Humanities
Our Vision
Our Mission Statement
a. Nurture Life-long learners
Team
| Humanities Department | |
|---|---|
| Head of Department: | Christopher Tan (History/SS) |
| School Staff Developer: | Jeff Mak Ka Fai (SS) |
| Senior Teacher: | Tan Shuen Tsing (Geography) |
| Members: | Matt Yee (SS/EL) |
| Nur Ashirah (Geo/EL) | |
| Fong Yi Shuen (Geo/EL) | |
| Goh Ling Pin (Geo/EL) | |
| Ang Cong Ping Clara (Geo/Lit) | |
| Sim Qin Ying (History/SS) | |
| Daniel Fung (History/SS) | |
| Daniel Chew (History/SS) | |
| Muhammad Hamzah Zainal Abidin (History/SS) | |
| Laura Tay (EL/SS) | |
| Siti Sufiana (EL/SS) | |
| Neo Shi Min (AED) | |
| Mdm Tumini Saat (History Adjunct Tr) | |
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
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:
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 :
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 2015 | Learning Journey 2013 | Learning Journey 2012 | Learning Journey 2011
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!
2016: 3 Gold with Special Prize and 2 Silver
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
In
2018, a group of students represented the school to take part in the annual War
and Diplomacy Historical Card Game Competition. This competition is designed by
Bendemeer Secondary School. In the competition, students take on the role of
one of the countries (Axis or Allies) involved in WW2. They were to compete to
eliminate rivals from the opposing side while trying to secure victory together
with their teammates. It was a tough and gruelling competition as the students
had to go through many rounds while competing against students from other
schools.
At the end, our students managed to triumph over their opponents and secured the 3rd position in this national competition. This competition gives students the chance to engage in political decisions, and gives the students a chance for experiential learning of the concepts learnt in history.
Humanities Curriculum Innovations
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.
Humanities Awareness Week
