The Program

WHAT DOES THE COURSE CONTAIN?
Core English

• Improvement in accuracy of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation;
• Developing confidence and fluency in practical use of the language.
• Academic English and study skills
• developing the skills needed for listening, speaking, reading and writing in an academic context;
• orientation to ways of studying English at an international level
• Subject-related options
• Practicing English through study of the background and current news about topics of interest;
• using IT media, newspapers and other sources of information;
• Learning about other culture and society, and comparing it with other parts of the world.

Enhancement for enrichment Subjects

• Performing Arts
• Drama
• Art
• Physical Education
• Information Technology

Methodology

THE LESSON PLAN
The lesson plan for each unit consists of five parts: Warm Up, Presentation, Practice, Application, and Assessment.
A Warm Up to prepare the students for a period of concentration may involve matching, drawing, or writing. For example, ask the students to work in groups to match pictures with the corresponding words on slips of paper, draw pictures according to the words or descriptions you give them.

MIXED ABILITY OPTIONS
Each student in a class has a different personality, different interests, and a different learning style or combination of styles. Often, two different classes react in very different ways to the same lesson materials, teaching style and teacher. In each situation, the materials may have to be adjusted or modified to accommodate the different abilities of the students.

SONGS AND RHYMES
Every culture has developed some form of music and poetry due to their power as devices for cultural identity and cohesion. Just as music unites culturally, it serves as a means for teachers to increase rapport in the classroom. Songs generate students’ positive feelings and strengthen motivation as they create a state of relaxed receptivity. The students hear the music and words as well as feel the rhythm.

PRONUNCIATION PRACTICE
Focus attention on those sounds the students find difficult and practice them systematically in short, game-like activities. For example, to practice distinguishing and in the initial position; and in the medial or final position.

CRAFTS
Craft activities aid in the promotion of language acquisition through the exploration and development of the primary senses: sight, sound, touch, and movement. This work assists students in the development of small muscle and hand-to-eye coordination, sensory discrimination, and concentration. There are opportunities for artistic self-expression in the language-learning process. The activities afford students to recycle and reuse the language in an authentic and meaningful way, as the students present their crafts for display and explain how the projects were completed.

GAMES
Language learning is hard work. The students must make an effort to understand, to imitate, and to manipulate newly learnt language.  Games help many learners sustain interest and motivation in their work through meaningful play in the language learning classroom.

VOCABULARY
The vocabulary central to each unit is presented in context and then recycled several times through different activities. Many of the activities provide lists of words as answer choices. These lists of words are called “Word Banks.”

READING
Pre-reading activities help prepare the students to interact intellectually with the reading text. They also encourage good reading habits such as looking at the title of the selection and at any picture, captions, charts, or graphs. Previewing a text is important, as it allows the students to access what they already know about the topic, predict what the reading will be about, and create a mental framework into which they can fit the information they are about to read.

WRITING
Several types of writing activities are included. The students are encouraged to focus on content and successful communication of the message over grammatical and mechanical perfection. While these latter two are worthy goals, the first draft activities are designed first to help the students get down words on paper in an organized fashion. They learn the importance of an introductory statement that identifies the main idea of the passage (the topic sentence), how to support the sentence with examples or details (the body), and how to write a concluding statement that sums up the main idea in different words (the conclusion). The reading passages in the units serve as additional models from which the students can identify introductory and concluding statements

Advantages of our Programme

1. This Programme strengthens the English foundation of the international students.
2. Students get to use English in many situations, such as during group project, presentations and interaction.
3. Students can experience Singapore’s unique education environment and culture.
4. We have multiple intakes in a year according to demand so as to cater to the various vacation periods for students coming from different countries.

Duration

The course is programmed for a one-week up to a six-week time-table. It normally starts from Monday through to Friday;  9a.m. to 12p.m.  Further information can be obtained by calling us for a preview and discussion. 

Fees

If you are interested, please contact Ms Wah Su Ying / Ms Elizabeth Pattinama +65 6760 0889 or email them at suying@sfms.edu.sg / elizabeth@sfms.edu.sg .

Additional Activities

SFMS can plan for after-school activities to tour Singapore. The various places of interest include:
Half Day City & Heritage Tour
Bukit Chandu + Changi Chapel & Museum
HDB Gallery + Tour around Tampines Estate
Mint Coin Gallery
Bugis Village Tour
Newater Visitor Center + URA Gallery
Sentosa Island Tour
Jurong Bird Park Tour
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
WILD WILD WET THEME PARK
Singapore Philatelic Museum
Night Safari
Merlion Park
Botanical Gardens

Singapore History Museum
Clarke Quay Tour
Science Center
Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
Civil Defence Heritage Gallery
East Coast Park
** Additional charges will apply here.

Accommodation
SFMS can also arrange for accommodation with host families or hotels/resorts.

** Additional charges will apply here.