Video - Impact of Global Warming

Watch this heart-wrenching short video clip on a starving polar bear in the Arctic with your child. You could talk about global warming and its impact after watching the video.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/polar-bear-starving-arctic-sea-ice-melt-climate-change-spd/?_ga=2.51405867.380859813.1529311868-629953742.1512905858

Read the article by National Geographic to find out more about the starving polar bear.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/starving-polar-bear-video-climate-change-spd/

How do Maglev Trains Work?

During one of the P6 Science lessons, my pupils and I were discussing how magnetic force of repulsion helped to levitate a Maglev train so that the train is "floating" on a cushion of air and is not in contact with the train. This helps to eliminate friction between the base of the train and the track hence allowing the train to travel faster.

Some pupils in the class were curious about how magnetic force is used to propel the Maglev train forward. To find out more, do click here. 

2016 PSLE Question on Carrier Crab and Sea Urchin - Check out this video

In the 2016 Science PSLE, pupils were asked an open-ended question on the carrier crab and sea urchin.

Watch this video (posted on Youtube) to see the carrier crab in action.

Science Concepts:

This is an example of symbiosis or interdependence between the carrier crab and the sea urchin. The carrier crab carries the sea urchin on its back as a spiny shield to protect itself from predators. In return, the sea urchin gets a free ride to new feeding grounds in the ocean so that it can get more food.

Tricky Science PSLE Question

One of my tutees sent me a message to clarify the following tricky question that was set in the PSLE this year. Try to do the following question using elimination!

What is/are the characteristic(s) that only birds have but not other animals?

A: They have a beak.
B: The have wings.
C: They have feathers.

(1) A only
(2) C only
(3) A and C only
(4) B and C only

Put on your thinking cap and try to solve this question.


Answer: 2

Explanation: Some pupils will be tricked into choosing option 3. However, a platypus is a mammal but has a beak known as a bill. Birds are the only animals that have feathers.

Real-life Application Science Question - Invisible Water Vapour

Parents can pose the following question to the kiddos.

Question:
Water vapour is not visible. How do we show that water vapour is in the surrounding air?

Approach:
The P5 kiddos  have learnt about water and its three states hence one easy way to prove that water vapour is all around them is to place a bottle of cold water or a can of cold drink on the table. After some time, water droplets will form on the outer surface of the cold bottle or cold can.

Science Concept and Keywords:
When the warmer water vapour in the surrounding air comes into contact with the cooler outer surface of the bottle/can, the warmer water vapour loses heat to the cooler outer surface of the bottle/can and condenses to form water droplets.

A Peek into Our Teaching Approach:
We believe in making learning easier for the kiddos. Hence we introduce our kiddos to template answers to certain questions. Template answers contain keywords that the PSLE markers are looking out for.

What Parents Say About Our Programmes and Teachers...

Here are some testimonials written by our tutees (from the 2016 graduating classes) and their parents. You may like to read some of the testimonials to learn more about our programmes, teaching strategies and teachers. We will continue to upload the testimonials written by our tutees and their parents. To the tutees and parents who have written testimonials for us, thank you so much for writing the lovely testimonials :)

Testimonials from our tutees' parents:

Testimonials from our tutees:

2016 PSLE Question on Interdependence / Symbiotic Relationship

On 25 July 2011, I wrote a blog entry on interdependence among organisms.
http://serenagreenhouse.blogspot.sg/2011/07/interdependence-among-organisms.html

When I go through some examples of interdependence or symbiotic relationships among organisms with my tutees each year, many of them will tell me that they have not come across the examples I shared with them in school.  Some will even ask me if these concepts will be tested at all in the PSLE.

I will always explain to them that interdependence among organisms is within the syllabus hence SEAB can actually set a PSLE question on interdependence with a context given. I always believe that if a context is given, pupils can be tested on examples that they have not come across. Hence it is important to READ WIDELY. Parents should encourage their kids to read Young Scientist magazines and watch National Geographic channel. The kiddos' learning SHOULD NOT be restricted to only the facts and examples in the school textbooks. As an ex-teacher and a current tutor, I know that pupils may not have enough exposure to real-life examples. Hence I will always make it a point to share with them these real-life examples.

I was glad that some of my tutees shared with me that in the 2016 Science PSLE, they were tested on a question that has similar concepts to this example that I shared with them during one of my lessons:

Science Video - Air expands when heated

Some kids have difficulty in visualising that air expands when heated. This video will show the concept clearly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M_XtIVE_u4&gl=SG&hl=en-GB

Lemon Battery

Science concept behind the experiment:

Batteries are comprised of two different metals suspended in an acidic solution. For the lemon battery, the two metals, copper and zinc, are suspended in the citric acid inside the lemons.

The two metals are electrodes, the parts of a battery where an electrical current enters and leaves the battery. Electrons flow out of the copper pennies and into the zinc nail through the acidic juice inside the lemon. Once the lemon battery is connected to the LED, a closed circuit is formed and an electric current flows through the closed circuit to light up the LED. 

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.

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. 

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.

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:

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:

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.

Interdependence - Shrimp and Goby Fish

Very informative video found on Youtube on the symbiotic relationship between the shrimp and the goby fish. A top school has set a question on this symbiotic relationship in its P6 Science Examination Paper.

Amazing Adaptation - Frozen Frog?

Wood frogs are found in the northern United States and Canada and must endure freezing cold temperatures for parts of the year. How do they survive the cold winter?

Watch this video to find out.

Explanation:

The wood frog has a special adaptation. It is able to freeze solid without damaging their cells. Sugar acts like a natural antifreeze in its body. allowing it to spend the winter frozen and then resume function in spring.

Amazing Adaptation - Camouflaging Octopus

I was awed by a short video clip that I watched on the Internet the other day. It was a video of a camouflaging octopus.

Octopuses are cephalopods that have several adaptations for blending in with their undersea habitats. They can change colour, pattern and even the shape of their skin.

Why do octopuses need to camouflage themselves? Well, they are scrumptious feasts for sting rays and sharks. When the predators of the octopuses are around, the octopuses can shape-shift in moments to completely change heir appearance. Sacs of yellow, red, brown and black pigment called chromatophores cover their bodies and allow them to change colours and patterns by contracting their muscles. Tightening certain muscles can also transform the texture of their skin from smooth to rough.