My Pals 6A

Dear Pupils

Please start reading MyPals6A Unit 1 & Unit 2. We will only one term to complete the whole book.

English Textbook

The pointers below are meant to guide you in your self-study.
Here's what you need to cover for Unit 1

Page 2
- Go through page 2 briefly
- What do you think is the purpose of the having book covers?
- Would you choose your story books based on the covers?
- When do you think you would need to use this skill (of choosing story books)?

Page 4,5,6 (Main Text)
- Practise using Questioning the Author technique (Ask questions as you read)

Page 7
- This is just a recap on plot structure.


Page 8 to 10 *Grammar
- Grammar to express thoughts, opinions, feelings, beliefs
- Revision on "to+ infinitive".
- There are many situations in which to + infinitive could be used. Make sure you know all the ways.
- You need to know what is the meaning of main clause and subordinate clause (their purpose and differences).
- You also need to know what an infinitive clause is, and how to use them.

Page 11 *Recount
- This is a recap on Recount - remember in Term 4 (2011), we learnt about the features of recounts.
- Can you remember what a recount is?
- To write a recount, you need to focus on ..... diction, elaborating, .....
- Read page 11 & 12 to find out more

Page 15
- Just read the first half of the page.
- You need to know that it is important to understand how story develops - and in order for you to know it well, you need to be able to see the connections within the text.
- I will elaborate more on this in class.

Page 19
- Formal and informal language in speech
- This will teach you the importance of knowing purpose, audience, context and culture.
- Apply this to Situational Writing. Do you talk/write to your teacher in the same manner as you would to your friend? Why, why not?

IDIOMS
- Remember to complete revising all the idioms in the Idioms Package Set 1.


Please acknowledge in the chat box to indicate that you are clear of what is going on.

Regards
Mr Andy

Brand New School

Hi, Children

Hope you are having a good holiday!

Please also make good use of the time to revise your work and catch up on your weak areas.

Some photos to share with you:

Synthetic Turf

Outdoor Fitness Playground

I'm very sure you are all very excited about the new school! I must say, we are very lucky to be one of the very few schools in Singapore to enjoy all the new facilities all at one time.

To quote from MOE Media Release,
"To support holistic education and the use of engaging teaching methods in schools, MOE will provide all primary schools with additional facilities. MOE will also accelerate the roll-out of the Indoor Sports Halls (ISH) and scale up the implementation of the synthetic turf programme in schools. Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, who announced these today, explained that these facilities are critical in enabling schools to deliver quality programmes to their students."

Here's some description on what facilities we have:

• Redesigned Classroom
• To support collaborative and independent learning, our classrooms will be redesigned as a 'home base' and equipped with a rich array of learning resources (especially for the lower primary). Each classroom comes with a basin - that means you dont have to waste time to go to the toilet to wash your thermometer. This also means that we will learn and study in a more hygienic  environment.

• Band Room, Dance Studio, Performing Arts Studio
• MOE will resource primary schools with a range of performing arts and sports facilities to facilitate the delivery of Programme for Active Learning (PAL). 
• Fully air-conditioned, parquet flooring!

• Media Resource Library 
• In the MRL, flexible furniture and equipment will be utilised such that these can be moved aside when it needs to function as a Performing Arts Studio.

• Indoor Sports Hall
• The ISH is an all-weather sports hall that can accommodate a basketball court superimposed with four badminton courts, a volleyball court and a netball court.

• Outdoor Running Track
• We have a running track and this means we can conduct our runs in a more effective manner. 
• Also, running on soft grounds will reduce injury caused by pounding. 

• Eco-pond & Herb Garden
• We also have a very big pond and herb garden (roof top garden). 
• Provision of such outdoor learning spaces will give our pupils more authentic, indepth and meaningful learning experiences. 

• Student Care Centre & Outdoor Fitness Playground
• Students’ socio-emotional development is important, and the provision of facilities will provide a ‘home-like’ environment through Student Care Centres. These will help foster quality relationships through informal interactions among students and also provide them with greater support. 
• The Outdoor Playground will be designed as a fitness themed playground where students can interact freely and develop interpersonal skills while exercising a range of different muscle groups.

and for the teachers....

We have a new corporate office with a very elegant lounge!

More updates to come!!

Happy Holidays & Time Management

Dear Pupils

How's your holidays? Hope you are making good use of the time to revise your work, relax and indulge in meaningful activities!

The picture above shows how you can plan your time using a time-chart. It's up to you to create your own timetable - the important thing is to stick to what you plan (remember what will happen if you fail to plan?)

Please be reminded that you need to complete revising ALL the idioms/phrases given to you before the holidays. You also need to complete all the grammar exercises in the Self Study Pack. The grammar items are carefully chosen as those are the mistakes you commonly make.

I would expect the following from you when the school starts next year:
(1) Complete BOOK REVIEW (5 books)
(2) Complete studying the idioms - you need to know the meanings and how to make sentences using the idioms (if possible, please classify them according to various themes, such as: shoplifting, robbery, murder, lying down unconscious, unexpected situations [e.g. blackout, fire, bees attack, flooding, drowning,.....]). You also need to find the meaning to all the words you do not know. :)
(3) Complete self study grammar pack

(4) Revise P5 English File - especially SYNTHESIS & TRANSFORMATION.

(5) Practise Asking Questions when you do comprehension exercises (revise your worksheets)

(6) Read more books .....

(7) Be creative and think of performance items to showcase next yr!


Have a meaningful holidays !

Regards
Mr Andy

Lesson Observation - Personal Recounts

Dear Pupils

I must say I am very impressed by your excellent behaviour today during the lesson observation. Mrs Leong was very pleased with all of you!! Keep up the good work.

Many of you can actually identify the right words/phrases that further reinforce the focus of the text you were reading. Well done!

Some points I forgot to mention:
When I asked the class to identify the main problem of your writing - some of you talked about Spelling, Tenses, etc.

Do remember you also need to check whether you have the correct Organization Structure; and whether are you using the right diction.

I will elaborate more on this tomorrow.

Have a good rest!

Regards
Mr Andy

Cultural Immersion Trip @ Melacca (21 to 23 Sept, 2011)

I had a great time with the pupils at Melacca - especially those in Coach 2 (5/2 and 5/4). The pupils in both classes were superb and very well behaved. 10/10!!


Please remember to bring your reflection log on Wednesday (Term 4, Week 3).

Here are some of the photos taken at Melacca. Happy viewing!

Term 4 Week 2 Updates

Hi Pupils

Time flies ! It's already Week 2 of Term 4.

I'm sure most of you are looking forward to two big things:
(1) Melaka - Cultural Immersion Trip for 19 Pupils
(2) SA2 Exam!!

Dont worry so much about the exam. Remember what we discussed in class today on Time Management - "if you plan to fail, you fail to plan".

Just remember to plan your time wisely and be disciplined enough to stick to your plan. Pay attention in class, do your homework and you will be fine :)

Please clarify your doubts and approach me for help. I understand I can be very strict at times - but if you do come to me with genuine questions, I promise I will not scold you!! Promise!

However, I must admit I was very angry today in class because almost half the class did not complete the tasks given last week. You cannot take things for granted and take advantage of a teacher who always gives you chance to repent.

Remember - YOU NEED TO AIM HIGH! SET BIG GOALS FOR YOURSELF! IF YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN DO IT - YOU DEFINITELY CAN DO IT!

Most importantly, put your thoughts/words into ACTIONS! Make it  happen!!

I called some of your parents earlier:
Huiyin, Guiyan, Sufian, Renny, Firdaus ... and I will be calling some of your parents very soon. Dont worry, I'm not complaining about you not doing work. I'm calling your parents to find out more about what, how and whether you have been revising your work at home :)

While 19 of your classmates will be away for the Melaka trip, please be reminded that YOU STILL NEED TO COME TO SCHOOL.

(1) Complete the SELF STUDY PACK in class - Check and Mark - and that left you with NO HOMEWORK for 3 days.
(2) Your homework will be 'chicken feet' - Just revise your work - Find the meanings of difficult words from Compre 5 to 8, Use Question the Author (ask questions as you read). In short, 'deface' the passage!

See you soon.

Mr Andy

New Resources for Power Rangers

When school reopens, I will be selecting new batch of Power Rangers.

Before I release the names on Monday - may I know who is interested to join the group? 

Be prepared to work hard - this group will be pushed to getting Band 1 and Band 2 for the coming SA2 Exam. Pupils in this group are considered quite good in English.

For those who are not selected (still quite weak in English), dont worry - you just need to
(1) READ MORE
(2) Improve your weak areas
(3) Pay attention in class and submit the classwork/homework on time
(4) Have a good learning attitude!!


At the same time, I urge all of you not to neglect the other subjects - Math, Science and Mother Tongue - as they are all equally important.

Enjoy your holidays - use this time to catch up and revise on your weak areas. Remember what you promise me, remember how we 'clicked' our fingers.

See you on Monday.

Term 4 - Fast & Furious!

We will have less than 6 weeks to complete our syllabus in Term 4.

Are you ready for the mad rush?

(However, after the SA2 Exam, pupils should look forward to some very fun post-examination activities!)

Test Results

Dear Parents/Pupils,

Just done with marking Topical Test 5 (English).

Disappointing results - but this is the reality. That's the standard of our P5 pupils.

They thought they put in a lot of effort - but fact is: they seriously need to really put in MUCH MORE EFFORT and take their work MUCH SERIOUSLY from Day 1.

They thought they still have next year to pull up their socks - but fact is: they dont have the luxury of 1 full year to buck up. We can never turn back the clock and go back to the past.

So - dear pupils - what's your plan now? feel sad and then cant be bothered? Talk and talk but no actions?

Time to put your words and thoughts into action. Time to wake up!

Here are the top scorers for Test 5:
(1) Hui Xin (24.5)
(2) Seri (23.5)
(3) Li Qi (22)
(3) Majorie (22)
(4) Jun Yong (21.5)
(5) Renny (21)

And the Top 5 Overall CA2 for English:
(1) Hui Xin (73.5)
(1) Seri (73.5)
(3) Hui Yin (66.5)
(3) Fabian (66.5)
(5) Li Qi (66)

Congrats!

Regards,
Mr Andy

Project Vietnam

(Junyong & Wendy, thanks for reminding me!)

Dear Pupils

Re: Project on Vietnam

You need to do a mini-project on Vietnam. It's very easy. This is what you need to do:

(i) Google search on information related to Vietnam (Search: "Vietnam").
(ii) Classify your findings based on 4 headings:

1. Country - short description of Vietnam (size, location, population)
2. Capital - short description of its capital (Search: "Vietnam Capital")
3. One other place in Vietnam (short description of the place)
4. Economy - short description of the country's economic status (Search: "Vietnam Economy")
5. Culture - short description of any one food OR sport you can find it Vietnam ("Search: "Vietnam Food")

Requirements:

• You have to google the Internet for information. 
• Please do not CUT-AND-PASTE (lifting). 
• You need to shorten/summarize your findings; best if you could read and then write in your own words!
• It can be hand-written, or type-written.
• You can either choose to work individually or in groups of not more than 4 persons. 
• Include your source (where you found the information).

Present to the class:
* A4-size paper (plain or foolscap paper) - must be 2 PAGES (not more than 2 pages)
* Font size 12. Arial Font - if you are typing. (If you are not typing, please write neatly)
* Deadline: By Term 3 Week 10

Regards
Mr Andy

================ E X A M P L E ===============

Project: USA
Done by: Andy Tan

Country
The United States of America (or USA) is located in the central North America. It has 48 continuous states (such as New York, Michigan, Oregan, just to name a few). It is a very big country (3.79 million square miles) with over 310 million people It is the 3rd/4th largest country by total area.

Capital
It's Capital is Washington, District of Columbia (DC) - between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. It was founded on July 16, 1790.  It is located on te north bank of the Potomac River.  The city has a population of 601723.  

One other place in USA
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the US. It is the nation's third most populous state. It has a population of over 8000000 people and is known for its status as a financial, cultural, transportation, and manufacturing centre to theUS.

Economy 
Economy of the United States is the world's largest national economy. Historically, the US economy has maintained a stable overall growth, low unemployment rate, etc. However, it is not so true in recent times.

Culture: Sport
US is famous for 4 sports: American Football, Baseball, Basketball and Ice-hockey.

Major league baseball enjoys massive media exposure and players in the leagues earn astronomical salary! It is a game which involves having batters and fielders......

Source:

Information retrieved from:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_in_the_United_States, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_States
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York,
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.,

Term 3 Week 8

Dear Pupils

Please be reminded that there will still be school on Week 8, Monday to Wednesday.
PSLE Oral will take place on Thursday and Friday - hence you do not need to be in school during these days.

Take note of the following homework for English:

Date	Homework
16 August 2011 (Tuesday)	Newspaper cutting (10 words) Little Red Dot
17 August 2011 (Wednesday)	Grammar Cloze Exercises 1 to 10
18 August 2011 (Thursday)	Vocabulary Cloze Exercises 1 to 10
19 August 2011 (Friday)	Green Book
20 August 2011 (Saturday)	Green Book
21 August 2011 (Sunday)	Revise Synthesis (Term 3)

 

Reminder:

Test 5 (Week 9, Wednesday) Comprehension Synthesis (Not only, Unless, Much to) Editing Pupils who are absent without Medical Leave certified by a doctor will be given a zero mark.

What a defeat!

6/2 trashed 5/2 in round 2 of the softball's friendly match today with a score of 12-0.

Will 5/2 emerge stronger in Term 4?

Softball Match 1 - 6/2 VS 5/2

We had a ball of a good time today at the school field - and it was a DRAW!

The morning dew on the grass gave way to determined warriors.

With the score at 8-10 in 6/2's favour, everything was hinged upon the unity of 5/2 - with all the batters thinking really hard and making very tough decisions before winning the inning. With all the bases loaded, a mistake would mean a tie. With the teams so evenly matched and the 'champion' so close enough to smell, 5/2 had to win it.

Zaki and Wendy's mistakes were costly but forgivable. 5/2 ended the game with a draw. They just need to redeem themselves next Friday.

It's going to be a tough fight. Who will win the game?


Learning points:
- Think fast, make quick/swift decisions.
- Be safe (Is it safe to run?) - but not conservative (don't dare to take risks) (One of the players from 6/2 claimed that Team5/2 was too conservative)
- Friendship, Respect and Excellence (Olympic Values) - The game ended amicably with players shaking hands with one another - all looking forward to the next game!

(I need photographers and supporters on Friday - Week 7!! Any volunteers??)

Food for thought

Do you want to sit for a fair and challenging paper - and feel proud after taking it; or would you prefer sitting for an easy paper - and which you do not feel challenged by it at all?

Updates on Softball (Week 6)

Hi Pupils

I'm sure all of you had fun today! You exceeded my expectations! Most of you could actually play softball quite well.

Let me reiterate some of the more important points/questions:

As a fielder (players on the field, catching the batted ball):
- You need to be in READY position
- Before you throw the ball to another teammate, you need to ask yourself a very important question: "Where is the runner?"
- You need to be very sharp - especially fielders at the 3rd base and the catcher near the homebase.

As a batter
- You need to bat the ball properly (remember: 3 strikes and you are OUT)
- Before you bat the ball, you need to ask yourself: "Where should I place the ball?"
- Before you run from one base to another - you need to ask yourself: "Is it safe to run?"

Many of you are making very good progress. I'll be taking a video of the lesson in Week 8. (Week 7: NDP Celebration).

In the meantime, please go online (google/utube) and search for some Softball videos; do some research, and field me with more questions!

I'll end off with a short video - tell me how you feel in the COMMENTS.

Regards
Andy

Topical Test 4 (Term 3)

Dear Pupils

The topical test tomorrow will consist of the following components:
(1) Graphic Stimulus (5 marks)
(2) Synthesis & Transformation (will be tested on "unless", "much as" and "much to") (10 marks)
(3) Cloze Passage (15 marks)

All the best!

Regards
Mr Andy

English E-learning Activity

Dear pupils



Please try the questions found in this website:


http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/tenses/simple_past_present_perfect.htm


You may also want to try the exercises here in your free time:
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/zeitformen.htm


Regards
Mr Andy

NE SHOW 2011 (16 July)

MAJULAH! THE SINGAPORE SPIRIT

Theme

Singapore is our home. As Singaporeans, we share a culture and heritage that is uniquely Singaporean. As a nation, we are united by common ideals and a shared vision.

The theme for NDP 2011 is Majulah! The Singapore Spirit. Majulah means “Onward!”. It represents our strength, energy and dynamism to continually strive towards building a better Singapore. It is a word with deep roots in our history that also connects with our National Anthem – a familiar touch point that is close to every Singaporean’s heart.

The Singapore Spirit, highlights our unity as one people. It symbolises the competence and confidence that drive us to reach beyond our boundaries and to constantly seek new heights to scale. It also represents a unity built upon mutual trust as well as our can-do attitude and determination to take challenges in our stride.

Taken together, Majulah! The Singapore Spirit is a rally cry that calls on all Singaporeans to move forward together to bring Singapore to greater heights, to excel in our diverse fields of work and play and to realise our fullest potential. Through the theme, we hope Singaporeans will pause to reflect and discover what the Singapore Spirit means to them. In sharing and passing on the Singapore Spirit to our children, and our grandchildren, we seek to strengthen our roots and at the same time inspire future generations to build a better home, a better Singapore.

Logo

This year’s National Day Parade (NDP) logo depicts the passion and dynamism of the NDP 2011 theme “Majulah! The Singapore Spirit”, which calls on all Singaporeans to move forward together to overcome challenges and build a better Singapore.

The five figures symbolise brightly burning flames whose soaring motion reflects Singaporeans’ constant drive for higher levels of success as a nation. The two central figures form the shape of a heart which represents our love for Singapore and the compassion in our society as we celebrate 46 years of independence.  The five stars stand for our nation’s ideals of democracy, justice, equality, peace and progress.

The shades of red reflect Singaporeans from all walks of life.  The overall vivid red colour signifies our unity, determination and can-do spirit that bond us in times of success and adversity.

(Source: http://www.ndp.org.sg/#/about/theme-and-logo)

Synopsis
Majulah! The Singapore Spirit
A Musical
Written by Haresh Sharma

NDP 2011’s Show will be a Musical in 5 Acts that will bring out elements of the Singapore Spirit. We see the story of Singapore through the eyes of 2 main characters – Mother and Son. Mother gives birth to the Son in 1965 against the backdrop of Singapore achieving independence. Son experiences and discovers the Singapore Spirit around him – in Mother, who selflessly raises him and provides him the best a parent can give their child; in his neighbours, who look out for each other and for him when the going gets tough; in Singapore, which tries to better the lives of her citizens. 

In 2011, Son is an adult and has his own child (Grandson). He tries to instill the Singapore Spirit into Grandson. Although Singapore has achieved great success with much progress, material comfort and security, we should still live up to the principles of unity, trust and commitment to our country – for Grandson’s future and for future generations. 

In the end, Grandson realises that even though his generation has not experienced hard times, like Son and Mother, our country and our people can still remain strong and united.


DAZHONG PRIMARY SCH @ the NE SHOW - Green Sector 

Parade Sequence
* Pre-parade
: The pre-parade segment today may include mass-displays, choir performances, school band displays, sky-diving displays, and other light-hearted performances to entertain the crowd prior to the parade proper, with the added positive effect of encouraging parade-attendees to be seated earlier.

* Parade & Ceremonies:
The parade has been a traditional staple of the National Day Parade. Participants of the parade include members of the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force, representatives of the different unions (including members of the National Trades Union Congress) and Ministries as well as students in uniformed groups (such as the National Cadet Corps, National Police Cadet Corps, National Civil Defence Cadet Corps[2], the Singapore Red Cross, the Boys' and Girls' Brigades, the Scouts Association, the Girl Guides, St. John Ambulance Brigade) and representatives of various Singapore business entities.
Participants are split into two main sections: the Guard-of-Honour contingents and the Supporting Contingents. The four Guard-of-Honour contingents are made up of members from the three arms of the Singapore Armed Forces (the Army, represented by the Best Combat Unit; the Navy; and the Air Force) as well as the Singapore Police Force. All members of these contingents are dressed in their respective ceremonial uniforms, known as the No. 1 uniform. Behind the Guard-of-Honour contingents stand the Colours Party, where the 35 SAF regimental colours are held by a group of officers, known as ensigns, from the Singapore Armed Forces. The 3 state colours are in between the Navy and Air Force Guard-of-Honour contingents, and are also manned by the SAF's NCO's, also known as Colour Sergeants.

* Marchpast
The Parade Commander will command the Parade contingents to prepare for the Marchpast, and will then march out of the Parade Grounds.


*Mobile Column
The Mobile Column is the parade of vehicles and other hardware from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force.

* Flypast
Since 1971, the Republic of Singapore Air Force Flypast has been a regular NDP favorite. The flypast of various military aircraft on the parade shows the country's military air offensive and defensive capabilities.

.... Red Lions... Fireworks.....


Read more from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_Parade

You are required to read more on the National Day Celebrations. We will be doing a composition on Celebrations in Term 4. 

English Topical Test 3 (Term 3) - Results

The teachers had finished marking the papers.

Generally, the paper was quite easy for 2 reasons:
(1) The teachers had revised the work with the pupils before the test.
(2) A vocab list was given to the class.

Out of 30 marks, we feel that 20 m should be the passing mark. If you got 15/30 - you can consider yourself pass - but it's a very weak pass. In other words, you need to work really hard for Test 4 and Test 5 - because the other 2 tests are going to be much harder.

And please remember - if you are absent for a test/exam without MC - you will NOT be awarded any marks.

On a brighter note, let me announce the top scorers in our class:
26 / 30 is the highest mark - Seri, Renny & Fabian

25 / 30 is the 2nd highest - Hui Xin & Zikry

24 / 30 is the 3rd highest - Hui Yin, Jun Yong & Qi Yue

23 / 30 is the 4th highest - Kang Feng, Fazrina & Li Qi

22 / 30 is the 5th highest - Hafizh

The following pupils made the best improvement:
Hong Hui (19/30), Glenn (15/30), Thomi (15/30).


Good job & congratulations to all those who did well!!

I will be going through the paper tomorrow.

Regards,
Mr Andy

Common Test 3 (Term 3)

Dear Pupils

Please be reminded that there will be a English Common Test on Week 3 (Tuesday) 12 July.

You will be tested on the following components:
(1) Grammar (10 questions)
(2) Vocabulary (10 questions)
(3) Cloze Passage (10 blanks)

I will be revising the grammar component on Friday & Monday (during supplementary lesson). For the vocab component, you need to study the vocab list given. We will also get to practise one Cloze Passage tomorrow.


(*NB: By the way, I enjoyed reading your journals!! I must say, some of you can actually draw quite well!)

Cheers!

Mr Andy

E-learning Homework for Week 2

Dear Pupils

Please visit this website and do the activities in it.

http://eslus.com/LESSONS/GRAMMAR/POS/pos.htm


Revision on Friday's Lesson (Week 1):

Parts of Speech Table

This is a summary of the 8 parts of speech*. You can find more detail if you click on each part of speech.

part of speech	function or "job"	example words	example sentences
Verb	action or state	(to) be, have, do, like, work, sing, can, must	EnglishClub.com is a web site. I like EnglishClub.com.
Noun	thing or person	pen, dog, work, music, town, London, teacher, John	This is my dog. He lives in my house. We live in London.
Adjective	describes a noun	a/an, the, 69, some, good, big, red, well, interesting	My dog is big. I like big dogs.
Adverb	describes a verb, adjective or adverb	quickly, silently, well, badly, very, really	My dog eats quickly. When he is very hungry, he eats really quickly.
Pronoun	replaces a noun	I, you, he, she, some	Tara is Indian. She is beautiful.
Preposition	links a noun to another word	to, at, after, on, but	We went to school on Monday.
Conjunction	joins clauses or sentences or words	and, but, when	I like dogs and I like cats. I like cats and dogs. I like dogs but I don't like cats.
Interjection	short exclamation, sometimes inserted into a sentence	oh!, ouch!, hi!, well	Ouch! That hurts! Hi! How are you? Well, I don't know.

Regards
Mr Andy

Parts of Speech (Grammar)

Traditional grammar classifies words based on eight parts of speech: the verb, the noun, the pronoun, the adjective, the adverb, the preposition, the conjunction, and the interjection.
Each part of speech explains not what the word is, but how the word is used. In fact, the same word can be a noun in one sentence and a verb or adjective in the next. The next few examples show how a word's part of speech can change from one sentence to the next, and following them is a series of sections on the individual parts of speech, followed by an exercise.

Books are made of ink, paper, and glue.

In this sentence, "books" is a noun, the subject of the sentence.

Deborah waits patiently while Bridget books the tickets.

Here "books" is a verb, and its subject is "Bridget."

We walk down the street.

In this sentence, "walk" is a verb, and its subject is the pronoun "we."

The mail carrier stood on the walk.

In this example, "walk" is a noun, which is part of a prepositional phrase describing where the mail carrier stood.

The town decided to build a new jail.

Here "jail" is a noun, which is the object of the infinitive phrase "to build."

The sheriff told us that if we did not leave town immediately he would jail us.

Here "jail" is part of the compound verb "would jail."

They heard high pitched cries in the middle of the night.

In this sentence, "cries" is a noun acting as the direct object of the verb "heard."

The baby cries all night long and all day long.

But here "cries" is a verb that describes the actions of the subject of the sentence, the baby.
The next few sections explain each of the parts of speech in detail. When you have finished, you might want to test yourself by trying the exercise.

Written by Heather MacFadyen
Source: http://www.writingcentre.uottawa.ca/hypergrammar/partsp.html

Term 3 Week 1

Hey Children!

I'm very happy to see that all of you are starting to take your work more seriously! That's really a very good start!

From the markings, it is obvious that you have made improvements in these areas:
(1) Graphic Stimulus (5 marks)
(2) Editing for Punctuation (3 marks)
(3) Editing for Spelling & Grammar (10 marks)

In addition and more importantly, quite a few of you can identify different parts of speech. Examples:
(1) Conjunctions (joining words) - e.g. "but", "and"
(2) Adverbs (manners) - words ending with "ly" - e.g. "seriously", "quickly" (how fast she ran? She ran fast - how fast? - she ran quickly)
(3) Modals - e.g. can, could, shall, should, will, would, must, may, ought to, should not, could not, may not, must not. (followed by a word in the bare present tense)
(4) Concord - "one of the boys", "one of the children", "one of the students"
(5) Infinitive 'to' - to go, to sleep, to eat
(6) Participle - "have eaten", "have slept", "have drunk" (NOT "have drank": drink - drank - drunk), "have swum" (not "have swam").
(7) Subject (can be found in the beginning / front of a sentence, usually a person or thing; not to be confused with nouns)

Not to worry if you cant remember all of them. We will have more than enough time and practices for you to try out in class!

Meanwhile, have a great holiday (on Monday)!

Homework for Week 1:
(1) Vocab 11B (do page 1 and 2 only)
(2) Complete Holiday Vocab Worksheets 5 to 10 (mark yourself)
(3) Vocab List (find the meanings of the words given - you may use http://www.dictionary.com for help)

(Full Attendance for 2 days! Hurray!!)

Regards
Mr Andy

Term 3 English

Dear Pupils

This is a rough guide on what to expect for English Lessons in Term 3.

Regards
Mr Andy

School Commences Tomorrow!!

Cant wait for school to start!! Cant wait to see my pupils!!! ;ppp

Hope every one has a good holiday! See you all tomorrow!

Documents for Download

Dear Pupils

I have uploaded two documents for you to download.


Spelling List for Term 3: (First spelling will take place in Week 2 of Term 3)
Click to Download Term 3 Spelling List

Compilation of class discussion topic 1 on the facilities we wish to have in the new school. I will be going through some of the grammar blunders made in the discussion when school reopens in Term 3.
Click to Download "Discussion 1 - Compilation"


Regards
Mr Andy

Try this!

See if you can figure out what these seven words all have in common? 

  

1. Banana
2. Dresser
3. Grammar
4. Potato
5. Revive
6. Uneven
7. Assess

Good Job !!

Dear Pupils

Thank you so much for participating actively in the class discussion! Most of you gave very good and interesting suggestions.

This is our first time doing it and I'm very happy with your enthusiasm!

Please feel free to continue the discussion. There's no right or wrong answers - so don't worry. However, you need to be more 'polite' when you reply to a friend's comment.

If you agree, say "I agree with <friend's name>'s comment because <and give reasons>". Do not just say: "I agree." Tell me more, give more reasons. Explain clearly why you agree.

And if you disagree, say "I disagree with <friend's name>'s comment because <and give reasons>".

When you have received your friend's respond to your comment - it would be a good practice to say

(1) "Thanks for your comment... however I still believe that .....",
(2) "Thanks for your comment....however I do not agree with what you said ... because.....",
(3) "Thanks for your comment... I didn't think of that! Thanks for bringing that up.... ".

I will be compiling your comments - we will discuss them when the school starts. Also, we can work on improving the grammar from those comments.

Have a good holidays.

No English Remedial during Holidays

Dear Pupils

You do not need to come to school for English Remedial - because I do not think that the extra 2 hours (if you were to come back) is going to back a big difference in your results. More importantly, I am very confident that if you put in more effort and hard work in your English (and other subjects), you should do well.

Remember, when you do not do well in exam - it's because you do not put in enough effort, and not because you are stupid. No one is stupid. If you work hard and aim high, you will get what you want.

Please complete your homework assignments and bring them back on the first day of Term 3.

(1) Green Book - (Grammar exercises) - do as many pages as you want
(2) Grammar Cloze Worksheets (1 to 10)
(3) Vocab Cloze Worksheets (1 to 5) - and to 10 (optional)
(4) Activities on Penicillin (and other topics)

For those pupils who are weak in English, I strongly advise you to work on your foundation - i.e. grammar (try P3 and P4 Grammar Assessment books).

Please also visit this blog regularly for more online discussions.

Finally, have a good holidays - play hard and study hard at the same time!!

Regards
Mr Andy

Term 2 Week 10 - Discussion

Discussion Topic:

What facilities do you wish to see in the new school?
Give reasons.

SA1 English Results

Dear Pupils

The result for English SA1 will only be released on Week 9.

In my opinion, I think the class did not do well enough. However, I believe all of you can achieve better marks if you put in more effort in your class work and revision.

I already used Fabian and Renny as two good examples in class on Friday (Week 8). There is no secret formula for success. You need to work hard. I also shared with you on my primary school days in Dazhong. Your teachers can share with you that much - it's up to you to put your thoughts and words into actions.

For those who did not do well (you should know who you are) - you seriously need to work very hard to catch up during the holidays. You have to stop using "it-is-not-too-late" excuses on yourself. Start working hard now or else it is really going to be 'too late' - and by then, it would be too late to regret and cry in shame.

For those who passed and did reasonably well (only a few of you), do not be complacent (contended/happy) - because the teachers were quite generous with marks during the Oral Exam as well as in the writing paper (Situational & Composition writing). Paper 2 is a fair paper, not difficult at all - you would have done well if you did your revision well enough (that is, study the worksheets in the English File) - which apparently, many didnt. For those who didnt study/revise, dont you deserved to fair or perform badly? Do you expect marks to come to you without hard work? Dont be silly, wake up!


All of you seriously need to work really hard during the holidays - 1 full month of self-study revision. You need to be independent and to honour your work. I cannot be with you 24/7 (24 hours, all the time). I believe you should be old / matured enough to know what you should do to do well. You are no longer in Primary 3, Primary 4. Very soon, you will be taking your PSLE.

All the best.

Online Debate in Week 9 or 10

Dear Pupils

We will be having an online debate very soon in either week 9 or 10 at the Computer Lab.

In the meantime, please brainstorm for ideas or do some research on the following topic:

Examination & Tests - 

Is it good or bad for children?

Regards
Mr Andy

SA1 English Exam

SA1 ENGLISH PAPER 2 on 

FRIDAY 

6 May 2011

Inconsiderate people

Every day we see inconsiderate people with no civic consciousness living around us. They throw litter everywhere - on the corridors, lift lobby, in the lift itself (see photo above)... and they throw anything and everything everywhere...

Let's do our part by keeping our environment clean and green. Stop littering!

SA1 Exam - Paper 1 on Tuesday

Dear Pupils,

Please remember that you will be having your Paper 1 English on Tuesday.

You will be tested on the following components:




Part 1: Situational Writing (Formal Letter)

- Remember the read the notes on the format of writing
- Read the graphic stimulus (question)
- Find and underline the 6 points (score 6/6 full marks for the Content component)
- Write your answer in complete sentences
- Dear XXX  .... Yours sincerely (or faithfully)
- Start with: Re: ________________________ 
- Conclude with: "I look forward to hearing from you"

Part 2: Continuous Writing
Q2: Picture Composition

Q3: Scenario

Study the post-mortem materials well (those on Crime & Accident), and the common blunders made during your Topical Test 2.

Remember to PLAN your story (5 min)
And develop your plot structure throughout by asking Who, What, Where, When, Why, How....
- Orientation
- Rising Actions (develop your conflict/problem)
- Climax (make it very exciting)
- Falling Actions (how you solve your problem)
- Ending/Resolution (the story/message must be consistent to problem/conflict)

Good luck!

Forms

Dear pupils,

Please remember to submit the following forms if you have not done so (to Mr Beh when he comes back on Monday). Urgent.

1. Travel Declaration Form
2. Edusave Form (Fees Schedule for 2011)
3. Exam Time Table - acknowledgment slip

P5&6 Term 3 - Softball Lessons

Dear P5 & P6 pupils,

We will be learning how to play softball in Term 3! The new foam-bats and softballs had arrived!!

Regards,
Mr Andy

Food for thought

So what if you scored 100 marks for all subjects - but your character is flawed.

So what if achieved Band 1 in all subjects but your attitude is bad, you are rude and have no respect for your teachers and parents. You bully, you steal, you break school rules...?

So what's more important? Good values or good grades? Both?

Eye Care Rap Results

Congratulations to 5/2 for coming in 2nd in the Eye Care Rep contest!!

Kudos to all those involved and had participated in the contest!

Here are the results:
1st - 5/1
2nd - 5/2
3rd - 5/3
4th - 5/4

Justin Bieber does not know the meaning of "German"!!

Do you???

What had we learnt so far?

Tackling the section on Editing (bold = spelling; underline = grammar)

Tackling the section on Graphic Stimulus (read the questions, find the answers; questions dealing with "main reason", "main idea", "main objective" - always do it last)

Tackling the section on Situational Writing (aim for full 6/6 marks for Content)

Plot structure in narrative writing (Orientation > Rising Actions > Climax > Falling Actions > Resolutions); and keep asking yourselves 5W1H when you write. But before you write, you need to PLAN!

Grammar & Vocab (GV worksheets) - Eliminate/Cancel the wrong answers first, learn how to guess the answer in context.

Synthesis & Transformation - Do not change the meaning of the sentence. Know where to put your "comma" and "full stop", and tenses.

For the next few weeks (Term 2 Week 3 & 4), we would be focusing on writing skills (more on plot structure), cloze passage and comprehension skills.

English is not difficult - it's about identifying patterns and equipping yourselves with the right techniques/skills to understand and answer the questions.

Rebecca Black - the new Justin Bieber?

How do you find this song?

Jump Jam 2

Jump Jam 2 !! We'll soon be doing this for MASS PE!

English Remedial - Term 3

Dear Parents/Guardian and pupils of 5R,

Please be reminded that there will be remedial on every Monday for 5 weeks starting from Week 2.

This remedial is compulsory. I will be focusing on comprehension and writing skills during these sessions.

See you on Monday,
Mr Andy

Week 2 Spelling

Dear P5R pupils,

Please remember to study Spelling 2 & 3. I will be testing your spelling on coming Monday.

(Bring along your GV3 worksheets)

All the best.

Regards,
Mr Andy

Today's Homework (22/3, Tues)

1. Complete the remaining questions in the GV 1 worksheet.
2. Editing 3 (refer to your Editing spelling list for help)
3. My Pals Unit 4 - do the comprehension MCQ on Marco Polo.
4. Learn Spelling 2 and 3 (to be tested on next Monday)

M.U.R.D.E.R (a study system)

Dear Pupils,

Please take some time to read this. This 'MURDER' is a study system that teaches you how to learn and study better.

Mood:

Set a positive mood for yourself to study in.
Select the appropriate time, environment, and attitude.

Understand:
Mark (or highlight) any information (or word/s) you don't understand in a particular topic/unit;
Remember to consult / clear your doubts with your teacher at the end of the lesson.

Recall:
After studying a chapter/concept,
stop and put what you have learned into your own words; or by saying it out loud to yourself or to a friend.

Digest:
Go back to what you did not understand and reconsider the information;
Contact external expert sources (e.g., library books, the Internet, teachers, etc) if you still cannot understand it

Expand:
In this step, ask three kinds of questions concerning the studied material:
If I could speak to the author, what questions would I ask or what criticism would I offer?
How could I apply this material to what I am interested in?
How could I make this information interesting and understandable to other students?

Review:
Go over the material you've covered,
Review what strategies helped you understand and/or retain information in the past and apply these to your current studies

Adapted from Hayes, John R., The Complete Problem Solver, Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers, Hillsdale, NJ: 1989

Creating Twists in Compositions / "Mischievous" writings

Example 1

In one compo where a boy wrote about pushing a girl into a pond and was punished by his mom who imposed a no-computer weekend, he ended off with this '...."Well, at least, I have my little bit of fun today" I mumbled to myself.'

Thoughts: I laughed and thought it was witty, but then I also told him that he should write that he felt sorry.

Example 2

In another compo piece it was about helping a girl who was lost and was rewarded with $10 by the girl's mother. A boy wrote as the concluding sentence: "I hope there will be more lost children the next time I come here again," I smiled to myself as I pocketed the money.

Thoughts: How? What do you think? Witty, right?

Past IPPT/NAPFA Results

Dear Pupils,

Please be reminded that NAPFA Test will take place in April. Prepare yourself early for the test by training hard now. Remember to train smart.

Suggestions:

• Read a few rounds the basketball court (e.g. 4 to 5 rounds) during recess then go and buy your food.
• Do 20 to 30 crunches every night before you sleep.
• Eat right, eat wisely. Avoid fried food and sweet drinks (plain water is the best)
• Drink enough water every day - keep yourself healthy!

I hope I'll be a good role model for you. Here's my previous IPPT/NAPFA test results.

If I can do it, so can you!!  It's good to aim for GOLD - but be reasonable to yourself, aim for SILVER / bronze first. Do not aim for a mere pass. Remember, one of our school values is "EXCELLENCE" - do you best, put in your best effort - AIM HIGH!

Regards,
Mr Andy

Brace yourselves kids!! Term 2 is going to be a roller coaster ride!

Lesson Scheme for Term 2 English

This is a very rough plan on what to expect in Term 2.

To survive Term 2, you need to
* Pay attention in class
* Do your work and submit them on time
* Keep your handwriting tidy and neat
* No careless mistakes and waste time on correction
* Stay healthy, eat wisely - dont fall sick!

Chew Jawa Wetland

  

These were the photos taken during my trip to Chek Jawa last weekend! We'll discuss more about Chek Jawa in Term 2 Week 3 (My Pals - Saving Our World!). In the meantime, perhaps you would want to start thinking of what questions you want to ask me in regards to the above pictures? Should we preserve Chek Jawa? Should we take care and love our environment? Why is our environment considered fragile? What can you do as an individual to save the earth?