English Language

GLOW STELLAR

In Beacon, the learning of English is designed with the idea of Grow, Learn, Own and Wonder (GLOW). This is achieved through the school-based STELLAR (Strategies for English Language Learning and Reading) programme and packages that promote curiosity to enhance students’ growth and their acquisition of speaking, writing, and presenting skills.

GLOW is conducted in a media-rich environment that harnesses the affordances of technology to allow students to take ownership of their learning. Even at the lower primary, students learn to curate and present information using digital media platforms such as blogs and presentations slides. This culminates in students becoming effective and confident communicators, who are ready for the 21st century.;

Digital Storytelling

Using Digital Storytelling (DST), Primary 1 and 2 students create and share their narratives with their classmates. Students plan out their stories during English lessons and craft out their own characters during Art lessons. The stories are then brought to life using animations and narration. Their masterpieces are then showcased in a gallery for their peers to enjoy and learn from.

D.O.T.S.

Discover, Observe, Think and Share (D.O.T.S) introduces and weaves the learning of Science into Primary 1 and 2 English lessons through fun and simple experiments conducted out of the classroom. These lessons develop students’ confidence and provide them with opportunities to work as a team to develop communication and reasoning skills. In turn, the experience paves the way for students when they eventually begin to learn Science in Primary 3.

During D.O.T.S, students get the opportunity to conduct simple and fun experiments outdoors. Students then share their learning and experience with their peers.

Readers' Delight

Raz-Kids

Raz-Kids is an online tiered reading platform. Aside from physical books, students in Beacon are also exposed to e-books. Here, emergent readers can listen to books being read to them while proficient readers go on to more advanced skills like retelling a story, reading books at an advanced level and completing quizzes tagged to the e-books. Students will constantly be delighted as the platform provides a wide range of genres and titles to choose from.

Voracious Reader

To encourage students to develop a love for reading, students are scheduled to go to the library weekly to explore and enjoy a wide range of reading materials. Working hand in hand with the Mother Tongue department, students are monitored for their readership. Top readers both in the classrooms and across the levels are recognised on a termly basis as Champion Voracious Readers.

Library Fortnight

Each term, the Beacon Library highlights different topics to encouraged students to be more engaged in their subjects in a fun way. During Library Fortnight, students get to interact with subject specific manipulatives and online resources to deepen their interest in the subject. For example, during a Science showcase, students may be engaged in discovering more about how solar power can be harnessed to reduce carbon emission while for Physical Education, students could be asked to research notable sports personalities.

Literature Appreciation Programme

Literature Appreciation Programme (LAP) aims to spark students’ interest in exploring literature texts through developing the students’ critical appreciation of text and promoting positive human experiences through various literary forms like poetry, drama and literature texts. Through these literary forms, our students develop a greater sense of self-awareness and sensitivity.

The following are texts that have been selected to engage the students:

LEVEL	TEXT
Primary 1	Spider by David Metzenthen
Primary 2	Magic Finger by Roald Dahl
Primary 3	Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary
Primary 4	Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Primary 5	Totto Chan by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi

At the end of each year, students put up a performance in a LAP Festival that consist of a Readers’ Theatre, a skit or even choral singing to showcase their talents and love for the various books they have read.

Spelling Bee

In Beacon, students are challenged to widen their vocabulary and improve on their spelling through the annual Spelling Bee. Students from Primary 1 to 4 participate in a series of spelling activities that culminate in the finals of the Spelling Bee. These activities inject an element of fun and healthy competition to promote good spelling and widened vocabulary.

Storytelling Festival

The Beacon Storytelling Festival provides opportunities for our students to share their love for storytelling with their peers. Through their creativity and the skilful use of their voice, gestures and self-made props, our Primary 1 to 5 storytellers draw their audience into their stories. As the students listen to these stories, they also learn about moral values as depicted in Aesop’s fables and virtues in the fairy tales that are shared with them.

Literacy Support Programme

Learning Support Programme for English (LSE), School-based Dyslexia Remediation Programme (SDR) and Reading Remediation Programme (RRP) are specialised intervention programmes aimed at providing support to students who need additional help in literacy skills. LSE is conducted at Primary 1 and 2 while SDR and RRP are conducted at Primary 3 and 4.

Read with Me Programme

Read with Me is a reading programme aimed at building students’ reading fluency and promoting a positive attitude towards reading. Students practise their reading using STELLAR books and levelled readers from the Peter and Jane series. Conducted daily before school, each student is paired with a buddy who journeys with them as they achieve automaticity and fluency in word recognition.