English holiday assignment

Dear all,

1)      Read the two class library books. Compile a list of at least 40 useful descriptive phrases / words from each book. Categorise the descriptive phrases / words into 3 topics namely physical appearance, emotions and actions. Feature the descriptive phrases/words for each topic in a mind map. Each pupil will be given 2 pieces of A3 size paper to display their mind maps. 

2)      Complete the exercises in the Primary 4 Grammar and Vocabulary book.

3)      Practise describing the pictures and reading the oral passages aloud with your parents. SA2 Oral Examination will commence in Term 4 Week 1.

Enjoy your September break!

Pointers for picture description

1)At the beginning, remember to state the venue shown in the picture. Example: This picture depicts a scene at the ...

2)Give a general overview of the picture shown. Focus on using descriptive phrases and adjectives.

3) Highlight the important section in the picture. In order to identify the important section, look out for a good act or an inconsiderate behaviour that needs to be addressed in the picture.

4) Describe the feelings felt by the characters in picture. Focus on their facial expressions. Add in your opinion on the possible reason(s) for the feeling evoked.

5) Conclude with a learning point that's evident in the picture. Example: In conclusion, I believe everyone plays a pivotal role in saving our Earth. It is our duty to conserve the resources on Earth, so that future generations can enjoy the treasures Mother Nature has to offer.  

English lesson on Thursday 30 August and homework

Dear all,

Our boys did a worksheet on improving a piece of writing using descriptive words / phrases earlier today. I've included the gist of the handout in the space below. In addition, SA2 English oral examination will be conducted in Term 4 Week 1. As such, I'll be focusing on picture description tomorrow. There will be holiday assignment and additional oral passages and pictures featured in our blog for our boys to practise during the holidays.



Homework:

1) Learn the present, past and past participle form of the irregular verbs. The list has been given out earlier today.




================================================================

A good description of a boy riding on a bicycle

“I’m riding on sunshine…” sang Jack merrily as he blasted the music on his portable mp3 player. Jack was on cloud nine. Life was simply fantastic. He was listening to his favourite song on a beautiful sunny morning. “What could go wrong?” Jack thought to himself. He whistled a merry tune as he strolled towards his trusty bicycle. As he sat on his shiny black bicycle seat, Jack tested the bicycle breaks to ensure they were in good working condition. In a jiffy, Jack was already riding on the streets. As Jack whizzed past the blocks of flats, he closed his eyes for a moment to feel the cool rush of wind brushing against his cheeks. “I’m going downhill any minute now. Here we go…” Jack lost his train of thoughts as he was totally engrossed in his own world of music and the adrenaline rush of riding downhill.

A fair description of a boy riding on a bicycle

Jack whistled a merry tune as he walked slowly towards his shiny bicycle. The birds were chirping gaily and the gentle breeze seemed to greet Jack good morning. Jack sat on his bicycle and soon rode on the streets. Jack was indeed in a cheery mood. He had his earphones on and was listening to his favourite music. Soon, he decided to close his eyes momentarily to enjoy the moment. He was on cloud nine.

A bad description of a boy riding on a bicycle

It was a bright and sunny morning. Jack saw his bicycle and went towards it. He was going to ride it down the streets. As he rode on his bicycle, Jack felt the wind against his cheeks. He was listening to music too. All of a sudden, he felt his bicycle traveling downhill. Jack decided to close his eyes as he rode downhill.

Analysis of the above paragraphs:

1) A good descriptive paragraph must include good phrases that explicitly states the setting(place), feelings of the main character involved, actions of the main character etc.

2) A good descriptive paragraph must have a smooth flow. There should not be instances where the reader is bewildered by the intentions of the writer. Sentences must be well-linked. There should not be abrupt transitions of ideas i.e. sequence of events are jumbled up, random description of a minor object etc.

Homework for Wednesday 29 August

Please learn the present, past and past participle form of the irregular verbs.



Present                                      Past                              Past particple

1) Bleed                                   Bled                              Bled

2) Blow                                   Blew                            Blown

3) Break                                  Broke                            Broken

4) Bring                                  Brought                         Brought

5) Catch                                 Caught                           Caught

6) Choose                                 Chose                           Chosen

7) Do                                     Did                                 Done

8) Eat                                     Ate                                Eaten

9) Flee                                    Fled                              Fled

10) Forgive                            Forgave                         Forgiven

11) Freeze                             Froze                            Frozen

12) Get                                  Got                              Got

13) Go                                   Went                           Gone

14) Grow                               Grew                          Grown

15) Leave                               Left                            Left

16) Lay                                  Laid                            Laid

17) Lie                                   Lay                             Lain

18) Lose                               Lost                             Lost

19) Make                              Made                         Made

20) Meet                              Met                            Met

Vocabulary lesson: Group work on feelings thermometer, speaking verbs and phrases / words related to a specific emotion

Dear all,

Our boys had an extension vocabulary activity today. Having evaluated the completed group work ,I am pleased to announce Group J as the winning group.

Homework:

1) Find 3 pictures, each depicting a particular emotion i.e. happy, sad and angry. The picture can be either a portrait of someone who is portraying the emotion or a situation that showcases the particular emotion. Examples of such pictures can be viewed below. Please bring along the pictures, your dictionary and A4 size writing pad tomorrow for focus writing lesson.

Angry man

Angry situation

Happy celebration

Sad player

Completion of Term 3 English Amodes & Homework over the weekend

Dear all,

Our boys have completed the various Term 3 English Amodes components. After going through the comprehension, grammar and vocabulary answers with them, I'm now in the midst of compiling all the components before returning the scripts to our boys next week.

Homework

1) Find at least 15 synonyms or phrases related to the emotions namely sad, angry and happy. In addition, please include the meaning of the synonym or phrase in your feelings graph. You may use different coloured pens or the online mind map tool to create your feelings graph. Your feelings graph can be either printed or written on a piece of A4 size paper. Look at the samples below.

English assignment to be completed before Tuesday 21 August

Dear all,

Please complete the following assignments before Tuesday 21 August.

1) Show parents your Composition Practice 10 (Writing assignment for Term 3 Amodes). Parents, please sign on the script after going through the composition with your child. Write out the 2nd draft i.e. improved version of the story on a new piece of A4 size paper using your green pen. Attach the 2nd draft with the initial script and bring it on Tuesday.

2) Create a cloze passage by selecting an excerpt (not less than 200 words) from your class library book. Select words like verbs, phrasal verbs, adjectives from the passage to be showcased in the helping box. There should be more than 10 blanks in your cloze passage. Samples are provided below. Bring it on Tuesday. You may wish to print it out or write it on a piece of A4 size paper.

3) Create a bookmark with a theme based on the story you have read. Samples are provided below.

4) Learn your dictation passage starting with "Mary had just stepped out of the lift ..." for dictation test on Tuesday. (Monday is a public holiday, so dictation test will be on Tuesday.)

5)Write a composition on the topic "An unfortunate road accident" shown in the handout Practice 11.

Preparation for Grammar and Vocabulary test for Term 3 AMODES

Dear all,

Please attempt the questions below. Check the answers provided at the bottom. Learn them well and I'm certain you'll be able to ace the Grammar and Vocabulary tests tomorrow.

Questions

1) Every pupil, including Bill and Philip, _______________ to the Science Centre tomorrow.
    a) is going            b) are going            c)was going              d)were going


2) Everyone in class ___________ Miss Loh as she is a fantastic teacher.
    a) like                   b) likes                  c) liked                     d) was liked


3) J.K. Rowling is famous _____________ the Harry Potter fantasy series.
    a) for                    b) by                      c) of                         d) in


4) Taj Mahal is a famous white marble mausoleum in India. We should observe the rules before entering it, ________________?
    a) should we        b) shouldn't we         c) shan't we          d) shall we


5) Joseph prefers playing sports to reading. He _________ goes to the library.
    a) usually            b) always                   c) frequently        d)seldom


6) I _____________ in tears when I saw the broken game board.
    a) broke off         b)broke up                 c) broke out        d)broke down


7)  The local consumers have a gut feeling that the two shops would wage a price war _____________ each other soon.
a) at                       b) against            c) to                      d) in


8) There is _______________ flavouring added in the ice-cream. Do not eat too much of it as it is harmful to our health.
 a) artificial              b) soot               c) remarkable        d) professional


9) The prisoner is held captive in the dark _____________.
a) prison                 b) enclosure         c) theatre                d) company


10) Cassey is a humble girl who never ____________.
a) shows down       b) shows off         c) shows in            d) shows through

11) "Whose stinky socks are these? Get them off my bed!" Mel shouted for her brother to _________ the socks out of her room.
a) take                   b) takes                 c) took                  d) taken

12) She looks gentle _________ has a feisty character.
a) while               b) so                     c) as                     d) but

13) Billy lamented," If my dad ___________ come soon, I'll be late for my soccer practice!"
a) does                b) doesn't             c) do                     d) don't

Answers

1) Every pupil, including Bill and Philip, is going to the Science Centre tomorrow.

 

2) Everyone in class likes Miss Loh as she is a fantastic teacher.

3) J.K. Rowling is famous for the Harry Potter fantasy series.

4) Taj Mahal is a famous white marble mausoleum in India. We should observe the rules before entering it, shouldn't we?

5) Joseph prefers playing sports to reading. He seldom goes to the library.

6) I broke down in tears when I saw the broken game board.

7)  The local consumers have a gut feeling that the two shops would wage a price war against each other soon.

8) There is artificial flavouring added in the ice-cream. Do not eat too much of it as it is harmful to our health.

9) The prisoner is held captive in the dark prison.

10) Cassey is a humble girl who never shows off.

11) "Whose stinky socks are these? Get them off my bed!" Mel shouted for her brother to take the socks out of her room.

12) She looks gentle but has a feisty character.

13) Billy lamented," If my dad doesn't come soon, I'll be late for my soccer practice!"

=========================================================

Feedback on Term 3 AMODES Composition test

Dear all,

Here's the consolidated feedback after marking the composition test scripts.

Strengths:

1) Some boys were able to deploy the writing technique (using a quote / proverb in the introduction followed by a flashback) taught prior to the composition test.

2) Some boys had been very diligent in gathering the keywords and phrases on the topic "Robbery". Thus there was an improvement in the word choice and descriptive phrases used.

3) Some boys were capable of interweaving the protagonist's emotions throughout the composition and showed maturity in their story construction.

4) Some boys were capable of constructing sound and refreshing story plot that showed creativity and originality.

5) Most boys had excellent penmanship! Keep up the good work!

Weaknesses:

1) Some glaring spelling errors were made. Take note of keywords like "Necklace", "thief","valuables", "jewellery","apprehended".

2) Limited saying verbs deployed. Common saying verbs like "said","asked","yelled" are found in majority of the scripts. However, they do not capture every nuance of the character's expression. Thus students need to work on expanding their list of saying verbs i.e.  giggled, screamed, replied, groaned, exclaimed, sighed, asked, questioned, suggested etc.

3) Colloquial writing style adopted. Some boys had the tendancy to write as if they are speaking to the readers. Please take note that writing of narratives and personal recounts in the composition test requires our boys to use formal or literary English.

Example: I pushed the people and things in my way and quickly escaped while I can. (incorrect)

                I shoved the people and things aside as they were obstructing my escape route. (Correct)



         
4) Abrupt Conclusion. Many boys did not link the main points shown in the introduction with the conclusion. A preferred technique would be for our boys to reiterate the learning point shown previously in the introduction in their conclusion.

5) Lack of details in the climax of the story. Many boys did not use sufficient descriptive phrases to highlight the course of action taken by the characters in the story. Moreover, the emotional aspect of the protagonist is rather lacking in most scripts.

===================================================================

Good composition written by the budding writers in 4 Patience:

Sitting in my cold dark cell, I reflected and started to mourn about my shadowy past. If I could take back my freedom, I would... ...

The sun was a disc in the sky and heat rolled around me in waves. Thoughts of desperation flashed across my mind. How am I going to buy food to eat? How am I going to pay the hefty amount of bills? My boss had dismissed me and I was left jobless with mountains of bills to finance. Getting out of my flat to find how to solve my financial woes, I started cursing my boss.

When I stepped into the lift, something caught my attention. It was a woman's shining necklace, bracelet and purse.

"Lady luck is with me today," I muttered to myself.

Just as the doors of the lift opened, I snatched the woman's jewellery at lightning speed and ran faster than the cheetah out of the lift.

"Stop! Thief!" a ear-piercing shrill scream reverberated through the air. I ran helter-skelter. Putting my hands in front of me, I tried to pull the distance between the passers-by and me. Brr...Brr... Looking back, I saw that one of the passers-by was on a skateboard in great pursuit to catch me! Turning back, I wasted no time in quickening my pace. Faster! Faster! Those two words flashed through my mind like a neon signboard.

"Uh, oh..." I muttered the moment I saw a policeman in front of me. Without hesitation, the policeman pinned me against a wall. Luckily, I managed to break lose from his grip. However, my joy was short-lived. Alas, I was surrounded by a posse of policemen. I had no choice but to surrender my loot.

"Lights out! Lights out!" The shouts of the prison warden brought me back to the present. I buried my head in my hands and made silent sobs. It was a reminder of my folly which was the greatest mistake of my life. Nonetheless, I was glad I had changed for the better after the horrible ordeal. Crime does not pay. How true!

(Written in the snatch thief's perspective)

===============================================================

Good paragraphs written by the budding writers in 4 Patience:

Out of the blue, the suspicious-looking man grabbed her from behind and snatched her jewellery. Ms Lim tried to tug at his shirt but the snatch thief managed to dodge her and fled. Staring at the snatch thief in shock, the truth dawned on Ms Lim. She had been robbed! Returning back to reality from the daze of her shock, she began to shout, "Thief! Stop that thief!" She tried desperately to chase after the snatch thief but she could not. The high heels on her feet were impeding her every movement.

(Climax of a  story)

I was faced with a knife pointing at me.With no money to pay the loan shark, he threatened to stab me with his merciless dagger.

"Please ... please... don't kill me. Just give me one more day," I pleaded for mercy as I looked timidly at the burly man standing in front of me. With a menacing grin, he slowly withdrew his dagger and placed it into his pocket. I heaved a sigh of relief. Looking at the shadow of the loan shark, the question I had to face was how to get the money to save my miserable life. The thought of getting quick cash overwhelmed me. I realised what I had to do ... rob.

(Introduction of a story)

I had just borrowed some money from the loan shark. Feeling rather restless and weak, I trudged two blocks back home. I had to crack my brains for ideas to get hold of $5000. However, everything seemed so bleak. With no job at hand, I could neither borrow money from the bank nor could I rely on my other penniless friends for help.

I was sweating profusely not because of the intense heat but rather cold sweat at the sheer thought of what the mean old Cheng would do to me if I failed to return him the money. This made me shudder and blood drained immediately from my face. I stepped into the lift gloomily and stared blankly into space. Just then, a lady appeared. It was my golden chance to get fast cash!

(Paragraphs depicting the emotional aspect of the protagonist)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good sentences written by the budding writers in 4 Patience:

In a few minutes, the thief was swiftly apprehended by the police. His hands were placed in cuffs as he was led towards the police car.

Checking the lift panel, I believed the rich lady was heading for the ground level. With eyes on the necklace, she seemed aware of my ill intentions. However, the lady was meek and appeared to be a nervous wreck. It was my chance to strike!

All of a sudden, the burly man snatched my necklace, bracelets and handbag from behind. In the process of snatching my necklace, the hook of the necklace pierced deeply into my flesh, tearing my skin in the midst. An acute pain pierced through my entire body as I cringed and screamed out in pain.

English lesson on Tuesday 7 August

Dear all,

Please read the two class library books that have been assigned to you over the long break. Thereafter, kindly select one of the class library books and prepare a book review on that title. Your book review must include the following:

1) Title of book:
2) Author:
3) Illustrator:
4) Summary of book: Write it in your own words. (100-200 words)
5) Personal response: Personal opinions / feelings after reading the book (100 - 200 words)

The book review can be written using A4 size paper or printed. I've attached a few pictures of book review from my previous batch of Primary 4 pupils. Use them as a guide.

English lesson on Monday 6 August

Dear all,

I've covered a concept map on the story entitled "Trapped in a lift" with our boys. In addition, I've also instructed them to sieve out short, simple sentences and sentences incorporating prepositional phrases in the story. This will be the introductory lesson towards a series of lessons teaching our boys the various sentence patterns that effective writer use. I've included the story below for your viewing pleasure.

Please remember to bring your class library book(s) and school library book(s) tomorrow.




=====================================================================

Trapped in a lift

            Tick, tock, tick, tock …The second hand of my watch turned as beads of perspiration trickled down my forehead. I glanced at the lift panel and counted down the digits reflected on it. Ten minutes before the start of my favourite cartoon! I was extremely eager to rush home after tuition to catch my favourite show. I would not miss it for anything in the world.  

            As the lift door opened, I thanked my lucky stars for being able to get home before the start of the cartoon. However, my joy was only short-lived. Little did I know what was installed for me.

            I punched the button for the 15^th floor. As the lift door closed, I continued to stare at the display panel in the lift. 3,4,5… The lift seemed to be usually slow today. It was practically crawling. “Strange, what’s happening?” I thought to myself. As the lift approached the 13^th storey, an awful sound was heard. It sounded like the lift was scrapping against the wall. Out of the blue, the lift jerked abruptly, slamming me against the left wall in the lift.

            Silence.

            Absolute silence.

            I paused momentarily as it dawned upon me that the lift had stalled. Tears welled up in my eyes as I had never been caught in such a situation before. “This cannot be happening to me …” I closed my eyes, praying hard that everything would soon return to normal. The stillness of the air, the killing silence proved too much to bear. I decided to take control of the situation. With shaky hands, I pressed the emergency bell. To my utter horror, I did not hear it ring.

            Panic-stricken, I started pounding the door and yelling at the top of my lungs.

            “Someone help me!” I cried. Soon, my throat became dry and hoarse from the shouting. Overcame by exhaustion and fear, I collapsed onto the floor. I was a total wreck. Fear crept over me and I broke down in tears. I could no longer contain the pent up fear that I had within.

            As I grew accustomed to the silence and stillness in the lift, I sensed a faint crackling sound coming from a distance. At first, I thought my ears were playing tricks on me. However,as I pressed my ears hard against the lift doors, I realised that the crackling sound was growing louder.

            “Don’t worry, help is on the way…” I heard a male voice echo outside the lift. My heart skipped a beat when I realised that the rescue team had arrived. Before I know it, the lift door started moving. Flashes of light could be seen outside the lift as the lift door continued to open. I could soon see the figure of a man! He was my saviour!

            “Grab hold of my hand and I’ll pull you out of the lift,” the man instructed. I obeyed his instructions and was extremely relieved to be saved. Apparently, a kind resident had heard my cries for help and contacted the lift operators. The rescue team was deployed immediately. If not for the kind Samaritan’s help, I would have been still stranded in the dreadful lift.

            Although I was shaken from the experience, I was glad that I had not sustained any injury. However, by the time I reached home, my favourite cartoon had already ended.  Ever since then, I made doubly sure that I never travelled in the lift alone. Call it a phobia, I promised never to allow myself to be caught in a similar event again!

English lesson on Friday 3 August

Dear all,

   

Our boys did a wonderful job today i.e. creating  presentation charts on the various questions that were assigned to them. Basically, our boys did a gallery walk and voted for the best presentation chart. I've taken pictures of their group work (found in the space below). 

The only homework is to learn the dictation passage starting "The town was caught unaware by a flash flood..." for dictation test on Monday. Boys who have not submitted your spelling AMODES test 2 and Grammar and vocabulary book, please bring them on Monday. Enjoy your weekend!

Why are there clouds in the sky?

Why are flies attracted to light?

Have animals made smart predictions before?

How do animals respond to weather changes?

How is paper made?

Why is the sky blue?

Why do bats live in the dark?

Why are there seven colours in the rainbow?



Feedback on CA2 Oral Examination

Dear all,

I've consolidated the general feedback on CA 2 Oral examination.

Reading Aloud For Day 1 Oral Passage on Road Safety
Overall Weaknesses:

1) Did not pause after the comma in the sentence "There, about 65000 school children undergo road safety training every year."

2) Did not sound out the end consonants in words like "learns, rates, Sundays, saved"

3)Words that were mispronounced include "lives", "instrumental", "pedestrians" and "cyclists"

Overall strengths 1) Good reading pace, loud and fluent.



Reading Aloud For Day 2 Oral Passage on a trip to a zoo
Overall Weaknesses:

1)Unable to sound out digraph "th" in the word "thought"

2) Did not sound out the end consonants in words like "animals, fun-filled, enjoyed, housed"

3) Words that were mispronounced include "enclosures","excellent","respective"and "entertainers"

Overall strengths 1) Good reading pace, loud and fluent.



Picture Description

Strengths: Most of our boys have included proper introduction, inserted their own opinions based on what was reflected in the picture and gave suitable conclusion. Some boys were also able to use a variety of words (good vocabulary) in their picture description. Others attempted to vary their sentence structure and displayed maturity in giving their interpretation in the picture description.


Weaknesses:
Some boys described the picture using past tense. Rule of the thumb: Present tense should be used in the picture description. The only exception will be in cases where the pupil is attempting to give their interpretation / opinion / suggestion on a particular event shown in the picture. Example: "The boys seems to be feeding the monkeys in the enclosure. In my opinion, we should not feed the animals in the zoo."

Some boys mispronounced the word "police" in their attempt to describe a road accident in the picture description on Day 1 of the Oral examination.

English lesson on Thursday 2 August

Dear all,

Our boys have completed two comprehension passages in class today. I've also brought them to the computer lab to use the search engine to do some reading on the following topics. Those with internet access at home, please find out more on the topics that you have been assigned to do research on. You need not print the information as I've prepared some pictures and information on the various topics. I'll be doing group work with our boys tomorrow on how to do a presentation chart and assign them a fun activity which will involve a gallery walk tomorrow.


Research questions:
A) Have animals made smart predictions before? (Students with index no. 10, 11, 2, 3,13 )


B) Why do bats live in the dark? (Students with index no. 31,25,9,26,21 )


C) Why are flies attracted to light? (Students with index no. 32,22,7,23,27 )


D) Why is the sky blue? (Students with index no. 29,36,12,39,24 )


E) Why are there clouds in the sky? (Students with index no. 16,6,1,4,15 )


F) How is paper made? (Students with index no. 30,38,35,28,34 )


G) How do animals respond to weather changes? (Students with index no. 33, 8, 18, 20, 37)


H) Why are there seven colours in a rainbow? (Students with index no.19, 14, 17, 5, 40)