Activities in What’s Up
• Contest: Help Jillian be confident – page 27
Activities at ideas.whatsup.sg
Q: WHERE DOES “MILK” COME FROM? (page 8)
Dairy milk companies’ argument that non-dairy milk products (such as almond milk) should not be called “milk”, and the retort from non-dairy milk producers. “Fighting over ‘meat’” draws a parallel with the meat industry.
Gap Fill: Almond Milk Recipe – For English, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To practise using prepositions. Students plug in the missing prepositions in a traditional recipe for almond milk. ⭐
Scavenger Hunt: Milk Milk Milk – For Science & English, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To practise reading comprehension of food labels, and to appreciate food diversity. A scavenger hunt for dairy and non-dairy milk products at local stores. Followed by questions for reflection on the value of having various types of milk in our diets. ⭐
HOW CHATGPT MAY TRANSFORM LEARNING (page 7)
Looks to the near future, ways in which ChatGPT will soon feature in student life. As engaging, “My stuff: Foolscap paper” (page 16) looks to the past for the origins of foolscap paper.
Make New Paper with Old — For Art & Science, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To explore the concept of a circular economy. Following two videos, the group manually recycles old newspaper sheets into handmade paper. With prompts for reflecting on their activity as part of the circular economy.
POLICE ARREST DONALD TRUMP FOR SECRETLY PAYING MONEY TO COVER UP HIS BAD BEHAVIOUR (page 1 & 28)
This news is used to illustrate key judicial proceedings and terms. “Russia’s President Putin is wanted for war crimes” (page 12–13) reiterates the theme of equal justice. Followed by the story of “The Cold War: when Americans and Russians struggled for world domination”
And, the moral of the story is… – For CCE & English, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To experience fictional storytelling as a tool for values education. Steps for each group to construct a plan for writing values-driven fiction and presenting it to their preferred audience.
Justice Crossword (online) – For English, Level 1
Individual exercise. To grow vocabulary. Puzzle of over 25 words with easy clues. Students will be able to access the puzzle directly at https://digital.whatsup.sg/ by 24 April.
SISTERS WITH WHEELPOWER TO BE FREE (page 17)
An inspiring read about two Afghan sisters who pursue their cycling dream on the world stage. Sports news continues with “In this race, old is bold” (page 18–19) about The Golden Globs 2023 sailing event.
Idioms with Sailing Origins – For English, level 1 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To apply idioms that have nautical origins. Given the sailing origins and meanings of ten common idioms, the student completes a gap-fill worksheet. ⭐
Soliloquy: From My Standpoint – For English & CCE, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To grow perspective taking and oracy skills. The student presents a soliloquy from the standpoint of one person selected from a menu of six featured in the stories.
IT SOUNDS SILLY BUT IT IS NOW THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS POEM (page 20)
Who would have guessed that John Cooper Clarke’s 1982 poem “I Wanna Be Yours” would become one of most popular poems in the world 40 years later? This story explores the reasons.
A Mother’s Day Song – For English & Music, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To enjoy composing a song with similes and metaphors. After examining the figures of speech used in John Cooper Clarke’s poem, students construct their own similes and metaphors of everyday items to describe motherly love. Each group then composes and performs a Mother’s Day song. ⭐
A HUMBLE COUPLE AND THEIR ELEPHANTS ARE NOW MOVIE STARS (page 10-11)
About a forest tribe’s deep mahout-elephant bonds. The theme of symbiosis runs through “This moss gives Peruvian families a new way to earn a living” (page 9). On a lighter note, “Tee & Boba” (page 28) enjoy their own win-win relationship with pigeons. And, centerspread “Galapagos Marine Reserve” (page 13–15) is a visual treat of a thriving ecosystem.
Postcard to Elephant Whisperers – For English & Social Studies, level 4 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To make meaning of elephant-human friendships. Extending from the 2022 The Elephant Whisperers documentary, the students (i) select and discuss three of five given quotes from the 2009 book, Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild and (ii) inspired by the quotes, design a postcard addressed to Bomman and Bellie ⭐
My Pet Rock – For English & Science, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To simulate caring for a pet by creating an imaginary pet. The student selects a small rock as the imaginary pet, describes it as if it were alive, and writes a descriptive paragraph about the imaginary pet and the student’s experience of this activity. Culminates in a whole-class display of imaginary-pet rocks.
⭐ Answers to these activities will be emailed to teachers on the IDEAS mailing list. To join the mailing list, please email your name, designation, and school to ideas@whatsup.sg.
