31 July 14 (Thursday)

Dear children,

It was a fruitful day of learning today. We read "Is the Wise Owl Wise?" together and got started on some vocabulary and grammar exercises in your booklet.

We discussed some words we learnt from the book, such as "summer", "autumn", "winter", "spring" and "badgers", and talked a little about the four seasons. We also discussed about hibernation, migration, Jurong Bird Park, monorails and enclosures before practising the use of time sequence phrases such as "in the day", "one summer" and "at night".

You would also have learnt about how some plural forms of words can be made by adding 's' and 'es' at the end, while others are not so straightforward. For example, the plural form of "fox" is "foxes", but the plural form of "ox" is not "oxes". What is it? What about the plural form of "foot"? :)

We also practised joining two sentences using the connector "and". How would you join the following two sentences into one sentence with "and"?

Ezra is going to New Zealand for a holiday. 

Joel is going to New Zealand for a holiday.

Here are today's reminders:

1) I'll be attending a course tomorrow and will not be meeting you. There will be relief teachers going into the class to conduct spelling and tell you what to do for art.

2) Prepare your spelling book for tomorrow so that you can start the spelling immediately without delay. Your corrections should have been completed and your contents page updated.

3) Bring the following materials for art tomorrow:

-Drawing paper

-Crayons

-Poster paint

-Paintbrushes

-2B Pencil and eraser

-Palette

-Cup (to contain water)

-Old newspapers (for laying on the table)

-Apron (to protect your uniform)

-Rag (for drying your brushes and cleaning up)

4) If you have corrections for your English and Math booklets to submit, or parent's signature to show me, do so on Monday.

See you on Monday! :)

29 July 14 (Tuesday)

Dear children,

We spent today completing your composition and working on more challenging problem sums involving mass. Your homework is to visit the Weigh It Up! website and try the Questions Area on your own:
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks2/maths/weigh/1b.htm

These are the Super Spellers who scored full marks for last Friday's spelling:

Zane, Amelie, Lea and Zhi Zong from Toothless

Cullen from Phoenix

Luke and Phoebe from Hobbit

Vanessa and Jonathan from Impossibles

Elizabeth and Raeann from Candy

Sheena, Elijah and Janine from Dog

Thaneeisha, Ashley and Ezra from Nameless

The group with the most Super Spellers this time round is Toothless! Let's see if any group can beat them for this Friday's spelling. ;)

Here's the ice-cream sticks update for last week:

Impossibles have become the new leading group! Will Impossibles be the Group of July, or will another group work hard over the next three days to overtake Impossibles? :) 

Here are the reminders for today:

1) If you have not submitted the form regarding the National Day celebrations, submit it tomorrow.

2) Memorise your lines for your drama performance by today. Ms Ana informed you last week that from tomorrow's rehearsal onwards, you will not be able to refer to your script. Here's the script from Ms Ana:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d1po1dnts99zbd7/Radin%20Mas%20Script%20P22%20%28UPDATED%29.pdf

3) Complete your corrections for spelling and update your contents page before showing your Spelling Book to your parents for a signature. Bring it back on Friday for your next spelling.

Have a restful evening. See you tomorrow! :)

24 July 14 (Thursday)

Dear children,

As we worked on more word problems on the topic of mass today, it became clear to me that many of you have really forgotten about the part-whole and comparison models we learnt before the June holidays. We took quite some time getting you back on track. Please refer to your Unit 3 booklets again when you have time this weekend.

I looked through the paragraph of composition that you wrote today. Some of you included a very rich description of the story setting, while others used direct speech at the start to draw your audience into the story. I'm beginning to see better writing from you. Keep it up! :)

Here are the reminders for today:

1) Prepare your Spelling Book so that we can start our spelling once we settle down in the classroom tomorrow. Let's see which group will earn the most ice-cream sticks for spelling this time round! :)

2) You will be participating in the Math Performance Task tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.. Your scores for it will contribute to your math score for the year. Take some time today and tomorrow morning to revise Mass Booklet A and Length Booklet A again so that you are more prepared for it. Practise reading different weighing scales. Practise drawing and measuring straight lines of different lengths. Read length measurements that use rulers beginning from 0 cm and those that do not begin from 0 cm. Make sure you are very, very good at everything in both booklets.

3) Submit your artwork by tomorrow.

See you tomorrow! :)

23 July 14 (Wednesday)

Dear children,

Zane received his award this morning at the Sony Creative Science Award 2014 Award Presentation Ceremony. I'm sure those of you who went to support him together with Ms Soh and Mdm Tien applauded really loudly for him when he went on stage. Here's a video and some photographs to share with those of us who were not there:

 Mdm Tien told me the ten who went with her were very obedient and enthusiastic. She also used the word "motivated" to describe the ten, and I told her that is really how P2/2 JOY is like. I hope all of you can see Zane as a good example to follow. Join competitions. Give them a try. Whether or not you win, I'm sure the experience will be great for your learning! :)

As I watched your drama rehearsals today, I could see that you are improving. Ms Ana told me that she is satisfied with your performance so far, but I think we can do better than this. Here are three ways I think you can improve:

1) Big actions. Some of you are not bold enough with your actions. You are afraid to act. Don't be! Next lesson, watch carefully how Ms Ana does each action and follow her closely. If your role needs you to act angry, be very angry! If it requires you to sway your body, sway it fully! If your actions are not big enough, your audience cannot see anything from where they are sitting.

2) Projection. This is especially for those of you who have to say certain lines on your own and not with the group. Remember to project your voice. The audience need to hear clearly what you are saying. Then, the show will be a good one.

3) Memorise your lines. You need to know your lines perfectly well, because in two weeks' time, you will be standing on stage and performing without it! Download your script from here and memorise your lines at home before your next lesson with Ms Ana:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4a23te0cnandp03/Radin%20Mas%20Script%20P22.pdf

4) Practise your actions and lines in front of your mirror.

Here are today's reminders:

1) You would have received your Spelling Book today. Work on your corrections and update your contents page before showing it to your parent for a signature.

2) You should already have received the following math booklets:

-Mass Booklet A

-Length Booklet A

-Length Booklet B

If there are still corrections in them that you have not completed, complete them and submit them to me in the hall tomorrow. Show your booklets to your parent for signatures too. Bring back all three booklets for me to check tomorrow. You should take some time today or tomorrow morning to revise Mass Booklet A and Length Booklet A so that you are more prepared for Friday.

See you tomorrow! :)

22 July 14 (Tuesday)

Dear children,

During art lesson today, we continued with your paper collage. 

If you did not manage to finish your artwork today, work on it at home. Some of you asked me if you could continue with it during recess over the next few days. You may if you would like to. Submit it to me on Friday.

During your computer lesson with Mr Edwin, you played some games on AskNLearn to help you revise the topic of mass. The games will still be available for the next three weeks. More practice can help you prepare yourself for Friday. :)

We worked on more word problems on the topic of length using part-whole and comparison models. Some of you have forgotten how to use those models. Do refer to your Unit 3 booklets and do some quick revision.

Here are today's reminders:

1) You will be having your sixth drama lesson with Ms Ana tomorrow. I look forward to seeing you enjoy your preparation for the stage performance on 8 August. :)

2) If you are one of the ten going to the Science Centre tomorrow, remember to show your parents the piece of note attached to your handbook. Mdm Tien would have briefed you about the details this afternoon.

Have a good rest. See you tomorrow! :)

21 July 14 (Monday)

Dear children,

I hope you enjoyed celebrating Racial Harmony Day today with the games at the pavilion during recess. Although I was not able to join you, I heard from a few teachers that many children enjoyed the activities there. I hope you're one of them. What have you learnt about racial harmony today? Let me know by writing a comment below. :)

We worked on more exercises on the topic of length today to get ourselves more familiar with measuring lengths in centimetres (cm) and drawing straight lines of different lengths. We also practised comparing different lengths, including those measured with broken rulers, before starting with some word problems involving lengths. I'm very glad to know that many of you are already experts at these! You must have revised your work during the weekend. Keep up the diligence, P2/2 JOY! :) Aim to achieve full marks for Friday's Performance Task, and work hard towards that.

Here's the list of the 14 Super Spellers for last Friday's spelling:

Lea and Zhi Zong from Toothless

Natalie from Phoenix

Jonathan and Vanessa from Impossibles

Elizabeth, Risa and Raeann from Candy

Elijah and Janine from Dog

Thaneeisha, Joel, Ezra and Ashley from Nameless

Nameless produced so many Super Spellers this time round! Will any group beat this record this Friday? ;)

Here's the ice-cream sticks update for last week:

Phoenix was the top scoring team for last week. Genius is still leading in the overall score, but it looks like three other teams are chasing very hard after them. Will there be a change in position in Week 4? :)

These are today's reminders:

1) Remember to bring your art materials tomorrow to complete your artwork from last week. You will have only 45 minutes to complete it tomorrow, so please think about how you can create a beautiful masterpiece within that time limit.

2) If you are going for Zane's award presentation on Wednesday but have not submitted your consent form, do so tomorrow. Otherwise, your place will be given to a child who can follow instructions.

Have a good rest. See you tomorrow! :)

18 July 14 (Friday)

Dear children,

Yesterday, we learnt to measure the lengths of some objects with broken rulers that do not begin from 0 cm. Do you still remember how to use subtraction to find out their lengths? 

We also spent some time learning to use strings to help us measure the lengths of curve lines. Most of you were able to measure curves accurately. If you are still not too confident measuring longer curves, try drawing a few of them on paper and measuring their lengths with a string. Practise pressing down on the string and moving your fingers along as you measure the curve. You'll get better at it with more practice. :)

We then started planning for a new composition on trekking in Bukit Timah Hill before David shared some information he found out about converting between different units of measurement. Let him know what you've learnt from his sharing by commenting below. :)

The ice-cream sticks update for this week will be posted on Monday after I've marked your Spelling Books. 

Here are your reminders for this weekend:

1) We will be celebrating Racial Harmony Day on Monday. You may wear your ethnic attire to school with your school shoes. T-shirts and jeans are not allowed.

2) The Math Performance Task for our class will be on this Friday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.. Take this weekend to prepare yourself for it by looking through the Mass and Length booklets. Revising the AskNLearn quiz you did last weekend would help too.

3) If you're going to the Science Centre with Zane, remember to submit your consent form on Monday. 

Have a good weekend. See you on Monday! :)

17 July 14 (Thursday)

Dear children,

We had some fun today using a measuring tape to measure the lengths of our waists in centimetres. You also learnt to draw and measure straight lines of different lengths with a ruler and a pencil. 

To help you revise what you've learnt about mass, we read some scales together and counted in steps of 5 g and 10 g. After having a feel of how heavy 1 g and 1 kg are, we also estimated the mass of some items such as 5 pencils, 50 ice-cream sticks and a bag of marbles. We then measured more objects with different weighing scales. I hope that was good revision for you.

We'll be measuring more lengths tomorrow. That will include the lengths of curve lines, and we will need some strings to do that. Please bring along 2 strings to class tomorrow. Each of them should be at least 25 cm long. 

Here are today's reminders:

1) Some of you need to work on your behaviour in class. You know who you are. Following instructions is important.

2) There is spelling tomorrow. Remember to prepare your Spelling Book so that we can start immediately. Your corrections for the previous spelling should have been completed, and you should have asked your parent for a signature. Don't forget to update your contents page too.

Have a good evening with your family. See you tomorrow.

16 July 14 (Wednesday)

Dear children, 

I was glad to see all of you enjoying yourselves and putting in effort during today's drama lesson with Ms Ana. Most of you are already quite familiar with what to say and what to do at different parts of the performance. However, your performance still looked messy because some of you were moving around when you were not supposed to. It can also be improved if all of you learn to be alert and know exactly when your turn to act is. We've got the next three weeks to brush up on these and learn more from Ms Ana. Let's work hard together to put up a performance that will impress the audience! :)

We applauded Cullen, Luke and Janine for achieving the highest scores for the online fractions games you played yesterday. Along with the three groups which created the most beautiful art pieces yesterday, each of them received a mini-chocolate bar as a small prize.

During math lesson, we completed some practice on mass to revise what we have learnt so far. Over the next two days, we will finish up the key concepts for mass and length so that you have the weekend and Monday to prepare yourself for the Performance Task next week. As always, you will need to focus on the lessons and pick up all the skills you have to learn. The Performance Task will prove how well you have learnt the skills. It's going to be really easy -- if you focus and learn. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you are too! :)

Here are today's reminders:

1) If you did not submit your Class Photograph Ordering Form today, submit it by tomorrow.

2) If you have not submitted the Reading Interest Profile given to you by the National Library Board, submit it by tomorrow.

3) Our next spelling is on this Friday. Be prepared for another chance to earn two ice-cream sticks for your group! You should already have gotten your parent's signature for the previous spelling and completed all your corrections.

4) If you're one of the ten children who will be going to Zane's Award Ceremony, remember to pass your consent form to your parents. According to Mdm Tien, you should submit it to me latest by next Monday. You may submit it earlier if you wish to. 

Have an enjoyable evening with your family! :)

15 July 14 (Tuesday)

Dear children,

We worked in groups today and used pasta, sago seeds, paper plates and what we had learnt from "A Butterfly Is Born" to create art pieces that represent the life cycle of a butterfly. Here are some pictures of you hard at work:

As promised, I will be giving small prizes tomorrow to the 3 groups that created the 3 most beautiful pieces.

The three winning groups are Phoenix, Hobbit and Candy! :)

During your computer lesson with Mr Edwin, you played some fractions games on AskNLearn to help you revise your fractions. We also had a mini-challenge between the boys and girls.

You can continue to log on to AskNLearn tonight and tomorrow morning to play more of the fractions games and send your scores to me. I will look at my records tomorrow at 11 a.m. to see who are the top scorers.

We also started work on a second art piece - a paper collage - in the later part of the day.

We will continue with this next week. In the meantime, do think and plan carefully at home how you intend to finish up this collage during the next art lesson.

I just visited KooBits and discovered that Elijah and Janine have mastered enough math skills to move up and join Seth, Brian and Natalie in the Mathematicians League! 

With hard work, Ezra and Zhi Zong have also mastered the skills to move up to the Wizards League, while Dawn and Joel have entered the Genius League. Joshua, Shineta and Raeann have progressed to join Christian and Luke in the Champions League. 

I like the progress. Continue to work hard, 2/2! :)

Here are today's reminders:

1) Fill up the Reading Interest Profile given to you by National Library Board. Submit it to me tomorrow.

2) Pass the Class Photograph Ordering Form to your parents so that they can indicate which photographs they would like to order for you. You must submit the form to me tomorrow whether or not you are ordering photographs.

3) You will be having your fifth drama lesson with Ms Ana tomorrow. If you took home your script, remember to bring it back tomorrow. Be ready to improve your drama skills as you prepare for the stage performance on 8 August.

4) For next week's Math Performance Task, you will be tested on your skills in measuring mass and length. Be prepared. This will be done some time between next Tuesday to next Friday.

Have a restful evening with your family. See you tomorrow! :)