Mother Tongue Department

Learning Outcomes

To provide students with an enriching and delightful learning experience in Mother Tongue.
To develop in students a sense of identity, and appreciation of cultural values and heritage.
To develop listening, oral, reading and writing skills to increase effectiveness in communication in various contexts.
To instil values, identity and culture with a Singapore orientation so as to reinforce one’s self-identity.
To develop students’ abilities and cultivate their interest in their own culture, and to groom effective bilingual talents.

Key Programmes

WHOLE DEPARTMENT

Festival Celebrations Programme (Whole School)

a) Chinese New Year Celebrations

Classroom Decoration Competition (Emphasis on Environmental Sustainability)
CNY Handicraft Level Activities
CNY Concert

B) Hari Raya Celebration Concert

Hari Raya Celebration Concert

Conversational Chinese and Malay (CCM) Programme (Level Wide Programme: Secondary 1) and the Cultural Learning Carnival

The Conversational Chinese/Malay (CCM) Programme is introduced as an enrichment programme for our Secondary 1 students to learn more about the Chinese/Malay language and culture. It also promotes cross-cultural learning and at the same time, aims to encourage students to acquire a third language that they can converse in comfortably. This CCM Programme culminates in the Cultural Learning Carnival where students will not only apply but also extend their learning beyond mastering the language in classrooms and experience joy in language learning. At the end of the programme, students should be able to minimally communicate (listen and speak) on everyday situations using the language.

MTL Cultural Fortnight

Mother Tongue Cultural Fortnight aims to inspire a love for the Mother Tongue Languages via authentic learning experiences and foster a more conducive learning environment for students to use the Mother Tongue Languages. This programme aims to ignite students’ interest in using the language and inculcate the right culture and values through engaging, innovative and appealing ways.

Newspapers in Education Programme

The Newspapers-in-Education Programme aims to enhance students’ language abilities using newspapers as a supplement. In addition, this programme seeks to develop students’ awareness and skills required in the 21st century, especially in terms of keeping abreast of current affairs and gaining interdisciplinary skills. Students also subscribe to the online zbschools portal and Berita Harian which allows them to read news articles in their own time and deepen their understanding of current affairs.

Reading Programme

The reading programme is designed to provide students with greater exposure to literature in their mother tongue, with the aim of enhancing their language proficiency. The programme also cultivating a genuine interest and enjoyment in reading, encouraging lifelong reading habits that contribute to ongoing personal growth.