SECONDARY ENGLISH PROGRAMME

Objective of the classes
Essay skills
Essentially we teach the skills of composing a balance essay with proper sentencing and appropriate vocabulary. The topic should be well addressed in the essay requiring the student to be aware of the appropriate approach to different type of essay. For example, he should not offer opinions or anecdotal evidence in an expository essay. An important part of a descriptive essay or narrative essay is the cumulative approach to describing events which is often neglected by pupils.

Skills in constructing an effective introduction such as the “flashback” technique, “the bird’s eye view technique” and “the sensory approach” will be taught. For conclusions, skills to construct an appropriate conclusion using inductive or deductive arguments will be highlighted by the teacher.

Comprehension skills - Identifying topic sentencing
Why do you need to know which one of the sentences in a paragraph is the topic sentence? If you are able to spot it successfully, essentially you will be able to link the ideas of paragraphs and understand the writer’s arguments and train of thought.

Referencing skills
By being able to pinpoint the referencing within a paragraph, or the cross-referencing inter-paragraphs, the pupil is then able to follow the description of activity and the linear progression of events in a passage.

Deduction /Induction skills
The ability to structure an argument or an opinion with appropriate evidence and specific information.

Critical thinking
The ability to compose an effective argument with practical logic and reasoning.

Grammar
Our teachers believe there is a need to teach functional English grammar in our classes as English is not our native tongue. Even native speakers of English in the United Kingdom and the US have now begun on a back to basics programme to teach basic grammar, recognizing the need for drilling of grammar skills in schools. Grammar rules are language specific not inherent. There will thus be a need to recognize the “laws” of a language through formal instruction.

Summarization skills
With the increase in weightage of summary in the “O” level, our English classes have corresponding increased the amount of time we spend on teaching summary skills.

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