secondary is not considered a 'major' subject. There is no semestral exams for the students and their CA grades are calculated through a series of assignments. Literature is taught more as an extension of English language and this is reflected in the assignments that students are given.

Students do not learn Literature skills as much as they learn content i.e. what happens in Chapters 1, 2 and 3.

There is a set of worksheets that is given to students at the beginning of the term and all the classes use the same set of worksheets. The worksheets generally are made up of chapter summaries, character analysis and 100-word personal reflections on chapters.

Most of the lessons I have observed, the teacher generally adopts a lecture-style teaching approach where the teacher teaches, students do worksheets individually and then hand up the worksheet/file to the teacher.

English Literature at Yusof Ishak Secondary School

In Yusof Ishak Secondary School, Upper Secondary students do not study English Literature at all. David Grant’s play, Free, is currently being taught to Sec 2 Normal (Academic) and Express students. The language used in the play may be too simple and straightforward to encourage critical thinking and inferential questioning, but it caters to the abilities, needs and interests of the students, who are mostly weak in English. Hence, there is a need for more guidance and scaffolding at the literal level in order to aid them in understanding what the text is about before they could learn to appreciate the text. Information-gap activities are highly recommended for the Sec 2 Normal (Academic) students.

Most students are visual and kinaesthetic learners. Hence, I was encouraged to use clips from movies as examples to illustrate the different types of dramatic tension that exist in the play. Lessons are structured around interactive activities like Hotseating and role play for students to socialise with one another, as well as to showcase their acting talents. One of the activities also involves the design of a flier for the drama production, using persuasive language. The activities mostly focus on themes, characterisation and language, and the play does not give students opportunities to explore other literary devices such as imagery, metaphors and similes. For their CA tests, Sec 2 Normal (Academic) students are required to remember key quotes from the text, the characters who spoke those lines, as well as the specific Acts and scenes from which those speeches were taken. In the tests, they are also required to give their personal opinions about issues in the text, thereby bringing their background experience and prior knowledge into their personal responses. Students are made to match the characters’ names with the adjectives that best describe them. The tests are set at a level that is challenging and demanding, but not beyond the abilities of the students. This helps to engage and sustain the interest of students.

Literature for the IP students at VJC

I'm currently observing and teaching Literature at the IP level for the students at VJC. There is a Literature package which consists of selected works from Singapore Lit, UK Lit and Indian Lit. As of now, we are doing Singapore Lit. The approach that my CT uses and encourages me to adopt, is less of teaching them the content, but more of teaching them skills, which would enable them to interpret the poems themselves. I think this works very well since the students are generally of high-ability. They are fast to understand the texts but require some guidance to uncover the underlying patterns in the poems, for example. Hence, our role is to teach them such skills, which they will be tested on during their upcoming tests.

The students are also currently doing Integrated Humanities, which is Literature and Geography combined. During IH, both subject teachers do co-teaching. I observed a very interesting lesson where both teachers offered differing perspectives on urban planning, based on Boey Kim Cheng's "The Planners". The students really broadened their perspectives and learnt to read deeper; they saw how urban planning and development in Singapore has become a necessary evil. They also learnt that sometimes we simply do not have a clearcut solution to everything. Getting students to understand these issues is basically what drives each Literature lesson.

Literature in St. Anthony Canossian Sec Sch

The school adopts the P.E.E.L structure religiously in teaching the students how to write their answers, not just in Literature but in other subjects as well. The Secondary 3 students are using The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, whereas the Secondary 4 students, who are sitting for their O-Levels this year, are reading Things Fall Apart. 

I’ve been given the Secondary 3 Elective Literature classes, as part of my TP. Even though I’m not assigned to the Pure Literature classes, I managed to get the permission from my CT, to sit in for his pure Lit classes. What I have observed is that, the teachers go through chapter by chapter, telling students the important lines/quotes to highlight. The teachers usually skip introducing the background information of the book (author’s biography, setting of the novel etc) and they will go straight to giving an overview summary of the book before starting on Chapter One. For poetry, the teachers focus on helping students how to write proper paragraphs, because most of them have difficulties expressing themselves. As part of their Continual Assessment, the students are given a Poetry Project, in which they are asked to select a poem and present the poem through the use of visuals (videos, images) and music.

I didn’t get a chance to sit in for any of the Lower Secondary classes yet, but I found out from one of the Literature teachers that they are using textbooks to teach Literature to the Lower Secondary students. They used to teach Animal Farm, but due to time constraint, they couldn’t finish teaching the book. So this year, the department decided to just stick to textbooks, and they are doing drama at the moment.

All the best everyone! :)