Humanities Curriculum Innovations
‘The Serangoon View’ (theserangoonview.wordpress.com) is initiated by our Geography Unit. It provides various links to our curriculum topics and opened up our Geographical views beyond classrooms, through each link.
The
Humanities Board Game was created to infuse the fun element into learning. The
games allow students to apply critical thinking skills, revise and apply the
knowledge they have learned and most importantly, have fun while learning.
Competitions
As a department effort, teachers and students work hand-in-hand to take part in the National Stamp Collecting Competition. This competition gave students opportunities to explore the culture and the history behind the stamps of different countries. Secondary Three students were identified and given the opportunity to learn more about concepts in the humanities as they explored ideas and crafted a narrative with the use of stamps and other philatelic materials. The students were exposed to a rich world outside of their usual classroom environment. As a result of both the students’ and teacher’s dedication, Serangoon Secondary School emerged the national champion of this competition for the third year!
2017: 2 Gold with Special Prize, 1 Silver with Special Prize and 2
Silver
2018: 3 Gold with Special Prize, 1 Gold and 1 Silver
2019: 2 Gold with Special Prize, 1 Gold, 1 Silver with Prize, 1 Silver
Organised by Singapore Polytechnic, School of Architecture and the Built Environment
4 of our Secondary Three students took part in the 10th National Earthquake Competition which was organised by Singapore Polytechnic School of Architecture and the Built Environment. The competition aimed to generate students’ interests on the importance of Civil Engineers in designing earthquake and earthquake disaster mitigation.
The students had to design and fabricate models made of Medium Density Fibre timber strips and boards, glue and cotton string, strong and sturdy enough to withstand earthquake vibration simulated on a 2-Dimensional Earthquake Simulator. When the simulator was set into motion simulating earthquakes of different magnitudes, the models were shaken to find out which would be the strongest one to withstand these earthquake forces. This competition gave us the opportunity to work together with the Craft and Tech department on their construction and specification expertise of our model. Our participants received ‘Certificate of Participation’ for being able to design a sturdy model with the given materials that was able to survive a 5.5 magnitude earthquake on the simulator.
Participants:
Danylle Mendoza, Kimberly Ambrosio, Lee Kang Wei Samuel, Sapkitjakarn Techid (3I6, 2019)
Photos: Our participants hard at work to build their model.
We have taken part in the yearly Humanities Card Game Competition called War and Diplomacy. In this card game, players have to take a side in WW2; they join either the Allies or the Axis powers. Players are supposed to conquer the other side and protect their allies at the same time. Throughout the game, players have a chance to either use diplomacy or engage in warfare to attack their enemies or protect themselves or their allies at the same time. The fun element of the game lies in the fact that your identity as a player is known only to you. This means that only you will know which side (Allies or Axis) you are on. You will then have to guess who your enemies and friends are. One wrong move and you could have killed your own ally and helped the enemy. Or one masterful stroke from you could very well see the scales tipped in favour of your team. There also lies the presence of neutral countries that you can co-opt to help you achieve victory.
This is an exciting competition for students as they get to learn how to make decisions that historical figures themselves got to make. In 2018, when Serangoon took part, we managed to come in 3rd Place in the finals, making us number 3 among the whole of Singapore schools!
Learning Journeys
Learning Journey 2017
In 2017, students went on a Humanities Learning Journey on 23rd and 24th of February 2018, and on 26th October 2018. For the February Learning Journey, the Sec 1 students went to the National Museum and Fort Canning Park. The purpose of heading to the Museum was to collect sources for their Historical Investigation, as well as to develop an understanding on how the Singapore’s history is presented by the Museum. The journey to Fort Canning Park was to help students understand the British defences of Singapore during the colonial period so that they can better appreciate the need for a strong and capable defence in Singapore.
For the October Learning
Journey, the Sec 2 students went to the Ford Motor Factory, Bukit Chandu, and
the Kranji War Memorial. They went to these places to further develop their
knowledge and understanding of the times leading up to the Japanese Occupation.
Through this learning journey, the students were able to understand how harsh
WW2 was for the people of Singapore and how they should not take Singapore’s
safety and security for granted.
In 2017, the Sec 3 Express
Pure History students also went on a Learning Journey on the 23rd of
October. They went to the Ford Motor Factory and Fort Siloso. The purpose of
going to these places was to help reconstruct the battle of Singapore for the
students. Through this Learning Journey, the students were able to gain an
understanding of the military history of Singapore. They were also able to
further understand that history is not limited to their textbooks but that
there also exists different types of history that they can uncover as junior historians.
Learning Journey 2018
In 2018, the Sec 1 students
went to the Kranji War Memorial as part of their Humanities Learning Journey.
The students have not been to this part of Singapore before, thus it was an eye
opener for them. The purpose of this Learning Journey was for students to
appreciate and understand about the harshness and realities of WW2 on
Singapore. They also learnt that the reason why Singapore is safe today is due
to the sacrifices and contributions of those who had lived before us. The
students finally learnt that the British did spare significant efforts to
defend Singapore.
While the Sec 1 students went to the Kranji War Memorial, the Sec 2 students went to Fort Siloso on the 25th of October 2018. They went to this location so as to learn about the military defence of Singapore. This was an opportunity for them to learn about the Japanese invasion beyond what their textbook taught them. It was a chance for them to step into an actual battle site of the British defence of Singapore. They were given a chance to evaluate why the defences were ineffective or otherwise.
Learning Journey 2019
On the 30th of May 2019, the Sec 2 Express students went on a Learning Journey to the Kok Fah Hydroponics farm. In the farm, they learnt about high tech farming methods that Singapore currently employs. This has been done to help overcome land shortages and feed its population at the same time. They also visited the Bukit Batok Hill to learn about the battles that the British fought with the invading Japanese forces there.
The Sec 2 Normal Academic students went on a Learning Journey to Fort Canning Park, to examine the historical battle site. They were able to study the powerful defences that the British had placed there to protect Singapore. Following that, the students went to the LTA Gallery to learn about public transportation in Singapore. They learnt on the future plans that would be set in place for public transportation in Singapore, such as RFID MRT fare gates and the new three door type buses.
On the 23rd and 24th of October, the Sec 1 Express and Normal Academic students went on a Learning Journey to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. They were able to learn about the history of Singapore's nature. They studied about the various flora and fauna of Singapore's past. After that, the students proceeded on a Heritage Trail at Tiong Bahru that highlighted the rich history of the area and the conservation efforts.
Learning Journey 2015 | Learning Journey 2013 | Learning Journey 2012 | Learning Journey 2011
Humanities Publications
SG50 Booklet
To mark SG50, the Humanities Department has published an SG50 Booklet for the school, and as a gift to the nation. The aim of the booklet is to provide readers with an appreciation of Singapore’s history through 50 years of nation building. It provides an account of a significant event that has occurred yearly from 1965-2015. Reading through the booklet, it is our hope that readers will develop a deeper sense of how Singapore has journeyed from tumultuous independence to become what it is today - a modern metropolis with international recognition and high standing in the world.
SG50 E-book
As a present from students from all our schools to Singapore for her 50th birthday, a commemorative e-book titled SG50 Reflections: Our HOpes &MEmories (HOME) has been officially launched by our President, Dr Tony Tan on 29 July 2015(Wednesday). The contents of the e-book comprise a diverse range of students’ works about people, places and events that feature six themes over a span of five decades.
Our school is proud to be part of the SG50 e-book project. The team of students that have created this section of the E-book was mentored and guided by the Humanities Department. The details of the E-book are as follows:
Theme : Memorable Spaces
Decade : 1975-1984
Topic : Creation of Hougang New Town
You may access our school’s contribution via the following link :
History
Historical Investigation
As part of their History
education, students had to go through a Historical Investigation (HI). For their
HI, students were tasked to design an End Product that would answer certain
investigative questions. Their End Product would be to write a piece of
historical fiction based on the sources that they have gathered. In their
historical fiction, students are supposed to either write about the lives of
teenagers during colonial Singapore or during the Japanese Occupation period.
Click on the following links to view samples of their work:
Geography
The Lower Secondary Geography syllabus enables students to acquire the knowledge and skills to understand aspects of physical and human geography. They learn to explain geographical phenomena, environmental and social issues in different places and cultures. Students become aware of the appropriate values and attitudes required to ensure sustainability of our resources, country and the planet Earth. The inquiry based approach teaches the students to ask critical questions and think reflectively on the management of current issues such as water resources and traffic congestion in Singapore.
Geographical Investigation
Humanities Engagement Programme
This year’s Humanities Engagement Week had to be shifted online given the circumstances of COVID-19. The Humanities Department collaborated with Music to extend our lower secondary students’ understanding of Humanities beyond the textbook and show how it is very much present even in a seemingly unrelated discipline. With the upper secondary students, the activity showed how information and skills learnt in History, Geography and Social Studies can be weaved together, showing that Humanities subjects are not mutually exclusive of one another.
We used the Escape Room and Quiz strategies to get our students' participation in the activities. With these strategies, students would have to be self-directed and resourceful to find information that are relevant to the activities.
Through these activities, our students were exposed, had experienced and were educated on various aspects of Humanities. The engagement week allowed our students to experience humanities not as separate subjects but one discipline. This further educated our students that humanities can be all encompassing and is present in various aspects of the Singaporean society.
Humanities Awareness Week 2019
Humanities Awareness Week 2019
The Humanities Awareness Week- ‘In Search of Us’ was conducted in school to raise students’ awareness on how Humanities is relevant in our daily lives.
Team
| Humanities Department | |
|---|---|
| Head of Department: | Christopher Tan (History/SS) |
| Subject Head: | Sabrina Teo (Geography) |
| School Staff Developer: | Jeff Mak Ka Fai (SS) |
| Members: | Cheryl Lau (Geog/Lit) |
| Daniel Fung (History/SS) | |
| Gloria Lim (SS/EL) | |
| Goh Ling Pin (Geo/EL) | |
| Michael Francis Chow (Hist/Geo) | |
| Muhammad Hamzah Zainal Abidin (Hist/SS) | |
| Ng Xuemin (Hist/Math) | |
| Nur Ashirah (Geo/EL) | |
| Timothy Liew (Geog/SS) | |
| Timotty Tay (Hist/SS) | |
| Yee Liang Chien Matt (SS/EL) | |
| Charlene Lim (EL/SS) | |
| Jasmine Chan (FCE/Geo) | |
| Lim Pei Yee (EL/SS) | |
| Sheryl Lim (EL/Geo) | |
| Siti Sufiana (EL/SS) | |
