Gita and Ramani are two girls who find themselves caught between two worlds - the modern Singapore with more wealth, luxuries, and a pressure to gain approval from the whole world, and a fading past of wet markets, working on weekends, and tradition. Whilst Ramani is comfortable straddling both worlds, Gita struggles much more with … Continue reading ‘LIVE! At the Wet Market’ Gist Notes
‘Fireworks’ Gist Notes [How We Live Now]
Fireworks by Dave Chua - From the anthology 'How We Live Now' by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow The narrator and protagonist is a teenage girl reflecting on the males in her life and how they impose themselves upon her. This is a simplified set of notes – a gist, in effect – of the text, to help … Continue reading ‘Fireworks’ Gist Notes [How We Live Now]
‘Close to Home’ Gist Notes [How We Live Now]
Close to Home by Jinny Koh - from the anthology How We Live Now by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow Nicky is sent to live with his neighbour because his parents are overwhelmed by his mother's cancer treatments, work, and other responsibilities. There, he experiences a different way of living, and observes Auntie Loh and how she manages … Continue reading ‘Close to Home’ Gist Notes [How We Live Now]
‘Painting the Tiger’ Gist Notes [How We Live Now]
These are free gist notes - really short, summarised notes to give you the gist - of the short story 'Painting the Tiger' by Philip Jeyaretnam. They aren't everything you need to know, but they exist to give you a start as you begin to understand the text. At the end, I collate the evidence … Continue reading ‘Painting the Tiger’ Gist Notes [How We Live Now]
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed – Complete Notes
Hello all! I am creating this post as a compilation of all the notes I've created for the Literature Anthology "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed" (lower secondary Literature text). If I do create more notes for this text, I will list them here making it easy for everyone to access them. Perfecting Pratas - … Continue reading Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed – Complete Notes
Hook and Eye – Complete Study Notes
Hello, If you're studying the anthology "Hook and Eye: Stories from the Margins", you would have realised that only a few notes have been put up. If you have not, here they are: Everest The Borrowed Boy Cave Man The Boy with the Missing Thumb Sophia's Party Hook And Eye Reflection Framework If you'd like … Continue reading Hook and Eye – Complete Study Notes
Student Plays by Desmond Sim – Brief Annotations
To all who are working on this text, I've done up the annotations for the following: Drunken Prawns MRT Shrimps in Space Teochew Porridge The Durian Man and his Daughters Perfecting Pratas If I do find time during the holidays, I might consider working on the annotations for the rest of the plays as well. … Continue reading Student Plays by Desmond Sim – Brief Annotations
Hook and Eye – Everest Reflection Notes
Everest is a short story about dreams and the ability to make our dreams come true in Singapore, no matter how impossible. It also presents to us the perspective of an immigrant family and their unintentional integration and adaptation to Singapore society. As with the Reflections Framework I have shared previously, these notes have been … Continue reading Hook and Eye – Everest Reflection Notes
Literary Devices to Know: Lower Secondary & Elective Literature
Hello!!The last time I did this was years ago and it was a very simplified package. Here's a new, updated version. Even if you don't care about literature, these literary devices can be useful to know to help you answer English comprehension questions (e.g. How is the language used unusual and effective, what is ironic … Continue reading Literary Devices to Know: Lower Secondary & Elective Literature
Literary Devices to Know: IB & O Levels Pure Literature
Hello!!The last time I did this was years ago, and I did not put together a package for Upper Secondary Pure Literature Students or those in IB. So, here it is! Now, I know that IB Language Arts/Literary Arts is vastly different from O Levels Pure Literature. That said, it does not change the fact … Continue reading Literary Devices to Know: IB & O Levels Pure Literature
Teacher Jo 