Thanks

Many things happened to me for the past few weeks. Had my ups and downs, but I found comfort in you people.

Here's a tribute to all the people/systems who have helped, supported and encouraged me.

1st: A big thank you to my UNSA chairman, Ming Hui who has and always will be a great senior, leader and most importantly, SUPERB friend. Thank you for taking the trouble to settle the things for me with regards to the Korean trip. I felt sad when I know that my status is causing some problems for the registration, but you made it all better and I feel optimistic once more.

2nd: Mrs Tan, Miss Fong, Mrs Lee, Mdm Ng, Mrs Ng and NIE trainee khakis. Thank you for your encouragements throughout this practicum and listening to my problems and encouragements for the Korean trip. I'm feeling much better and the disappointment has gone down a lot, knowing that people are supporting me all the time.

3rd: Thank you Dr. Chua for being such a great adviser to me. Really hope that there are more chances to work with you in the future.

4th: A tribute to the IDIOT systems that screw me up so many times. You are the BEST. Coz I've found something better than your miserable rules that screw so many people up MANY TIMES. (Those people who heard me complain before, you'll know what I mean.)

5th: A big thank you to 5-2. You make me miss your class so much! Love the presents that you have given me. I'm really touched. All the best to your exams and hope to see you people soon.

6th: 4-8, you just amuse me everyday with your antics. Hope that you really learn to be more appreciative of your teachers. Some of you are, but the rest have much to learn. All the best to your exams!

7th: I thank all the challenges that I faced and learn from. I gain valuable friendships through the challenges and I thank you for being there for me.

Nothing can beat me now. *I am stronger than yesterday!* line taken from a song, guess which song that is :)

-elly-

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.

Lesson plan for teaching the three states of matter (Science)

This was done quite sometime ago.

-elly-

Class: Primary 4-8 Number of pupils: 40 Date: 26th March 2008 Time: 9am to 10am		Topic: The three states of matter (Science) Ability: High Duration of lesson: 1 hour (2 periods)
Prerequisites	At the end of the lesson, the pupils will be able to 1) Identify matters. 2) Define the characteristics of matter.
Specific instructional objectives	At the end of the lesson, the pupils will be able to 1) State the three states of matter. 2) Identify characteristics of liquid and gas.
Activity Type	Tuning in: (20 minutes) Resources: States of matter powerpoint 1. Go through corrections for previous activities. 2. Redo the experiment for inverted cup in water as demonstration. Get students to feel the air coming out of the hole and at the same time see that the water does not enter through the small hole. 3. Recap the concepts taught for matter.
	Development: (20 minutes ) Resources: Box, packed air, textbook. 1. Get students to watch the video on the states of matter in the powerpoint. 2. Ask students the questions “How many states of matter did you see in the video?”; “What are the different states of matter?” 3. Discussion on the states of matter that they see on the video. 4. Go on to the slides with the different states of matter. 5. When discussing about solid: - Get students to see and touch the solid objects and see that the shape cannot be altered easily and has a definite shape and volume. 6. When discussing about liquid: - Get students to pour liquids into different shape containers, to see that liquid takes up the shape of the container. 7. When discussing about gas: - Get one of the students in the group to blow up a balloon and tie the balloon up. Pass the balloon around the group and get the students to squeeze the balloon to see whether they can alter the shape of the balloon. - Ask the students what is inside the balloon. - Note: Warn the students not to burst the balloon and blow the balloon to its maximum size. 8. Tell the students that they are going to be doing a science activity to investigate whether a liquid and a gas can be compressed.
	Application (Science activity) : (15 minutes ) Resources: Plungers and coloured water. 1. Get students to complete pg 27 and 28 of their activity book. 2. Students are to finish up their activity book during the lesson.
	Summary of lesson: (5 minutes) Resource: video clip on 4 states of matter. 1. Reinforce the definition of matter. 2. Get feedbacks from students on whether they think whether air is matter.

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.

Lesson plan for teaching Magnets 2 (Science)

Here's the 2nd Magnets lesson plan. Did this in 2 hours as my CT swooped lessons with me.

-elly-

Class: Primary 4-8 Number of pupils: 40 Date: 17th April 2008 Time: 11am – 1pm		Topic: Magnets and their characteristics (Science) Ability: High Duration of lesson: 2 hour – 120 minutes (4 periods)
Prerequisites	Pupils should be able to: 1) Sate the characteristics of a magnet. 2) Identify the materials that are attracted to a magnet. 3) Draw conclusions that magnetic materials are the only ones that are attracted to magnet.
Specific instructional objectives	At the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to: 1. Identify the parts of the magnets that are the strongest. 2. Use a magnet to find the North-South direction. 3. State the push and pull of magnets as poles of the magnets repel and attract respectively.
Activity Type	Tuning in: (10 minutes) Resources: Video on magnets 1. Recap the properties of a magnet and what non-magnetic materials and magnetic materials are. 2. Play the video to show where magnets come from and the history of magnets.
	Development: (100 minutes ) Resources: Magnets, materials needed for activity, videos on magnets, SmartBoard, textbook and activity book. 1. Go through the steps to test which parts of a magnet are the strongest. 2. Get students to do Activity 1.2. 3. Show students an actual compass. 4. Tell students that they can make their own simple compass by just using a magnet. 5. Get students to do Activity 1.3. 6. After finishing both Activities 1.2 and 1.3, get students to settle down on the floor and show them video clips on magnets. The video clips will explain why magnets will lie in the north-south direction. 7. Using the SmartBoard, get students to come up to the board to try the digital format of magnets and see the properties that magnets can push and pull. At the same time, get students to do the Activity 1.4 while waiting for their friends to have a try at the SmartBoard.
	Summary of lesson: (10 minutes) 1. Get students to recall which parts of a magnet are the strongest. 2. Get students to explain the properties of a magnet allow it to be a compass. 3. Get students to explain that a freely-turning magnet will lie in North-South direction.

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.

Lesson plan for teaching Magnets (Science)

Here's a daily normal lesson plan that I did for my class. It's nothing fab, but hope it helps you in gaining some extra hours of sleep or to mark worksheets :)

-elly-

Class: Primary 4-8 Number of pupils: 40 Date: 11th April 2008		Topic: Magnets and their characteristics (Science) Ability: High Duration of lesson: 1 hour (2 periods)
Prerequisites	Pupils should be able to: 1) Identify magnets. 2) Know that there are two poles – north and south in a magnet.
Specific instructional objectives	At the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to: 1) Sate the characteristics of a magnet. 2) Identify the materials that are attracted to a magnet. 3) Draw conclusions that magnetic materials are the only ones that are attracted to magnet.
Activity Type	Wrapping up of previous unit - Matters: (20 minutes) Resources: Cycles activity book, summary video on states of matter (focusing on water) 1. Recap the different states of matter with the pupils. 2. Show the summary video on different states of matter for water. 3. Go through corrections activity book and worksheet.
	Development: (35 minutes ) Resources: Magnets, magnetic and non-magnetic materials, textbook and activity book. 1. Go through the characteristics of a magnet. 2. Define what the terms - magnetic materials and non-magnetic materials mean. 3. Get students to predict a variety of materials that they have in their pencil cases whether it is a magnetic material.
	Summary of lesson: (5 minutes) 1. Get students to recall what determines a magnetic material. 2. Get students to list the characteristics of a magnet.

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.

Primary 5 English Observation Lesson plan for Grammar and Vocabulary

Hi colleagues!

It's been a very long time since I've updated this blog with lesson ideas. Now I'm practically quite free and will be uploading all my lesson plans that I did for the past few weeks.

This is a lesson plan that I did for my CT's observation and got an 'excelling' grade for preparation. So hope to share with you.

Class: Primary 5-2 Number of pupils: 40 Date: 11th April 2008 Time: 11.30pm to 1.00pm		Unit: Save Our World! Ability: High Duration of lesson: 90 minutes
Pre-requisite skills	The pupils should be able to: 1) List the features of a narrative text. 2) Write a narrative text.
Specific instructional objectives	At the end of the lesson, the pupils will be able to: 1) Understand and use the grammatical structures related to adverbials of degree and intensifiers. 2) Understand how the writer’s purpose in an exposition is achieved through vocabulary. 3) Use vocabulary appropriately and learn new vocabulary.
Activity Type	Tuning in: (5 minutes) –Draw and tell - Resources: Stupid cupid worksheet, video clip and answer sheet. 1. Give out worksheet with the song lyrics – Stupid Cupid. 2. Prepare students to the listening activity that they are going to have. 3. Tell students that they are going to listen to a song and fill in the blanks in the worksheet. 4. Tell pupils that the blanks contain words that will lead to the next section of the activity that they are going to have.
	Development: (20 minutes ) Resources: Powerpoint slides, Stupid cupid worksheet, video clip and answer sheet. 1. Using the powerpoint slides, discuss the details of each language features and give examples to illustrate. 2. Get students to listen to the ‘Stupid Cupid’ song again and try their best to fill in the blanks. 3. Repeat the song once more, this time showing the lyrics of the song. 4. After students have gotten the answers, get them to categorize the words into two sections behind the worksheet as “words with positive connotation” and “words with negative connotation”. 5. After they have categorized the words, go through the answer briefly. 6. Explain the rules for the matchmaking activity and what the pupils are supposed to do.
	Hands on activity: (35 minutes ) Resources: Powerpoint slides, matchmaking clients sheets background music and textbook. 1. Get pupils to role play and work in pairs as a matchmaker. 2. They are to write down sentences to describe the ‘clients’ that they receive. 3. In both the ‘clients’ sets that students receive, they will receive a set that requires negative connotation and one with positive connotation. 4. Students are to change the neutral words to either with positive or negative connotation as stated on their portfolio for the ‘clients’. 5. Students will be given 15 minutes to complete the portfolio of their clients. They are to decide and split the wok in pairs. 6. Students are allowed to use their textbook to help them in filling up the portfolio of their ‘clients’. 7. After 15 minutes are up, teacher will be calling up the first ‘client’ and find his/her match. Student will have to present their write ups to the teacher. 8. The match will be one with the same word for likings/ dislikes/ hobbies written in the form of the grammar items taught or vocabulary taught. Students with the same word written for their pair for any ‘clients’ will have to raise their hand and shout “It’s a match!” 9. At the same time the words are presented and gone through, students are to record down new words on the worksheet given for connotations, to use in their compositions to describe people.
	Application: (20 minutes) Resources: Textbook Pages 104 – 105 (Chek Jawa: Worth Fighting For) 1. Get students to read the text quietly and at the same time, pick out words that have positive connotation and negative connotation. 2. Pupils are to underline the adverbials of degree and intensifiers in the text. 3. Students will be given 10 minutes to do so. 4. Elicit answers from students when scanning through the text with pupils.
	Summary of lesson: (10 minutes) 1. Students are to recall what adverbials of degree and intensifiers are. 2. Get students to list synonyms that they have done during the activities. 3. Students are to summarize what they have applied in the text “Chek Jawa: Worth Fighting For”.
Homework	English Test 3 - My Pals workbook 5A Pg 89 – 94. Remind students to complete the close-ended questions as they will be going through the answers on Monday.

Lyrics for the song that I used in class. I blanked out the words that contain positive and negative connotations and get students to sort out the words out.

For the matchmaking activity, all you need to do is find some cartoon pictures online as 'clients' for the students.

Stupid Cupid

By Mandy Moore

tupid Cupid
You're a real mean guy
I'd like to clip your wings
So you can't fly
I am in love and it's a crying shame
And I know that you're the one to blame

Hey hey
Set me free
Stupid Cupid
Stop picking on me

I can't do my homework
And I can't think straight
I meet him every morning
At 'bout half-past eight
I'm acting like a lovesick fool
You've even got me carrying his books to school

Hey hey
Set me free
Stupid Cupid
Stop picking on me

You messed me up for good
Right from the very start
Hey, go play Robin Hood
With somebody else's heart

You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don't feature what your puttin' down
Well since I kissed his loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is
That I like it fine

Hey hey
Set me free
Stupid Cupid
Stop picking on me

You got me jumping like a crazy clown
And I don't feature what your puttin' down
Well since I kissed his loving lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is
That I like it fine

Hey hey
Set me free
Stupid Cupid
Stop picking on me

Hey hey
Set me free
Stupid Cupid
Stop picking on me

Stupid Cupid (x 8)

-elly-

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.

STOP WEARING FUR

A student of mine sent me this website and I am aghast at the contents of it (http://www.furisdead.com/feat/ChineseFurFarms/). Warning: You will feel sick watching it unless you are heartless.

If you happen to talk to your students about protecting of animals, SPCA etc. let them know that this is occurring in the real world.

STOP WEARING FUR!

-elly-

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.

Science lesson idea for Matters (with worksheet attached)

This experiment is very simple and yet it illustrates the properties of matter well. I did this in my class and it made the pupils think and really think HARD.

I have capture the pictures of my worksheet that I designed above for your convenience to use or plan your own lesson.

Materials you will need:
1. a glass
2. a plate
3. coloured water
4. matches/lighter
5. 1 tealight candle

Step 1: Filled a little coloured water in a plate, just enough to cover the surface of the plate.
Step2: Put the tealight candle on the water.
Step 3: Light up the candle.
Step 4: Invert the glass and cover the candle.
Step 5: Observe what happens to the coloured water.

-elly-

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.

Happy International Friendship day!

Happy international friendship day to all! Today my school celebrated international friendship day with a BANG. It was an eye opener for me. I wore a yukata to school and it was fun! Like a costume party. Had a fashion parade in school and was 'invited' to attend the afternoon session of the celebration too. Thus, I had 2 celebrations today.

Received a nicely made friendship badge today from a boy in my Primary 4 class. I am extremely touched by the action :) Will post a photo of it soon. I've pasted it on my desk at school as a motivational force. Gambatte!!

Saw my primary 5 kids back from camp today at 6pm after I finished marking 6 piles of worksheets. Glad to see that they are all well and happy. Many even called out to me on their way home :)

Another thing that I am happy about is that a pupil from my last year's practicum asked his mother about me. His mother is teaching in my practicum school but he was transferred out to St. Hilda's Primary to do his GEP. Hope that he is doing well and happy. All the best!

I am definitely smiling loads recently :) Hope you are too :)

-elly-

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.

Teaching right angles and turns (Primary 4)

Today I had my NSC observation and it was "good" (taking my NSC word). So I'm definitely smiling :)

Just to share with you my lesson idea.

I had the children listen to a song called "No Right Angles". It's a weird song, it's the first time that I heard it, yesterday. I blank out the words "right angles" and "turning". I told my pupils that I through this song, they will get a clue to what they will be learning. I let the children listen to it the first time, filling in the blanks on their worksheet with the lyrics. After the first round, I let them listen to it the second time. By then, the children were singing along to the song :) They even wanted a repeat of the song at the end of the lesson when they were doing their work.

Just to share with you the lyrics and website where you can get the song :) I am definitely smiling a lot!

LYRICS:

Title: No Right Angles
By Ben Lee

ive been thinking 'bout the straight and narrow
slip sliding round the back of my hand
keep turning and its almost tomorrow
ill find a way to make you understand
there are no right angles in my life
no right angles in my life

right now im hearing nothing but silence
high beams are on - i can feel you
every piece contains a little bit of violence
and you've changed so much but its still you
no right angles in my life
no right angles in my life

so breathe
feel the open space
leave it all behind
coming into grace
no right angles in my life
there are no right angles in my life

suspicious minds and youre back on the warpath
all the things you think are up my sleeve
though you tell me that im just like a circle
somehow you still dont believe
there are no right angles in my life
there are no right angles in my life

so dream
let your body play
anyone in need
give it all away
no right angles in my life
there are no right angles in my life

ive been thinking 'bout the straight and narrow
slip sliding round the back of my hand
keep turning and its almost tomorrow
find a way to make you understand

please
taste the sea you sail
baby i believe
theres no way you can fail
no right angles in my life
there are no right angles in my life
there are no right angles in my life

You can get the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF23vuMvoIU

-elly-

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.

Something to note for teaching angles (primary 4)

Hey comrades of Primary 4 Math,

Remember NOT to use "obtuse" and "acute" to label your angles. The children are NOT required to learn these terms and the terms are not in syllabus. Don't get yourself into trouble. Change the words to "more than 90 degrees" for "obtuse" and "less than 90 degrees" for "acute".

Yep, hope this post helps to prevent you from getting mark down for your observation.

Jia You!

-elly-

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.

I'm back! And it'll be better than ever!

Hey peeps!

I'm back. I'll recovered from the trauma I had last week. Hope that all of you are surviving and thriving well in your schools :)

Jia You!! And Happy April's Fool Day. LOLz. The kids are so lame that they tried to trick me so many times today. Cute huh? It was funny to see them frustrated saying, "Aiya, how come cannot trick you one?". I had the last laugh. Muahahaha.

Left a few more weeks and we're free, comrades! YEAH! Always look on the bright side of life *singing*

-elly-

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.

Teaching Angles (Primary 4)

I've started on teaching of Angles this week. For the first lesson, I got the kids to go outdoors to learn angles.

Materials you need:
- string
- Small pieces of paper
- big tape
- protractor printed on translucent paper (you can get the translucent paper easily at Popular)

1. Print the protractor picture (attached above) on the translucent A4 paper. Enlarge proportionally and try your best to cover the whole piece of paper.
2. Cut out pieces of string for each group of students (preferably 4 in a group to minimize fights among the rascals).
3. Cut ready the tape for each group. You only need a piece of tape for each group.
4. Do a demonstration to show how you can form angles with a string, a tape and bits of paper.
5. get two students to pull the string straight and line them on the floor. tape the string in the middle to the floor. Now ask one of the students to move to any place that he or she likes holding on to the string (remind him or her not to tug on the string).
6. Get another student to place the hand-made protractor on the created angle to measure.
7. Using the bits of paper you have, get the students to label the angle.

This activity is easy and fun and you can occupy the whole 1 hour with this activity. If you need a break from lesson plans, feel free to try this :)

-elly-

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.