Activities at digital.whatsup.sg:
• Contest: Shout Outs for Great News! – page 2
• Contest: If I were Alexis – page 19
Activities at ideas.whatsup.sg
MANY REASONS FOR HOPE IN A DIFFICULT YEAR (page 1)
As 2021 comes to a close, we look back at positive news that you may have missed. For example, “Old friends stay in touch”is the heartwarming story of a Norwegian fisherman who reunites with a beluga whale he had saved in 2019.
2021 Friendship Chart – For English & CCE, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To examine the quality of friendships. Guidelines for charting a simple sociogram of friends using three types of lines indicating how close each friend is. Followed by questions for reflecting on the relationships.
Holiday Pen Pals – For English & CCE, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To experience using regular (snail mail) with a pen pal. Steps to be taken before, during, and after the year-end school break to form and sustain a pen-pal relationship.
JET SUIT MAKES FLYING A BREEZE (page 12-13)
Michael Browning has flown across land and water using the powerful Jet Suit he created. Military forces around the world are showing interest in this versatile flying equipment.
Flying in a Jet Suit – For English, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To practise descriptive creative writing. A table invites the student to describe, as a multi-sensory experience, an imaginary jet-suit flight. The student then writes as essay about it.
Flying Colours – For English, Art & CCE, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To enjoy an art-and-craft activity. Part 1: Prompts ask for favourite features of the Jet Suit. Part 2: Following instructions in a how-to video, the student makes a unique paper plane that can flap its wings, decorates it with a year-end greeting to a friend, and flies it over as a gift.
LEGENDARY POP BAND RETURNS (page 16)
The 1970s band, ABBA, is making a comeback with a new album and concerts but with virtual “ABBA-tars” singing alongside a live band to live audiences.
Synthesis and Transformation – For English, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To practise constructing compound sentences. Given five pairs of sentences from the story and helping words, the student forms single sentences. ✪
Music Then and Now – For Music & English, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To verbally express music appreciation. Students (i) compare and contrast ABBA’s classic “Dancing Queen” and the more contemporary BTS’s “Permission to dance”, and (ii) write a brief essay about “Something from Another Generation That I Like”. Links and prompts given.
A FAIRY-TALE MUSEUM OPENS IN DENMARK (page 17)
A peek into the new Hans Christian Andersen Museum that opened in June in Denmark.
Write Your Own Fairy-tale – For English, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To use the elements of a fairytale for creative writing. With the help of prompts, the student creates an original short fairy-tale with a happy ending.
A Museum Wall Mural – For English & Art, level 2 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To experience identifying and using key visual elements for murals. From the given list of H C Anderson’s fairytales, the student selects a favourite, lists its unique visual elements, and designs a wall mural for the museum.
A CAVE LION CUB FROM THE ICE AGE (page 18-19)
Why scientists are very excited about the discovery of a well-preserved young cave lion. Side bars: “Sub-zero heroes” and “How accurate were the Ice Age movies?”.
Cave Lion Crossword (online) – For English, level 1
Individual exercise. To strengthen vocabulary about wildlife. A 20-word crossword puzzle.
Ice-age Animal Match Up – For English & Science, level 1 – DOWNLOAD
Individual exercise. To learn about ice-age animals. Five descriptions of ice-age animals are to be matched with the correct animal names. ✪
MEXICAN CHOCOLATES MADE THE TRADITIONAL WAY (page 20)
Germán Santillán, a chocolate maker in Mexico is reviving old traditions and giving new life to his community.
Promote a Healthy Snack – For English & Math, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Groupwork. To apply design thinking. The pair (i) completes a short cloze passage based on the story (ii) follows steps to design a new product package for a healthy, affordable snack. Provided: estimated cost of materials per unit for packaging.
HOW SPORTS CAN HELP BEAT THE CLIMATE CRISIS (page 21)
A look at the ways in which sport is contributing to — but also fighting — the climate crisis.
Green Sports for Planet Earth – For English & Art, level 3 – DOWNLOAD
Pairwork. To express creativity in designing an eco-friendly image. After watching a video on logo designing, the pair follow guidelines to design a logo for an eco-friendly sports shop.
✪ 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.
