National Education
Discover how First Toa Payoh Primary School brings National Education to life through hands-on learning journeys, cultural activities, and community programmes that build students' pride in Singapore.
In First Toa Payoh Primary School, the school approach NE through an experiential approach by engaging the Heads, Hearts and Hands of our students and staff.
Engaging Heads – Know, Think and Understand
In engaging the “Head”, students actively involved in the learning of Singapore story and explicit teaching of the NE messages is seen through the integration of NE in the various lessons and commemoration of NE events.
The sharing of current affairs is another avenue to share the messages and seized teachable moments. NE wall in school and educational resources help to reinforce the messages and lessons learnt.
Engaging Hearts – Love, Appreciate and Belong
In engaging the “Heart”, students connect emotionally with the Singapore story, develop love for their nation and cultivate a sense of belonging and rootedness to Singapore. This is done so through various platforms such as NE learning journeys, attending Chingay and NE shows, commemorating the four core NE events and celebrating the four ethnic festivals.
Being in a school, which is culturally diverse, there are more opportunities for celebrating and appreciating the cultural differences among the students. Engaging in internationalisation programme by sending our students overseas and hosting groups of overseas students help to strengthen the cultural ties of Singapore.
Engaging Hands – Contribute, Create and Lead
In engaging the “Hand”, our students are given the opportunities to contribute to the community. Through the different Values-In-Action projects, students plan and decide on ways to show care and love to the school, community and the environment.
Programmes
The school's approach to Character Education is aligned to the Social Studies Syllabus. The Social Studies curriculum aims to prepare our students to be citizens of tomorrow by helping them to better understand the interconnectedness in Singapore and the world they love in, and appreciate the complexities of the human experience.
Tagging on the students’ social life and experiences, Social Studies seeks to ignite students’ curiosity to inquire into real-world issues that concern their lives. Through inquiry and authentic learning experiences, the thematic-based curriculum helps students to attain relevant knowledge and understanding of these issues, develop critical and reflective thinking skills and appreciate multiple perspectives.
Social Studies seeks to inculcate in students a deeper understanding of values that define the Singapore society and nurture dispositions to show concern for the world they live in and demonstrate empathy in their relationships with others.
The curriculum therefore envisions the Social Studies student as an informed, concerned and participative citizen who is competent in quality decision-making with an impassioned spirit to contribute responsibly in the world he/she lives in.
P1 to P2 Programmes
P1 Social Studies Learning Journey to the Neighbourhood and Jacob Ballas
A walk around the neighbourhood provides the authentic learning experiences for students to develop an appreciation for the places and around them.
Learning Journey to Jacob Ballas provides opportunities for students to extend their learning beyond classroom. Students learn about the plants there using their senses, especially their sense of smell and touch, exploring and appreciating the environment around them.
P2 Social Studies Learning Journey to Orchid Garden
Learning Journey to National Orchid Garden provides opportunities for students to extend their learning beyond classroom. This learning experiences provide opportunities for students to learn more about the orchids grown in Singapore and the national symbols.
P3 to P4 Programmes
P3 Social Studies Learning Journey to Land Transport Authority (LTA) Gallery
To enable students to conduct hands-on exploration and have the opportunity for multi-sensory experiences, the P3 students will make a trip to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) Gallery to learn about Singapore’s physical environment; land use in Singapore and how Singapore manages its resources to meet the needs of the country.
P4 Social Studies Heritage Trail
To bring history to live for the students, the P4 students will go on a heritage trail to develop an understanding of what life was like in the part and the role of settlers in shaping what Singapore is today. Through the various hands-on learning experiences, students not only get to explore the places but at the same time, learning the culture and observing the people in that area.
P5 to P6 Programmes
P5 Social Studies to Asian Civilisation Museum
To provide a richer learning experiences, bringing artefacts in the textbooks live, the P5 students will go on a trip to the Asian Civilisation Museum to observe and students the artefacts of the past. They will also have an opportunity to learn about how people lived in the past, the rich cultural heritage of different parts of Asia and what present-day societies have inherited from civilisations of the past.
P5 National Education Show
Every year, the P5 students will have the opportunity to experience the National Day Parade. Not only do they take this chance to bond with their friends, the students also celebrate together as a nation on another year of nation building and understand the meaning behind the commemorating this important day.
P6 Overseas Learning Journey to Malacca
Students learn through direct interaction with an environment that reflects the concepts. With that, the P6 students will have the opportunity to go on an Overseas Learning Journey to Malacca, to experience the rich heritage culture, construct new knowledge, and make connections to the topics learnt in school.