Singapore Primary 4 English Language Syllabus

This syllabus information is based on the Ministry of Education (MOE) English Language Syllabus 2020 for Primary levels, implemented starting with the 2020 Primary One cohort.

The Primary 4 English curriculum aims to build a strong foundation in English and enable students to apply their knowledge, skills, and strategies effectively. It emphasizes internationally acceptable English (standard English) as a common standard for all students.

Key Features of the Syllabus

• Focus on 21st Century Competencies: The syllabus aims to develop students into empathetic communicators, discerning readers, and creative inquirers. It emphasizes core values such as respect, responsibility, resilience, integrity, care, and harmony.
• Integration of Skills: The curriculum integrates receptive skills (listening, reading, and viewing) with productive skills (speaking, writing, and representing) to facilitate effective communication.
• Emphasis on Multiliteracies: Recognizes the multi-dimensional nature of literacy and incorporates diverse semiotic modes (linguistic, visual, gestural, audio, and spatial) in language learning.
• Metacognitive Strategies: Encourages students to actively monitor and regulate their learning processes before, during, and after learning.
• Exploratory Talk: Promotes collaborative learning and inquiry through dialogue to deepen language learning.
• Use of Technology: Leverages technology to provide access to digital resources and enhance learning.

Areas of Language Learning

The syllabus outlines the following areas of language learning:

1. Listening and Viewing

• Develop a positive disposition: Listen and view attentively with empathy and respect, and respond appropriately in various communicative contexts.
• Understanding: Develop skills and strategies to understand literal and inferential meaning, including identifying key words, prosodic features, and non-fluency features of spoken language.
• Critical Evaluation: Analyze different semiotic features, determine the credibility of sources and relevance of information, and use comprehension monitoring strategies.
• Extensive Exposure: Listen to, view, and respond to a variety of texts for different purposes, including enjoyment and understanding.

2. Reading and Viewing

• Beginning Reading and Viewing: Develop accuracy and fluency through word recognition and cultivate a positive disposition towards reading.
• Close Reading and Viewing: Process and comprehend age-appropriate texts by focusing on literal and inferential meaning, using prior knowledge, contextual clues, and comprehension skills.
• Critical Reading, Viewing, and Appreciation: Analyze, evaluate, and appreciate texts by focusing on implied meaning, higher-order thinking, and judgment, and demonstrate awareness of how writers' style influences meaning.
• Wide and Extensive Reading and Viewing: Respond to a wide range of texts for enjoyment and understanding, and examine how grammatical/lexical items and semiotic modes are used in diverse contexts.

3. Speaking and Representing

• Knowledge Base: Develop knowledge and awareness of the features of spoken language and recognize that language is used for different purposes.
• Accuracy and Fluency: Develop fluency and accuracy in speaking and representing, using appropriate prosodic features.
• Idea Generation and Development: Explore, generate, develop, and organize ideas from various texts, combining linguistic and other semiotic modes.
• Confident and Effective Communication: Speak and represent confidently, coherently, and cohesively, using different semiotic modes appropriately for various purposes, audiences, contexts, and cultures.
• Self-Monitoring: Monitor, review, revise, and refine spoken and represented work responsibly before, during, and after communication.

4. Writing and Representing

• Mechanics of Writing: Develop writing readiness, handwriting skills for accurate and fluent writing, and apply spelling skills consistently.
• Creative and Critical Writing: Generate, select, organize, develop, and express ideas coherently, cohesively, creatively, and critically in writing and representing for various purposes.
• Review and Revision: Review, revise, edit, and proofread to improve writing and representing.

5. Grammar

• Metalanguage: Use metalanguage to learn and talk about language structures and language in use.
• Word, Phrase, and Sentence Levels: Apply knowledge of grammatical rules at word, phrase, and sentence levels.
• Text Level: Apply knowledge of grammatical rules at the text level and show understanding of how purposeful language use shapes meaning in texts.

6. Vocabulary

• Rich Vocabulary Knowledge: Develop word consciousness, use metalanguage in building vocabulary knowledge, and build a rich vocabulary that supports other language skills.
• Using Vocabulary: Use words appropriate for purpose, audience, context, and culture.