Activities at digital.whatsup.sg:
• Contest: Playpack for a Tongan Child – page 2
• Contest: If You were Waka – page 15
Activities at ideas.whatsup.sg
PEOPLE ARE UPSET WITH VIPS WHO BREAK COVID RULES (page 1)
This story and “Novak threatens his legacy” (page 23) focus on the repercussions when famous people (e.g. Britain’s Boris Johnson and Serbia’s tennis superstar Novak Djokovic) disappoint the public when suspected of lying.
My Influence – For English, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To reflect on how words and actions may influence others. Prompts to encourage reflection about a past personal incident when the student’s words and actions influenced someone.
ARTEMIS I PUSHES THE FRONTIERS OF SPACE EXPLORATION (page 8)
Expected to launch in March, Artemis I will build systems to enable deep space exploration. On the next page is the answer to “How do spaceships get into space?” (page 9).
Let’s Imagine Space Travel – For English & Art, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To enjoy a conversation using imagination grounded in facts. Conversation prompts for the pair to interview each other about space travel plans. Each writes/draws the other’s responses in the given poster.
MYANMAR TROUBLES: VIOLENCE IS FORCING PEOPLE TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES (page 6)
The lead up to the violence and current situation are explained in a child-appropriate way. “Stolen boy, found by birth parents, wants to return to foster parents” (page 22) is another story about families in distress, this time because of child trafficking. Both end hopeful.
Social Media for Peace – For English, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To apply design skills for promoting peace. Steps for writing a caption and illustrating an Instagram post expressing hopes for peace in Myanmar.
Our Neighbour, Myanmar – For English, level 1 DOWNLOAD
Individual work. To practice reading comprehension. Students (i) match questions with their correct answers (ii) respond to an open-ended reflection question. ⭐
LITTER HEROES ARE INSPIRING OTHERS TO JOIN THEM (page 10)
Zooms in on volunteers in Britain who are making the news with their litter picking. Side bar “Be a litter-picking hero” encourages readers to check out our local Public Hygiene Council’s web resources and gives tips for being a litter-picking hero.
Volunteer Bingo – For CCE, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual work. To enjoy volunteering at home. (1) The whole class brainstorms ideas for volunteering at home. (2) Each student selects and fills a 5×5 Bingo card (provided) with 25 ideas from the class’s list. (3) The student carries out the 25 tasks at his or her residence, scoring Bingo for each row completed.
INDIA’S NATURAL BRIDGES AMAZE VISITORS (page 18-19) 💠
About a tribal tradition in north-eastern India where sustainable, hardy bridges are made from living aerial roots of trees. Meanwhile, “With modern technology, India is also building the world’s highest rail bridge” (page 18–19). Incidentally, this month’s comic strip “Tee & Boba”is also about standing tall but within oneself.
Of Friendship Bracelets & Tree-Root Bridges – English & Art and Craft, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual work. To better appreciate an unfamiliar craft (making tree-root bridges) through a familiar activity. After completing a mind map about tree-root bridges, students braid friendship bracelets, and draw parallels with making root bridges. 💠
Stand Tall Inside – For Art & CCE, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual work. To explore self-confidence through art. Based on the Tee and Boba comic strip, a step-by-step exploration of what it means to stand tall within oneself. The student (1) draws stemmed flowers in perspective with lines pointing towards a vanishing point (2) reflect on two wise sayings (3) watch a video on self-acceptance (4) apply their learning by constructing a card with the flowers they drew.
REFUGEES HELP RESTORE A FOREST (page 7) 💠
An inspiring story about Rohingya refugees who have been reforesting a large area near their camp in Bangladesh. Adding to the positive momentum is a photo essay “Wild and wonderful” (page 12–13) featuring awesome entries to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest by London’s Natural History Museum.
Wild & Wonderful Crossword (online) – For English & Science, level 1
Individual. To strengthen reading comprehension of natural science text. An online puzzle with easy clues. At digital.whatsup.sg from 21 Feb 2022.
Mind-Map: Benefits of Trees – For Science & English, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To apply visual presentation skills to present tree facts. Based on the story, students complete a given mind-map on the benefits trees. ⭐ 💠
Ten Trees We Love – For Science & EL, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To discover more about trees in Singapore. Using NParks’ website as a resource, every group prepares and presents facts about a different tree. 💠
Celebrate International Day of Forests! – For Science & Art, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To apply design thinking using circles for a poster. The student (1) lists the before-and-after effects of reforestation (2) attempts a puzzle showing that an infinite number of circles can fit in a finite space (3) applies this concept to design a poster for the International Day of Forests. ⭐ 💠
REMEMBERING AN ANCIENT CHINESE CITY’S CONNECTIONS TO DISTANT SHORES (page 17)
Read about the ancient city of Quanzhou where people from many lands and cultures met some 1,000 years ago. More about history, in a fascinating exhibition at our National Library, “Different ways of mapping the world” (page 20–21) is all about ancient maps of Asia. Fast forward to the present with “How local food favourites became part of our Lunar New Year tradition” (page 16).
My Favourite Traditional Snack – For English & CCE, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual work. To write and illustrate a rich descriptive paragraph. The student (1) fills a drawing of empty jars with favourite festival food (2) follows prompts to write a rich description of one personal favourite snack.
Product Comparison – For English, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual work. To apply creativity in presenting a story’s key points as an infographic. Referring to the story, students (i) answer questions about pineapple tarts, yu sheng, and bak kwa (ii) use the points to create an infographic using www.canva.com. ⭐
⭐ 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 International Day of Forests (21 March).
