Activities at digital.whatsup.sg:
• Our Wish for the World – page 02
• Contest: Five Giant Steps – page 06
• Contest: Emoji Speak – page 12
• Contest: If I Were Audrey – page 19
Activities at ideas.whatsup.sg
THANK YOU, TOKYO! (page 01)
A snapshot of the Tokyo2020 Olympics, and the upcoming Paralympics. This year, a new word has been added to the Olympic motto: “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”.
Storytelling: Para Refugee Athletes – For English & CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Group project. To hone perspective taking, and storytelling skills. Each group (i) reads about the Paralympics Refugee Team at the Tokyo2020 Paralympics website and (ii) tells the story of one athlete using our BRAVE model. ❖
Game: Olympic Doodles – For Art & PE, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Whole class. To celebrate the Olympics through a game. With four teams playing. Each team must guess the Olympic sport from clues sketched by the team’s Clue Giver. Provided: Rules and sheet of 32 game slips.
AFGHANISTAN: THE TALIBAN TAKE OVER (page 10)
Soon after American troops left Afghanistan, the Taliban took over. Explains the tragic turn of events and what it means for girls, women, and minorities. Side bar: “Who are the Taliban?”
Blog Post: Help Kids in War Zones – For English & Social Studies, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To apply writing skills for a social cause. With the help of guiding questions, the student pretends to be an adult volunteer writing a blog post in support of programmes helping kids in war zones. ❖
Celebrate Peace Day! – For English & CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Whole class. To experience Peace Day as a whole class. The class (i) learns about children’s efforts elsewhere, and (ii) plans and implements a Peace Day celebration. ❖
WILLPOWER TO GO TO SCHOOL (page 11)
The heart-warming story of Rubaba, an Afghan girl, who is determined to continue her education. Another story, “Student turns teacher and wins award” (page 22) is about a university student who has received the international Diana Award for her volunteer work teaching children in India.
Don’t Give Up! – For English & CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To be inspired by young achievers. The student (i) responds to the story about Rubaba and a video about a blind Singaporean student, (ii) identifies a personal challenge, and (iii) writes an encouraging note to not give up. ✪ ❖
Vocab Builder – English, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To strengthen vocabulary and syntax. Students (i) examine the use of given phrases in the page 22 story, and (ii) use the phrases to construct their own. ❖
WHEN WILL WE SAY GOODBYE TO COAL? (page 15)
How coal has transformed the world, and why we are now ready to move on to renewable energy sources. On the next page, “Why floating gardens are a good idea” (page 16–17) is all about age-old floating gardens that are making a comeback as farmers adapt to climate change.
Make a Solar Oven – For Science, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To explore the use of solar energy. Steps for making a small solar-energy oven from, for example, a pizza carton and aluminum foil. ✪
Two Truths & A Lie – For English & Science, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To practice differentiating facts from erroneous claims. Students identify and correct the false items in 15 statements about floating gardens. ✪
TRYING TO SAVE THE LAST WILDCATS IN SINGAPORE (page 18–19)
A wildlife activist tells us all about Singapore’s last wildcat, the leopard cat. Sidebar “Leopard cat lookalike” introduces the domestic Bengal cat.
Leopard Cat Crossword (online) – For English & Science, level 1
Individual. To strengthen reading comprehension. Puzzle of 20 words with easy clues. ✪
Leopard Cat Poster – For Science & Art, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To use creativity for a good cause. A fact-matching exercise followed by using the information to create a poster supporting the leopard cat. ✪ ❖
GOAT TOWERS AND CAT LADDERS (page 20)
Two fascinating ways in which caring people have helped enhance domestic animals’ quality of life: goat towers in South Africa; and cat ladders in Switzerland.
Design a Hamster Playground – For Art & Science, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To apply design know-how. Steps for thoughtfully designing an exciting and practical hamster playground. With a lesson on scaling in design work. ✪
Feeding Community Cats – For Science & Social Studies, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To effectively distill and communicate information addressing a local issue. Steps for (i) learning about issues related to feeding community cats, and (ii) developing a brochure about more responsible ways to feed community cats. ❖
✪ 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.
❖ Suitable for the International Day of Peace (21 September)
