Mother Tongue Languages
Discover how Marsilians build confidence in communicating in their Mother Tongue through immersive lessons, meaningful cultural experiences, and a love for reading.
Vision
Every Marsilian, an effective and confident Mother Tongue Language communicator with deep appreciation for the Language and Culture.
Mission
The Mother Tongue Language Department aims:
To make language learning comes alive through immersive and interactive lessons.
To instill the love of reading through the department Reading Programme.
To develop our Marsilians as proficient communicators of their MT language in everyday life.
Programmes at a Glance
Mother Tongue Language Curriculum Framework
The 2024 Primary MTL Curriculum framework describe our aim for MTL Learners to experience the joy of learning MTL that will help them to be confident users through three curricular goals:
a) Language Competence- Students are equipped with foundational language knowledge, skills and strategies to ensure effective communication.
b) Culture & Values- Students are equipped with essential moral values and are able to appreciate their own MTLs, culture and traditions; and
c)21CC- Students are equipped with the foundational socio-emotional competencies and competencies such as civic, global and cross-cultural literacy as well as critical, adaptive and inventive thinking.
Key Programmes
Mother Tongue Language Fortnight
Mother Tongue Language Fortnight provides platforms for students to apply their learning of Mother Tongue Langue in an authentic learning experience. The Mother Tongue Language Fortnight aimed to integrate cultural rediscovery into a fun, challenging and comprehensive education programme. Ultimately, these experiences will develop them to be passionate and confident communicators who have a deep appreciation of their cultural heritages.
As students are engaged in activities from diverse cultures, they get to be cultivated with cross-cultural literacy. By participating in these activities, students gain firsthand experiences that deepen their understanding and appreciation of different cultural perspectives, customs, and traditions. This exposure helps them develop empathy, respect, and sensitivity towards people from diverse backgrounds.
Examples of activities organised during Mother Tongue Language Fortnight are:
Chinese Department- Competitions (Writing, Penmanship, Recitation, Singing), Learning Journey to Tea Chapter, Puppet Making
Malay Department- Competitions (Tanjak and Keris Making , Vlog Competition, Poetry Recital), Mask Making for Choral Reading, Malay Folklores, traditional games, Learning Journey to Bukit Chandu
Tamil Department: Competitions (Singing and Story-Telling, Seiyul Recitation, Thirukkural), Cultural experience-knowing traditional herbs and spices, Traditional Games, Kolam Art , Learning Journey to Indian Heritage Centre)
View the video below to see our students in action during Mother Tongue Language Fortnight.
Festival Celebrations
Through the festival celebrations, students are further exposed to Chinese, Malay and Tamil Language and culture. The different festival celebrations will create awareness and deeper appreciation of culture and traditions of the different ethnic groups in Singapore.
During festival celebration, students will complete handicraft activity during MT lesson. There are also recess activity held at the Kaleidoscope. These hands-on activities, recess activities as well as the festival concert will allow students to soak in the celebration atmosphere as well as experienced the traditions associated with the different ethnic groups in Singapore.
Mother Tongue Reading Programme
The Mother Tongue Reading program is designed to cultivate a passion for reading among students. Reading sessions take place during Mother Tongue lessons and students are encouraged to continue reading during school holidays.
To enhance comprehension and communication skills, the program integrates various Making Thinking Visible (MTV) routines. These routines help students delve deeper into the stories and articulate their thoughts effectively.
Moreover, the Reading Program synergizes with the Writing Program, underlining our belief that reading inspires writing. At year-end, in collaboration with the English department, the Mother Tongue department compiles selected students' works into a school publication. This publication then serves as a valuable teaching and learning resource moving forward.
