Kranji War Memorial. – Picture by SChristia
Dear teachers,
Every year, on Total Defence Day (15 February), students are reminded of the Battle of Singapore during World War 2. As most of us know, the surrender of Singapore to Japan was a turning point for Singaporeans – a wake-up call that pushed us to seek independence from British colonial rule when the Japanese Occupation ended in 1945. Recently declassified war documents and relentless investigations by historians have surfaced new perspectives of what really happened. We’d like to share some of that with our young readers.
To mark the 75th anniversary of the Fall of Singapore, What’s Up is partnering the National Heritage Board to bring your students fresh stories about those critical years. In our January issue, you’ll find a new series, Heritage Heroes. On the next page is “A Period for remembering”, a photo essay about the world war reaching Southeast Asia. Next month, more What’s Up contests and more stories will be available for Total Defence Day 2017.
All of us at What’s Up wish you a prosperous and joyful Year of the Rooster.
Sincerely
Mary George and the What’s Up team
This month’s IDEAS activities
Peacemaker wins award (page 7)
Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos shows the world that even complex wars can be stopped. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
Word Find – For English, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To strengthen figure-ground perceptual skills, and to grow vocabulary. Puzzle of 15 hidden words, followed by sentence construction using them.
Two Truths and a Lie – For English & CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Group work. To learn about the contributions of several well-known Nobel Laureates. A quiz followed by a discussion. Quiz sheet and answers* provided.
Ping Lau and her dolls (page 16)
The inspiring story of how Singaporean doll artist, Ping Lau is now internationally known for her amazingly life-like baby dolls. Ping talks to What’s Up about the joy her dolls bring to her customers which, in turn, fuels her passion for the art.
Balloon Flowers – For Art & CCE, Level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual activity. To help appreciate the joy of making others happy. A fun-filled activity to make flowers with balloons to give as gifts during the lunar new year.
Clams tell us about climate change (page 8)
The rings on clam shells give scientists a wealth of information not only about each clam but also about climate change. A side bar focuses on what can be discerned from the rings of tree trunks and ice cores as well.
It Rings True – For Science, Level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Group work. To be able to compare and contrast things with accuracy. A game where teams list as many different differences and similarities between clams, trees and glaciers as they can, followed by reflection.
Rings of My Life – For CCE & English, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Individual activity. To make meaning of personal landmark events. Steps for creating a visual representation of one’s years resembling tree rings with ice-core bubbles in the layers to show key events.
Young carers develop app (page 10)
A group of teenagers in the United Kingdom have developed an app to help youth who caregivers to family members.
Cheer Up Vouchers – For Art & CCE, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Individual activity. To encourage empathy and reaching out to others. A simple exercise in making personalised vouchers to cheer up four individuals in the student’s life.
Dealing with rejection (page 18)
Our interview with fiction writer Joyce Chng who explains why she has chosen to speak on rejection at the “All In!” Young Writers’ Festival in March. Includes advice about dealing with self-rejection where students hesitate to go for CCA tryouts and auditions because they fear being rejected.
Rejection Remedies – For Art & CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Group work. To encourage positive attitudes towards challenges. Groups discuss instances when they feel rejected and what can be done. Next, individuals make posters about dealing with rejection.
A period for remembering (page 23)
A photo essay about how, World War 2 reached Southeast Asia, stating with the Japanese Empire’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbour in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Learning Journey – For Humanities & CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Group work. To better understand Singapore’s story during World War II. Guidelines for visiting the Changi Museum and Chapel or Lim Bo Seng Memorial followed by a group sharing. Discussion questions provided.
* 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.
Your feedback on this month’s offerings
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