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.