Where is this?

What is this?
Singapore is the English word for "Singapura",
which means Lion City. This word originated when
Sang Nila Utama, an Indonesian prince, set sail
and discovered Singapore. He saw what he
thought was a lion, (which was actually a tiger) on
the island running at great speed, and since that
was the first thing he saw on the island, he decided
to name it Lion City, or Singapura.

A merlion is a creature with the body of a fish and

the head of a lion. It is also the national icon of
Singapore. It symbolizes Singapore’s origin as a
small fishing village and also the city’s original
name of Singapura, which means Lion City.
Complete research slides about Singapore
In pairs / groups of three create a slide deck about your topic
You can use these links or do your own research

History of Singapore Maya’s & Bander

Singapore Facts Fouad’s

Singapore Culture Tessa’s

Singapore Flag Natasha’s

Singapore Wildlife Ryan’s

Singapore Food Faisal’s

Singapore Economy Bashir’s

Life in Singapore Riya’s

TASK - complete the vocabulary worksheet

dappled squall bumboats

sinews loam swilling

runes swaddled keris

saplings pulmonary unsheathed

L.O. To understand how Amanda Chong feels about her homeland in ‘Lion Heart’

L.O. To evaluate the writer’s techniques in ‘Lion Heart’

Think Now:

This is the title of

our next poem

With the
knowledge of
what we learned
about Singapore,
Lion Heart
and the
vocabulary
definitions, what
do you think it
could be about?
Read the poem
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong

You came out of the sea, In the jungle, amid rasping branches,

skin dappled scales of sunlight; trees loosened their shadows to shroud you.

Riding crests, waves of fish in your fists. The prince beheld you then, a golden sheen.

Washed up, your gills snapped shut. Your eyes, two flickers; emerald blaze

Water whipped the first breath of your lungs, You settled back on fluent haunches;

Your lips’ bud teased by morning mists. The squall of a beast. your roar, your call.

You conquered the shore, its ivory coast. In crackling boats, seeds arrived, wind-blown,

Your legs still rocked with the memory of waves. You summoned their colours to the palm

Sinews of sand ran across your back- of your hand, folded them snugly into loam,

Rising runes of your oceanic origins. watched saplings swaddled in green,

Your heart thumped- an animal skin drum as they sunk roots, spawned shade,

heralding the coming of a prince. and embraced the land that embraced them.
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong

Centuries, by the sea’s pulmonary, Remember your keris, iron lightning

a vein throbbing humming bumboats – ripping through tentacles of waves,

your trees rise as skyscrapers. double-edged, curved to a point-

Their ankles lost in swilling water,

as they heave themselves higher flung high and caught unsheathed, scattering

above the mirrored surface. five stars in the red tapestry of your sky.

Remember your self: your raw lion heart,

Each beat a stony echo that washes

through ribbed vaults of buildings.

Read the poem silently
 A
B C

Think Now: Can you list the images in the order

in which they appear in ‘Lion Heart’?

E
D F
 1
2 3

Tell someone near you about the poem ‘Lion Heart’ using the images to help you

5
4 8
Copy down the version of the sentence you agree with

‘Lion Heart’ is a positive / negative poem about Singapore.

Amanda Chong believes Singapore should remember / forget its origins and
history.

The poem is written in first person / second person / third person.

Chong is speaking directly to Singapore as a country, but also to

Singaporeans / orangutans / the whole world.
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong L.O. To evaluate the writer’s techniques in ‘Lion Heart’

DO NOW - Re-read ‘Lion Heart’

Which parts of the poem are difficult to understand?
Which parts of the poem do you like?
Which parts don’t you like?
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong

You came out of the sea, In the jungle, amid rasping branches,

skin dappled scales of sunlight; trees loosened their shadows to shroud you.

Riding crests, waves of fish in your fists. The prince beheld you then, a golden sheen.

Washed up, your gills snapped shut. Your eyes, two flickers; emerald blaze

Water whipped the first breath of your lungs, You settled back on fluent haunches;

Your lips’ bud teased by morning mists. The squall of a beast. your roar, your call.

You conquered the shore, its ivory coast. In crackling boats, seeds arrived, wind-blown,

Your legs still rocked with the memory of waves. You summoned their colours to the palm

Sinews of sand ran across your back- of your hand, folded them snugly into loam,

Rising runes of your oceanic origins. watched saplings swaddled in green,

Your heart thumped- an animal skin drum as they sunk roots, spawned shade,

heralding the coming of a prince. and embraced the land that embraced them.
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong

Centuries, by the sea’s pulmonary, Remember your keris, iron lightning

a vein throbbing humming bumboats – ripping through tentacles of waves,

your trees rise as skyscrapers. double-edged, curved to a point-

Their ankles lost in swilling water,

as they heave themselves higher flung high and caught unsheathed, scattering

above the mirrored surface. five stars in the red tapestry of your sky.

Remember your self: your raw lion heart,

Each beat a stony echo that washes

through ribbed vaults of buildings.

 1
2 3

Tell someone near you about the poem ‘Lion Heart’ using the images and your annotations to help you

5
4 8
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong EXT - Annotate any other Underline / highlight all of the s or sh
techniques you notice sounds in the first stanza

You came out of the sea,

skin dappled scales of sunlight; Sibilance
Riding crests, waves of fish in your fists. Why do you think Chong used
Washed up, your gills snapped shut. sibilance here?

Water whipped the first breath of your lungs,

Your lips’ bud teased by morning mists.
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong EXT - Annotate any other
techniques you notice

Centuries, by the sea’s pulmonary, What do you think ‘the sea’s

pulmonary’ could be?
a vein throbbing humming bumboats –
your trees rise as skyscrapers.
Their ankles lost in swilling water,
Metaphor
as they heave themselves higher
above the mirrored surface. What does this vocabulary
choice suggest?
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong EXT - Annotate any other
techniques you notice

Centuries, by the sea’s pulmonary, How are trees and skyscrapers

similar?
a vein throbbing humming bumboats –
your trees rise as skyscrapers.
Their ankles lost in swilling water,
Imagery / Metaphor
as they heave themselves higher
above the mirrored surface. What does this vocabulary
choice suggest?
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong EXT - Annotate any other
techniques you notice

Remember your self: your raw lion heart, What type of word is
‘remember’?
Each beat a stony echo that washes
What is it called when used as
through ribbed vaults of buildings. an instruction?

Imperative verb

Why has Chong written the

line in that way? How does it
sound?
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong L.O. To evaluate the writer’s techniques in ‘Lion Heart’

How does Chong feel about Singapore? How

does she present her feelings in the poem?
Point: a sentence that answers the question
Evidence: how is the writer doing this (quote)
Technique: identify a technique the writer has used
Analysis: explain how the writer has used this technique
Link back to question / what the reader feels / understands
How does Chong feel about Singapore? How
does she present her feelings in the poem?
‘You came out of the sea, /
skin dappled scales of
sunlight’
Chong feels that Singapore’s
beginnings had great potential as it
emerged from the sea.
We can see this in the line ‘You
came out of the sea, / skin
dappled scales of sunlight’
The sibilance here
suggests the soft sound of the sea.
The noun ‘sunlight’ creates a sense of
a new beginning like the sunrise. The
reader might feel hopeful and joyful
about the way the country began.
Point: a sentence that answers the question
Chong feels that …
Evidence: how is the writer doing this (quote)

Technique: identify a technique the writer has used We can see this in the line
Analysis: explain how the writer has used this technique

Link back to question / what the reader feels / understands The suggests

How does Chong feel about Singapore? How

does she present her feelings in the poem?

‘The sea’s pulmonary’

The reader would understand / feel...
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong L.O. To evaluate the writer’s techniques in ‘Lion Heart’

How does Chong feel about Singapore? How

does she present her feelings in the poem?
Copy paste our class
paragraph from slides on to
your doc

Type your own paragraph(s)

about different idea(s) /
quote(s) in the poem

You could use slides 26 and

27 to help you
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong L.O. To improve my paragraph(s) and expand them into a full essay

How does Chong feel about Singapore? How does she present
her feelings in the poem?

Copy paste our class paragraph

from slides on to your doc
DO NOW: Open your Lion
Heart practice essay doc -
Type your own paragraph(s)
about different idea(s) / quote(s) in re-read your paragraph and
the poem
your feedback
You could use the ideas for
quotations later in this slide deck
 Reading Analysis Success Criteria

1 Point Begin paragraph with a sentence that answers the question

2 Evidence Include a quote from the text with ‘quotation marks’

3 Technique Identify techniques - language / word type / structure

4 Analysis Explain how the technique helps you infer meaning - zoom in on
single words and / or explain in detail

5 Link Link your analysis to reader response (thoughts / feelings) /

Link back to the question
WAGOLL paragraph How does Chong feel about Singapore? How does she present her
feelings in the poem?

Chong feels that the way that Singapore is now, there has been a lot of evolution
and change. We can see this in the line ‘your trees rise as skyscrapers.’ The
juxtaposition in this line shows us that Amanda has described the nature of
Singapore as turning into a place of modernity. The verb ‘rise’ helps us picture the
trees being chopped down only to grow back as buildings, tourists sights and
more city-like landscapes. The reader might understand that the Singapore that is
known and loved may not have always been the same tourist destination, but a
home to nature and animal habitats as well.
Lion Heart - Amanda Chong L.O. To improve my paragraph(s) and expand them into a full essay

TASKS:
Literature Essay Success Criteria

Begin essay with a short introduction - one or two sentences that summarise 1. Add an introduction
Introduction your answer to the question In ‘Lion Heart’ Amanda Chong
suggests Singapore is / has …
2+ PETAL paragraphs using the structure below:
Main Body Aim to cover a range of points and a range of techniques
2. Make edits to improve
1 Point Begin paragraph with a sentence that answers the question your paragraph(s) based
on feedback and / or your
2 Evidence Include a quote from the text with ‘quotation marks’
understanding of the
3 Technique Identify techniques - language / word type / structure success criteria in red

4 Analysis Explain how the technique helps you infer meaning - zoom in on single words and / 3. Add a conclusion
or explain in detail
Overall / Fundamentally, Chong
5 Link Link your analysis to reader response (thoughts / feelings) / Link back to the suggests that her homeland is /
question has / needs to … She
encourages us to think about…
One or two sentences that develop the summary of your answer to the
Conclusion question.
EXT: Add a further PETAL to
your main body about a
different part of the poem
Point: a sentence that answers the question
Chong feels that …
Evidence: how is the writer doing this (quote)

Technique: identify a technique the writer has used We can see this in the line
Analysis: explain how the writer has used this technique

Link back to question / what the reader feels / understands The suggests

How does Chong feel about Singapore? How

does she present her feelings in the poem?

‘your trees rise as skyscrapers’

The reader would understand / feel...

EXT: Write a further paragraph that answers the question based on a quotation of your choice
Point: a sentence that answers the question
Chong feels that …
Evidence: how is the writer doing this (quote)

Technique: identify a technique the writer has used We can see this in the line
Analysis: explain how the writer has used this technique

Link back to question / what the reader feels / understands The suggests

How does Chong feel about Singapore? How

does she present her feelings in the poem?

‘Remember your self: your raw lion heart’

The reader would understand / feel...

EXT: Write a further paragraph that answers the question based on a quotation of your choice