English Language & Literature

Our ELL teachers aim to nurture students to be passionate and confident explorers of the language and literature.
The CWSS ELL Curriculum is designed to offer students opportunities to cultivate mastery of language and literature through experiential learning opportunities as well as platforms for students to broaden their perspectives.
Some of these opportunities include Drama-in-Curriculum, Reading-in-Curriculum, Poetry Trails, Learning Journeys to musicals, plays, and museums and engaging project tasks such as the creation of podcasts, vlogs, and mini drama production.
To inculcate a love for reading, we have a “Book Club” student interest group which is guided by members of the ELL Department and the Librarian.

The ELL Department’s English Language Programme prepares our students for the G1, G2 or G3 Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) English Language examination.
Bridging Programmes are conducted at the end of each academic year to provide learning support for students taking up English Language at a More Demanding Level, i.e., G1 to G2, or G2 to G3.
Students develop critical thinking, adaptive thinking and collaborative learning skills through rigorous multimodal lesson activities, gamification, and alternative assessments.
The Joy of Learning and 21^st Century Competencies are also nurtured through the Learning Journeys for cohort-level experiences at local theatrical productions and visits to places of interest to explore the use of language in the intersections with art, culture, and heritage.

Commonwealthians undergo the Lower Secondary Literature in English programme in Secondary 1 and 2 at the G2 or G3 levels. The programme exposes students to Poetry, Prose, and Drama over the span of 2 years, which enriches their language learning with an appreciation for the literary arts in English Language.

The ELL Department also offers G3 or G2 Literature in English at the Upper Secondary level for those who demonstrate keen interest in the subject. Interested and eligible students can select this subject as an examinable elective subject for the SEC.
The learning of Literature is brought alive from the print texts by experiential activities such as Reader’s Theatre, Poetry Recitals, and Learning Journeys to experience how theatrical productions translate dramatic scripts into stage magic.

The ELL Department’s Talent Development Programme is designed in a two-pronged approach: the literacy component in Wordsmiths activities, and the oracy component in the Voxsmiths activities.
Wordsmiths workshops are for students who are passionate in creating poetry and prose while Voxsmiths workshops are for students who enjoy sharing their ideas with others through the spoken word. These workshops are usually conducted under the ambit of CWSS’ Trailblazer Thursday workshops, where students are free to sign up for the multitude of workshops to learn to create something new.
Talents in the literacy and oracy domains can further develop their creative competencies through in-house workshops, experiential learning journeys and participation in competitions.
Students in the Wordsmiths workshops are encouraged to develop their portfolio for suitable writing competitions and for submission at the Ministry of Education’s Creative Arts Programme Seminar. They also take part in the National Schools’ Literature Festival’s Flash Fiction competition and other competitions during Poetry Festival Singapore.
Oratorical talents are encouraged to broaden their experience through various training platforms such as being emcees at school events, and work towards participation in the Orator’s Trophy, National Schools’ Literature Festival’s Debate competitions and the Plain English Speaking Award (PESA).