English Language

Our Vision and Goals

The English Language (EL) department aims to provide a dynamic learning environment where students demonstrate the love in acquiring and displaying confidence in using the English Language.

Teaching and Learning

Unity Primary School English Language Curriculum is closely guided by STELLAR (STrategies for English Language Learning And Reading) – Singapore’s MOE-developed approach to teaching English in primary schools. It is an English Language instructional programme that provides current and relevant instructional materials, teaching strategies and training to enable teachers to build strong language skills and a love for reading.

STELLAR focuses centrally on helping students to make connections to what and how they learn:

• Text-to-Self Connection – students are guided to relate what they read to their own experiences,

• Text-to-text Connection - students connect to the text to other books, stories, videos or texts they have read or seen,

• Text-to-World Connection – students link the text to real-world issues, events or general knowledge

Specifically in UPS, students are guided in the use of SEES Strategy for Simulated-based Conversation tasks. This helps them to make the content of the conversation richer.

Using a unique PRACT approach crafted by our teachers, Upper Primary students are taught the skill of clarity and precision to ace in Situational Writing.  

Key Programmes

Library Programme

With the newly revamped library, the school seeks to encourage a positive attitude towards books and support students’ learning by offering a rich range of resources. We create an environment that strengthens students’ academic, intellectual and personal development.

To inspire a genuine love for reading and continuous learning, the school partners various departments and organisations such as the National Library Board to organise reading programmes, book talks and provide inviting spaces where students can read, work together and explore new ideas.

1. Class Library Visits

   • Helping students discover the pleasure of reading is a consistent part of the school’s learning experience. Every week, one English lesson is devoted to the reading programme, where students take part in activities such as stories shared by teachers and book spotlights. On alternate weeks, classes head to the library to borrow books and engage in simple reading-related tasks. The library also works with various departments during events like Language Festival and Save the Earth event by highlighting books and news articles that support these programmes.

2. Thematic Displays in the Library

   • The library sets up themed displays that introduce information and showcase books linked to celebrations, notable writers and special occasions. These displays aim to spark curiosity, provide background knowledge and encourage students to explore different types of books.

3. Interactive Zone

   • At the Interactive Zone, the vibrant space is designed to spark curiosity and creativity, offering students a dynamic mix of hands-on activities, digital experiences and collaborative challenges. From immersive storytelling corners to creative critical thinking expressions, the zone aims to transform the library into a hub of exploration and fun. It is not just about books but the discovery of new ideas, skills and making every visit an unforgettable experience.

Back in their classrooms, students take part in a range of engaging language activities, including Bingo, Charade, Jeopardy, Blind Artist, card games, board games and word games. These fun-filled sessions make English learning enjoyable while enriching their understanding and appreciation of the language.  At the end of the event, students experience Storigami guided by teachers telling stories using origami and participate in the Charity Book Drive, Read for Books, organised by National Library Board (NLB).

Language Festival

The annual Language Festival is a signature programme designed to develop critical thinkers and confident communicators. At the event, students are treated to a wide range of engaging and interactive language-based games and activities. Students immerse themselves in thoughtfully designed activities that stretch their linguistic skills, broaden their vocabulary, and deepen their understanding of language concepts in a fun and meaningful way. Through “Excite, Engage, Express!” assembly programme, they are given opportunities to showcase their creativity and public speaking skills. There are also Author’s Talk and Author’s Forum where many students go into deep engagement and meaningful discussions with the author.

UPSGEM

Unity Primary Speaks Good English Movement (UPSGEM) capitalises on the pre-assembly periods to teach students the differences between Singlish/improper English Language use and Standard English Language. Students are encouraged to pronounce and spell commonly-mispronounced words and develop an awareness of proper English in everyday situations.

Digital Puppetry

To better engage students in reading and speaking, the department introduced Moo-O to P1 to P3 students. Moo-O is a digital puppetry software that is fun and engaging to help students improve their oracy skills. It is designed to motivate students to read fluently and expressively and promote self-directed learning. 

Support Programmes

kidsREAD Programme

Since its inception in 2022, kidsREAD aims to promote the love of reading and cultivate good reading habits amongst children. The programme leverages the strengths of various partners to create a reading programme ustomized to meet the reading needs of selected children between ages 4 and 8. UPS collaborates with Unity Secondary School to conduct meaningful reading sessions for these students.

Learning Support Programme (LSP)

The LSP is an early intervention programme aimed at building literacy skills for Primary 1 and Primary 2 students.  This programme is to provide targeted learning support for students in areas such as reading and spelling.

School-based Dyslexia Remediation (SDR)

The SDR programme is a specialized literacy remediation programme for Primary 3 and Primary 4 students with dyslexia.  It aims to enable students to become strategic decoders and spellers whereby different strategies for reading, spelling and comprehension are taught.

Reading Remediation Programme (RRP)

The RRP is an additional literacy support programme implemented at Primary 3 and Primary 4 to support students with reading difficulties but who do not have dyslexia.