Critical Thinking Games and Show-and-Tell (15 and 16 November 2007)

After the exam, we had an interesting hands-on activity. Pupils had to use match sticks to solve a pattern with a challenge. The fastest group to solve the puzzle was awarded 3 stars for their group. This activity is an excellent post-exam game as it triggers critical and logical thinking in our pupils.

On the last day of school, pupils did a Show-and-Tell. They could bring their pets (except big animals), or their favourite items (such as books and toys) for this activity. After a pupil had done a show-and-tell, other pupils asked him/her question about the item. By doing a show-and-tell, their confidence level is increased. In addition, this activity gives them an excellent opportunity to practise their public-speaking skills. :)

14 November - Acrostic Poem on Elephants

Pupils had a lot of fun and excitement on Wednesday. After watching a documentary video on Thai elephants, pupils were given a task. In their groups, they had to create an acrostic poem on "Elephants". I am glad that my pupils had tapped on the useful information from the video in their poem. This acrostic poem group activity has given my pupils a great opportunity to practise their writing, speaking and oral presentation skills. Their level of creativity can be heightened as well. :)

9 November 2007 - Show-and-Tell of Book Review

On 9 November 2007, pupils did a show-and-tell with their group members. They were given a storybook last week and they had to write a Book Review based on the book. In their Book Review, they have to tell their classmates the title of the book, the author, the genre of the book, their favourite character and lastly the summary of the book. After each pupil had presented to their group members, each group will nominate a best representative to present his/her Book Review to the class. Pupils enjoyed this Show-and-Tell as they had the opportunity to recommend the books they had read to their peers. Show-and-Tell is also an excellent strategy for pupils to practise their reading and speaking skills. :)

30 Oct - Action Research in the Classroom with 3-Caring

On 30 October, during our Science lesson, 3-Caring pupils became young researchers as they were involved in an Action Research project. The purpose of my project is to evaluate whether pupils would enjoy learning Science through music and songs. Pupils were given 2 worksheets with the same questions. For worksheet A, they had to complete it based on their prior knowledge. After that, a mp3 song about Mammals was played. Through the song, pupils would be able to answer all the questions in the worksheet. After the pupils had listened to the song twice, a comparison of the answers on both worksheets was made. There was a significant improvement in Worksheet B as compared to Worksheet A. After completing both worksheets, pupils were given a questionnaire for them to provide feedback about this learning strategy.

26th October - Stimulating Mind-Games for P6 Pupils

On 28 October 2007, 6-Respect pupils had a fun hands-on activity using matches. They were grouped into smaller groups of four/five. I drew a pattern on the whiteboard, followed by a scenario. Based on the scenario, pupils had to reposition/remove/rearrange some matches to form another pattern. E.g. Can you reposition 2 matches to make the fish face left? My 6-Respect pupils had a lot of fun. This game is not only congnitively-stimulating, it also encourages group work and team-cooperation too. The first group which was able to solve the problem, would be awarded the highest points. The rewards are yummy candy. :)

4 October - Learning about Magnets

During our Science supplementary lesson on 4 October, my pupils had an experiment to find out whether different objects are magnetic or non-magnetic. The pupils grouped into groups of 4 or 5. Each group was given a bar magnet and a bag (consisting of a wooden stick, cardboard, paper-clips. balloon, iron nail, steel plate, aluminium foil, marble, paper, plastic spoon and granite). They had to cooperate and observe whether the object is attracted or not attracted by the magnet. Pupils had a lot of fun. They also did an experiment to find out which parts of the magnet is the strongest. Pupils were amazed at the number of paper-clips that can be attracted by the poles of a magnet. :)

18 Sep - Science Supplementary Lessons with 3-Caring

During my Science Supplementary lessons, my pupils were grouped into small groups of 4 or 5. They were given a word splash worksheet. I showed them a list of questions with a missing blank for each question. My pupils had to find the correct word/answer from the word splash worksheet. We had a lot of fun. :)

17 September - Pictorial Comprehension

During my English lessons with 4 Respect pupils, I did a pictorial comprehension with my pupils. As the comprehension passage is about volcano with many abstract vocabulary such as "mantle" and "magma", an illutration of these parts would be clearer for pupils to understand.

12 Sept- Motivating P6 Pupils in Art Lessons

As the P6 pupils will be taking their PSLE soon, stress level could be rather high for them. Hence, during the Art lessons on 12 Sept, I decided to get my pupils to do a motivation card for themselves to boost their morale. The art lessons were conducted in the school canteen. Pupils created "footprints" by using their clenched fists. Next, I wrote down some examples of motivational quotes on the whiteboard for them. Each pupil had to write down a motivational quote for themselves. To make this Art lessons more interesting, I told them to write well-wishing messages for one another. Hence, pupils are able to motivate each other. In this way, I am sure that their level of confidence and motivation would be greatly increased. :) Good luck to our P6 pupils in your PSLE examinations!

10 Sep - Science Supplementary Lessons with 3-Caring using IT and group work

On 10 September, we had a cooperative group activity using an exercise from the Science Workbook. As my pupils have learned about the 5 main human systems, each of them is assigned a system whereby they would go to the noticeboard to copy the function of the system. After that, they would share their answer with their group members. For the next activity, each group was given a worksheet with pictures of different organs from our human systems. They had to predict and discuss the given organs and write them in the blank spaces on the worksheets. After ensuring every group had completed their discussion, I showed them a flash animation from http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/interactives/systems.html. Pupils were delighted to participate in "placing" the organs into the body of the cartoon man. It was certainly an enjoyable supplementary lessons for us. To reward the pupils for their group participation, each of them was given a delicious and chewy gummy candy. :)

A BIG "Thank you" to all my wonderful students

This is the first Teacher's Day Mr Ang has celebrated as a teacher. I am joyful to receive card and little gifts from my students. I always encourage my pupils to make cards for their teachers instead of buying them. The cards they made would be the only one in the world. It will be the most unique one too. Nonetheless, I thank every student for making this Teachers' Day Celebration so meaningful to all the teachers in Peixin. The best gift a child can give to his/her teacher is to be an obedient pupil, pay attention in class and study hard. This is the best gift a teacher would love to receive. :)

Interdisciplinary lessons - Art with English Language for 4-Respect and 6-Respect

For my Art lessons with 4-Respect and 6-Respect, I encouraged them to write an acrostic poem in their teachers' cards about their teachers. In this way, the pupils can write creatively and also express their gratitude to their teachers in a very meaningful way. :)

30 August - Dramatisation in English Lesson

During our English Language with 4-Respect, dramatisation technique was used. Pupils role-played the characters in the picture composition. 5 boys roleplayed the 5 children in the picture. Three other pupils roleplayed the two drivers and a motorist on the road. The children "helped" the driver whose car had broken down. Dramatisation is extremely effective as pupils could relate to the characters' feelings, actions, and thoughts more easily. Hence, they can comprehend the picture better. :)