STELLAR (MOE, Singapore)
STELLAR stands for “Strategies for English Language Learning and Reading”. It is an English instructional programme developed for primary schools that enables us to teach our children the critical life skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in English through effective and engaging strategies that are developmentally appropriate.

The programme employs the following strategies:

Shared Book Approach (SBA)

The teacher introduces and shares a Big Book with the pupils. Students are then taught language items, structures and skills explicitly, including concepts of print, phonics and grammar.

Modified Language Experience Approach (MLEA)

Students experience bubble blowing before writing about it

Engagement in the above activity provides the context and content for the children to think and talk about, using the target language structures and vocabulary they have been exposed to in SBA.

With the help of the teacher who transcribes the children's input, the pupils come up with a piece of class writing. This becomes the basis for group writing, when the children work in small groups, before they go on to individual writing.

Learning Centres (LC)
The language skills learnt in both SBA and MLEA are reinforced in the Learning Centres (LC). In LC, activities are planned and differentiated for the pupils in three main learning centres – the Reading Centre, the Word Study Centre and the Listening Centre. Pupils have the opportunity to re-learn, revisit or extend what they have learnt at their own pace and in differentiated ability groups.

STELLAR at Lower Primary
Learning Support Programme (LSP)
LSP is a literacy support programme initiated by MOE that caters to the needs of our struggling readers. Students in this programme are given additional support in reading to keep up with the standard EL curriculum. The lessons are conducted by a trained Learning Support Coordinator (LSC).
Reading Intervention Programme
Students who are not identified for LSP but appear to require greater support in reading are enrolled into this reading programme initiated by the school. The aim of this programme is to provide students with specific and additional reading instruction to boost their reading ability.
Holistic English Literacy Programme (HELP)
This community-based learning programme was initiated so as to empower students to use their learning in service to the community.

The service learning activities are represented in different forms amongst the three learner blocks: lower primary, middle primary and upper primary. The activities are further categorised into direct service, indirect service, and advocacy.

Some examples of activities conducted in this programme are listed below:

Primary 2: Students capture their journey this far in the new school by creating brochures and newsletters for the new incoming Primary 1 cohort. These texts are used to educate the primary 1 students of the events that await them along with advice on how to succeed as a primary 1 student.

English Fiesta
The annual English Fiesta is held with the aim of creating opportunities for our students to learn and celebrate the English language in various forms.

Students are immersed in an array of indoor as well as outdoor activities. Some of these activities include games carnival, authors’ display, poetry appreciation, oral comprehension task and literature appreciation. The carefully crafted activities create a meaningful context for language use while increasing learner motivation.

School-Based Curriculum
The department has put together a series of programmes to complement STELLAR, so as to enhance the teaching and learning of the English language.

1 .	Literature-Based Instruction	Literature-based instruction is the type of instruction in which authors' original narrative and expository works are used as the core for experiences to support children in developing literacy. In addition to STELLAR lessons students are exposed to authentic and rich models of language through the incorporation of mentor texts in teaching reading, writing, listening and speaking. The texts also serve to inculcate creative and critical thinking in our students.
2 .	Learning Journeys	Primary 1 students heading to the Singapore Zoo to learn more about animals. This journey is in line with the mini-research they will be conducting on animals.
3 .	Choral Reading Show &Tell/Poetry Recitation	In our constant strive to improve the spoken ability of our students, children are exposed to a series of speaking activities.