The IN.Genius team in AliceSprings, in front of the capsule that will be lifted to space by a helium balloon. – Picture by IN.Genius
Dear teachers,
The 2018 National Day theme “We are Singapore” triggers memories — of the original song’s release in 1987, of my own kids marching around our living room singing those first NDP songs nonstop, and of a permanent-resident friend who was so moved by the NDP audience’s singing that she applied for citizenship the very next day. The original “We are Singapore” is iconic, but the remake looks set to overtake it on the fast lane. Perhaps this is a good time then to redefine who “we” are. In line with NDP’s call for inclusivity, should not anyone and everyone residing here be in that collective “we”? It is not as if the Singapore spirit was birthed exclusively by citizens. Even our three most iconic NDP songs — “Stand Up for Singapore, “Count on Me Singapore”, “We Are Singapore” — were by a foreigner, Canadian Hugh Harrison. Yes, citizenship does and should have its privileges. But, why limit the Singapore spirit with we-they boxes? Questions such as these can fuel NDP-NE lesson planning. On that front, our IDEAS team offers its small contribution by way of several activities this month (see below). And, News For Kids is glad that we too are Singapore!
Sincerely,
Mary George
Editor – What’s Up
This month’s IDEAS Activities
Doctor on the move (page 6-7)
Nadirah Babji, a young Malaysian doctor, serves in conflict or disaster-struck areas abroad. Side bar “How seeing refugees’ struggles changed my life” is by Dr Babji.
Transitional words – For English, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To practise using transitional words. Students form original sentences using transitional words found in the article.
Places Her Passion Took Her – For Social Studies and CCE, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To become more familiar with county locations. On the given outline map, students unscramble the names of countries visited by Dr Babji, and their capital cities. *
A Rohingya family’s story (page 8)
Three generations of a Rohingya refugee family describe how statelessness has clouded their lives — and their hopes of returning to Myanmar.
Direct to Indirect Speech – For English, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To practise writing indirect speech. Students rewrite into indirect speech seven direct-speech quotes from the article. *
How Did That Happen? – For English, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To recognise cause-and-effect relationships. Students find the cause behind an effect in seven given statements from the article.
Behind the smile of North Korea’s Supreme Leader (page 11)
In recent media, Kim Jong-un is presented as a jolly, harmless man. This article examines some darker truths behind the leader and the way he rules North Korea.
Dear Pen-palin North Korea — For English & CCE, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To encourage empathy and perspective-taking. Students write a letter to an imaginary North Korean child who is about to migrate to Singapore. #
Our Top Six Human Rights — For English & CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To explore what constitutes basic human rights. Each group lists its top six basic human rights, followed by a whole-class reflection on them.
Interview a Supreme Leader — For English & CCE, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To promote thinking about national leadership. Each pair constructs five interview question. Three pairs role play their interviews for the class to observe and reflect on. #
Humans and other animals (page 12-13)
A beautiful centerspread that is a photo essay of spectacular images capturing human-animal connections.
The Animal in You – For English, Art and CCE, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Individual. To become familiar with animal similes that describe human traits. Students do a gap fill followed by a pictorial representation of their individual selves. *#
A Singaporean space project (page 14)
A local firm, IN.Genius, wants to send a Singaporean to space for the first time, using a helium balloon instead of a rocket.
Groupwork. To see how scientific principles can help to resolve real-life challenges. An exercise in rearranging sentences explaining the IN.Genius project’s design features. *#
Better ways to produce rubber (page 16)
Forests are being cleared to make way for rubber plantations. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) works with companies and farmers to find greener ways to farm rubber.
Whole class activity. To become more environmentally conscious. Students play Bingo using a Bingo grid of rubber products to focus on the prevalent use of rubber.
Star Wars actress faces racial insults (page 19)
The first Asian actress to be cast in the Star Wars franchise faces intense online harassment and quits social media. The article explores issues of race and gender discrimination.
Groupwork. To prompt reflection on cyberbullying. Students (i) share experiences of online harassment and (ii) create a list of do’s and don’ts for younger internet users.
Breaking to the top (page 20)
About an international breakdance contest, the story explains breakdance within the hip hop tradition. Side bars “Hong 10: A champion breaker” and “No ordinary kindergarten teacher” feature two breakdance superstars.
Individual. To develop research and writing skills. The student identifies a role model, gathers information using guided questions, and writes a profile of him/her.
# Suitable as a National Day activity.
*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.
