In What’s Up
• Contest: Important Work – page 19.
Activities at ideas.whatsup.sg
The science lab in space (page 14–15)
An exciting read about the remarkable collaboration at the International Space Station. Here on Earth, “A former cigarette factory, transformed into a green lung” (page 17) and “Undersea tunnels” (page 24–25) showcase other admirable projects. Amedeo Capelli’s genius in “Bringing wooden robots to life” (page 24–25) shows that science and technology can be applied on a tiny scale too.
Wooden Robot Crossword (online) – English, level 1
Individual. To engage more deeply in the story. Puzzle of over 25 words with easy clues at https://digital.whatsup.sg/. ⭐
Vocab Builder – English, level 1 DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To strengthen vocabulary and syntax. Students (i) examine the use of given phrases in the space-station story (ii) use the phrases to construct their sentences.
Remembering a nation’s heroes (page 8–9)
About Singapore’s Founders’ memorial which will be ready in 2028. With side bar “Other memorials through the centuries”. Celebrating past great leaders can be contentious, as “Alexander fought to own different lands; now different lands want to own him” (page 10–11) explains. Then, bringing us to the present is “The record-breaking traveller” (page 20–21) who is making history.
Portrait of a Record-breaking Traveller – For Social Studies & Art, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To experience artistic styles for creating a portrait. A guided exercise in first capturing key elements of a life (the record-breaking traveller’s) and then applying any or a combination of artistic styles to create a portrait of him. Provided: brief descriptions of four famous artists’ styles used for their portrait art.
Heroes for Growing Peace – For Social Studies & CCE, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Whole class. To experience planning for a culture of peace. An extension of the What’s Up stories about heroes. In small groups, students brainstorm ideas for promoting a culture of peace at school. A whole-class discussion then follows to firm up a plan to celebrate the UN International Day of Peace (21 September).
She is in jail because she wants women to be free. (page 7)
An inspiring read about the costly price Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is paying by campaigning for women’s freedom in her country. “Helping farm workers to beat the heat” (page 16) and “A school in Thailand teaches leadership through serving others” (page 12) are also about social responsibility for ordinary people’s quality of life.
Mind Maps: Beat the Heat! – For English, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To extract ideas and generate new ones aided by mind maps. The pair develops two mind maps: one based on the farm-worker story, and the other by generating their own ideas about keeping cool in hot weather. ⭐
The Leader in Me: Alike Yet Different – For CCE & Social Studies, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To grow self-awareness of personal leadership qualities. The pair picks a leader from the list provided and, with the help of a Venn diagram, identifies commonalities and differences between the leader and each of the students.
Prehistoric, armoured pangolins are the world’s most hunted animals (page 18–19)
All about these endearing, critically-endangered creatures. “Creating a home for birds from around the world” (page 22–23) and “The long wait is over: cats to be allowed in HDB flats” (page 6) illustrate our concern for all things living.
Have Fun with Animal Idioms – For English, level 1 DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To explore the use of idioms related to animals. The student guesses the meanings of eight idioms, checks answers against an online dictionary, completes a gap-fill passage using five of them, and constructs original sentences with any five. ⭐
If Hummingbirds Had Ostrich Legs – For Science & Literature, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual activity. To explore birds’ adaptations to their habitats. After viewing two short videos, the student (1) writes about the adaptive features of any three birds (2) uses the graphic images provided to create a new imaginary bird and (3) writes a poem about it.
A-Z Pangolin Exhibition – For Science & Art, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To express creativity for educating about wildlife. Each group creates artistic representations for each of three or four consecutive letters of the alphabet to describe pangolins. The class then holds an A-Z exhibition about pangolins. ⭐
Singapore is abuzz about eating insects (page 13)
Eating insects may soon become a game changer in Earth-friendly meal planning. “The latest Catan board game teaches about climate crisis” (page 26) shows how an enjoyable activity can be used to raise awareness about environmental issues. A positive attitude towards current realities also helps, as “Tee & Boba” (page 28) demonstrates.
Game: Slides and Ladders – For Science, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To learn about climate change through a game. Steps for constructing a slides-and-ladders board game with quiz cards which are used to determine whether players ascend ladders or go down slides.
Our Insect Cookbook – For English & Science, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Whole class. To explore the concept of eating insects. After watching a video about cooking insects, the student finds a recipe for cooking any one of the 16 insects locally approved for food. The class compiles the recipes into a cookbook. Reflection questions encourage examining the notion of eating insects. Provided: recipe card templates.
59 Snippets of Singapore – For Social Studies & CCE, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To use personal observations to create a celebration poster. Guided by prompts, the student (1) records 59 direct observations about Singapore (2) fills in a mosaic of the Singapore flag with the observations and (3) articulates what is appreciated most. Provided: mosaic template.
⭐ 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.
