By Yeoh Lai Lin Rachel Do not replicate without permission
LESSON PLAN– PLACE AND BELONGING
Subject: English Literature Class: Secondary Two (Express)
Unit: Singaporean Poetry Date:
Topic: Place and Belonging Duration: 35 minutes
Prior Knowledge Students should already know: 1. Have experience in annotating texts ie. short stories and drama from their prior experience in Secondary 1. 2. Understand theme and how to identify themes in a text through their prior experience with short stories and drama
Instructional Objectives By the end of the lesson, students should be able to: 1. Express a personal response to poem through creative writing 2. Identify the use of diction, symbolism, imagery and alliteration as well as explain their effects on the reader 3.Understand how ideas of ‘place’, ‘belonging’ and ‘national identity’ are linked and comprise a common thematic pillar of Singaporean poetry
Time Lesson Development Rationale (optional) Resources 5mins Introduction OR Pre-activity ● The purpose of the learning Information ● This lesson is a learning journey to the journey is to draw students into worksheet on Merlion Park at Marina Bay. The teacher the poem by allowing them to the Merlion, which contains will bring the class to a space facing the visualize it. In being at Merlion “Merlion merlion and gets them to sit down. The Park, they are able to understand Speaks” by teacher then distributes the information the setting of the poem and Danny Shiau worksheet prepared on the merlion, and a list of 10 By Yeoh Lai Lin Rachel Do not replicate without permission
which also contains the poem “Merlion physically situate themselves fun facts about Speaks” by Daren Shiau within it. the Merlion. ● The teacher calls upon different ● This worksheet provides some students to read a sentence each from historical context surrounding the the worksheet on 10 fun facts about the merlion. It allows students to gain merlion while simultaneously asking if a deeper understanding and any students know the answers to fill in appreciation of one of the national the blanks, providing the answers if icons of Singapore in a fun and students are unable to do so. interactive way. The collaborative activity of reading and filling in the worksheet as a class serves to create an open and participative environment which holds the students’ attention and engages them. Lesson Development OR Main Activities Refer to Main Activity: Reading and Close analysis of https://docs.go 15 poem ogle.com/docu mins ● Teacher mentions that the poem the ment/d/1WMq class will be reading is a dramatic YVURc0JSi2N6 monologue, going through a brief recap xfVCcME67Gso of what a dramatic monologue is while pesBCqUiYVIxL making a reference to what was taught 3TQ/edit?usp= in the previous lesson. sharing for an ● Teacher reads “Merlion Speaks” by ● This fulfils the instructional annotation of Danny Shiau, while getting students to objective of teaching students to the poem annotate the poem, pausing at identify the use of figurative appropriate junctures to introduce and language (specifically symbolism, By Yeoh Lai Lin Rachel Do not replicate without permission
explain the use of key literary devices personification and metaphor), employed in the poem, paying specific imagery and diction as well as attention to: explain their effects on the reader. ○ Diction ○ Imagery ○ Symbolism ○ Alliteration ● Students are to write down the meaning of each of these literary devices so that they will be able to look out for them in the reading of future poems and texts. ● Teacher draws the students’ attention to the theme of national identity within the poem. ● Teacher engages the students in a short ● This discussion contributes to discussion on national identity using the students’ understanding of how poem as a stimulus. Possible guiding ideas of ‘place’, ‘belonging’ and questions to start off this discussion ‘national identity’ are linked and may include: comprise a common thematic ○ What do you think the merlion is pillar of Singaporean poetry. It trying to say about the encourages students to think Singaporean national identity? critically about what defines the ○ Do you agree with what you Singaporean identity, as well as to think the Merlion is trying to say develop personal opinion and about National Identity? Why or aspiration on what they would like why not? the Singaporean identity to be. It also helps to generate ideas for the By Yeoh Lai Lin Rachel Do not replicate without permission
○ What do you think makes you creative writing process which feel a sense of belonging to occurs later on in the lesson. Singapore? Why? ○ What do you want the Merlion to “stand” for? ● While facilitating this discussion, the ● This highlights to the students that teacher should draw links between the a common feature and thematic poem and the theme of national identity concern of Singaporean poetry is by putting across the point of the poem: the lament of the erosion of There is an erosion in the sense of tradition, community spirit and national identity, brought about by the national identity in favour of excessive focus on the rapid economic economic development and growth and development that Singapore urbanization. Such an has experienced since the 1960s. understanding makes future encounters with Singaporean poetry more accessible and easily understood. It also helps to provide context for students to work with and generate ideas for the creative writing process which occurs later on in the lesson. Closure and Consolidation OR Post-Activity Post-Activity Creative Writing Response ● Students are to write a short poem of at ● This gives students the 15 least 10 lines responding to the Merlion opportunity to concretize their mins in Danny Shiau’s poem. The teacher personal response to the poem as could scaffold facilitate this creative well as their personal opinion and aspiration for the Singaporean By Yeoh Lai Lin Rachel Do not replicate without permission
writing process by asking them to identity, facilitated by the consider the following questions: discussions. It also gives the ○ How do you think the Merlion students an avenue to explore feels in the poem? Why is this so? creative writing, through which ○ Has the Merlion been replaced by poetry is made more accessible to other national symbols or is it the class in encouraging students still one of Singapore’s main to endeavour on their own symbols? creative process. Providing several ○ What do you think the Merlion questions for the students to could stand for? What do you consider helps facilitate the think makes up Singapore’s activity by provoking the students national identity? to think of ideas they may want to ● These questions will be included in the include in their poem. worksheet provided and students are Furthermore, being situated in the required to jot down quick responses to Merlion Park itself would help to them. spark inspiration in the students’ ● Teacher concludes the lesson by asking creative writing process, especially two or three students to read their because the poem studied in the poem aloud to the rest of the class. lesson deals with the personification of the Merlion at Class Blog (a Homework: the very place which she stands. blogspot ● Students are to type their poems onto ● This affirms the effort in which address the class blog and are invited to read the students put into the creative created by the poems posted by their classmates. writing process, thereby teacher to stimulating interest in poetry and which students portraying it as a more accessible have access via genre to the students’ minds. a shared By Yeoh Lai Lin Rachel Do not replicate without permission
● This helps to stimulate interest username and through sparking of curiosity of password) the poems written by their classmates.
By Yeoh Lai Lin Rachel Do not replicate without permission
SECONDARY 2 EXPRESS ENGLISH LITERATURE
Name:
Class:
Date: VANDA INSTITUTION
Poetry Unit: Place and Belonging – Learning Journey to Merlion Park
10 fun facts about the Merlion
1. The Malay word for Merlion is ______2. The Merlion was originally designed as a logo for the ______3. Is the Merlion Male or Female? ______4. How many official Merlion statues are there in Singapore? ______5. Where is the tallest Merlion statue located? ______6. What are the Merlion statue’s eyes made of? ______7. What bridge, when built, blocked the view of the Merlion from Marina Bay? ______8. Which direction does the Merlion face, and why? ______9. The Merlion stopped spouting water for a short time in 1998. Why? ______10. When was the Merlion first installed at Marina Bay? ______
By Yeoh Lai Lin Rachel Do not replicate without permission
Merlion Speaks by Daren Shiau i am tired of being upright, erect on my tail, posing for pictures, posed poems by ponderous poets like Thumboo, Lee and even young Sa’at an afterthought in the sixties, i know i have lost my relevance: why else am i no longer watching over the estuary, my view obstructed by the colossal Esplanade Bridge? why else is there an image of myself on a Southern Isle taller, fiercer and with burning eyes to watch over the sea, watch over me? if i am to be nothing but a landmark and a reminder, of our sea-faring past then let me sit like the Danish Mermaid; but if i have to stand here forever, stand like the Statue of Liberty, then for the country’s sake let me stand for something
Pause and Ponder … 1. How do you think the merlion feels in the poem? Why is this so?
______
______
2. Do you think the Merlion has been replaced by other national symbols or is it still one of Singapore’s main symbols? ______
______
3. What would you like the merlion to “stand” for? What do you think makes up Singapore’s national identity? ______
______