English
Discover how our English Department develops confident, creative, empathetic and effective communicators.
Our Vision and Mission
At Haig Girls’, we aim to develop every Haig girl to be a confident, creative and effective communicator. She will be able to use the English Language effectively as a means to explore and understand the world, and as a tool to express herself, thus contributing meaningfully to society.
Our Approach
We aim to build a strong foundation in our students through the implementation of a rigorous curriculum which focuses on the following areas of language learning:
● Listening and Viewing
● Reading and Viewing
● Speaking and Representing
● Writing and Representing
● Grammar
● Vocabulary
The curriculum encompasses the following programmes and approaches:
Extensive Reading Programme
We recognise the importance of students reading extensively. Engaged and avid readers are generally better speakers and writers. Students can search for books in the HGS Library by accessing the HGS Library Catalogue online (opens in new tab). We also encourage students to borrow books from the National Library Board, which has book lists (opens in new tab), book recommendations (opens in new tab) and e-resources for children (opens in new tab).
Through the programme, we hope to nurture in each of our students a love for books, and most importantly, a love for the language.
Support Programmes
We support the learning of our Low Progress Learners who require additional learning support in reading and writing through the following programmes:
Whole School Approach to Writing
We adopt a whole-school approach to writing by using a common language, our HGS Writing Goals, in every EL classroom. This approach has enabled us to develop effective writers who are able to connect intimately with their readers and express their ideas clearly and effectively.
Talent Development Programmes
(i) Speech & Drama (ii) Creative Writing
We talent-spot students who demonstrate a flair for writing, and invite them to join our Discover, Develop and Dedicate your Talent Time (D3T2) Creative Writing programme, which aims to expose good student writers to writing experiences beyond the classroom, and to contribute their writing back to the community through published writing.
A Rich But Unknown Past
Gaining inspiration from six artefacts from the Ancient Singapore section at the National Museum of Singapore’s History Gallery, students wrote imaginative poems, stories and information texts to tell young readers about Singapore’s rich, mysterious past.
D3T2 Creative Writing Poems
Some of the poems in this collection were the result of a workshop on nature poems by Singaporean poet Patricia Tan, while others were written in response to the theme ‘Dreams and Stories’. Many of these poems were included in Vietnamese artist Tran Trong Vu’s artwork at the Gallery Children’s Biennale entitled ‘Sonnet in Blue’.
Play
With the help of advertising agency TBWA Singapore, students wrote advertising campaigns on playground safety, which are linked via QR codes in this publication. Students also wrote poems and short stories that were inspired by the ‘The More We Get Together: Singapore’s Playgrounds 1930-2030’ exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore, as well as from interacting with children from the Thye Hua Kuan Moral Charities EIPIC Centre @ Tampines at an inclusive playground through the National Council of Social Service’s Children in Action programme.