Current affairs have always been a key feature of our curriculum. In our experience, discussing topical issues can boost students' critical thinking skills and make learning more fun. Creative Campus has been able weave current affairs into our lessons across all levels. This can be done even for critical years. News stories have been incorporated into the oral communication section of the P6 course. We are committed to helping our students stay up-to-date with the big issues because we believe that this will enable them to stay relevant in the new economy.

The following is a sample P6 lesson which demonstrates how current affairs can be tied in with PSLE needs. Preparing for PSLE Orals can be be a fun learning process. Students in the Essay and Oral Writing programme are given five minutes to respond to a news feature.

Click on the following link to watch the full video.

Oral Practice
Topic 1: Singaporean Comic Wins International Prize
A Singaporean artist's graphic novel has topped the list of nominations for the Eisners, the Oscars of of the comic book world. Sonny Liew tells the BBC about the challenges he faced in making the book, which has been criticised by the Singaporean government for "potentially undermining" its authority.

1. What might be the benefits of reading comics? Would you recommend that children read comics?

Raeanne Wong
Reading comics helps and trains us to visualise the picture according to the story. Comics also tell the story in a very simple way, allowing us to understand it better.

No, I would not recommend that children read comics because I feel that young children should be exposed to proper stories which teach them to write with good phrases and good expressions, and also to give reasons, a beginning, problem, and ending of a story.  

Alexandra Foo
Reading comics is a bit like watching television, since there are pictures and a picture tells a thousand words. I recommend that children read only age-appropriate and grammatically-correct comics.

The content of the comics have to be appropriate for children or it may scar them since some adult comics are very graphic. If the comics are not grammatically correct, the children reading them may start speaking poor English and using slangs more often.  

2. Would you pursue a career in the arts or a sport? Why or why not?

Raeanne Wong
I would pursue a career in the arts because I am musically-inclined and have the passion for it. Hence, I also thoroughly enjoy myself when I do anything related to music. I attend music classes which serve as training for my music, and when I want to pursue a career, it would be much easier for me to do something that I have had training in. In a nutshell, I would pursue a career in the arts as I have been having music lessons since young and love doing music.

Alexandra Foo
I would pursue a career in the arts. I would like to become an author when I grow up. I enjoy reading a lot and I find writing a book lets me express my feelings and opinions about the world. Thus, I would like to become an author.

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TOPIC: Write Music Video Review on Ok Go’s
The Writing's on The Wall

You cannot help but be left slack-jawed and absolutely amazed after watching Ok Go’s The Writing on The Wall. The quirky representation of the song through the use of optical illusions is a welcome and lively twist that makes this video extremely memorable.

Although some viewers may be left slightly disorientated by the spinning camera shots in the later half of the video and befuddled by the optical illusions, the video scores on its clever use of perspective and illusions, and on its cohesiveness with the song’s main message.

The song’s primary message is that a couple is breaking up due to a growing distance between them. However, the speaker still wishes to end the relationship on a high note. This difference in perspective of the estranged couple is made all the more apparent by the use of optical illusions in the video.

Viewed from a certain angle, it may seem as though the band member is floating on thin air against a patterned background. When the camera angle shifts, you see that he is actually standing on the ground. Another example would be the words “I think I understand you” painted on a wall. Again, it is reduced to incoherent lines and fragments when the camera angle shifts.

The video comprises a string of fun and intriguing optical illusions which clearly illustrate the difference which each person’s perspective makes. It literally goes from a perfectly understandable sentence to a scrawl, demonstrating the differences in opinions and perspectives between this couple. This very visual and amusing representation of the song’s message makes the video highly enjoyable.

If you were to mute the video, the visuals alone create a joyful, almost whimsical wonderland and an exuberant atmosphere with its quirky illusions and colourful props. However, accompanied by the somewhat despondent and resigned melody, it combines to create an interesting experience for the viewer.

On the one hand, a break up is eminent, but you are chuckling away heartily at the antics and illusions. Although the main message of both video and song is sad, you thoroughly delight in it. This contrast further serves to bring out the contradiction in the message, that the parties want to have fun and be happy even in their last days as a couple. It not only allows you to see and hear its message, but feel the song’s intent as well.

All in all, it is a thoroughly enjoyable music video with a delightful twist of whimsy that very effectively brings out its main message.

~Lynn Hong, At Age 15

Ms Geraldine Chew, Lynn's Teacher

"The lyrics of the song speak about being in a relationship knowing that breakup is imminent and unavoidable. Lynn's review was particularly incisive in conveying the sense of order and chaos; and her appreciation of the video’s predominant play on optical illusions."

How has technology affected the types of relationships that people make?

~ excerpted from an essay by Chang Si Yuan (Raffles Institution, Secondary 4 2015)

Technology has also changed the way people interact with businesses and the economy, giving companies more productive workers and even more active patrons. Especially due to developments in the smartphone technology, people are now more connected than they have ever been. Employees can be mobilised to work by the delivery of one text message, due to the omnipresence of a mobile phone signal, not to mention the fact that the internet allows workers to collaborate with others despite geographical boundaries. A lack of depth in relationships has its benefits, such as how the lack of emotion in a text-based message can lead to heightened productivity, without employees being preoccupied with personal sentiments and unclear communication which arise from verbal communication. Even the relationship between corporations and its customers has changed, with companies being able to reach wider audiences via internet advertising, and customers being able to send feedback to economic entities and allowing them to make improvements on products and services– such as how an online petition from students persuaded a Mexican restaurant to serve free water. As such, new relationships shaped by technology with a lack of quality in communication and a wider reach can benefit businesses and the people around them.

Tutor's Comments:

The introduction raises a refreshing stance on the impact of technology on relationships today. Clear thesis statement too.

The first body paragraph raises a popular counterargument on how technology impacts the depth of relationships.

The second paragraph takes on the issue of relationships in commerce.

Linguistically, the essay is written incisively and with clarity.

In the context of social media platforms, comment on the phrase 'oversharing does not equate to honesty'.

~ excerpted from Girvan Tay’s essay (Raffles Junior College, Year 6 2015)

In this technology-enabled day and age, our news feeds are constantly bursting with new posts, opinions, images and the like; yet for the most part, there exists a facade to establish a veneer of happiness and acceptability, sometimes masking a more sinister depression beneath the visages of smiles and cheerful posts. While oversharing, to some extent, does eventually result in greater honesty, it is a more prevalent phenomenon that oversharing does not equate to honesty, due to its masking of the truth on the part of readers and the possible applications available to establish a false image.

The argument exists that oversharing can open the doors to greater honesty. Social media, by its definition, is user-generated, user-regulated media which is policed by an extensive—potentially global–audience. As such, owing to the fact that there are numerous individuals reading and evaluating one’s posts, dishonesty is (theoretically) called out more quickly. This, in turn, can pave the road for greater honesty. Oversharing–or the act of sharing a sizeable chunk of personal information online–is thus compelled by such forces to become a more truthful act, as the more one posts, the more one’s deception can be quickly detected. This can be seen in the example of the debacle involving Amy Cheong, the NTUC executive who was punished severely for one racist remark on her social networking page. Communal policing is thus, to a large extent, effective in quickly seizing the underlying thoughts and opinions that people share online and punishing them for it, should requital be necessary. Moreover, a private US security contractor recently announced that it is developing software to detect variations across an individual’s posts to determine a person’s true intentions and affiliations. This is something which technological moguls such as Facebook or Google can use to customize interfaces for users. Evidently, the more posts one has online, the more one is likely to slip up and reveal his true nature, or similarly, express their true underlying affiliations and thoughts–which can be red-flagged and called out. As such, the individual is compelled to become more truthful, and only post what he truly thinks or feels, in order to avoid unwanted attention or consequences–or avoid posting at all–hence, making for a more truthful nature of posts online.

…

Yet, this argument fails to acknowledge the darker, more insidious nature of social media –that it defines who you are in the eyes of others. A study conducted in the United Kingdom revealed that nearly 60% of teenagers get their first impression of others from the posts on their Facebook page, and increasingly, employees and college admission boards too preview the social media profiles and posts of candidates. Faced with such scrutiny, the motivation to lie, to construct an embellished image of oneself is much higher than what optimists might think, to the extent that people are willing to spend time and effort churning out a slew of carefully manipulated posts in order to boost the image others have of them. This is seen in a recent US-based study which highlights that out of the plethora of happy posts online, there are nearly twice as many sad incidents in these individual’s lives. A Singaporean study by the Nanyang Technological University also revealed that most teenagers rigorously filter and edit their posts online to convey the best possible image of themselves, with ‘sad’ or genuine posts constituting a mere 13% of our news feeds. Evidently, the act of oversharing does not necessarily equate to increased honesty. The instances cited highlight the prevalence of individuals doctoring their posts to show the more favourable versions of themselves. Oversharing one’s opinions and thoughts therefore does not equate to honesty.

…

In conclusion, while dishonesty on social media may occasionally be weeded out, for the most part, the fact that social media is now the go-to platform to learn more about individuals and news, and that people often feel pressured to abide by the optimistic trends that keep such media ‘social’, make the act of oversharing not only inconsistent with honesty, but can also motivate people to be dishonest online.

Tutor's Comments:

Cogently written with clearly expressed arguments.

Good use of varied but concrete evidence to support writer’s assertions.