In all Grades, we offer Chinese on three different pathways (as a 1st, 2nd or foreign language) according to the varying needs of our students. Within each pathway, students are placed in ability sets that are best suited for their level of language competency. There is a transition possible from one pathway to another, as shown in the diagram below:

The level descriptors for the ILR scale referenced in the diagram above can be found here.

Please click here for more information about the nature of the various IGCSE examinations for Chinese (which take place in May of Grade 10).

IB Chinese B SL as an anticipated subject

From 2024 onwards, in Grade 11, Chinese B will be offered as an "anticipated subject" for certain Singaporean students, as highlighted in red in the diagram below:

Whilst these particular students will continue to be encouraged to study Chinese B HL, should this course not fit their Diploma combination and future aspirations, they can then study Chinese B SL at an accelerated pace (one year) that is more appropriate for their high level of proficiency in the language.

Grade 7 Chinese Experiential Learning 

The Chinese Department visits the Tea Chapter for our Grade 7 First and Second Language classes during their Chinese lessons every year. Students participate in a Cultural Immersion– Tea appreciation workshop. 

The objective of this workshop is to support the learning of Chinese tea culture and appreciation. Students gain an insightful understanding of the history of Chinese tea, its variety, and the art of tea appreciation. Through the instructors' explanation and demonstration of tea, our students learn more about Chinese dining etiquette. 

The Grade 7 students from Foreign Languages classes have a cultural immersion experience on a lunch trip to a Chinese restaurant where they experience Chinese cuisine being served formally. Students are also given opportunities to order their food in Mandarin, to identify and use Chinese cutlery, and to observe the preparation of traditional Chinese food such as Lamian (hand-made noodles). Such hands-on experience enhances what they have learned during lesson time.

Chinese Mentoring Programme 

This programme aims to support Grade 7 to Grade 10 students who could benefit from extra help with their Chinese learning outside of class by providing them with one-to-one mentorship from Senior School students.

English Acquisition is offered as a part of the Parent-Funded programme, except for the English B HL course. For more details click here.

 

French is offered as a part of the Parent-Funded Home Language programme, except for the French ab initio course.

French Club CCA is offered to all students and is the main platform through which peer mentoring for this language takes place.

German is offered as a part of the Parent-Funded Home Language programme.

 

Experiential Learning

• In 2021, G11 Hindi students worked with RBK International Academy in Mumbai. Students expressed their thoughts regarding our respective countries' cultures, languages and customs. The RBK students asked many questions about Singapore's multiculturalism, and we explained how this is reflected in the many facets of life here. From this conversation, we have learnt the value of courage and the importance of participation: after all, the more you put in, the more you get out. We hope that the students of Hindi in other Grades will have a similar opportunity in the future.

Japanese is offered as a part of the Parent-Funded Home Language programme.

 

Korean is offered as a part of the Parent-Funded Home Language programme.

Our Korean teacher also offers a parent funded Korean CCA for beginners interested in learning the language and culture.

G12 Experiential Learning

In April 2022, the Malay / Indonesian Languages department initiated a Grade 12 Collaboration Virtual Lesson with IBDP Yr1 Jerudong International School (JIS), Brunei. The initiative's objectives were to experience a learning environment with students from an overseas IB school and embed possible ATL / CAS / ToK into lessons. Both classes managed to carry out the shared lessons using shared resources on the theme of Autism since April was World Autism Acceptance Month. 

G7 music workshop

• G7 students of Spanish participated in a Latin American music workshop led by two Mexican musicians. This brings to life the unit called Passions Around the Globe. The students learn about the history and origins of Afro-Antillean music in Central and South America, and they deepen their understanding of the interplay of indigenous American, European and African cultures. As they learn about the main Latin American types of music, the students enjoy a danzón concert and practise the rhythmical patterns themselves in a percussion session.

G11 ab initio video calls with Lasalle Bonanova (Spain) students

• G11 Ab Initio Spanish students connect with G10 students in Lasalle Bonanova School in Spain via video calls on four Fridays after school. The aim of these four sessions is to discuss Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Health and Well-being), which is a part of the curriculum.

G11 Language B

• Our G11 Spanish B students' study “Human Rights and Social Engagement” as part of the IB curriculum. Students, therefore, engage in dialogue with the president of an educational scholarship fund that supports indigenous women in rural Oaxaca, Mexico. Our guest speaker interacts in Spanish with our students on various highbrow topics related to human rights. This provokes personal reflections on the rights they enjoy, such as education, and the importance of safeguarding such rights for everyone as part of our school’s commitment towards Service Learning.

Spanish Club CCA is offered to all students, and it is the main platform through which peer mentoring takes place.

In all Grades, students follow different curricula according to their level of competency in Tamil, as shown in the diagram below:

Under Home Languages: To change this paragraph: At SJI International, we are very proud of our culturally and linguistically diverse community. In order to help our community to maintain ties to their home language and culture, we run a parent-funded Home Language Programme. The Home Languages that we currently offer are Japanese, Korean, French, Vietnamese and German; however, we are not limited to these.

Click here for fee details.  

The importance of maintaining one's Home Language

Living away from the home language and culture means, for many of our expatriate families, that maintaining the language becomes increasingly difficult. The child could feel disconnected from the home culture, may not see the value in learning their home language and feel that English is more important. Research into language acquisition has discovered, however, that having a strong home language is crucial to the development of the child. According to Jim Cummins, a professor at the University of Toronto and an expert in the area of Home Language Acquisition. 

Reasons why students should maintain their Home Language

Students who are fully bilingual may have more flexibility in thinking as they are able to process information at a deeper level in more than one language. Students who have a strong first language are better learners of subsequent languages. Instruction in the Home Language helps students not only develop their home language but will help them become better at English.

Schools should cultivate a culture of additive bilingualism (where languages are added to a child) rather than subtractive bilingualism (where languages are subtracted from a child). This leads to the child feeling a sense of acceptance and self-worth and increases self-esteem.

The different types of bilingualism can be illustrated in the following diagrams: (Cummins, J. 1981, Bilingualism and minority language children, Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education)

This image shows Additive Bilingualism. This child has both a strong home and additional language, which is fully supported by a developed, common underlying proficiency where the ability of abstract thought and deeper cognitive processes are common between two languages.

The goal of this programme

At SJI International we aim to create an environment in which students can experience Additive Bilingualism by maintaining and developing their Home Language in conjunction with developing their English skills.

The Home Language Programme is for:

•  students whose home language is not currently taught as part of our school curriculum

• students who have a strong linguistic or cultural connection to another language, perhaps through family members or spending an extended amount of time in another country; and for

• students who are studying a MOE Mother Tongue-in lieu language

The aim of this programme is to enable our students to study their home language to a high proficiency so that they can achieve a bilingual IB Diploma (two Group 1 subjects: home language and English). Students can alternatively study their home language as a foreign language, depending on their language level. As these are two distinct courses with different objectives and curriculum goals, first language and foreign language students are not taught together in the same class.

Students receive two taught lessons per week; in Grades 7-10, they also have one self-study lesson each week where they complete work independently for the following week. Students, if they have been studying Chinese, Tamil, Malay, Indonesian, Hindi or Spanish as part of the normal school curriculum, are withdrawn from that language once they join the Home Language Programme.

The cost will fluctuate depending on how many students are in the class. The number of students in the class may fluctuate throughout your child's career, mainly due to the transitional nature of expatriate families.

Please contact the Head of Home Languages with any further questions/queries you may have about the Home Language Programme.

References:

• Cummins, J. 1981, Bilingualism and minority language children, Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education)
• Cummins, J, 2000. Language, Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual Children in the Crossfire.  Multilingual Matters: United Kingdom

Teachers design language lessons that prepare students for practical language use and an appreciation of literature and cultures. To do this, they use a wide variety of authentic target language resources such as videos, songs, literature, newspapers, and magazines. Students are engaged through a wide range of self- or group-directed activities in the classroom such as role-play, presentation, debate, games and singing. Students' learning is enhanced through digital tools which allow for collaborative learning.

For all languages, differentiation is used to ensure that students of different language levels are able to reach their potential. Our active and communicative approach provides students with opportunities to interact in real-life situations inside and beyond the classroom. Students are encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions and engage in learning activities that stretch them and encourage linguistic and cognitive growth. Students are also encouraged to engage in cultural activities associated with the target language: for Home Language students, this promotes stronger connections to their home country.