7. “…was always a
friend to
Britain…and many
British Prime
Ministers
benefited from his
wise advice,
including me.”
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom
Mr David Cameron
8. “ … old friend of the Chinese people.”
President of the People’s Republic of China
Mr Xi Jinping
17. “The greatest tribute that
Singaporeans can pay him is …
to make Singapore an even
better home.”
President Tony Tan
18. Reflections
1. Which tribute was the most
meaningful to me? Why?
2. What can I do to show my love for
my nation, just as Mr Lee Kuan
Yew did?
3. What can I do to make my country
a better home?
Photo courtesy of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.
Note to teacher
This lesson is a follow-up from the first JIT resource materials on Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s passing, where students learnt about:
Mr Lee as a person;
his contributions to Singapore; and
the attitudes and values that guided him in his work towards nation-building.
Tributes have poured in from Singaporeans and the rest of the world. Through this lesson, students will:
be inspired by Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s commitment to serve our nation;
consider his impact on Singaporeans and others; and
reflect on how they can build on Mr Lee’s legacy and contribute to our nation.
You may wish to customise these materials according to the needs of your students.
References for teacher
For regular updates:
Official Remembering Lee Kuan Yew Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RememberingLeeKuanYew
Instagram @RememberingLeeKuanYew
Official website http://www.RememberingLeeKuanYew.sg/
Video clips of interviews and tributes
Channel NewsAsia http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
Photo Courtesy of the Ministry of Communications and Information
Note to teacher
Ask pupils if they have heard about the red box and what it meant for Mr Lee. Share with them Minister Heng’s write-up on the red box.
It can be downloaded from his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hengsweekeat/posts/870264306345429:0
Share some of the excerpts of Mr Lee’s life from Minister Heng’s Facebook post.
Get students to share which of these stories about Mr Lee they enjoyed the most and why.
Additional information:
Mr Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Education, served as Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s Principal Private Secretary. He tells the story about Mr Lee’s red box which was a large, boxy briefcase, about fourteen centimetres wide. This red box held what Mr Lee was working on at any one time. Through the years, it held his papers, speech drafts, letters, readings, and a whole range of questions, reflections, and observations.
Photo courtesy of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.
Note to teacher
Share with pupils the other tributes about Mr Lee from world leaders.
Note to teacher
Show pupils that tributes came from many parts of the world such as United States of America, United Kingdom, India, China, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Source: David Cameron official by Unknown from the 10 Downing Street Website. Licensed under OGL via Wikimedia Commons.
Note to teacher
Ask: What do you think Prime Minister Cameron meant when he called Mr Lee “a friend to Britain”? What do friends do?
Share that Mr Lee was a very intelligent man, well-read and knew a lot about Asia and the world. He gave advice to many Prime Ministers in United Kingdom. As a friend, he helped them to understand Asia better.
Photo courtesy of the High Commission of India in Singapore.
Note to teacher
Ask: What does the phrase “a lion among leaders” mean? Why do you think he describes Mr Lee as “a lion among leaders”?
Share that Mr Lee was a courageous man who was not afraid to do what was right. He is highly regarded among the leaders in Asia and the rest of the world.
Photo courtesy of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.
Note to teacher
Invite pupils to take a few minutes to reflect on how the world leaders have used to describe Mr Lee.
Photo courtesy of Telok Kurau Primary School.
Note to teacher
Share with pupils that Singaporeans also respect Mr Lee highly.
Show the next slide on what some Singaporeans have shared about Mr Lee.
Note to teacher
Read the tributes from Singaporeans.
Note to teacher
Read the tributes from Singaporeans.
Photos courtesy of Ong Yi Teck.
Note to teacher
Explain to pupils that a student by the name of Ong Yi Teck paid tribute to Mr Lee by doing a portrait made off the name Lee Kuan Yew written 18 000 times. Yi Teck took 15 hours to complete the drawing.
As he drew the picture, it reminded him that Singapore’s success was due to Mr Lee’s dedication and perseverance.
Note to teacher
Get students to reflect individually on:
Which tribute was the most meaningful to me? Why?
What can I do to show my love for my nation, just as Mr Lee Kuan Yew did?
What can I do to make my country a better home?
Have them express their ideas through words or drawings or any other creative means.
Photo courtesy of Singapore Press Holdings Ltd.
Encourage pupils to watch the State Funeral Service which will be broadcast live on television on Sunday at 2pm with their family and friends.
Note to teacher
With the passing of Mr Lee, the Prime Minister has declared a period of National Mourning from 23 March (Monday) to 29 March (Sunday).
As a mark of respect for the late Mr Lee, the State flags on all government buildings will be flown at half-mast during this period.
Mr Lee’s body is lying in state at Parliament House from 25 Mar (Wednesday) to 28 Mar (Saturday), for the public to pay their respects.
The lying in state at Parliament House will be open 24 hours daily from today until 28 Mar 2015, 8.00pm.
A State Funeral Service will be held at 2pm on 29 Mar (Sunday) at the University Cultural Centre, National University of Singapore.