Contest in What’s Up
• If I were Peter – page 19
Activities at ideas.whatsup.sg
SAVING THE MEKONG (page 6-7)
Though human activities are threatening this vital river’s ability to sustain life, conservation efforts offer hope. A family living along the Mekong River shares their story with UNICEF about “Living with climate change in Cambodia” (page 8). Our regional story about living with climate change is the exciting ““Long Island” mega-project to protect Singapore’s coastline” (page 14–15).
Aquatic Detective – For Science & English, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual work. To appreciate the diversity of aquatic animal species in the Mekong. The student (1) creates information cards about the species mentioned in the article (2) plots a graph using the given data of three species over 5 years (3) answers questions about it. ⭐
Synthesis and Transformation – For English, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To practise creating complex sentences from simple ones. Students rewrite sentences using the connecting words given. ⭐
HOW A PRETTY LITTLE PLANT IS THREATENING ASIA’S GRACEFUL GIANTS (page 12-13)
A powerful story about coexistence, tribal people have been clearing invasive lantana weeds and weaving them into incredibly accurate replicas of their elephant friends. “Nature’s kisses” (page 27) offers other heart-warming snapshots of coexistence in the wild. Embodying the same theme is “Friendships without borders (page 26-27), about Olympic friendships. 💠
A Note to My Buddy – For English & CCE, level 1 DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To express appreciation for a friend. Using the template provided, the student writes a note to a friend to convey what their friendship means to him/her.
Friendship in Action – For English & CCE, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To gain a deeper understanding of friendship in action. Students (i) individually complete a matching exercise based on the story (ii) work in groups to share observed acts of kindness among classmates (iii) compose one-liners about friendship (iv) form a whole-class collage of their one-liners. ⭐
WORDS OF WAR (page 10-11) 💠
This explainer is timely for educating about the vocabulary of war and peace. “The death of a Russian hero” (page 13) follows. Meanwhile, in the US, “Biden vs Trump: America heading for a Presidential Election rematch” (page 1 & 28) is heating up. Fortunately, there continues to be strong efforts to grow peace, as we can see from panda diplomacy in “VIPs = Very Important Pandas” (page 16-17). 💠
Words for Peace – For English, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To explore peace-promoting words. The meaning of peace is explored by (1) completing a word frame and (2) composing an acrostic poem. 💠
Growing Peace Crossword (online) – For English, level 1
Individual exercise. To become familiar with the vocabulary of peace promotion. Puzzle of 20 words with easy clues. The crossword will be at digital.whatsup.sg by Monday 25 March. ⭐ 💠
Mind Map: Pandas in Human History – For English, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To extract and summarise facts with the use of a mind map. Based on the story about pandas, the student completes the given mind map. ⭐ 💠
PARIS, HERE COME THE BREAKERS (page 1)
Along with “Look out for these new moves at the Olympics” (page 25), about breakdancing making its debut at the Summer Olympics 2024. Explains why certain sports feature in the Olympics while others do not. Meanwhile, our little Tee & Boba (page 28) learn a big lesson about focus and distractions when competing.
A Worm’s Guide to Staying Focused – For English, Math & CCE, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Whole class activity. To better understand how to stay focused despite distractions. Extending from the two earthworms who remained focused in Tee and Boba’s race, students (1) fill in the speech bubbles frame-by-frame imagining the worms’ thoughts (2) list common distractions in their own lives. The whole class then (1) plays a Distractions game with a Sudoku puzzle (2) responds to prompts about usable focusing strategies. ⭐
Everyone Counts! – For Science & Art, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To learn about earthworms as ecosystem engineers. Students (1) brainstorm on earthworms (2) watch a video about them (3) expand on their earlier descriptions (4) discuss how they, like Tee and Boba, may have underestimated earthworms and other small creatures around them.
Each Scute Matters – For English & CCE, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To explore the use of a metaphor (turtle carapace) to illustrate a theme. Each group cuts out fallen scutes of Timmy the Turtle, writes their strengths on the scutes, pieces them together to form a carapace, writes a reflection on the collective power of individual strengths, and presents it to the class. 💠
AN ICY ISLAND GETS USED TO ERUPTIONS OF FIRE (page 9)
Iceland’s volcanoes have both pros and cons for the people living near them. “Frozen fantasies” (page 22–23) showcase snow and ice festivals in various parts of the world.
Ekphrastic Poem about Volcanoes – For English & Art, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To enjoy composing ekphrastic poetry. After viewing a digital gallery of volcano photos, the student follows instructions to write an ekphrastic poem about one.
MEGASTAR TAYLOR SWIFT DAZZLES THE WORLD (page 24)
A look at why Swift is adored by millions around the world. Megastars sometimes reinforce ideal-body stereotypes — “Dolls don’t have to be fair skinned” (page 23) is the story of one father’s success in helping young children develop healthy body confidence.
Character Analyses: Swift & Me – For English & CCE, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To experience articulating observations about others and the self. Students first complete a table about Taylor Swift. In the same format, they fill a second table about themselves. They are encouraged to occasionally revisit their self-analysis for affirmation.
Past, Present, Future – For English & CCE, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual. To practice using tenses to organise information. The student (1) fills in a past-present-future organiser based on the “Dolls don’t have to be fair-skinned” story (2) applies correct tenses with a personal example (3) reads it to the class. Given: Tips for public speaking. ⭐
THE STORY BEHIND SINGAPORE’S COLOURFUL HAWKER TABLEWARE (page 18-19)
A fascinating walk down the memory lane of hawker tableware. Then, we turn to art history in “Latin America and Southeast Asia: closer than we think?” (page 20–21). 💠 Next, we leave past and present behind to look at “Apple’s gadget for the future” (page 21).
Your Hawker Dish Display – For Art & English, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To express creativity in designing an exhibit. After responding to guiding prompts, students design and present to the class a mockup exhibit of a favourite hawker dish.
⭐ 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.
💠 Story/activity suitable for International Friendship Day (5 April)
