Teachers' Reflections on P4 English IPW by Wellington Primary School

Fadilah, 4F

wps2026 — 2025-05-27 05:09:39 UTC

The hands-on nature of growing the green bean plant engaged the students meaningfully and gave them a real sense of ownership over their learning. They were excited to observe the plant's growth each day, which naturally led to rich class discussions and vocabulary building. Although, unfortunately, their plants soon withered and died. Nevertheless, this experiential learning helped them make stronger connections when writing their personal recounts, as they had authentic experiences to draw from.

What also went well was how students were able to relate the project to bigger issues such as global warming and Singapore’s green planting movement. These discussions deepened their understanding and made their writing more reflective and purposeful. The success of the facilitation was largely due to the clear structure of the booklet, timely check-ins, and the integration of environmental themes (this was also covered in the P3 Social Studies curriculum which they experienced last year) with English writing skills, which made learning more relevant and engaging for them.

Fadilah, 4F

wps2026 — 2025-05-27 05:11:33 UTC

One challenge was that some students struggled to articulate their experiences in writing, especially those who were less confident in English. While they enjoyed the hands-on aspect of growing the plant, transferring those observations into a coherent personal recount required additional scaffolding. I found myself needing to provide more writing frames and sentence starters to support them.

Another challenge was time management. With limited curriculum time, it was a stretch to balance the demands of the IPW alongside core syllabus coverage. Some students also needed more time to reflect meaningfully on broader themes like global warming and the SG Green movement.

To improve the IPW process, it would be helpful to have pre-prepared writing scaffolds aligned to the project stages, and perhaps tiered resources for different student profiles. A bank of shared lesson ideas or sample texts could also support teachers in integrating content and language more effectively. Allocating designated IPW periods or integrating it into EL units could further ease time constraints.

Celine Chong, 4C

celine_chong_xue_ying — 2025-05-27 05:23:35 UTC

Students were able to provide clear verbal responses and accurately recall the steps involved in growing the green bean plant. They demonstrated critical thinking by considering the consequences of unfair practices and explaining the importance of ensuring a fair competition. In addition, students took ownership of their plants by watering them regularly and recording their height on alternate days. Their sense of responsibility and attachment to their plants was evident when they created signs to remind others not to touch them, or tried to salvage their plants when they showed signs of dying.