Activities in What’s Up
• Contest: Helping Ruby Through A Tough Time – page 23
Activities at ideas.whatsup.sg
World Water Day (page 6-7) 💠
Two stories, “Bringing clean water and hope to Afghan families” and “Let’s think about ice, too” help us appreciate water. “Special rivers” offers two stories “Underground caves and rivers: a whole new world” (page 18) and “Invisible flying rivers are keeping South America green” (page 19) about spectacular waterways.
Special Rivers Crossword — For English, level 1
Individual exercise. To engage more deeply in the story. Puzzle of 20 words. ⭐💠
Water Footprints – For Science & Art, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To understand the concept of water footprints. Students (1) watch a video about water footprints and respond to prompts (2) learn about local water consumption (3) create and present an infographic promoting responsible water consumption. 💠
Backpacks with solar panels help kids read (page 27)
About Soma Bags, an innovation that has enabled hundreds of children to have enough light at home to read by. “New food crops designed for a warmer Earth” (page 8) tells us about the wonders of technology put to good use.
Three Steps Forward – For English & Science, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To imagine solutions to problems. Each student completes a table about Mr James’ ideas, and offers two ideas to solve another problem. The ideas are discussed in small groups. Each student then develops three action steps and gets feedback. The group reflects on a statement about imagining solutions. ⭐
Blackout Poetry: A Night Without Lights – For English & CCE, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual activity. To experience composing a blackout poem. The student, with the support of all at home, does not use regular lights for one night. After watching a couple of explainer videos, the student composes a blackout poem of that night.
The garbage collector who created a library (page 21)
A heart-warming story about the power of one person’s passion for the restoration of old books. Along the same conversation theme but on a macro level is “Old industrial buildings are now lively spaces for modern living” (page 20).
Envisioning the Benefits — For English and CCE, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual work. To envision how hobbies can benefit oneself and others. The student lists (1) how Mr Gutierrez’s hobby of book collecting benefited others and himself (2) benefits that a personal hobby (or one to pick up soon) may bring to oneself and others. ⭐
Tintin’s timeless adventures (page 22-23)
Very much a hall-of-fame cartoon character, Tintin continues to enthrall young and old as he seeks adventures around the world. Another young man tells us about his adventure as he follows “In my grandfather’s footsteps from Japan to Nepal” (page 12). Switching gears to a very different type of adventure is “Your parcel’s secret journey” (page 13) about supply chains.
Cracking Codes, Solving Mysteries – For English & Maths, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To explore cryptography techniques. After watching a video about cryptology, students (1) decode a brief mysterious message using the Caesar cipher (2) make a Caeser Cipher Wheel (3) construct their own secret message to another pair (4) decode the other pair’s coded message.
Saving the world’s migratory species (page 17)
Along with “Predators” (page 14-15) and “Just how intelligent are animals? (page 16), all about appreciating and caring about wildlife.
Speaking for Migratory Animals – For English & Science, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To practice perspective taking and empathy. The pair selects a focus migratory animal, complete a table identifying problems created by humans for it, and offer potential solutions. They develop and present a three-minute speech from the standpoint of their focus animal. A whole-class discussion follows. ⭐
Appreciating Animal Smartness– For English & Science, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual work. To grow appreciation for wildlife. The student completes two tables about animal intelligence. The student is invited to reflect on whether we would take better care of Earth if we knew more about all living things. ⭐
Wildlife Mini Documentary – For Science & English Drama, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To experience scripting and dramatising non-fiction. Each group (1) responds to prompts about a mini documentary of a predator (2) develops and enacts a two-minute dramatisation about a predator of their choice (3) reflects on the experience.
China and Philippines are acting tough over the Scarborough Shoal (page 11)
A reminder that international friendships are sometimes tested. On a personal level, “Easing out of friendships” (page 24) can also be a challenge. “World watches anxiously as Pope Francis battles illness” (page 9) gives us hope as this beloved Pope shows us how it is possible to reach out and strengthen human relationships with empathy and compassion. On a lighter note, but also with a lesson about friendship is this month’ episode of “Tee & Boba” (page 28).
Vocab Builder – English, level 1 DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To strengthen vocabulary and syntax. Students (i) examine the use of given phrases in the story about Pope Francis (ii) use the phrases to construct their own.
About Friendship: My Words of Wisdom – For English & CCE, level 3 DOWNLOAD
Individual work. To nurture empathy and compassion for peers. The student writes individual brief messages to Josh and Lee about each one’s experience of easing out of a best-friend relationship. Prompts provided for affirming, giving advice, and expressing goodwill.
The Speculation Challenge – For English & CCE, level 2 DOWNLOAD
Individual activity. To hone perspective taking through speculation. Extending from Tee & Boba, the student (1) speculates about the buddies’ bed-making habits (2) examines students’ reluctance to complete certain tasks (3) writes a story based on speculation featuring a character who is conflicted about completing a task.
⭐ 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 World Water Day (and month).
