Activities in What’s Up
• Fallen Letters Puzzle – page 9
• Contest: If I Were The Author – page 19
• Cartoon bombing – page 23
Activities at ideas.whatsup.sg
SHAKEN, BUT STILL STANDING (page 18-19)
A look at how Japan has developed ways to ensure its buildings stand tall despite earthquakes. Some features date back to ancient strong pagodas there. Ancient Pompeii’s secrets discovered (page 20–21) follows with more about incredible architecture. Sadly, recent finds also point to cruelly enslaved humans and animals.
Match Up: Ancient Pompeii – For English, Level 1 DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To read for information. Based on the article about Pompeii, the student does a match-up of two sets of facts with the corresponding details. ⭐
Standing Tall and Strong – For Math and Science, Level 3 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To explore strengthening a tall structure built with recycled materials. Each pair follows instructions to (1) use the vanishing-point-on-horizon technique to design a model tower (2) fill in a cloze passage about ways to make buildings earthquake-resistant (3) add features to their building design to strengthen it (4) construct their model from recycled materials (5) have a friendly match with the other teams to see which model stands the strongest against quakes (6) respond to reflection questions. ⭐
WHY PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT TASTES IN MUSIC (page 26)
Music professor Jane Kuehne shares research on music preferences. In “We love cartoon bombing” (page 22–23), French artist David Troquier talks to What’s Up about his imaginative cartoon-bombs and shares a delightful sampler of his work.
Music-inspired Art – For Art & Music, Level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual activity. To experience creating music-inspired art. Students (1) watch a video about music’s influence on Wassily Kandinsky’s art (2) create abstract artwork following Kandinsky, as they listen to a favourite song (3) present their artwork to the class.
Taste in Music Crossword (online) – For English, Level 1
Individual exercise. To engage more deeply in the story. Puzzle of over 25 words with easy clues. The crossword will be available at https://digital.whatsup.sg/. by Monday 26 February ⭐
My Type of Music – For Music & CCE, Level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual activity. To become more aware of different tastes in music. The student (1) completes sentences by matching their halves (2) answers questions about personal music preferences (3) asks a friend about his/her music preferences. ⭐
MEASURING FORESTS FROM SPACE (page 8)
Looks at how satellites can help keep an eye on forests from high in the sky. But, to protect them properly, people need to act on the ground. “Female Guardians of the Forest” (page 9–10) show us how women in Aceh are stepping up to the challenge.
Cloze Passage: Old-growth Forests – For English, Level 1 DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To become more familiar with forest-related concepts. A cloze passage with 12 clues to missing words about old-growth forests. ⭐
One-act Plays: Conflict Resolution – For English and CCE, Level 3 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To explore conflict resolution through role play. Based on the “Female Guardians of the Forest” article, students list the importance of environmental conservation. Half the class writes and enacts a script for a negative exchange between rangers and trespassers such that it ends badly. The other half reenacts a positive scenario where the Aceh rangers resolve it peacefully. Then with guiding prompts, individual students reflect on resolving conflicts in their personal lives and the importance of peaceful conflict resolution. ⭐
Rise of the Forest Rangers – For English & Art, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To explore comic creation. A guided exercise in planning and creating a 14-cell comic strip about the events leading to women becoming forest rangers in Damaran Baru. ⭐
A Soft Approach – For English & CCE, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To better appreciate soft approaches to persuade. From the article, each student selects nine words reflecting the soft approach. The student then composes replies that a forest ranger might give to each of three given illegal loggers’ arguments. Followed by groupwork where every group develops and performs a skit based on the ranger-logger scenarios. The class then reflects on three prompts. ⭐
INDOOR ROCK CLIMBING IS CLIMBING IN POPULARITY (page 24)
Examines why so many people are taking up rock and boulder climbing. For a different kind of thrill, “Cruises: back in a big way” (page 14–15) will have some holidaymakers cheering. Meanwhile, thanks to their equally cherished pastime, Tee and Boba (page 28) take us on fantastical journeys.
The Art of Persuasion – For English & CCE, Level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To practice evidence-based persuasion. The student uses the facts from the article “Indoor rock climbing is climbing in popularity” to persuade a friend to take up the sport. Given: a profile of the friend, and the initial dialogue.
Totally Immersed – For Literature & Art, Level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual activity. To encourage peers to read. Using two templates in turn, the student creates an infographics poster promoting a favourite book. The class stages a book gallery walk exhibiting each book with its accompanying poster.
WHY DENMARK’S NEW QUEEN IS BELOVED IN AUSTRALIA (page 7)
A true life take about an ordinary Australian young woman who marries a Danish prince and goes on to be a wonderful queen in Denmark. In stark contrast, “Mongolian circus stars leave home to perform around the world” (page 17) because of the lack of local support. Then there are those who leave home to stay alive, as “Palestine’s young reporter” (page 11) talks about so poignantly.
Fact or Opinion? – For English, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To differentiate between fact and opinion. The students examine five given statements from the article and decide if they are facts or opinions. For those considered to be opinions, the students give reasons. ⭐
⭐ 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.
