The countdown to CA2 begins...

Dear all,

You will start your first paper on Monday, both english and chinese paper 1. Hope your revision has been fruitful so far.

TIPS

[Situational Writing]

Read the question properly. Find out what your role is. Jot down points by the side. Answer every question. Remember to be as specific as you can and follow the questions. DO NOT ADD IN YOUR OWN INFORMATION or leave out vital information! Content is the easiest to score full marks. My only worry would be the language portion. Please get your structure correct.

Except for report writing, please start off (for note, letter writing and e-mail) on the top left hand corner with Dear _________, 

Except for report writing, please write in the first paragraph your purpose!

Letter writing and email --> sign off with:

Yours truly,
(your name/name given)

Note --> sign off with just your name:

Peter

Report writing --> sign off with:

Reported by: Peter
Student of 5C1

*Remember to have paragraphing. Underline your title for report writing and capitalize the first letter of each word.

[Composition]


Picture composition
Look at the picture carefully. Include details for all the characters. Do not leave anyone out. The description of the setting must be correct. Explain how the characters feel and why they feel that way. Don't just describe. Include feelings and reasons.

Continuous writing
Look at the topic given. Highlight key words. You need to include the given question at some point in your composition and explain the question.

• Who are the characters involved? How do they feel? Why they feel that way?
• What happened? How did it happened? What was the ending like? 
• Describe your setting and characters!

Watch your language! Do not make common mistakes. Check your tenses. Compositions are mostly in the past tense. Remember that if you have a verb after the words 'to', it is in the base form (present tense, plural form). example: to go, to swim, to eat, to fly, to take. This is a very common mistake. 

Make sure your composition is realistic! Do not write out of point and too fantasy-like. Have at least 4 paragraphs! Punctuation is also important. Do not use commas all the way. You need to put a full stop after a sentence! 

[Miss Leong's 5 weeks with you]

Thank you for making Miss Leong's journey at HIPS a memorable one. Thank you for all your participation and understanding. I have gathered feedback from some of you and so far, they have been positive with some of you stating that you understand what she was teaching. Rule #1, we are family and I am heartened to see that you all have made her feel part of our family!

[Science matters]

Next week, we will be concentrating full scale on Science, finishing our filing and revision practice paper (our last major assignment left). Start to revise, especially for your past year topics. 

As we near the test period, let us remember that hard work and effort gets us far in life. I will leave you with two motivational videos that will make you reflect on life. One video is in line with the Olympic Games which will begin tonight. Treasure your life and thus, work hard to achieve your aims. There are unfortunate people out there who defy all odds to get to where they are today. So, why not you?

Thank you,

Sincerely,

Mr Nelson Ong.

PS: Supplementary classes still continue next week on Tue and Friday!

Intense revision week

Dear all,

It is going to be an intense week of revision. Supplementary lessons are as per normal this coming Friday and for next week. Please complete your English Revision Practice Paper by tomorrow. It is a good gauge of how the CA paper will be like.

Tomorrow, we will be having dictation test for Unit 9 followed by spelling test on Friday. From today's recap of the Unit 9 supplementary worksheet on the comprehension cloze, you can see the importance of highlighting and reading for clues. In fact, change your mindset. Comprehension cloze is not difficult. It is much simpler when you read for clues and highlight key words. Some of the answers can even be found in the passage.

For Synthesis and Transformation, please do not add in your own words. Follow strictly to the question. Some of you like to add in additional words of your own which does not answer the question. It has to be very specific.

Example

Peter likes to eat ice-cream. He is sensitive to cold food.

Correct answer:
Although Peter is sensitive to cold food, he likes to eat ice-cream.

Wrong answer:
Although Peter is sensitive to cold food, he still likes to eat ice-cream.

Useful English rules

When we use a verb after these words, the verbs are usually in the base form (Present tense, plural form)

Should, Shall, Would, Will, Could, Can, Do, Did, May, Might

• Should go, shall eat
• Would take, will see
• Could be, Can swim
• Do understand, Did sing 
• May run, Might study 

Today's Science Concept

• Water is a conductor of electricity. But not all types of water are good conductors of electricity. 
• Salt water is a good conductor of electricity. Distilled/Pure water is a weak conductor of electricity. 
• The salt water will make the metal nail rust when the nail is put into the water.

Thank you for the wonderful response in giving back your sexuality programme acknowledgement form. 

Remember your Social Studies workbook and NE Show reflection homework by Friday!!!

Happy revising! 

Thank You,

Sincerely,

Mr Nelson Ong

Week 5: One more week to CA2

Dear all,

It's the start to Week 5. One more week to go before the CA2 begins. The workbooks for English have been returned for revision. Please bring your workbooks tomorrow for me to clear the corrections. English files will be tidied and completed by this week for revision for next week's CA.

[Science]


Today, Miss Leong taught the topic of Conductors and Insulators of electricity. You need to know the key terms such as:

Conductor of Electricity: allow electricity flow through them.  Conductors are materials that can carry electricity - they conduct electricity. Metal materials such as copper, iron, steel and aluminium are all good conductors of electricity.


Insulator of Electricity: do not allow electricity to flow through them. Materials such as wood, plastic, rubber and glass do not carry electricity and are called insulators – they don’t conduct electricity.


Please note the importance of writing correctly. Most common mistake is writing that an object is not a good conductor of electricity (this means that the object can conduct electricity but is not strong enough). If you want to write that an object does not electricity to pass through it, use the term 'INSULATOR'! Take note of this very common mistake.

Most of you still have problems with writing specifically with science concepts and vocabulary words. Many of you are still writing generally. Stick with the key words. Please take note!

Thermoplastic is one kind of plastic that can be used to make the coverings of wires. Plastic and rubber are insulators of electricity and do not allow electricity to pass through them, as a result, they make good wire casings. In addition, they are also cheap and flexible.

[English]

Dictation Unit 9 is this Thursday and Spelling Unit 9 is this Friday. In lieu of your CA next week, lets' complete these 2 tests by this week in time for your revision. This week is going to be tough and intense revision will take place. Apply rule #5 "DO YOUR BEST IN EVERYTHING YOU DO". You work hard for what you want to achieve. Work hard, play hard!

[Homework]

• Social Studies NE Show Reflection to be handed up by Friday. 

Dear parents, 

To foster greater collaboration and partnership, this year's NE Show reflection includes a portion on parents' feedback and comments. You can write down what you have learnt from your child or comments about your child's learning or what we can do to improve. 

• Corrections for workbook (Eng) and Spelling Unit 8.

[Sexuality Education Programme]

Dear parents, 

The forms for the sexuality programme has been handed out and I hope to get the forms all back by tomorrow. This is an important programme by our school to educate the children on sexuality. It is not the same as sex education so rest assure that this programme focuses mainly on the growing up years both physically and emotionally. It is an important part of our curriculum for all P5s and P6s. Do drop me an email if you have any queries. We strongly encourage you to allow your children to attend the talks. Parents are also welcomed to attend the talks and join in with your kids. 

[Study Group]

Dear all,

With regards to the coming CA2 and after some conversations with pupils, I have decided to implement a after school study group in which students can come together to complete their homework, personal work and go through key questions in Science or English from 3pm - 4pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Tuesdays and Fridays, I will be having my extra remedial lessons. Pupils are also welcomed to join in. On Thursdays, Madam Ong will be having her supplementary and remedial lessons, so I won't be touching that day. 

Students will be stationed at the study corner where I will personally supervise and make sure they are on task. I will brief the students in detail tomorrow. This is not compulsory and if you find that your child need greater help and focuses better in school to do his/her work, do encourage them to stay for the study group. 

Thank You,

Sincerely,

Mr Nelson Ong

RHD & NE Show

Dear all,

Hope that you have enjoyed your NE show and came away with some meaningful learning points such as:

• appreciating our country's military capabilities and the efforts of each individual in safekeeping our country.
• we are 47 this year and the success of our country is in part, due to our forefathers' efforts.
• you are never too young to contribute to national education. by your presence at the NE show, it is already a contribution to national education in Singapore.

Here are some photos of the NE Show:

On Friday, we celebrated Racial Harmony Day. Our school focused on the Indian culture this year and it was comforting to see some of you wearing the costumes. It was an enriching experience.

[Academics]

We have finally wrapped up on Unit 9 for English and the topics to be covered for term 3 and for CA2. From the moon, we have looked at Mars as an alternative place for humans to live. As compared to the moon, Mars has air (with carbon dioxide as the majority type of gas) and many similar characteristics to Earth. 

• Mars has higher mountains, and deeper canyons than any other planet. The largest canyon on Mars would stretch from New York City to Los Angeles on the Earth. That makes the Grand Canyon look tiny. It also has the Solar System's biggest volcano, Olympus Mons, which is nearly 3 times larger than Mount Everest.
• Mars has two moons, their names are Deimos and Phobos.
• You may sometimes hear Mars referred to as the "Red Planet." This is because the surface of Mars is red. If you stood on the surface of Mars, you would see red dirt and rocks everywhere.

With the advance in technology, alternative planets are available for us to explore and maybe, one day, we would be moving to other planets. But until then, the most important message is that we should save our earth and conserve energy, not waste them. 

For Science, we have done two worksheets, one topical worksheet on Electricity and one revision worksheet. Next week, we will be completing your syllabus for Science for this term and ready to revise for your CA2.

Until then, start to revise and while you are attempting your revision papers at home, highlight the key words and read carefully. 

Dear parents, 

There are no supplementary lessons on Monday and Tuesday due to the P6 Prelim Oral exams. For next Friday's supplementary lesson, I will be extending the remedial lessons from 3-4pm. It is not compulsory for all students but whoever can stay back, I will be helping them and going through open ended questions for Science.

Thank you,

Sincerely,

Mr Nelson Ong.

Racial Harmony Day 2012

Dear all,

The blog is finally updated and many apologies for the long wait due to the busy schedule this term. Hope that you have started on your revision for CA2.

Updates


[English] 
We are finally on our last unit for the term, Unit 9: Living on other worlds. Have you wondered if there are planets out there which can house humans? This chapter explores the possibility that such as scenario may have already existed or may one day exist. The wonders of Science is such that there are many possibilities. Keep your mind open as we studied about the moon and how life is like there. Our first comprehension passage explored the possibility that the moon may one day be a home to humans.

As for now some facts about the moon:

• There is less gravity and you will be able to jump up to 6 times higher than on earth.
• There is no air and we need oxygen masks in order to breathe.
• There are many rocks on the moon which contained iron and titanium. 
• Neil Armstrong was the first man to step onto the moon in 1969. 

Videos you can watch about the moon:

Part 1

Part 2

Key Skills

• Highlight key words in your comprehension open ended.
• Look out for key words. 

Lessons of the day

• When we use a VERB after the word 'to', it should follow the rule of being in the PRESENT TENSE, PLURAL FORM, e.g to walk, to jump, he loves to eat, he liked to drink water.
• We use the past participle form for things when have already taken place or together with certain key words such as 'had already taken his lunch', 'he has just gone home', 'she have not eaten her food', etc.

[Science]

We are now moving onto the topic of parallel and series circuits (of bulbs connected to the batteries). Remember that connection of batteries in parallel or series is not in the syllabus so you do not have to worry about that. we are concentrating on the arrangement of the bulbs to the batteries. 

In a circuit where the bulb is connected in SERIES to the batteries, if one bulb fuses, the rest of the bulbs will not light up too.

BUT

In a circuit where the bulb is connected in PARALLEL to the batteries, if one bulb fuses, the rest of the bulbs can still light up.

• Electricity flows out from the negative end of the battery to the positive end of the battery.
• You need how to draw a circuit diagram using symbols.
• note the difference between a circuit connected in series and parallel.
• know the factors which affect the brightness of a bulb in a circuit
• list the advantages and disadvantages of a series and parallel circuit.

[General]

NE Show takes place this Saturday. Please report to school by 2.15pm if can to settle yourself down. Wear your Camp and NE Show t-shirt proudly. Bring along your thermometer, water bottle and some cash. 

Dear Parents, 

Please pick your children up from school on time. Thank you so much!

Yours Sincerely,

Mr Nelson Ong

CA2 Begins 30th July

Dear all,

Now that you have received your CA2 schedule, pin it up on your board and display it prominently. The dates are here and you have 18 more days as of today. Start revising.

English

We have finished Unit 8 on Greek Mythology. Hope you have enjoyed the topic with the rich discussions on the Greek gods and goddesses and on the moral values learnt in each story. We have also learnt abot museums and its value as a historical tool.

Still, the great weakness is on identifying and using participles (perfect tense).

---

The Present Perfect Tense - When to use We use the Present Perfect Tense to talk about experiences. It is important if we have done it in our lives or not. It is not important when we did it. Examples    I have been abroad two times.    Anna has never broken a leg.    Have you ever eaten sushi? Tip! We often use never and ever with the Present Perfect Tense to talk about experience. We use the Present Perfect Tense to talk about an action which started in the past and continuous up to now. Examples    I have been a teacher for more than ten years.    We haven't seen Janine since Friday.    How long have you been at this school? Tip! We often use since and for to say how long the action has lasted. We also use the Present Perfect Tense to talk about a past action that has the result in the present. Examples    I have lost my wallet. = I don't have it now.    Jimmy has gone to South America. = He isn't here now.    Have you finished your homework? = Is your homework ready? Tip! We often use just, already and yet with the Present Perfect Tense for an action in the past with the result in the present.

Click here for the extra list of present tense, past tense and perfect tense of a word.

Dictation Unit 8 starts tomorrow. Don't forget!

Science

You have learnt about circuits connected in series for bulbs. It is not necessarily that more batteries will lead to the bulb being brighter. Instead, it may cause the bulb to fuse due to the overwhelming voltage being transmitted. So do take note. 

Learn to draw a circuit diagram correctly with its symbols. Some of you are still having problems with that.

See you all tomorrow,

Sincerely,

Mr Nelson Ong 

Week 3, Saying goodbye to our Shen Jia Men Students

Dear all,

Thank you for being wonderful hosts to our Shen Jia Men students who were with us for two days. It was an honour to be chosen as one of the P5 classes to host the students. I am sure they would have been welcomed by your generosity and hospitality. Rule #1 We are a family and nothing beats that! Work together as a class!

However, I still want all of you to improve on your classroom behaviour, especially in following instructions. There is much more to be done and improved on. Work hard on that. Be more self-disciplined consistently!

Lessons of the Day
English

We have learned about the topic of Museums and useful comprehension reading skills. Firstly, before you start your comprehension open ended, please read the heading if there's one and make a prediction what the story is about. It will activate your prior knowledge and help you think critically before you read on. Don't just read first. Take some time to list down what you know about the title or the opening sentence in your mind. Then read on. Highlight key words if you must.

Museums are institutions which made use of artifacts to tell us about history. It is an important tool of leaving back legacies and stories of the past so that we know who we are. We need to know our roots and where we come from. Not every story may directly affect us but it is good for us to understand about different histories and be able to see how different the the world may be and why.

In Singapore, there are 5 national museums under the national heritage board.

You can click here ->NHB to check out what the national heritage board is.

Each museum served a different function and purpose. You can watch the video of the National Museum of Singapore here.

NE Message 1 #Singapore is our homeland; this is where we belong. We treasure our heritage and take pride in shaping our unique way of life.

Life is not 100% about picking up knowledge alone, we must learn how to apply values in our lives and use them constantly. That is what is called TRUE LEARNING! Remember this value and be able to appreciate what you see in your studies and link it to real lives. I am constantly trying to do that to help you be able to see that studies are important and meaningful. It is not entirely just forceful and to make you remember so many information.

Science
There is still much improvement you can make in Miss Leong's class, especially on giving her the attention she needs after the end of each activity. Group leaders, please ensure that your group is on task and constantly ready to listen.

It was important that you took some time to recap and revisit the last topic before we start on a new topic. You must be familiarize with the information/concepts taught in order to link and apply them to the new topic.

Today, we were introduced to bulbs in series circuits. Remember, for our syllabus, we only look at bulbs connected in series to the batteries. The important rule here is that we identify that a circuit is connected in series for the bulbs when there is only ONE ROW of bulbs. The more batteries there are, the brighter the bulb lights up. But note that when the voltage is too high, the bulb will fuse, so not all the time, more batteries mean it is better for the bulb and brighter for the bulb.

One disadvantage of connecting bulbs in series to the batteries is that if one bulb fuses, the rest of the bulb will not light up too as there will be a gap created by the fuse bulb. So take note of this disadvantage. (Important!)

When it comes to drawing CIRCUIT DIAGRAMS, please use only symbols to draw the circuit. By now, you should note the symbols being used.

Hope you have learned more through the hands on activities. For this topic here, there are many theories to understand and through experiments, it becomes much more easier for you to understand about circuits so please do your best and participate actively during the experiments.

Note for you
I will not be in school tomorrow. So please listen to Wee Si Jie. He will be giving you your instructions and remember the consequences. you have 1.5 hours and it is more than enough time for your to do your practice for Unit 8 supplementary notes. Highlight the key words and draw arrows (Always important skills). Group points will be added. Finish the whole paper if you can, if not you should finish up to comprehension open-ended. I will go through this week. And behave yourself. I do not want to hear any complaints.

Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong

Reading Materials for Electricity

Dear all,

Here are some reading materials for Electricity. Do read when you have the time. Videos are included too.

The Story behind Electricity Part 1

The Story behind Electricity Part 2

The Story behind Electricity Part 3

BBC Notes (Click on it)

Notes 1

Week 2

Dear all,

It has been a while since I have updated. There are many announcements and updates. Here they are:

English

We have moved on from unit 7 "ancient civilizations" to unit 8 "greek mythology". As we transfer from one unit to the other, I hope you are able to see the linkage. Remember that there is always a link between topics you study and how topics we learn are important to our daily lives. That is what education is for. You are not here to just study but to also value what you learn and apply it to your real life situations.

In this week's lessons, we have learnt about the different gods and goddesses in Greek Mythology with the stories bringing to us valuable lessons to be learned. Through the story of King Midas, we understand the value of contentment and not being greedy. "Wealth does not always buy you happiness." Family, health and happiness is much more important than just money alone. Always remember that.

You are also reminded of the importance of highlighting key words, a key skill which I hope all of you remember. Often, the question is posed, "How do I improve on comprehension cloze?" The answer is to read carefully and highlight and draw arrows. More often than not, you can find the certain answers in the words provided in the passage.

For additional read up on greek mythology, you can click on the link below:

GREEK GODS AND GODDESSES

Science

We are now firmly progressing on the topic of electricity. In today's lesson, you learned about the importance of how to connect the wires from battery to the bulb correctly so as to light up the bulb. That is my great hint for you for CA2.

In a closed circuit, the energy conversion is as such:

Chemical energy stored in battery -> Electrical energy carried around by the wires -> Light and heat energy produced by the bulb.

A battery does not store electricity.

Take note of the parts of the bulb and label correctly - Metal tip, metal casing, filament, glass bulb.

Argon is used as the gas to fill the bulb as it does not react with heat easily and cause explosion unlike oxygen. Argon can also withstand high temperatures.

Other Matters
NE Show

Your NE Show letter has been given out and will take place on the 21st July 2012, saturday. Parents, do take note of the letter contents and give the acknowledgement back to me by this Friday. Attendance is compulsory. It is not everyday that you get to attend the parade for free and to appreciate our country's achievements. I will be accompanying the class and do take note that you are to pick up your child in school.

Class photo taking

Photo taking is on the 13th August, Monday. Do come to school in your uniform on that day itself. More details will be given out again.

Visit of students from Shen Jia Men School

Our class has been selected as one of the classes for the visit of Shen Jia Men China School. 5 of their pupils will be visiting our class on the 6th and 9th July.

RULE #1 We are A Family.

Do make them feel welcome and take the chance to experience valuable cultural exchange. It is not everyday we get to have foreign visitors to mingle with.

Start revising your work from now on, especially for Science with the topics for Semester 1 P5 Science being tested together with P3, P4 Topics.

And we have achieved 100% passes for Science Practical Test. Well done and keep it up! Go for high marks this time around. 90% of the marks left for CA2.

Proud of all of you. Keep it up!

Thank You,
Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong