Writer's Craft - Personification

Good writers spice up their sentences by using personification. What is personification? Personification is a literary device whereby non-living things are given human characteristics or quality.

Let's look at how personification can make sentences more interesting.

Examples:
(1) The light shone into the room.
The light squeezed through the curtains and tickled my eyes.

(2) The wind blew very strongly.
The wind howled and screamed, ripping Ben's hat off his head.

(3) The car engine was noisy when it was started.
The car engine sputtered and coughed before roaring to life. 

(4) The sunflowers grew towards the sun.
The sunflowers stretched their necks towards the beaming sun.

(5) The rain fell to the ground.
The rain pelted the ground, attacking it from every angle.

(6) The class was quiet.
Silence crept into the classroom.

(7) The mountain seemed difficult to climb.
The mountain taunted me, daring me to conquer it.

2015 PSLE New English Composition Format - A Different Ball Game

In 2015, the P6 pupils were the first batch that had to write a story based on one. two or three random pictures given. The topic for the 2015 PSLE composition was "Being Considerate" and the pictures given were: reserved seating, tray return point and adjusting the volume of the television to the maximum.

Some pupils lamented that there was "nothing much to write about". However, when I asked some of my tutees, they told me that they were able to apply the writing skills that I had taught them. For example, many chose to write on the picture of "reserved seating". One wrote that a girl saw an elderly woman board a crowded MRT train. Nobody gave up their seat to the old lady. The girl had an internal conflict at first. In the end, she decided not to give up her seat. Just then, a younger child gave up the seat to the old lady and the girl was ashamed of her own actions. It took someone who was younger to teach her how to be considerate.

My tutee went on the tell me that she applied the technique of characterisation and elaborated on the elderly woman's physical appearance using vivid descriptions and similes. She also slowed down the moment when she described how the old lady was struggling to balance and steady herself while carrying a heavy grocery bag.

Another tutee wrote on the picture of the tray return point and managed to include an unexpected twist in the end. One more tutee managed to use two pictures, the one on someone adjusting the volume of the television to the maximum and reserved seating, appropriately.

In conclusion, for the new 2015 PSLE English Composition format, it is important that pupils be taught writing skills explicitly. The ball game had changed. It is no longer about memorising whole stories in the hope that they can use the whole story for the PSLE. It is about thinking on their feet and applying the writing techniques that they have learnt.

Good Read for Lower Primary Kids - The Robozonic Series

While searching for good books to buy for my niece who is in lower primary, I stumbled upon this series, the Robozonic series. This series is written by a local author, Caline Tan. Caline was a teacher with the Ministry of Education for about ten years till she left the teaching service to devote more time to her two children.

The first book in the series is entitled "Save the Flowers". One day, on the way to school, eight-year-old Mabel met a mysterious talking pebble. She soon discovered that the "pebble" was not a pebble. It was a gadget known as Robozonic from the year 2111. Robozonic could communicate will all living things. Robozonic had to find a way back to the future but it had to first prevent some flowers in the park from being destroyed, with Mabel's help.

The author has also included the definitions of difficult words mentioned in the story. Overall, a good read for kids who are in the lower primary.

Go to the link below to read a sample from the first book, "Save the Flowers".

http://www.robozonic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/RZ.pdf

Tips for English PSLE: 8 Essential Reading Comprehension Skills

Before enrolling their child in our English programme, many parents have shared with us that the open-ended Comprehension component is one of their children's weakest areas. How can parents help their children to improve on their areas of weaknesses and to optimise his or her learning?

To help the kiddos improve on reading comprehension, parents should be aware there are 8 essential reading comprehension skills that the kiddos need to develop. Kiddos need to be able to:

1) skim through the text to get the main idea
2) scan the text for details
3) sequence details
4) use contextual clues
5) make predictions
6) make inferences
7) make connections between text and personal experiences
8) draw conclusions

I'll explain the first two  reading comprehension skills in the following paragraphs.
1) Skimming
It is a rapid reading method in which you have a quick glance at the passage to get an overall idea of the text.

Here are some examples of texts that we skim in our daily lives:
- the newspaper: to quickly get the general news of the day
- magazines: to discover quickly which articles we would like to read in more detail
- brochures: to be informed quickly

How do we skim a text?
- Read the title if there is one.
- Read the introduction or the first paragraph if there is one?
- Read the first sentence of every other paragraph.
- Notice any pictures, charts or graphs.
- Read the summary or last paragraph if there is one.

Skimming  is often the first type of reading that should be done when we read a Comprehension passage. Skimming the Comprehension passage requires the pupils to read through the paragraphs quickly. At the end of this, pupils should be able to make a quick summary of the passage, that is, he should be able to say what the passage is about.

2) Scanning
It is a reading technique used to find specific information quickly. You have a question in mind and you scan a passage to find the answer quickly.

How do we scan a text?
- Know the specific information you are looking for.
- Anticipate how the answer will appear and the clues you may use to help you locate the answer. For example, if you are looking for the year in which a character was born in, you will scan the passage quickly to look for numbers.

We hope you have a better understanding of the first two reading comprehension skills that your child needs to be equipped with. We'll cover the rest of the comprehension skills in the next few posts.

PSLE Oral: Stimulus-based Conversation (Part 1)

As this cohort of P6 pupils is the first batch to be tested with the new PSLE Oral Format, there are very few commercial resources on stimulus-based conversation available in the market. Here is a list of sample stimulus-based conversation topics that parents can use as practice resources:

(A) Theme: Occupations
Picture: Assembly Talk on Four Occupations
Question 1: Will you attend this assembly talk? Why or why not?
Question 2: Which occupation will you be interested to find out more about? / Which occupation is the most challenging?
Question 3: What do you aspire to be when you grow up?

(B) Theme: Sports & Charity
Picture: Poster on POSB PAssion Run for Kids
Question 1: Will you take part in this event? Why or why not?
Question 2: Why do you think people will attend this event?
Question 3: Besides engaging in sports, how can we maintain a healthy lifestyle?

(C) Theme: Reading
Stimulus: Cover page and blurb of a children's story book
Question 1: Will you be interested to read this book? Why or why not?
Question 2: Tell me about your favourite book.
Question 3: You have a friend who does not like to read. How can you persuade your friend to read more books?

(D) Theme: Dengue Fever & Illness
Picture: Poster on Prevention of Dengue Fever and Breeding of Mosquitoes
Question 1: Do you think the poster is effective in preventing the breeding of Aedes mosquitoes?
Question 2: Tell me about a time when you were sick?
Question 3: Besides displaying posters, what else can be done to encourage Singaporeans to do their part to prevent dengue fever?

(E) Theme: Outdoor event & Family
Picture: Poster on Outdoor Family Carnival
Question 1: Will you be interested to take part in this event? Why or why not?
Question 2: Tell me about an outdoor activity that you enjoy.
Question 3: What activities do you and your family engage in on weekends?

Are humans conductors of electricity?

During a recent P5 Science class, a pupil asked me, "Teacher Serena, are humans conductors of electricity?"

This video will demonstrate that humans are conductors of electricity.

Watch the video carefully.

Observations:
When both hands are used to grip the Energy Stick with a hand on each silver ring, there are flashing lights and a sound is heard. When the person lets go of one hand, the Energy Stick stops working.

Science Concepts:
The Energy Stick is a battery-powered circuit tester. Electricity flows because of a flow of free electrons moving from atom to atom through a material. An electrical conductor allows a current to flow through it.

Since our body is mostly water and there are water and minerals on our skin, our body can be a conductor of electricity but a poor one. The weak current flows from one silver ring onto one hand and then across the surface of our skin to the hand and onto the other silver ring. This complete loop is called a closed circuit and an electric circuit can flow through the closed circuit. Hence the light in the Energy Stick lights up.

Registration for 2016 Classes

Dear Parents,

We have started our registration exercise for 2016 classes. Here are the details of our classes:

Classes Conducted by Mrs Teo:
(a) P4 Science
Wednesday 7.15 p.m. to 9.15 p.m.

(b) P5 Math * (Placement test will be conducted to ensure there is a right fit)
Sunday 1.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m.

(c) P6 Math
Sunday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Classes Conducted by Ms Hayati:
(a) P5 English Paper 2
Friday 4.45 p.m. to 6.45 p.m.

(b) P6 English Paper 2
Saturday 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

(c) P6 Writer's Craft
Friday 7.15 p.m. to 9.15 p.m.

Classes Conducted by Teacher Serena:
(a) P5 Science
Saturday 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.
Sunday 10.45 a.m. to 12.45 p.m.

(b) P5 Writer's Craft
Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

(c) P6 Science
Sunday 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.
Sunday 1.15 p.m to 3.15 p.m.

(d) P6 Writer's Craft
Wednesday 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.

Please send an email to serenagreenhouse@gmail.com for enquiries.

Topics for New 2015 PSLE English Composition Format

Some parents have commented on the lack of available resources on the new PSLE English Composition format at the bookshops. I have compiled a few composition topics.

(1) A Mistake

What was the mistake?

What was the outcome?

(2) A Well-deserved Reward

What was the reward?

Why was the reward well-deserved?

(3) A Dream Come True

What was the dream?

How did the person realise the dream?

(4) A Surprise

What was the surprise?

What happened in the end?

(5) A Disappointing Experience

What was the disappointing experience?

Why was it disappointing?

As educators or parents, you can create your own composition questions based on these topics to better prepare your pupils or children for the new composition format for the PSLE. You can think of three random pictures that can be linked to the topic and include them in the question for your pupils or child to attempt.

For example, for the topic, "A Mistake", the pictures can be the following:

- an ajar door

- a man whose hands are handcuffed

- a pedestrian crossing

Brainstorm with your pupils or child some possible plots. Include a conflict in the story (if possible). Then discuss the merits and shortcomings of each plot and how each plot can be improved on.

Remember, a story with a creative plot will have a higher score. 

Writer's Craft: Types of Conflict in Narratives

Many parents and pupils are jittery about the new 2015 PSLE English syllabus. For example, many have expressed concern about the new format for English Paper 1.

We believe that it is important to teach pupils the craft of writing explicitly and to show them models of good writing. We will be blogging about some of these writing skills.For instance, pupils attending our Writer's Craft classes are introduced to the elements of a narrative. One of the elements of a narrative is a conflict/ problem. In this post, we'll be sharing more about what a conflict is.

What is a conflict / problem in a narrative?
A conflict/ problem arises when the main character wants something but something else stands in his or her way.


Why is a conflict important?
Most of the action centres around the main character trying to find a solution to solve the conflict. A conflict drives the plot. It makes the story more interesting.

How do we identify a conflict?
The easiest way to identify a conflict is to write a conflict statement. A conflict statement is a statement that briefly tells us what the main character wants and what is preventing him  from getting what he wants.
Example:
Cinderella wants to go to the ball but her evil stepmother does not allow her to do so.

Types of conflict
There are five main types of conflict.
(1) Person versus Self
The main character has trouble deciding what action he should take.
Example:
Tim saw his friend stealing. He was in a dilemma. Should he tell his teacher about his friend's misdeed or should he just feign ignorance?

(2) Person versus Person
The main character has a problem with one or more characters.
Example:
Ben and his best friend saw a gang abusing an animal. Ben did not want to get into trouble and suggested walking away. However, his friend wanted to stop the gang. As a result, Ben and his friend argued.

(3) Person versus Society
The main character does something that he wants to do but it is against the law or the school rule or is an unaccepted behaviour.
Example:
Ben's parents were very busy and neglected him. Ben decided to use a spray can to spray graffiti to get his parents' attention but this action was against the law.

(4)Person versus Nature
The main character struggles with the elements of nature such as a thunderstorm, an earthquake, a wild animal etc
Example:
Pete was hiking in the forest when he encountered a wild bear.

(5) Person versus Fate
The main character comes face to face with a situation that is beyond his control.
Example:
Mary was involved in a serious accident and the doctors did not think she would pull through. Miraculously, she survived.

Once pupils know what the different conflicts are, they can decide for themselves the type of conflict that they will include in their own narrative. This will lead to a more interesting story plot.

We hope you have a good understanding of what a conflict is in a narrative and what some types of conflicts are. Tune in to our next post. We'll be writing a post on how parents can help their child to be better prepared for the new PSLE Oral format.

Respiratory System - Sample Question and Answer

Why do we breathe faster when we exercise?

When we exercise, our body needs more energy. We breathe faster to take in more oxygen at a faster rate so that our body cells can carry out cellular respiration faster to release more energy.
When we exercise, our body cells also produce more carbon dioxide. We breathe faster to exhale this greater amount of carbon dioxide faster.

Circulatory System - Sample Question (2)

Here is another sample question on the human circulatory system:

The diagram below shows the circulation of blood in the human body.

(a) Name the organs that X and Y represent. (1 m)

X: Lungs
Y: Heart

Comment: The heart will have to pump blood to and from all parts of the body, including the lungs.

(b) Which part, P, Q, R or S, represents blood vessels that have the highest level of oxygen? Give a reason for your answer. (1 m)

Q. Blood vessel Q transports blood from the lungs where oxygen from the inhaled air passes through the walls of the air sacs into the blood. 

Circulatory System - Sample Question (1)

During Science examinations, pupils are often required to use comparison skills when answering open-ended questions. Below is a sample question on the circulatory system.

The diagram below shows how blood flows in certain parts of the body.

(a) The blood at D contains a greater amount of a substance than at C. What is this substance? Give a reason for your answer.

Answering Technique:

Comparison is needed as there is a comparative word "greater" in the question stem. 

Focus only on carbon dioxide in your explanation.

Carbon dioxide. The blood at D flows from the legs where the body cells give out carbon dioxide when they carry out cellular respiration. The blood at C flows from the heart which flows from the lungs where carbon dioxide has been expelled from the body 

(b) Why is the amount of oxygen in the blood lower at A than at B?

Answering Technique:

Comparison is needed as there is a comparative word "lower" in the question stem. 

Focus only on oxygen in your explanation.

The blood at A flows from the head and the legs where the body cells take in oxygen when they carry out cellular respiration. The blood at B flows from the heart which flows from the lungs where oxygen from the inhaled air passes through the walls of the air sacs into the blood. 

Writer's Craft : Using Characterisation to create memorable characters

My sister-in-law was reading an extract from the book, "James and the Giant Peach", to my nephew who is in Primary 2. She was sharing with my nephew how Roald Dahl used characterisation effectively to create memorable characters. The following extract is on Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker, two characters in "James and the Giant Peach".

"Aunt Sponge was enormously fat and very short. She had small piggy eyes, a sunken mouth and one of those white flabby faces that looked exactly as though it had been boiled. She was like a great white soggy overboiled cabbage. Aunt Spiker, on the other hand, was lean and tall and bony, and she wore steel-rimmed spectacles that fixed on to the end of her nose with a clip. She had a screeching voice and long wet narrow lips, and whenever she got angry or excited, little flecks of spit would come shooting out of her mouth as she talked. And there they sat, these two ghastly hags, sipping their drinks, and every now and again screaming at James to chop faster and faster. They also talked about themselves, each one saying how beautiful she thought she was. "

It is never too early to expose the kiddos to good writing. It is also never too early to expose the kiddos to effective writing techniques. Roald Dahl often creates very memorable characters in his stories. Hence his stories are good mentor texts for teaching kiddos characterisation. 

Logic puzzle - Taxi fare

Three friends took a taxi from Orchard to the Singapore Zoo. When they arrived at the zoo, the meter read $25. Each of the friends gave the taxi driver a $10 note. The taxi driver handed them five $1 notes as change. Each of the friends took one of the $1 notes. They gave the taxi driver the remaining two $1 notes as a tip.

Each of the friends had spend $9 and and the taxi driver had $2, bringing the total to $29. What happened to the last $1?

The answer will be disclosed in the next post on Friday. Happy Solving!

Common mistake in everyday conversation

Here is a common mistake in everyday conversation:
WRONG: "You better apologise as she is very angry."
RIGHT: "It would be good if you apologise..."

Who or whom?

Found a good article that explains very clearly when we should use "who" and "whom". This article is useful for parents and kiddos.

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/who_vs_whom

PSLE Oral Exam Tip - Commonly Mispronounced Words in Singapore

Let us share a tip for the PSLE Oral Exam. There are some words that pupils have difficulty in pronouncing.

I have found a list of commonly mispronounced words in Singapore compiled by Associate Professor David Deterding from National Institute of Education. Kiddos are able to listen to the correct pronunciation by clicking on the words in the list.
http://videoweb.nie.edu.sg/phonetic/words-ipa/index.htm

Educational Science Videos - Wild Kratts Series

This animated series introduces kiddos to a variety of wild animals and teaches them Science concepts such as animal behaviour, habitats and adaptations. Kids who like humour and adventure will love to watch this series. Suitable for children between 4 years old and 8 years old.

As the videos often mention threats to animal habitats, parents can also follow up by engaging their kiddos in discussions on current environmental issues and conservation.

http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Kratts-Creature-Adventures/dp/B004NIX05W

Symbiotic relationships

Symbiotic relationship occurs when at least two organisms live together in a way that benefits at least one of the organisms. Mutualism is an example of a symbiotic relationship whereby both organisms benefit each other.

One example of mutualism is the relationship between the honeyguide bird and the honey badger or ratel. The honeyguide bird leads the badger to honey (benefit to badger) while the badger tears apart the hive (benefit to the bird as it can now access the honey). Watch the video below on this symbiotic relationship.

Flower of Banana Tree at Jacob Ballas Children's Garden

I took my son to Jacob Ballas Children's Garden a few days ago. This is really a fun and educational place for young kids. We saw a banana tree with a flower and a bunch of bananas. Many kiddos in Singapore are probably not familiar with the flower of a banana tree. Here's a picture to share with all:

Good Read - Ellie Belly Series

My nephew and my niece have both read the Ellie Belly series by local author, Eliza Teoh, and they simply love the series. This series is suitable for Lower Primary kiddos. The books are humorous as they chart the silly and funny antics of Ellie and her best friend, Cammy, as they go about saving a different animal in each book.

They can relate to the characters and the settings in the book as Ellie, the main character, goes to a   local school whereby teachers assign worksheets and pupils have recess and Physical Education lessons. Ellie also lives in an HDB flat.

The books contain diary entries which are contributed by children in Singapore. Hence children are exposed to this text type as they read the book. Here is a diary entry from the book, "Pawful Peril".

The author has also included the definitions of difficult words mentioned in the story. Below is an example:

I think the books in the series are good models to show the young kiddos how good authors write vividly. An excerpt below shows the thoughts racing in Ellie's head. The kiddos can learn from the author and include the character's thoughts in their own narratives.

Good Read - A Boy Name Harry (The Childhood of Lee Kuan Yew)

I saw a book on the childhood of late Mr Lee Kuan Yew in the National Library last week. A good read for kids who would like to learn more about the founding father of modern Singapore.

Good Read - Kids Discover Magazine

I came across a good magazine, Kids Discover, when I took my son to the National Library a few days ago. This magazine is suitable for upper primary kids and contains non-fiction texts. For example, the issue below contains information on Abraham Lincoln.

Vacancies for Existing Classes

Dear parents,

Thank you for your interest in our classes. Currently, there are no vacancies for all our existing classes except for:

- P5 English Paper 2 class (new class started in Jan 2015)
  Day: Saturday
  Time: 12 pm to 2 pm
  Limited vacancies

Due to requests from parents to start a new P5 Science class, we started gathering responses from parents last week. Thank you for your support. As at today, there are LIMITED vacancies (4) left.

If you would like to find out more about either of the courses, please send an email to serenagreenhouse@gmail.com or an sms to 98736115. Thank you.

New P5 Science Class

Dear Parents,

Due to requests from parents, we will be starting a new P5 Science class this Sunday. Here are the details of the class:
Day: Sunday
Time: 1.15 p.m. to 3.15 p.m.
Fees: $220 for every 4 two-hour sessions
Max class size: 15 pupils

Teacher Serena will be conducting the class. There are limited vacancies left. If you are keen to enrol your child in the class, feel free to send an email to serenagreenhouse@gmail.com or send an sms to 98736115 and further details will be provided.

Differences between a slug and a snail

Today, I showed my toddler a snail while we were taking a walk in the estate. An eight-year-old child passed by and was excited to see the snail too. I overheard the child's mother asking, "Do you know what is the difference between a snail and a slug?"

I thought it would be interesting to write a short post on this. The main difference between a snail and a slug is that a snail has a shell while a slug does not.

Other features are the same for snails and slugs:
- they move around on a flat, muscular foot.
- they have one or two pairs of tentacles on their heads. The larger pair of tentacles usually has eyes at the end.
- they eat using a tongue-like organ called a radula, covered with rows of teeth.
- most of them have both male and female reproductive organs and hence are hermaphrodites.

Slug

Snail

Writer's Craft: Slowing Down the Motion (Part 2)

Watch this TED video which describes how and why Hollywood movie makers use slowing down the motion to create suspense. The video also shows how the same convention can be used to slow down the motion in narrative writing. There is a very good example in the video on how to slow down the motion when we write about a basketball player shooting the ball into the hoop.

Writer's Craft - Slowing down the motion (Part 1)

During my Writer's Craft lessons, I believe that it is important to show pupils samples of good writing and discuss with them why certain phrases or writing techniques are used.

During one of the lessons, I was sharing with the P5 kiddos how authors slow down the motion to create suspense or tension. Firstly, I shared with them how films slow down the motion to create tension. The kiddos nodded their heads and agreed that they had watch such movie scenes before.

Then I shared with the class an excerpt from "January (Conspiracy 365)" to show them how the technique is used.

Telling: 
A shark bumped the boat a few times. Then it turned away. I thought it left but it returned.

Showing using expanding the moment technique:
"Then something bumped into the boat hard. I hoped we'd collided with something submerged, drifting in the water. I looked around. The sky was much lighter but I could't see anything but the chopping waves.

Another bump, this time so hard I almost lost my grip on the rope. I still couldn't see anything but I knew something was out there. I was freezing cold but broke out in a sweat.

A third bump, so hard that it knocked me completely into the water. I splashed and slipped, scrambling back to the top of the upturned boat, hauling myself up by the ridge. In the grey light, I spotted a three-metre shark rolling over, exposing its pale belly before disappearing again.

I waited, sick with fear, praying that it had gone away. I searched around for a weapon - anything to try and defend myself.

Tossing on the waves and just out of my reach, was the jag-hook of the boat.

Yet another powerful bump and the upturned boat and I, clinging desperately above, started to move over the water. The shark was under the boat, powering us along! Any minute now, it would bash through the hull and grab me. Then, just as suddenly as it began the motion stopped. I watched the dorsal fin speed away.

Was it leaving?

The shark had pushed me and the boat closer to the floating debris. I saw, again, the long wooden handle of the jag-hook floating nearby And then, in the background, I saw the vanishing fin slow, turn and flick around. The shark was coming back - and straight for me!"

Differences between an ape and a monkey

I took my toddler to the Singapore Zoo recently and overheard a child asking his mother, "Mum, what is the difference between an ape and a monkey?" This is a commonly asked question. Here's a brief answer:

The main difference between an ape and a monkey is that an ape does not have a tail while a monkey has a tail.

There are other differences between an ape an a monkey. They are:
(1) An ape is generally larger than a monkey.
(2) An ape has a longer lifespan than a monkey.
(3) An ape has a larger brain-to-body size ratio.
(4) An ape has higher intelligence.

Of course, there are exceptions. Some monkeys do not have tails and some are large. Gibbons, considered to be lesser apes, are smaller than some monkeys.

Great Apes
Gorillas, Chimpanzees, Bonobos and Orang utans

Lesser Apes
Siamangs and Gibbons

Monkeys

Baboons, macaques, tamarins etc

You can find out more by reading these books:
Apes and Monkeys by Barbara Taylor
All about Monkeys and Apes by Jordyn Madison

Here are some pictures of apes and monkeys:

TAMARIN

Gorilla

ORang Utan with babY

Chimpanzee

Gibbon

Wind-pollinated flowers

The P5 kiddos have learnt about pollination and fertilisation during our P5 Science classes. The kiddos have learnt that wind-pollinated flowers usually have small petals, dull colours and no scent. Their anthers usually hang out of the flowers so that the pollen grains can be blown away by the wind more easily and have a higher chance of landing on the large and feathery stigma. Here are a few images of wind-pollinated flowers:

A Good Read - Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's web is a tale of how a little girl, with the help of a friendly spider named Charlotte, saved her pig named Wilbur from the usual fate of nice fat little pigs. This is a beautiful story of friendship, kindness and the passing on into time.

Here is my favourite quote:

“Why did you do all this for me?" he asked. "I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you."
"You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing.”

A great read for children.

Answer to Math Puzzle

Pour the water in the second glass to the fifth glass as shown in the diagram below:

Happy Lunar New Year!

Math Puzzle Involving Divergent Thinking

Six drinking cups are arranged in a row as shown below. The first three are filled with water while the next three are empty. Move one glass only to get the full and empty glasses to alternate.

We will publish the answer to the puzzle next week. Happy solving!

Insect-pollinated flowers

The P5 kiddos are learning about pollination and fertilisation during our P5 Science classes. The kiddos have learnt that insect-pollinated flowers usually have large petals, bright colours, sweet nectar and nice scent. Here are a few images of insect-pollinated flowers:

Touching Story : Friendship between a dog and a boy

One of my P6 Writer's Craft lessons was on the topic, "Friendship". I shared with my pupils a real life story about a friendship between a three-legged dog and a boy suffering from a genetic condition. Watch this video on an interview with the boy, Owen, and his parents.

Images of cells

The P5 kiddos learnt about cells during the Headstart classes in November. Here are images of some cells that were mentioned in class. They were excited to view some of these cells through the microscope in class.

Cheek cells

Red blood cells

Elodea cells

Onion cells

Five Elements of a Short Story

During the first lesson, the P5 kids in the Writer's Craft class are taught the five elements of a short story. The five elements are: plot, characters, conflict, theme and setting. Here's a video on the five elements from youtube.

Dear parents,

We have a piece of good news to share with all of you. Some of you know that I have been looking out for teachers with the same philosophy and who have a heart for the kids and a passion for teaching to join me.

Hence I am glad to share with all of you that a new teacher, Ms Hayati, has just joined us. Being an English specialist, Ms Hayati will be conducting English Paper 2 classes. Here's a brief profile of Ms Hayati:
- A dedicated ex-English HOD and ex-senior teacher with more than 20 years of teaching experience
- Has anchored upper primary primary classes, including P6 classes, for many years
- Has conducted workshops for parents and teachers at the school, cluster and national levels
- Master in Applied Linguistics, NIE
- Postgraduate Diploma in Education, NIE
- Bachelor of Arts, NUS
- Alumna of Raffles Junior College and Raffles Girls' Secondary

Feel free to read her profile under the "Profile" section.

Here are the details of the classes:
(1) P5 English Paper 2 class
Day: Saturday
Time: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Class size: 15 pupils (max)

(2) P6 English Paper 2 class
Day: Saturday
Time: 2.15 p.m. to 4.15 p.m.
Class size: 15 pupils (max)

If you are keen, please feel free to contact me via email or sms.