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Highlight the 4 key takeaways from the discussion.

Share with students that:

We should not depend on others for our defence. That is why Singapore built our defence, based on two pillars: Deterrence and Diplomacy.

Apart from investing in self-defence, small countries need to leverage international networks and multilateral institutions.

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Word Cloud

Elicit students’ feelings on how they feel about the invasion of Ukraine using a word cloud. Alternatively, they could write a word or draw a symbol to express their feelings on a paper and hold it up.

Invite a few students to explain their choice of word or symbol.

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(Diplomacy) Continue to maintain good relations with all countries. Examples include:

Being a member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations (UN). Such organisations provide a platform for members to work together to address challenges together.

Helping other countries in times of crisis by sending humanitarian aid (e.g. raising money and providing relief for affected countries, sending military personnel to aid in rescue efforts, etc)

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Singapore does not have much natural resources

Improve economy and trade

Maintain peace and harmony

To deter other non friendly countries from targeting Singapore

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As Russia bombards cities, Ukrainians fight on

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1. Everyone should have a chance to share.
2. Listen Actively.
3. Respect everyone's opinion.
4. Have the courage to speak openly and honestly.
5. Honour confidentiality.

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Refer students to the ST IN articles ‘Front-line stories: Tennis ace swops racket for rifle’ and ‘Front-line stories: Kindness at the border’ to get students to understand how some Ukrainians have responded to the invasion.

Some possible responses:

Anxiety in leaving behind family members

Fear of what might happen to their loved ones and their country

Sense of duty to protect their country

Compassion towards others in need

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Consolidate the main activity by highlighting that:

Small countries are easily disadvantaged when caught in the middle of contending big powers.

The sovereignty, political independence and the territorial integrity of all countries must be respected. The events in Ukraine have gone against the fundamental norms of international law and the UN Charter that prohibit the use of force and acts of aggression against another sovereign state.

Maintaining good relations allows countries to be at peace and resolve conflicts through negotiation, without resorting to the use of military force or violence.

Even though we value the good relations with Russia and the Russian people, Singapore’s actions are a direct response to the gross violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We should not be afraid to stand up to bigger countries to defend the principles that are core to our long term survival and prosperity.

Glossary: (Definition extracted from ST IN article ‘S'pore speaks up against Russian aggression’)

Sovereignty: Sovereignty means the authority of a country to govern and make decisions for itself.

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How did Singapore Passport manage to achieve visa-free access to 189 countries and become one of the strongest passport in the world?

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How did Singapore Passport manage to achieve visa-free access to 189 countries and become one of the strongest passport in the world?

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Highlight the global reaction, including Singapore’s strong condemnation of Russia’s actions.

Explain to students that in his address, the Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs said the Russian invasion of Ukraine has broken international law and agreements, where nations agree not to use acts of force or aggression against other states. What happened in Ukraine is completely unacceptable.

Share with students that sanctions have been imposed against Russia by countries and some companies have boycotted Russia.

Glossary: (Definition extracted from ST IN article ‘Roots of the conflict: Why Putin wants Ukraine to be part of Russia’)

Sanctions: Sanctions are official orders that limit trade and contact with a particular country in order to make it do something, such as obey international law.

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Invite students to share their thoughts on why the world had responded in this manner.

Some possible responses:

Constrain Russia’s capacity to conduct war against Ukraine

Pressure Russia to stop its acts of aggression towards Ukraine

Impacts of war:

War causes great suffering to the people of a country – loss of lives, homes, shortage of food & clean water, medical supplies; loss of a sense of security; disruption of normal life, fear, uncertainty of the future, etc.

Long-term economic, social and political upheaval & uncertainty

Refugee crisis as growing number of refugees from Ukraine flee to neighbouring countries.

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Main activity: Slide 9 – 12 (Suggested time: 35 mins)

Get students to read ST IN article ‘S’pore speaks up against Russian aggression’ and highlight that they will next further explore Singapore’s responses to the invasion.

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(cont’d)

Aside from military defence, the other pillars of Total Defence are also equally critical. Invite students to think back to their answers in the main activity on the actions taken to maintain unity and cohesion as part of Total Defence.

Making connections:

Refer students to the lesson for Total Defence Day 2022, where the upper secondary levels explored the impacts of hybrid threats on the society.

For Teachers’ Information:

Hybrid Warfare:

In the past, military threats tend to be conventional forms of aggression but this type of warfare has evolved and the threats are now hybrid (a mixture of military force as well as other tactics).

Hybrid threats can have the following characteristics (extracted from ST IN article ‘What is a hybrid threat’):

may not only make use of military force, they also make use of covert, meaning secretive tactics such as spreading disinformation;

exploit existing vulnerability/fault lines within society by seeking to destroy from within, for example by making people panic or have less trust in their country or its systems through tampering with the country’s infrastructure;

originate from different groups or even individuals, such that it is difficult to guard against the threats.

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https://asean.org/about-asean/the-founding-of-asean/

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(Optional Video) A little red dot diplomacy

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(Optional Video) A little red dot diplomacy

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In Secondary 2 Social Studies (Normal Technical) and Upper Secondary Social Studies (Express and Normal Academic), students learn how Total Defence and the building of bilateral and multilateral relationships as part of Singapore’s policy of deterrence and diplomacy help to maintain peace and security in Singapore.

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Get students to watch the video ‘Russia bombards cities, Ukrainians fight on’ (~2mins), which depicts the devastating effects of the invasion on the Ukrainian cities and its people.

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Based on what they had read about the conflict and Singapore’s stance on this invasion, invite students to think about what we can learn from Russian’s invasion of Ukraine.

THINK-PAIR-SHARE encourages students to share their opinions and reasoning with others. As students listen to each other’s ideas, they will better appreciate and understand the different perspectives and opinions held by their peers, promoting empathy.

1. [2 mins] Think: Invite students individually to think about their response to the question.

2. [4 mins] Pair: In pairs, get students to share their responses with their partner.

3. [5 mins] Share: Invite a few pairs to share their discussion points with the class.

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Everyone should have the chance to share

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Everyone should have the chance to share

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Front-line stories- Tennis ace swops racket for rifle

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ST IN 2022 IFD Lesson Slides (Upper Sec)_Final-2

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In this lesson, students will be aware of the situation in Ukraine and articulate their thoughts and feelings about it.

Through examining Singapore’s response to the invasion, students will gain a deeper understanding of Singapore’s stand and reasons for its response by considering the national, regional and global perspectives.

They will also reflect upon the lessons for Singapore and how they can respond as citizens and residents in Singapore.

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Recognise that the contemporary social, political, and economic issues faced by Singapore, the region and the world can affect us at the personal and national level and that we can respond as citizens to these issues and their impact.

Consider personal, social and moral issues from different perspectives (e.g. national, regional and/or global).

Reflect on how, as citizens and residents in Singapore, we can respond to national issues.

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WANDERING FLIPCHARTS encourages students to share their thoughts and responses to a variety of perspectives or ideas. By allowing students the opportunity to respond individually/collectively to ideas presented on different flipcharts, they are able to build on each other’s responses and/or question them to deepen understanding and learning.

[You may wish to use online tools such as SLS or Padlet to collect students’ responses.]

Instructions for Slides 10 and 11:

1. [5 mins] Get students into groups and respond to Question 1 on a piece of flipchart.

2. [3 mins] Students pass the flipcharts in a clockwise manner to the next group for them to read and add on their thoughts.

3. Repeat the process for another 1 to 2 rounds.

4. Return the flipcharts to the original groups for them to study the other points on their flipcharts.

5. Invite some groups to share their thoughts and ideas.

6. Repeat the same process for Question 2.

Some possible responses for Question 1:

Small countries will be in a vulnerable position

Compared to big countries, small countries have less resources to defend itself

The need to be always be on high alert may result in allocating a very big portion of country’s spending on defence, which leaves less for other aspects e.g. healthcare, education, etc.

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In 2021 U.S. and Singapore commemorate 55 years of bilateral relations, we look at how this partnership has played a significant role in Singapore's growth and progress. Even as the economy boomed with American MNCs setting up shop here, Singapore also collaborated with the U.S. in security and defence matters.

In 2020 Singapore and China have signed 10 MOUs and agreements, focussing on working together to thrive in a post-COVID-19 world. The deals mark 30 years of diplomatic ties at the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation.

In 2019 Singapore and Japan have reaffirmed ties during Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan's visit to Japan. He is in Nagoya to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, at the invitation of host nation Japan.

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https://www.mfa.gov.sg/SINGAPORES-FOREIGN-POLICY/International-Organisations/UN

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United Nations (UN) Singapore joined the UN on 21 September 1965 after gaining independence on 9 August 1965. Small states like Singapore now comprise more than half of the UN membership. The UN Charter's principles of sovereign equality, peaceful settlement of disputes, and non-interference in the internal affairs of states are especially important to small states.

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(Optional video) A Little Red Dot Diplomacy 

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(Optional video) A Little Red Dot Diplomacy 

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If raised, teachers should remind their students that it is against our laws for our people to be involved in a war against a country that Singapore is not at war with. If they would like to help, they can make contributions through the Singapore Red Cross.

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Front-line stories- Tennis ace swops racket for rifle

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Singapore has chosen principles, not sides, in taking a strong stand against Russia’s invasion of Uk

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(cont’d)

Some possible responses for Question 2a:

(Deterrence) Continue to build up our military defence to act as a deterrent against aggression from other countries and to defend our national interests.

Examples include: National Service, joint military exercises and operations in the region

(Diplomacy) Continue to maintain good relations with all countries. Examples include:

Being a member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations (UN). Such organisations provide a platform for members to work together to address challenges together.

Helping other countries in times of crisis by sending humanitarian aid (e.g. raising money and providing relief for affected countries, sending military personnel to aid in rescue efforts, etc)

Some possible responses for Question 2b:

Aside from military defence, we can contribute to other pillars of Total Defence. Examples include:

Being vigilant online, discerning when consuming media and information (Psychological and Digital Defence)

Being respectful and sensitive towards people of other race, religion, or nationalities (Social Defence)

Remaining united as a society (Social Defence)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqspVsK5720

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President Biden Welcomes Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore to the White House

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S'pore speaks up against Russian aggression

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Have the courage to speak openly and honestly

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Have the courage to speak openly and honestly

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Singapore has chosen principles, not sides, in taking a strong stand against Russia’s invasion of Uk

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because singapore have limted resources and it's harder to live without resources

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bussiness go down

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we will get invaded easily

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because small countries do not have enough resources to live off on. small countries usually get their resources from others and if there is no agreements itll be harder to survive.

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very easy target to invade

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bigger countries will literally hold the power of that . small countries like us are nothing to to them . could easily conquer us if they want .

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i can go ns early

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Because small countries do not have enough resources to live off

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russia or other countries can easily invade us and we have little to no resources

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Because small countries have less resources so we rely on bigger countries for more resources.

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because smaller countries would be easier to invade, they have lesser protection and over all the whole city could be destroyed with a few major bombings.

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start closing the invaded country

ask them to stop

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we can use resources carefully and make sure to not create any problem against other countries

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it be dangerous as singapore is a easy country to invade because our country is small

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by not causing any arguments

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Smaller countries would have limited food supplies and when other countries invade, there would be no food left for the people to eat

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yes,it would be dangerous for small countries  like singapore as that singapore compared to the countries such russia,singapore is rather small and that we do not have as much manpower as compared to other countries.

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it would be dangerous for small countries as it is easier to lose against big countries

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do what the government ask us to do . basically following the government instructions

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it is easy for countries to invade Singapore

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i can play my part by not wasting any resources that given to us

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small countries like singapore can easily be invaded at any time,due to our small size even a single bomb dropped by another huge country can wipe out atleast 78.5% of the population in  this country.

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We can work together as a nation, as one country. We do have limited resources but if we put in our whole strenght to defend and protect ourselves then we might at least have half a chance to protect and defend our own country.