In September 2018, What’s Up launched a new ten-part series, “Regardless of Race”. Every MOE school in Singapore has been receiving a set of resources — a poster of the What’s Up article and a couple of IDEAS activities that go with it — for each instalment. You can also view these resources below. This series is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
What’s Up articles and IDEAS activities
Only one Singapore, so let’s share it (page 9, What’s Up August 2019) –
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Likening racial harmony to musical harmony, this article wraps up the series “Regardless of Race” by explaining that racial harmony needs us to be more open to differences.
Game: Look Beyond Looks – For CCE & English, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Whole class. To value diverse others at a deeper level. A guessing game where clues are restricted to words and deeds rather than physical appearances.
Conversations Through Art – For CCE & Art, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To gain a deeper understanding of casual racism as a social issue. Guiding questions for reflecting on the illustrations used in this series.
You can decide to fight discrimination (page 15, What’s Up July 2019) –
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To be truly one united people, celebrating diversity is not enough. Even focusing on harmony alone will not do. We have to face and fight discrimination.
Diversity Crossword — For English, Level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To engage more deeply in this series of articles. Puzzle of over 25 words with easy clues.
My Anti-discrimination Plan — For CCE & English, Level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To develop personal goals that value Singapore’s socio-cultural diversity. A worksheet for guiding discussion on what each student commits to do and when.
Help all kids feel they belong (page 15, What’s Up June 2019) –
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About hidden biases and cultural blind spots that can creep into events such as Racial Harmony Day celebrations. Side bar “A sense of self” explains that aspect of identity development. ?
A Closer Look at Biases – For CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To increase awareness of racial biases. Students add two anecdotes to the given three to: (i) speculate about likely biases (ii) suggest ways to eliminate them. ?
Inclusive Artwork in Singapore – For CCE & Art, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To better understand the impact of images. (1) Student respond to three questions relating to the article’s illustration. (2) Each group presents a sampler of the most inclusive artwork they found that reflects the spirit of multicultural Singapore. ?
Some words hurt. Put them in the dustbin (page 17, What’s Up May 2019) –
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Part of our “Regardless of Race” series, this article looks at racial slurs and other words that hurt.
From Many Standpoints – For CCE & English, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To become more aware of cultural blind spots. Steps for conducting a round-robin exercise followed by a gallery walk and whole-class discussion.
Clean Up Your Classroom! – For CCE & English, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To increase the use of more gracious language. Students decide whether words heard amongst peers should be discarded or treasured.
Just joking? But not all jokes are fun for all (page 19, What’s Up April 2019) –
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The sixth in our Regardless of Race series, this time we look at the differences between healthy and unhealthy humour. Side bars: “What you can do”, “Dr Seuss chose humour”, and “Clown doctors”.
A Closer Look at Sarcasm – For CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To be more aware of sarcasm as a form of verbal aggression. Students reflect on the motives and outcomes of sarcasm, and then propose solutions to given anecdotes.
Say “No” to Racial Jokes – For CCE & Drama, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To develop interpersonal skills for growing respectful relationships. A role-playing exercise: students take turns at being mean jokers, victims, and observers.
Don’t trap people in racial boxes (page 15, What’s Up March 2019) –
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In our “Regardless of Race series, this month’s focus is on racial discrimination that is related to low-status occupations associated with some ethnic minorities. Introduces racial literacy.
With Hearts and Minds — For CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To learn about racial literacy. Students are to respond to four reflection questions after viewing a video by two teens about their racial literacy project.
Dignity of Labour — For CCE & Social Studies, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To value all honest work. Each group lists six jobs at school, and finds out more about one of them. PowerPoint slides provided for whole-class sharing of responses. PP SLIDES
Get used to people’s different appearances (page 19, What’s Up February 2019) –
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Fourth in our “Regardless of Race” series, this month we focus on racial discrimination based on physical appearances including facial features, hair texture, and body shape and size.
Five Ways I Can Help — For CCE & English, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To learn more about racial discrimination. The student first imagines what four animal victims feel, and then suggest strategies for reducing discrimination amongst peers.
Quick Poll: Body Images — CCE & Math, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To experience using a scientific method for exploring social phenomena. Steps for a survey of peers’ body images. Bar charts are used to share results.
Fairer is better? That’s not fair! (page 19, What’s Up January 2019) –
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The third in our series on racial discrimination, the focus is on colourism. Includes tips on how to help fight discrimination against dark-skinned people.
Storybook Power – For Eng, Art & CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To express creativity for a worthy cause. Each group reviews a relevant storybook/song, creates and reads to younger kids an original picture book.
Firm, Kind & Caring – For CCE & English, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To better understand the power of wisely-selected words. Using the scenario in the article, a worksheet on speaking firmly in a kind and caring way to address racism.
Spotting racial discrimination (page 15, What’s Up October 2018) –
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To be able to treat all people fairly, we must first know what racial discrimination looks like. Six scenarios from everyday life illustrate the many faces of racial discrimination.
STRONG together — For English & CCE, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To explore the ethos of just and caring communities. Each group constructs and performs a skit that illustrates how the six victims in the story help one another.
Stop Rewind Go — For English and CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Whole class. To better understand that life’s scripts can be rewritten. A brainstorming activity to convert the six given anecdotes into ideal scenarios.
A promise to treat all races fairly (page 11, What’s Up September 2018) –
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Explains the ICERD and why world leaders decided they must have a stronger-worded document than the UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights). Teaches about apartheid, and the holocaust as events that led to these UN documents. This article leads into the children’s version of the ICERD (abridged) on page 12-13.
Decode the Secret Message — English & CCE, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To strengthen comprehension skills for nonfiction print media. Answers to multiple-choice questions unravel a local slogan for ICERD.
Art Speaks to Me — CCE & English, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To respond to art as a stimulus for reflection. Three scenes from the ICERD poster, depicting schooling, medical services, and music, that invite response.
