PSLE Written Papers Week

Dear all,

As we embark into the new week, please work hard with your targets in mind. Aim a little higher but do not stress yourself out. It is very important to make sure your are emotionally strong and physically healthy.

English Notes Part 3

Paper 1:

• Go through the format of report writing and letter of complaint and compliment. 
• Know your role and who you are writing to (Audience)
• Note the formality. 
• Jot down the six points for the content before you start. 
• For report writing, sign off with Reported by: 
• For letter of complaint/compliment, sign off with Yours sincerely, 
• For more on the format, you can always run a search on this blog for situational writing.

Report Writing Format

Date: ___________

Dear ___________,

Report on an Accident at Hougang Street 22

I was at (place) at (time) on (day) when an accident/incident happened. Points 1 - 3.

Points 4 - 6.

Reported by: 

___________

Letter of Complaint / Compliment 

Date: ____________

Dear ____________,

Letter of Complaint/Compliment about the Behaviour of Mr Tan

I am writing this letter to praise/complain about (person/actions). i was at (place) at (time) on (day) when an accident/incident happened. Points 1 - 3.

Points 4 - 6.

Yours sincerely, 

___________

• For composition, common topics include 'Fire', 'Accident', 'Robbery/theft' and 'Bullying'.
• Stick to the picture composition as it is the safer option. Remember the write about all the events in the pictures and the characters.
• Describe the characters, actions and feelings of characters. 
• Elaborate your actions and explain clearly. 
•  You can always end off your composition with 'This incident would forever be etched in my mind/memories."

Paper 2: 

Verb Noun Verb (Plural and Present tense)
Made him go (plural and present tense)

Had I (Verb) --> Perfect tense because of the word 'had' at the front.
Had I know about it,
Had I gone there,
Had I taken the item,

Neither.......... nor ..................
Always look at the second subject (noun) for the singular/plural form.

Neither Peter nor the boys ARE going home.
Neither the girls nor the boy IS going home.

Everything (singular form)
Everything belongs to him.
Everything in the boxes belongs to him.

'The key word is everything despite the word 'boxes' and thus everything inside the boxes is singular.'

Direct to indirect speech,
Step 1: Look at the TENSE (past or present) of the VERB outside the SPEECH first!

Step 2: Look at the PUNCTUATION. If it is a question mark, please, in your answer, write the SUBJECT (NOUN) first followed by the VERB.

Step 3: Change the keywords and tenses. 

Was, is, are, were --> VERBS!!!

Example: 

Peter asked his son, "Did you eat your breakfast this morning?"

Step 1: The verb outside is 'asked' (past tense). Therefore, I need to change the tenses in the speech.

Step 2: There is a punctuation mark, so the subject comes first before the verb. Subject is 'you' and verb is 'did eat'. So I have to change the tenses too.

Answer:
Peter asked his son if he had eaten his breakfast that morning.

• For more information on synthesis and transformation rules, do a search on the blog on 'synthesis'. 

- For comprehension Open-ended, please do your pre-reading activity first in point forms and understand the story through the questions. Check your tenses and spelling please!

- For grammar cloze, editing and comprehension cloze, remember to read first, state the main idea of the story and then highlight the key words and identify the tenses/singular or plural.

Science Part 3:

P4:

Magnets 

• A loadstone is a natural magnet. Magnets will point towards the North-south direction when hung freely. 
• The magnetism strength is the strongest at the two end where the poles are (North and South) and weakest in the Middle! 
• Unlike poles attract. Like poles repel.
• Magnets attract magnetic objects. Magnets can also attract and repel other objects. We know that an object is a magnet if it has the ability to also REPEL! 
• An object that only can be attracted is a magnetic material. magnetic materials do not have the power to attract other items. THEY CAN ONLY BE ATTRACTED to magnets. 
• However, magnetic objects can be used to make temporary magnets through the 'stroking' method (The more strokes, the more the magnetism strength) and the 'electro-magnetism' method (the more coils of wire around the object and more electricity that passes through the object, the more magnetism strength).
• Not all metals are magnetic. Only Iron, Cobalt, Nickel and Steel are! 

Light 

• Light is a form of energy. Helps people to see and plants to make food. 
• Source of light include the sun, fire, kerosene lamp and fireflies. 
• Light is reflected off an object into our eyes to enable us to see the object (Note the flow and sequence). Our eyes DO NOT reflect the light to the object!
• When light is blocked by opaque objects, shadows are formed. 
• Opaque objects do not allow light to pass through at all. 
• Translucent objects allow some light to pass through.
• Transparent objects allow all the light to pass through. 
• When the object and the light source are NEARER to each other, the size of the shadow on the screen becomes LARGER but BLURER. 
• When the object and light source are FURTHER from each other, the size of the shadow on the screen becomes SMALLER but CLEARER. 
• A periscope reflects the light from the object to the mirrors (at 90 degrees angle in straight lines) to a person's eyes. 
• A magnifying glass allows light to pass through which focuses the light energy and heat energy from the sun that can cause objects to burn such as leaves and paper. 
• light travels in straight lines and do not bend at corners. That is why we cannot see what is around a bend/sharp twisting corner. 

Heat 

• Heat helps us to stay warm and dry and cook. 
• Sources of heat include the sun, burning of fuels and electricity. 
• Heat passes easily through good conductors of heat. It cannot pass through easily through poor conductors of heat.
• Heat causes matter to EXPAND when heated. 
• Good conductors of heat absorb heat quicker and more easily but it also LOSES heat quickly. 
• Poor conductors of heat absorb heat slower and less easily but it RETAINS the heat. 
• Good conductors of heat include metals in general. 
• Poor conductors of heat include wool, rubber, wood, glass.
• To prevent ice from melting faster, we reduce the amount of heat flow and methods include covering the ice with sawdust. 
• Air is a poor conductor of heat.
• Good conductors of heat conducts heat away from poor conductors of heat. 
• If i pour hot water into a plastic cup and metal cup, the plastic cup will retain the heat of the hot water for a longer period of time because poor  conductors of heat retain more heat than good conductors of heat. 
• Remember that poor conductors of heat still conduct some heat but less than good conductors of heat. 
• There are gaps in between rails on railway tracks and gaps in between tiles on the floor so that during a hot day, when they expand due to the heat, there is space and they will not crack. This is also why electric lines are also hung loosely in between each other. 
• Paper is a poor conductor of heat. In order to keep an ice in solid state longer, we can use layers of paper to wrap around the ice so that the ice do not lose heat faster. Air will also be trapped in the layers of paper and air is a poor conductor of heat. 
• When we heat a bottle with a stopper, the air inside the bottle will be heated up and expands, causing the stopper to pop out. 
• After getting out of the swimming pool or after a bath, our bodies will feel cold because we lose heat as the water on our body loses heat to the surrounding air. The water droplets on our body evaporate and our body lose heat. 

This concludes it for the lower primary revision. Let us move on to some parts of your P5 work. 

P5

Heredity and Reproduction.

• We reproduce to ensure continuity of our own kind to prevent extinction. 
• Reproduction can be through laying of eggs or giving birth. 
• Sexual reproduction occurs in humans.
• Parts of the male reproductive system includes the testes and the penis.
• Parts of the female reproductive system includes the ovary, womb and vagina. 
• Ovary produces the egg while the testes produces the sperms. 
• Only one egg and one sperm will fuse together (process called fertilisation) in which the baby will be formed in the WOMB, NOT STOMACH. 
• Heredity is passing on of characteristics from parents to the young (future generations).
• In humans, the baby is formed through Internal fertilization.
• Birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians like the frogs, insects all fertilize their egg externally. 
• Single cell organisms such as bacteria, amoeba and paramecium only have one cells and they reproduce through binary fission or in some cases, budding in which their cells split into two each time. 
• The baby in the womb gets its nutrients, food and water and oxygen from the umbillical cord. 
• Also, in return, the umbillical cord also transport carbon dioxide and waste from the baby (embryo) to the mother to pass out. 
•  **Just a side note here, Mothers are indeed great for they go through so much just to give birth to you :)

See you all tomorrow. It is the last lap already. All the way! 

Parents, do give your kids constant encouragement and positive remarks at home. Try not to stress them too much as I do realise that many of the kids have been feeling the strain lately and need our constant encouragement and reassurances. Prepare them mentally well too :)

Thank you,

Sincerely,

Mr Nelson Ong