A child playing close to where pinisi sailboats are being built. Photo by Herfan Rusando / Indonesia Ministry of Education and Culture.
Dear teachers,
When UNESCO recently identified pinisi boatbuilding as a part of Indonesia’s precious heritage, it was clear to see why this ancient tradition of constructing the elegant schooners should be valued by the world (see page 19 of our February issue).
But, what about more commonplace, everyday items in our lives? These days, the heritage concept is used far more inclusively than before. Are we defining heritage so loosely that anything and everything qualifies? Or, is it simply that we are better able to discern in the present that which has potential to be more valuable one day?
These are not questions that typical young What’s Up readers would fully digest. In which case, the easy way out would be to steer clear of profound issues and, instead, merely report celebrations of heritage. However, What’s Up was never meant to be just another children’s publication about the world. As a newspaper for kids, we stand apart for having an explicit editorial agenda for values education (see http://about.whatsup.sg/our-values/).
That is why we sometimes use stories with inherent capacity to astonish and, in the process, elicit voilà moments within the child. In our February issue, two stories come to mind. One is about a young Sikh who discovers his heritage in an unlikely place — at a cemetery where some Chinese tombs have statues of Sikh soldiers. The other story is about two older men determined to replace their communities’ heritage of violence and hate with forgiveness, compassion, and inner peace. Will such stories inspire our readers to examine their own precious heritage? We can only hope as we leave it to each child to decide — to pick and choose — what to cherish.
Sincerely,
Mary George
Editor – What’s Up
This month’s IDEAS activities
African scientists are helping their countries develop (page 10)
Dr Mojisola, a physicist, is actively contributing to her country, Nigeria, through her research there. Highly educated youth like her are helping to reduce the brain drain from such countries.
Business Buzz— Social Science & CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Whole class. To deepen thinking about what would contribute to nation building. Each team plans a business that can work in productive partnership with the other teams’ businesses.
Wildlife through the eyes of young photographers (page 12-13)
Features selected photos by children who were winners or finalists in the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017 competition organised by the Natural History Museum, London.
Nature Through A Lens – For Science, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To develop the skill of locating evidence for scientific statements. An exercise in looking in the article for facts backing four generalisations about certain wildlife. *
Individual exercise. To strengthen vocabulary and syntax. Students examine the use of given phrases in the story, and use the phrases to construct sentences of their own.
From murder to forgiveness to peace (page 14)
Azim Khamisa’s son was murdered by a teenager, Tony. Azim reached out to Tony’s grandfather, and now they work together to reduce violence by teaching kids about values such as forgiveness.
To err is human; to forgive, divine. – For CCE & English, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To reflect on the value of forgiveness for personal well-being. Students unscramble seven famous quotes about important aspects of forgiveness. *
Storytelling for Peace – English & CCE, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Group project. To hone personal story-making and storytelling skills. Each group develops and tells this story from the standpoint of any one person in it. Guidelines provided.
Cool Blue School (page 15)
A theatre trio, the Blue Man Group, run a school applying their know-how for creating surprising, joyful, educational moments. The Blue School has become one of world’s most innovative.
Our School is Unique Too! – For CCE & Maths, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To heighten the sense of belonging within the school community. With a Venn diagram, groups compare their school with two others.
My Holiday Planner — English & CCE, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To experience planning for personal well-being. A planner for charting out activities during the March school break. Includes a well-being indicator.
Mapping out our Sikh past (page18)
Ishvinder Singh’s deep interest in his Sikh heritage was ignited by certain Chinese tombs at the Bukit Brown Cemetery. He now contributes actively to public education about Sikh heritage.
Direct & Reported Speech – For English, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To practice transforming direct speech to reported speech and vice versa. An exercise in converting given story extracts from one form of speech to the other. *
A fascinating read about Indonesia’s pinisi boatbulding enterprise. UNESCO recently recognised this ancient tradition as a precious part of Indonesia’s heritage.
Pinisi Crossword – For English & Social Studies, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To comprehend and engage more deeply in non-fiction text. A crossword puzzle with easy clues. *
Fun with Sums: Sails Ahoy! – For Math, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To practice mathematical problem solving. Math problems involving areas of triangles and trapeziums, percentage change, and scale. *
*Answers to asterisked 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, or fill the form on the front page of this website.
At What’s Up, we do most of the work, writing stories for students to read every month. But, we know that many of our readers also enjoy writing or want to have their say. Encourage your students to write us a letter. Ask them to visit share.whatsup.sg.
VIDEOS AND OTHER EXTRAS
Our supplementary site digital.whatsup.sg contains videos, puzzles and other extras associated with the articles in our newspaper. Use them in class or ask your students to explore the site on their own.
OUR PHILOSOPHY & VALUES
We believe values should—and do—count when schools choose resources for their students. Values-driven journalism is at the core of our mission. Find out more by exploring the ABOUT WHAT'S UP link.
