SCHEME OF WORK 2009 SECONDARY TWO (NORMAL ACADEMIC) LITERATURE IN ENGLISH Prepared by Yeo Yam Hwee Term 1 Lesson Foci/Remarks Key Skills to

Cover Areas of Study

Week Set Text: Emily of Emerald Hill by Stella Kon Poetry: Selection by the teacher to be used in class. Local poetry and other poetry.

1. Annotating 2. Reading 3. Recalling 4. Organizing 5. Focusing 6. Thinking 7. Generating 8. Drafting 9. Synthesizing 10. Evaluating

1. Genre 2. Plot and Structure 3. Setting and Atmosphere 4. Characterization 5. Style 6. Viewpoint

01 – 03

Is the class familiar with the genre of PLAY? Getting the class to understand what the genre of PLAY is. Basic drama games and conventions may be introduced if teacher is confident of execution. Introduction: Peranakan Culture Peranakan Museum Visit in Week 3/4 OR Student research into Peranakan Culture of SEA Who are the nonyas and the babas? Student research into Singapore in the 1950s Teacher – Student exchanges on:

Family and what it means to you. Relationship between you and your parents. What hopes and aspirations do your parents have of you? Talking about parent-child relationships in general.

Class work / Assignments and assessments To be determined later.

04 – 10 Introduction to the genre – PLAY What are the interesting aspects to look out for in a PLAY? Setting / Trouble / Action / Resolution STRUCTURE

Introduce and familiarize students with the general structure of a “well-made” play –

1. Beginning 2. Rising Action 3. Climax 4. Falling Action 5. Denouement 6. Conclusion

Note: There are variations and breakthrough in modern play. Emily is an example. SETTING

1. Time: 1940s – 1980s 2. Culture: Peranakan and Mainstream Singapore 3. Locale: Singapore 4. Characters: Emily and the characters whom she talks to throughout

the play. FLOW Play is performed not always in a linear fashion as Emily does not pretend to relate her story as such. She picks her way through and waves her stories with specific foci and flashbacks. STYLE Play is monologue - as the playwright herself puts it – A One-woman Play VIEWPOINT Story told from Emily’s point of view. Immediately personal and one-sided. A lot of trust and love involved in recalling and retelling the story. Treatment of Text – ACT ONE

1. What are your first impressions of Emily? 2. Do you like or dislike her? Why? 3. Is Emily a good mother to Richard? Why or why not? 4. If you were Richard, how would you feel about Emily? 5. What do you think of Emily’s relationship with the others in the Gan

household? 6. Why do you think Emily is the head of the Gan household? 7. Why do you think Emily and the Emerald Hill mansion are

inseparable? 8. What do you think of Emily’s relationship with her husband, Joo

Keong? 9. As you read about Emily’s humble background, how have your

impressions of her changed? 10. Richard’s tragedy - to what extent is Emily responsible for what

happens? 11. What do you think is the climax of Act One? Explain.

PLAY AND SHOW TIME Special Note:

Dramatization of Important scenes Transforming a monologue into a conventional play by

introducing voice parts to other significant characters, such as Richard and Suzie.

POETRY Introduction of Singapore Literature / Southeast Asia Literature / International Literature Foci should include: Subject Matter Theme Tone Mood Figurative Language Class work / Assignments and assessments To be determined later.

Term 2 Lesson Foci / Remarks 1. Annotating

2. Reading 3. Recalling 4. Organizing 5. Focusing 6. Thinking 7. Generating 8. Drafting 9. Synthesizing 10. Evaluating

1. Genre 2. Plot and Structure 3. Setting and Atmosphere 4. Characterization 5. Style 6. Viewpoint

Week 01-05

Writing Clinic Lessons should be geared towards helping students to work out:

Answers to structural questions Answers to essay questions Answers to passage-based questions

Teacher-provisioning with suggested answers is crucial as such models spell

out clearly the teacher-examiner’s expectations. Revision for Examinations.

06-08 Midyear Examinations Weeks

09-10 Post-mortem – teacher goes through answers with the students question by question to help students understand what goes wrong and what turns out right for them. Term 2 Holiday Literature Project – Gradable To be decided later by the teacher

Term 3 Lesson Focus Skills Areas of Study

Week

1. Annotating 2. Reading 3. Recalling 4. Organizing 5. Focusing 6. Thinking 7. Generating 8. Drafting 9. Synthesizing 10. Evaluating

1. Genre

2. Plot and Structure 3. Setting and Atmosphere 4. Characterization 5. Style 6. Viewpoint

01-08 Treatment of Text – ACT TWO

01. What do you think of the relationship between Emily and Joo

Keong? 12. Is Emily a good mistress of Emily Hill Mansion? Why? 13. Is Emily a good wife to Gan Joo Keong? Why? 14. Is Emily a good mother to Richard? Why or why not? [Revisiting] 15. Having read her confessions to the audience, to what extent do you

sympathise with Emily as a woman in the the context she is in? 16. Do you think Emily is a nurturer or a destroyer? 17. To what extent would you sympathize with Emily when her marriage

fails? 18. What kind of father and husband is Gan Joo Keong? Can we blame

his failings on Emily? 19. To what extent would you sympathize with Joo Keong when his

marriage fails? 20. Why do you think Emily and the Emerald Hill mansion are

inseparable? [revisiting] 21. As you read about Emily’s humble background, how have your

impressions of her changed? [revisiting] 22. Joo Keong’s death - to what extent is Emily responsible for what

happens? 23. What do you think is the climax of Act Two? Explain.

09-10 Synthesizing Acts One and Two

* Some students may have problems dealing with the chronology of significant events which are highlighted by Emily. Use this stretch of time to help students put the events on a timeline so that any confusion caused by Emily’s flashbacks (especially abundant in Act Two) may be defused. Writing Clinic Lessons should be geared towards helping students to work out:

Answers to structural questions Answers to essay questions Answers to passage-based questions

Teacher-provisioning with suggested answers is crucial as such models spell out clearly the teacher-examiner’s expectations.

Term 4 Lesson Foci/Remarks Skills Remarks

Week

1. Annotating 2. Reading 3. Recalling 4. Organizing 5. Focusing 6. Thinking 7. Generating 8. Drafting 9. Synthesizing 10. Evaluating

1. Genre

2. Plot and Structure 3. Setting and Atmosphere 4. Characterization 5. Style 6. Viewpoint

01-03 Prose – Short Story

Use any suitable short story to revisit the genre with the student to reinforce the ingredients which make a short story what it is. For a better class, the teacher may also discuss how effective the author is in telling his or her story.

04-05 Poetry - Revisit and Revision Preparations for the End of Year Examinations.

06 - 08 End of Year Examinations Week

09-10 Post-examination week