A Fortnight Dedicated to the Appreciation of our Mother Tongues
The Mother Tongue Language Fortnight (MTLF) organised by the Mother Tongue Department took place between 29 March and 9 April 2021. This year’s MTLF comprised a series of activities ranging from online sharing sessions by experts, craft-making and asynchronous lessons to poetry and essay competitions, all with a focus on the respective MT languages and culture.
Much thought was put into curating the activities so that students would find the programmes engaging on all levels. One of the more light-hearted segments was a fun video on translation errors put together by the JC2 H2 Translation students for the H1 Chinese Language students. Other modules for the Chinese Language students included a review on recommended movies, and a sharing on Cantonese culture which, to the delight of students, ended with a tasting of a traditional Cantonese pastry – Laopo Bing, or Wife Cake.
The Malay Language students brought out their creative side as they organised a poetry writing competition as a follow up to the Dikir Barat enrichment module. For the Tamil Language students, activities included writing a review for a short story, designing a traditional lamp as well as bonding with their classmates over Thinnai Vilaiyaatu, a multi-player game typically played on the veranda of traditional houses.
The activities were carried out during curriculum time in the individual classes to keep to the requirements of the Safe Management Measures. Despite this constraint, students thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with their classmates while learning about the different cultures.
The annual event concluded on a creative note with a lesson on traditional ethnic arts to engage all JC1 students during the Civics period.
