Registration for 2013 Classes

Dear Parents,

We have received many emails asking about our new timetable. We were busy preparing our P6 pupils for the PSLE. Thank you for considering Serena's Greenhouse as your partner for your child's learning journey and for being so patient with us. We have just completed our registration for our existing pupils. We will now release available vacancies to the pupils on our wait list(*) and then subsequently to the general public.

* Terms and conditions apply

Regular Classes for 2013 (Updated 25 October):
Conducted by Mrs Teo-Chng Hui Min (ex-Math HOD who has anchored the P5/P6 creme classes, producing stellar results)

(a) P4 Science (Full)
     Wednesday  2.45 p.m. to 4.45 p.m.

(b) P5 Science (Full)
     Sunday         9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

(c) P5 Math (High Achievers) (New class - Limited Vacancies)
     Wednesday  7.15 p.m. to 9.15 p.m.

(d) P6 Math (1 Vacancy)
     Wednesday  5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

(e) P6 Math (High Achievers) (Full)
     Sunday        11.30 a.m. to 1.3 p.m.

Conducted by Teacher Serena a.k.a Mdm Chng Hwee Cheng (ex-Science Subject Head of top primary school in Jurong area )

(a) P4 Creative Writing (Full)
     Monday       6.45 p.m. to 8.15 p.m.

(b) P5 English (Full)
      Saturday     11.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.

(c) P6 Science (Full)
     Friday         4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

(d) P6 Science (High Achievers) (Full)
      Sunday     8.45 a.m. to 10.45 a.m.

(e) P6 English (High Achievers)
      Friday       7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Full)
      Saturday    8.45 a.m. to 10.45 a.m. (Limited Vacancies*)

(f)  P6 English (Full)
      Sunday      11.15 a.m. to 1.15 p.m.

Note:
(a) Do note that placement tests will be administered for certain classes to ensure that there is a right fit. It is our belief that one size does not fit all and there must be a right fit for the pupil to benefit from the classes.
(b) There are requests from parents to start new classes or place them on the wait list for holiday programmes in future. If you would like to be placed on our wait list, please send an email to us.

Contact Details:
serenagreenhouse@gmail.com

Common Mistake (1): Live vs stay

I was marking a pupil's assignment when I spotted this common mistake. I decided to highlight it during my lessons. This is a common mistake made by adults too.

When we ask someone where he or she resides, we should ask, "Where do you live?" instead of "Where do you stay?"

Note the difference in meaning between "stay" and "live"
Stay: Live in a place temporarily
Example: I stayed at ABC Hotel when I was on holiday in Paris.

Live: reside in a place permanently
Example: I live in a flat in Jurong West.

How good is your English?

The Speak Good English Movement has collaborated with the British Council to develop a quiz to test how good your English is. Click on the link below to take the quiz:

http://www.goodenglish.org.sg/improve/quizzes/good-english

Does it matter how we answer children's questions?

"Why is the sky blue?" "Why do we have to eat vegetables?" Children often bombard parents and educators with many questions. What do we do? Do we ignore the question or do we answer them? How do we answer them?

As parents, we can do a lot to encourage higher order thinking when we are answering children's questions. MOE has announced that the way English is taught to upper primary pupils will be changed so that the focus will be on making them speak the language more confidently and to know to use it beyond the classroom. MOE will also be tweaking the PSLE English Examination in 2015. The changes aim to help prepare pupils for the 21st century workplace which demands strong communication skills and higher order skills like analytical skills and critical thinking skills.  How can parents encourage the development of higher order skills at home? 

Came across an article on encouraging higher order thinking a few years ago when I was doing research for a course on gifted education conducted jointly by MOE and GERRIC, University of New South Wales. Managed to find the article and would like to share the gist of the article here. 

According to Robert Sternberg, a professor psychology and education at Yale University, we can categorise our responses to children's questions into seven levels, from low to high. Here are the seven levels:

Level 1: Reject the question

Question: "Why do I have to drink milk?"

Answer: "Don't ask." or "I said so."

Level 2: Restate or almost restate the question as a response

Question: "Why do I have to drink milk?"

Answer: "Because you have to drink milk."

Question: "Why is the room so warm?"

Answer: "It is 34 °C outside."

Level 3: Admit ignorance or present information

Question: "Why is the sky blue?"

Answer: "I don't know but that's a good question." 

OR Give a factual answer

Question: "Why is the sky blue?"

Answer: "The sky is blue because ..." 

Level 4: Voice encouragement to seek response through authority

Answer: "Let's look that up in the encyclopedia." OR

              "Let's look that up on the Internet."

Level 5: Encourage the child to brainstorm together or consider alternative explanations

Question: "What determines a person's intelligence?"

Answer: "Let's brainstorm some possible answers."

               "Maybe it's due to genetics or maybe it's due to the environment . Perhaps it's due to        

               _____________."

Level 6: Encourage the child to consider alternative explanations and think of a means of evaluating them

Question: "What determines a person's intelligence?"

Answer: "How are we going to evaluate the possible answer of genetics? Where would we find that 

                  information? What about information on the environment?"     

Level 7: Encourage the child to consider alternative explanations plus a means of evaluating them and follow through on evaluation

Question: "What determines a person's intelligence?"

Answer: "Let's search for the information. We'll search through the encyclopedia and the Internet. Then we will get back together next week and evaluate our findings." 

Question: "Should children have a Facebook account?"

Answer: "Let's conduct interviews or contact people whom we know to do a survey. Then we will get back together a few days later to evaluate our findings."

According to Robert Sternberg, parents should avoid answering children's questions at Levels 1 and 2. Hopefully, this article will provide parents with some insights on how to have discussions that can help their children develop critical thinking.

Source:

Sternberg, Robert., (1994) Answering Questions and Questioning Answers: Guiding Children to Intellectual Excellence. Phi Delta Kappan. 76(2), 136-138.

MOE Workplan Seminar 2012 - New Way of Recognising Schools

As an ex-teacher, I am very keen to find out the issues that the Minister of Education will address during the annual MOE Workplan Seminar.

I applaud the fact that MOE has recognised that both the School Excellence Model (SEM) and the Masterplan of Awards (MoA) have led to "too much administrative work and fuelled public perception that schools are chasing awards". Yes, Minister Heng is absolutely right. At some point in my career, being part of the school middle management team, I often wondered why schools have to spend hours writing reports and collating evidence for SEM. The hours spent is even longer if the schools are garnering for certain awards. Isn't our time more well-spent if we dedicate it to plan our lessons and school-based programmes to address the learning needs of our pupils?

Hopefully, with the simplification of the framework to achieve and recognise school excellence, schools can minimise the time spent and administrative work involved on reporting and "focus on putting students at the core of their daily work". Only then will the public not perceive that schools are chasing awards at the expense of losing their focus on their core business.

Ideally, there can be a small team of administrators (who are non-teachers) to look into this reporting. Only then will teachers and middle management have more time to focus on the core business of education. I have known several teacher friends who have the potential to be key personnel in their respective schools. However, many have turned down the offers as they find that it is "more fulfilling to teach than to write reports". Nevertheless, it is a good start that MOE has recognised the need for improvement to the current school reporting and recognition system.

An Inspirational Video Clip for Parents

As parents, are there days when you feel so tired that you wish you can do nothing yet you persevere to bond with your children? On weekdays, you either read to their children before bedtime or coach their children. On weekends, you take them out on family outings. There is very little time left for yourself.

This is a short inspirational video clip for all parents to affirm that what you have been doing is priceless. The sacrifice is well worth it. It is neatly summed up at the end of the clip,
"To the world, you might just be one person. But to one person, you might just be the world."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfZhReSOP9w

Why do children ask so many questions?

Children ask many questions. Many of their questions involve one word, "Why?" As parents and educators, how do we deal with these questions? Do we brush the questions aside? Do we answer their questions?

A friend shared a link to an interesting article on his Facebook. A good read for parents and educators. The article highlights why children's questions are crucial to learning.

http://www.salon.com/2012/05/20/why_wont_you_answer_me/

Food For Thought: Preparing Kids for the Challenges of 21st Centurty

Came across a meaningful video. It will serve as food for thought for parents and educators. How do we prepare our kids for the challenges of the 21st century?

Take note of the skills required in the 21st century.

http://vimeo.com/4429902

What is the best gift for teachers?

What is the best gift for teachers? I read an article on the best gift to give to teachers on Teachers' Day and this prompted me to write this blog post.

The best gifts I have received do not cost anything. They are the happiness, satisfaction and pride that I have when I see the faces of my pupils light up with smiles as they proudly share with me their progress in their learning journeys.

I have shared in a blog post a few months ago the transformation I saw in a graduating class who managed to overcome their phobia and dislike for Math. I would always remember how moved I was when the class shared with me how they managed to overcome their phobia and dislike for Math.

Whenever the kids share with me how they have changed for the better or how I have influenced them to modify some of their actions or behaviour, I find myself smiling. Yes, these gifts are priceless. These gifts keep me going as I hope to touch the lives of my young charges, like the way some of my teachers have touched mine.

Yesterday, one of my Primary 6 tutees, Z, made a trip to the learning centre to show me all her Prelim papers and to pass me a handmade Teachers' Day card. She has done very well for all her subjects. She shared with me happily that she topped the level for English and scored 38 marks for her composition. I am very happy for her as I have seen her grow and blossom. She has put in a lot of effort during these two years, compiling phrases from story books and learning the phrases that I taught the class. She always goes the extra mile to revise thoroughly what has been taught in class, be it synthesis, Oral and others. Z shared with me that she was inspired to do well after attending my lessons. Here are her thoughts and reflections of her learning journey with me.

I read and re-read her card. I am really happy to have touched Z's life.

The joy in teaching is derived not only from helping high ability students realise their full potential but also in inspiring weaker pupils to do better.

One week ago, a P6 girl who is in my average ability Science class, M, showed me her Science Prelim Paper. She asked me if I was happy with her score of 58 marks. M used to fail her Science examinations in P5. I asked her, "How did you feel about your score? I'm happy for you as you have shown an improvement." I will always remember the glow on her face when I acknowledged her effort. M was struggling for the first part of the year and she lacked confidence. I was harsh towards her when I realised that she did not revise certain concepts. However, as the months passed, I could see her putting in more effort. I was happy for her when she showed an improvement in the last few class tests. She smiled shyly when I praised her.

Last Friday, many of my ex-pupils visited me at my learning centre. Some of them reminisced about the "torturous" Quick Write tests that I used to administer to gear them up for the PSLE. One pupil shared with me that because I believed that they could learn to write well and hence shared with them many writing techniques, he managed to improve in his writing. At the end of the year with me, he re-read the first composition he had written as a test (I always did this to let the pupils see for themselves their progress during the year) and realised that he had come a long way.

On the same day, I was moved when I read a card from an ex-pupil, L. L had made the card herself. As I read what L had written, I reminisced about the past. L did not have a lot of confidence at the beginning of the year. However, she had excellent attitude and was diligent. I encouraged her and told her to believe in herself. I was brimming with pride after reading a story written by her in a Composition class test in late August. L had managed to use many of the writing techniques that I taught the class. She adapted a story that I taught the class and wrote her own touching story about how the relationship between a grandchild and his grandmother changed after an incident. After reading the card written by L, I was happy for her. She had grown and blossomed to be more mature and confident.

Some of my friends asked me before why I continued to be a tutor after I left the service. My answer, "I love teaching." Teaching is not only about imparting knowledge to your charges. It is about influencing the children and inspiring them to believe in themselves and to have the right attitude and character. It is also about influencing them and inspiring them to do their best. I always keep the notes, cards, letters, smses and emails that pupils gave or sent me to update me on their progress. The satisfaction and happiness that a teacher gets when his or her young charges make progress is priceless.

Happy Teachers' Day!

To all my teachers and teacher friends,

Happy Teachers' Day!

A Tribute to Teachers (Part 1)...

Teachers' Day is round the corner. I would like to take this opportunity to say a BIG thank you to all the teachers who have touched my lives in one way or another.

I have been very fortunate throughout my learning journey as I have met many dedicated teachers who have inspired me to scale greater heights. When I was in Primary Four, I met Mr Wong who set up a class library to encourage his young charges to read. I did not love reading at first. I realised that some of the good writers in class had read many of the books that he recommended. The rest was history. I became a bookworm, thanks to Mr Wong!

I transferred to Chongfu when I was in Primary Five as my family moved to Yishun. There was only one graduating class when I was in Primary Six. Looking back, it must be tough for the teachers to cater to the learning needs of all of us as the class was very diverse. There was no luxury of streaming or banding the pupils as the school was new then and had only one class of P6 pupils. Being the top pupil in class, I found the worksheets in school easy. I approached my teachers and asked if I could borrow some resources that I would find more challenging from them. My teachers beamed at me and said, "Certainly!" I remembered working through the Challenging Problem Sum box sets by myself. When I encountered questions that baffled me, I would approach my Math teacher, Ms Lina Tan, for help.

I credit my writing skills to my Chinese teacher, Mr Tham. Yes, he was the one who made me discover the joy and wonders of writing. He coached me personally to prepare me for National Chinese Writing Competitions. He taught me the use of personification, contrast and Show, don't tell techniques. Many of these techniques were advanced for a primary school pupil then. Hence, it is my belief now that it is never too early to learn anything. If I think that my tutees are ready to learn something more advanced, I will impart the knowledge to them. For example, my P4 tutees in my English classes are exposed to writing techniques such as personification.

My English teacher, Mr Chan, was also very inspiring. He introduced the thesaurus to us when we were in Primary 5. He made me realise that English is a very interesting language. The words "move" or "say" have different synonyms that have different shades of meaning. I began to realise that there are many vivid words that we could use in our compositions. He also inspired me to be bilingually effective as he used to be an interpreter for the Parliament. I worked very hard and was awarded the Prime Minister's Book Prize.

There are many other teachers who have touched my lives. I will continue to pay tribute to them in my next few posts.

Do you have teachers who have touched your lives? As Teachers' Day is round the corner, I think it will be great for us to try to contact our teachers and thank them.

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."
~ William Arthur Ward

Sept P5 English Oral Holiday Programme - SPEAK!

Dear Parents,

There are no more vacancies for P5 Sept English Oral Holiday Programme - SPEAK! For those parents who have enrolled your child for the programme, please take note of the details:

Day 1: 8 Sept (Sat) 9 am to 12 pm (Oral + Composition)
Day 2: 9 Sept (Sun) 11.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. (Oral)

MOE tweaks PSLE English Language paper for 2015 cohort

Primary Four pupils will face a revised English Language syllabus next year. In addition, the English Language Paper for the PSLE will be tweaked for the 2015 PSLE cohort.

Being an ex-teacher in school, I find that the textbooks and workbooks written for the previous syllabus are inadequate to address the learning needs of the pupils. Of course, they are even more inadequate when it comes to preparation for the PSLE.

MOE came up with the revised English Language syllabus in 2010. The STELLAR programme is aligned to the syllabus and is designed to address the learning needs of the pupils. As part of the programme, English is taught through stories and texts that appeal to children, with explicit grammar instruction. I think the STELLAR resources are gems.

Questions on parents' minds will likely be: Are schools ready for the changes? Are teachers equipped with the necessary skills to implement the changes?

There will definitely be some teething problems. I sincerely hope that MOE will look into teacher training to better equip teachers with the necessary content knowledge and skills so that they can impart their knowledge to their young charges. Why do I say that?

Let me share with you two situations that occurred last year. One of my P6 tutees was questioned about his use of a fragmented sentence in his composition. He had deliberately used the fragmented sentence for impact. Another P6 tutee was questioned when she used personification in her story. They were from different schools. The two children were confused as they were taught literary devices in my English classes and they had come across similar phrases in the story books that they had read. They wondered why they were questioned by their teachers.

I can understand why the above situations occurred. Some of the English teachers may not have taken English Literature in secondary schools. Hence they may not be as aware of literary devices as the rest of the teachers who have taken the subject before.

To implement the revised syllabus effectively, we must first ensure that the teachers are on a level playing field. The two anecdotes are a clear indication that at the moment, the playing field is not level yet. If we read through the revised 2010 English syllabus, in the focus area of writing,  pupils are expected to be able to appreciate and use literary language (metaphors, similes etc) at the Upper Primary level. Instead of being lauded for using literary devices, the two kids were questioned by their teachers.

The revised 2010 English syllabus clearly outlines the learning outcomes at the different levels. I am excited about its implementation. Let's hope that with adequate teacher training, all the children benefit from its implementation.

Click on the following link to read the announcement made by MOE on the tweaking of PSLE English Language Paper for 2015:
MOE tweaks PSLE English Language paper for 2015 cohort - Channel NewsAsia

Click on the following link to find out about the revisions that will be made to the PSLE English Language Examinations.
http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/files/2012/09/annex-b-pri-el-curr.pdf

What type of learner is your child?

Children learn in different ways. There are several distinct learning styles and learning your child's learning style can help you to adapt your coaching at home to make it more fun and effective. 

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/07/find-out-what-type-of-learner-you-are.html

Sept P5 Math Revision Class Conducted by Ex-Math HOD

P5 Math Revision Class Conducted by experienced ex-Math HOD Profile of Teacher: - A dedicated ex-Math HOD with more than 10 years of teaching experience.  - Has taught the crème P6 classes for many years, producing stellar results. In 2011, 97.5% of the pupils from the top P6 class in a neighbourhood school achieved A* in Math.  - Has conducted numerous workshops for parents in school.  - Has also conducted sharing at cluster, zonal and national levels.  - Second Upper Honours Bachelor in Business Administration - Postgraduate Diploma in Education from NIE - Alumna of Raffles Junior College and Raffles Girls' Secondary Details of P5 Math Holiday Programme: 9-hour session  3 Sept (Mon) 9 am to 12 pm 4 Sept (Tue) 9 am to 12 pm 6 Sept (Thur) 1 pm to 4 pm Course Fees: $225 Max group size: 10 to 12 pupils  PSLE Trend: In addition to modelling, thinking skills and heuristics play a crucial role in solving the higher order questions in the PSLE Mathematics examination. These questions may not necessarily be found in just Section C! Increasingly, questions involving thinking skills such as identifying patterns / relationships and spatial visualisation, have surfaced. Data analysis is another important skill that the pupils need. Questions involving data analysis have increasingly been more applicable to real life situations (e.g. average questions). Objectives of P5 Math Holiday Programme: In this P5 Maths holiday programme, we aim to teach your child effective strategies to solve higher-order questions.  Modelling alone may be a limitation to the repertoire of strategies that your child can use. Algebraic manipulation will be taught in a clear and simplified tabulation method. This is to help your child solve challenging questions when modelling is not as straight forward.  At the end of the workshop, we hope that your child will not see Mathematics topics or questions in isolation. Many of the topics are interlinked. It is important to understand the strategies in Mathematics and identify the correct strategies to be used for each question. This is possible if pupils learn how to categorize the questions. Topics covered: Percentage Average (Higher order questions) Volume  Rate Registration If you are keen to enrol your child in the programme, please send us an sms (92781770) or email (serenagreenhouse@gmail.com). We will then contact you to finalise the details and make arrangement for you to go to the centre to make payment. Venue: Serena's Greenhouse Learning Centre Blk 501 Jurong West St 51 #03-263

Never Stop Learning

Never stop learning. This applies to everyone. 

Source: http://www.facebook.com/actionforhappiness

Food for thought: PSLE Oral 2012

The PSLE Oral Exam is finally over. The pictures are as follow:

EL Day 1 
Picture Discussion: Story-telling session in the classroom
Conversation: Tell me about your happiest moment

EL Day 2 
Picture Discussion: Charity Food Fair
Conversation: Tell me about a school event

CL Day 1
Picture Discussion: Scene of a Road
Conversation: What are the school rules you like and dislike the most?

CL Day 2
Picture Discussion: Old Folks' Home
Conversation: Tell me about a lesson learnt

Some parents commented in the Kiasuparents forum that children cried while leaving the examination room after their Chinese Oral Examination. I am not sure if it is true but here's some food for thought:

For the PSLE English Oral Examination, it's true that the topics are not the usual ones that the kiddos expect. Based on past year trends, the topics are usually more related to the picture discussion. Hence pupils were slightly caught off guard.

However, most of my tutees were able to think on their feet and applied the strategies taught to initiate and introduce ideas related to the conversation topic. I was impressed when some of them related what they had said during the examination. I am proud of them.

If a topic is unexpected, the child should still be able to apply the strategies and techniques taught to elaborate on the topic and engage the examiners.

Verifying rumours

Yesterday, a few family members and friends told me, at different times of the day, a rumour that they had heard. A famous and well-respected politician was critically ill or had passed away and the news was kept under wraps as National Day was round the corner. Some of my friends told me that the rumours seemed true as many people were talking about it even on Facebook and other social media.

I was doubtful about the reliability of the rumours. However, I was greatly relieved when I saw the politician at the NDP parade.

A few of my tuition kids also told me this morning that they had heard about the rumour via Facebook or from their family members and friends. I told the kids that they should not believe in rumours that have not been verified.

From this incident, we could see how potent social media is when it comes to the dissemination of official or unverified news. When enough people talk about it, what is not true will seem true. This incident is a good opportunity for parents to talk about the importance of verifying rumours.

Questions that we can discuss with the kids:
- Should we believe in rumours?
- What are some consequences of believing in unverified rumours?

Orchid Mantis Catching A Fly

The body shape and colour of the orchid mantis allows it to blend in with the orchid it is on and camouflages it. This enables it to attack and feed on the insect that flies past the orchid so as to feed on the nectar.

Allowing your child to make decisions

I like the way one of my friends gives her five-year-old child the opportunity to make choices and decisions. Some of you may be wondering, “Are you sure a five-year-old kid can make decisions?”

Well, if there are too many choices, it is possible that the child will have difficulty in making a decision. Parents need to help children learn how to make choices and decisions instead of making decisions for them all the time.

How do we go about doing it? Lucy Jo Palladino, Ph.D, clinical psychologist and author of Dreamers, Discoverers, and Dynamos: How to Help the Child Who is Bright, Bored, and Having Problems at School, suggests that parents use a technique called structured choices. What is a structured choice? It is when we give a child a choice of two or three things. For example, my friend knows what she wants her child to do and gives her child one of her predetermined choices.

For example, my friend will ask her child, “Do you want to read a book or paint a picture?” My friend is fine if her child chooses either option for her leisure time. Mummy has control and kid has control. There is no power struggle between mummy and kid.

If you find that your child does not know how to manage his or her time, help him or her by planning a daily timetable together. Within the structured time of completing his or her homework, let your child make a decision. For example, you can ask your child, “Do you want to complete the Math worksheet first or do the Science project first?”

If you want your child to clean up the mess in the room before you leave for your family outing on weekends, you can ask your child, “Before we can leave, your room needs to be cleaned up. Do you want to start with the toys on the floor or clear the top of your desk?”

Decision making is a skill that needs to be learned as all of us have to make decisions in our lives. What are the advantages of decision making?

• It allows the kids to gain more confidence and develop self-esteem. 
• It shows that we trust our kids.
• The conversations surrounding decision-making leads to a stronger bond between the parents and the child.

You must also let the kids know that choices have consequences. Their mistakes are their own and their successes are their own.

“Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions.”
~ Unknown

If young children are given the opportunity to make mistakes and have successes, as they grow older, they will be better able to make good choices instead of just doing what everyone else is doing.

“A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion.”

~ Chinese Proverb

Attitude: the little thing that makes a difference

Came across this article as my friend has linked this in his Facebook. A good read for parents and educators. I fully agree with what is mentioned in the article - Attitude: the little thing that makes a difference.

http://johnmaxwellonleadership.com/2012/07/23/attitude-the-little-thing-that-makes-a-big-difference/

Verify the Claims of Tuition Centres and Tutors

Two days ago, there was an article in the Sunday Times on a tutor whose claims to be a GEP pupil and GEP teacher had been refuted by MOE. After this article was published, a few of my friends who are already mummies and I had a conversation during a lunch gathering yesterday. My friends were appalled by the tutor's actions.

My advice to them and other parents: Feel free to ask to view the educational certificates to verify the tutor's claims. If the tutor claims that he or she is from a particular branded school, you can check the school's website or ask for other evidence. If there is nothing to hide, the tutors should not feel offended. I think it is in the interest of the parents to verify the claims of the tuition centres and tutors. Be a little more cautious when you read testimonials that have been typed out by the centres themselves on their websites. As mentioned in the Sunday Times article, a parent told the tutor to remove a testimonial that was not written by her child.

Some of my tutees shared with me interesting "anecdotes" of their past experiences with the tutors or tuition centres that they had been with previously. I will not repeat what I had heard here as it will not be professional to do so.

However, I hope that in time to come, there will be a shake up of the tuition industry. It has happened in the real estate industry. Let's hope it will happen in the tuition industry. Otherwise, there will be a few black sheep who will tarnish the image of the industry. It's not fair for the rest.

A Peek into our Science Lessons...

Our P4 classes are learning concepts on Heat while our P5 classes are learning concepts on Electricity. Take a peek into some of our hands-on activities during the lessons. We believe that these hands-on activities will help the children develop Science process skills and understand the Science concepts better.

Answer to IQ Question - What colour is my hat?

The man who calls out first is Man C.


Why? After some time, Man D has not shouted out the colour of the hat he is wearing. Hence Man C knows that he (Man C) cannot be wearing the same-coloured hat as Man B. If he is, then Man D will be able to see two white hats and will therefore know that his own hat is black.


Since Man C is not wearing the same-coloured hat as Man B and Man B is wearing a white hat, that means Man C knows that he is definitely wearing a black hat. 

IQ Question - What colour is my hat?

4 criminals are nabbed and are to be executed. The judge agrees to free them if anyone  can solve a puzzle within ten minutes. They agreed.

The four criminals are seated in a line. They are all facing the same direction. A wall separates the fourth man from the other three. They all know that between them they are wearing four hats - two black and two white - but they do not know what colour they themselves are wearing.


Man D can see men B and C.
Man C can see man B.
Man B cannot see anyone.
Man A cannot see anyone.

In order avoid being shot, any one of them must call out to the executioner the colour of his hat. If the answer is wrong, everyone will be shot. They also have to follow the following rules:

- They cannot turn around or move.

- They cannot talk to each other.

- They cannot take their hats off.

After one minute, one of them calls out.

Which one of them calls out? Why is he 100% certain of the colour of his hat?

Put on your thinking cap! The answer will be posted here next week. Have fun!

PSLE Oral Tips and Techniques - Reading

With the PSLE Oral Exam just three weeks away, here are some tips for pupils who are taking the important examination:


(1) Grading criteria
Pupils will be assessed on the following:
- pronunciation and articulation
- fluency and rhythm
- appropriate expression

(2) Pronunciation and articulation
(A) Enunciate the end consonants (e.g. -t, -k. -ch, -th, -d)
Church
Teeth
Dropped
Can't


(B) Differentiate long and short vowel sounds
Examples:
Leaves   vs      Lives
Sheep     vs      Ship
Loose     vs      Lose

(C) Enunciate "-th" sound
Examples:
father  (not fadder)
three    (not tree)

(D) Pronouncing unfamiliar words
- Read phonetically.
- Decide on one pronunciation and use it consistently while reading the passage
- Do not pause at the word
- Do not repeat the word

(3) Fluency and Rhythm
- Read fluently and smoothly
- Pause at appropriate junctures such as punctuation marks (A longer pause at a full stop and exclamation mark and a shorter pause at a comma)
- Do not rush through the passage

(4) Expression
- Vary your pitch and tone
- Your tone goes up if there is an exclamation mark.
- Read with feelings (especially for dialogue)
  Example: If the character is scared, sound afraid. If the character is livid, sound angry.

Final note:
Practice makes perfect. At home, parents may want to use reading passages from assessment books or guide books to practise this component with your children.

Electric Pickle

Can a pickle conduct electricity? Watch this amazing video to find out. 

A word of caution: This experiment should only be performed by a trained professional as a high voltage is used.

Scientific Principle Involved:

The pickle is a good conductor of electricity because it has been soaked in salt water. As we know, salt water conducts electricity as it is rich in charged particles known as ions. 

How is lightning formed

What is lightning?
Lightning is electricity produced during a thunderstorm. Each bolt of lightning can contain up to 100 billion volts of electricity.

How is lightning formed?
During a thunderstorm, particles of rain, ice or snow will collide. The collisions will create an electric charge and after a while, the thundercloud is filled with electrical charges. The charges will separate. The negative charges, electrons, will concentrate in the lower part of the thundercloud while the positive charges, protons, will form at the top of the thundercloud.

Since like charges repel, some of the negative charges on the ground are pushed down away from the surface of the ground, leaving a net positive charge on the ground.

Then as opposite charges attract,  the positive charges on the ground and the negative charges at the base of the thundercloud are pulled towards each other. Since the negative charges (electrons) are many times smaller than the positive charges, they move more easily. When the negative charges move down, an invisible stroke known as the stepped leader is formed.

When the negative and positive charges on the stepped leader connect, there is a conductive path from the cloud to the ground. Once the stepped leader reaches one of the positively charged streams from the ground, the positive charges we get are what we call a lightning, a bright stream in the sky that has several branches (see figure 3). The positive charges going up to the cloud are actually where we see the bright lightning. This is also know as the return stroke. When the return stroke reaches the cloud, if there are still more negative charges left, the lightning will continue with negative charges being taken to the ground and another return stroke taking positive charges to the cloud.

Inspirational Video Clip - A Father's Love for His Child & Yes, you can

Watch this inspirational video clip on a father's love for his child.  There is also a meaningful message at the end of the clip about having the perseverance and commitment to do what you want to do. 

Rick was born in 1962 to Dick and Judy Hoyt. Due to  oxygen deprivation to Rick's brain at the time of his birth, Rick was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Rick's parents were advised to institutionalise Rick because there was no chance of him recovering and little hope for Rick to live a "normal" life. However, Dick and Judy believed that they could help Rick integrate in the society. 



In 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralysed in an accident. Dick agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair and they completed the run. That night, Rick told his father, "Dad, when I'm running, it feels that my disability disappeared."

After this run, Dick and Rick went to complete over 1000 races, including marathons, duathlons and triathlons (6 of them being Ironman competitions). 


I really like what Dick said in the last part of the clip, "Yes, you can. You can do anything you want to do as long as you make up your mind. You can do it." Truly inspirational! 

Do all sharks need to keep moving to stay alive?

Yesterday, one of my P6 pupils shared with the class that he had read in a National Geographic Magazine that sharks need to keep moving to stay alive.

Do all sharks need to keep moving to stay alive? It depends on the breathing technique the sharks use. Ancient shark species do not have to constantly swim to breathe as they pump water through their mouth and over their gills. This method is known as buccal pumping. The sharks use their buccal, or cheek, muscles to pull the water into the mouth and over the gills. Examples of shark species that use this method of breathing are nurse sharks, angel sharks and carpet sharks. Most of these species have a more prominent spiracle, which is a tube behind the eyes. When a shark is at the bottom of the ocean floor and cannot breathe through its mouth, the spiracle acts like a mouth by pulling in water.

Over time, sharks evolved and the modern shark species use a method known as ram ventilation. By swimming fast, these sharks actively force water into their mouths for processing. Shark species that breathe using ram ventilation do use buccal pumping to breathe when they are idling.

There is a category of sharks known as obligate ram ventilators that are said to have to swim constantly to stay alive. Only about two dozen of the 400 identified shark species fall in this category. One such species is the great white shark.

A Good Read - Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are is one of those books that can be enjoyed equally by a child as well as a grown-up. The main character, Max, dons his wolf suit in pursuit of some mischief and gets sent to bed without supper. A forest grows in his room, allowing his wild rampage to continue. 


Sendak's colour illustrations are awesome. With mismatched parts & giant eyes, the wild things manage somehow to be scary-looking without ever really being scary. A note of caution: Sendak uses some defiantly run-on sentences. A great read for pre-school kids. There's an audio book version available too.  

How lightning is formed

We have just started our lessons on Electricity for the P5 kids. Last evening, the Monday P5 group was excited when they were given light bulbs, dry cells and crocodile clips to explore. They were given drawings of different set-ups and were told to investigate in which set-ups would the bulb light up. After that, they would make their inferences and conclusions based on the results. 

Here's a video that explains how lightning is formed. Many pupils in previous batches asked me this question before. Have fun watching the video.