Activities in What’s Up
• Contest: Activating my superpowers – page 17
Activities at ideas.whatsup.sg
Governments of the world must act fast to end plastic pollution (page 1 & 28)
Explains the significance of governments meeting in Canada this month to agree on the details of a treaty to reduce plastic pollution. Even recycling may not be ideal. “When recycling is dangerous” (page 9) looks at safety issues surrounding the recycling of old ships and what is being done to protect people and the environment.
Polite Correction – For English & CCE, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To hone the art of correcting others politely. Based on the ship-recycling story, every student individually writes responses to three incorrect statements by an imaginary guest speaker from a shipbreaking company. Then in pairs, students follow prompts to critique each other’s responses.
River of Olympic dreams (page 26)
A sneak peek at the highly anticipated 2024 Summer Games’ opening ceremony with Seine boats heralding in Olympians from all over the world. Across the Channel, English football bids “Farewell to a great leader” (page 27), manager Jürgen Klopp.
Olympics Countdown Crossword (online) – For English, level 1
Individual exercise. To grow vocabulary and enjoy anticipation. Puzzle of 20+ words with easy clues. The crossword will be at digital.whatsup.sg by Monday 22 April. ⭐
Olympics Small Talk – For English & CCE, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To practise the art of small talk using information tidbits. Students answer 10 factual questions in the worksheet and commit the short answers to memory. In pairs, they use the memorised Olympics opening ceremony trivia to make small talk. ⭐
Supersonic flight: Can this old tech take off again? (page 22–23)
Why supersonic passenger planes disappeared but may make a comeback. With side bars “NASA’S QUESST mission”, “What is the sonic boom?” and “Concorde vs A350. More on flights with “Air-drops deliver emergency aid to Gaza” (10–11) about the history and logistics of air-drops. These four pages are a treat for anyone who loves tech and all things flying.
The Big Question: Should supersonic passenger flights come back? – For English & Science, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To explore a team strategy for gathering, synthesising, and presenting expert knowledge. Each group designates members to be one of four experts. First, experts meet with their counterparts from the other groups to work on expert-specific worksheets about supersonic flights. Then, the experts return to their Home groups to develop and present their response to whether supersonic passenger flights should make a comeback. With videos to supplement the What’s Up story, no prior knowledge is required to enjoy this activity.
The successes and struggles of China’s minorities (page 8)
Looks at how more than 50 minority groups are trying to keep their languages and cultures alive in a country dominated by the Han Chinese. Extending the social-minority theme, “Rio’s newest samba school” (page 19) is about Brazil’s first all-women samba school.
Samba and Gender Stereotypes – For Music & Social studies, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Whole class activity. To enjoy a dance form and explore its related gender stereotypes. First, following two demonstration videos, the class dances the samba while some members provide the rhythm and beat. Next, based on the What’s Up article and students’ real-life observations, they work in pairs to respond to simple prompts about gender stereotypes.
Is eating dog meat OK? (page 20–21)
A new law to end South Korea’s centuries-old practice of using dogs for food has us looking at the complex relationship humans have with animals. Side bars: “It’s complicated” and “The cute factor”. In contrast to the somewhat helpless domesticated dog, the tri-spine horseshoe crab (not really a crab) is “A secretive underwater crawler” (page 25) that is naturally equipped to protect itself.
A Found Poem: Horseshoe Crabs – For Science & English, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To enjoy composing a found poem. Following guidelines, students write a found poem by extracting words from the What’s Up article, a video, and a given collage.
Preparing for Change – For English, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To construct positive solutions to handle change. Students (1) complete a table extracting the positive and negative sentiments towards the upcoming ban on eating dog meat in South Korea (2) suggest ideas that can help butchers, dog breeders, activists, and the public prepare for the ban. ⭐
Mural, mural, on the wall (page 16–17)
A look at why people have created art on walls for centuries. “Old Chinatown lives on (in murals)” (page 14–15), thanks to artist Yip Yew Chong’s wall art in Singapore. More on cultural heritage is a story about “Bringing back Nepal’s lost treasures” (page 6).
Mural Maths – For Maths & Art, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To apply mathematical concepts to art. Students (1) list examples of scale and proportion applied in life (2) watch a video to see how a street artist uses four techniques to create big murals from small designs (3) use the Grid Technique to scale up a small design to a larger one (3) reflect on the process.
Vocab Builder – English, level 1 DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To strengthen vocabulary and syntax. Students (i) examine the use of given phrases in the Old Chinatown story (ii) use the phrases to construct their own new sentences.
Tying up loose ends with love (page 18)
A charity started by a pair of knitting enthusiasts has found a special way of spreading kindness to people who have lost loved ones. Side bars: “Popular textile handicrafts” and “Spreading kindness around the globe”. This month, “Tee & Boba” (page 28) also share the joys of giving and receiving.
Receiving Graciously – For English & CCE, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To be more aware of the impact of words and tone of voice. Each group (1) makes a list of rude vs gracious responses to receiving gifts (2) acts out two given scenarios, one with a rude response and another with a gracious response to receiving a gift (3) responds to prompts about the lessons learnt.
Our Quilt of Happy Memories – For Art & CCE, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Whole-class activity. To share happiness through art and storytelling. Guided by prompts, every student depicts a happy memory within a square. All the squares are joined to create a patchwork quilt. In small groups, students share their reflections of the activity with the help of a reflection organiser.
Labour Day BINGO – For CCE, level 1 and 2 DOWNLOAD
Whole class & Individual activity. To experience planning and carrying out simple acts of kindness to celebrate Labour Day. The class brainstorms about kind gestures that can be done for adults at school (without spending any money). Each student fills the provided individual BINGO grid by selecting any 16 from the list. The student carries out these acts until “BINGO” is scored as many times as possible in the lead up to Labour Day.
⭐ 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.
