Thursday, June 30, 2011

English Practice Paper 1 - Extension

Work in groups of 4 or 5. List the new words found in English Practice Paper 1.
Assign 5 words to each member of your group to look up their meanings in context.

Each and every one of you will then have to fill in this form based on the 5 words assigned.

And click here for the answers to Synthesis and Transformation. You should know the colour codes.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Follow up on "This is a lot of money"

Here is the consolidation of the class responses. Add in your comments.

Synthesis and Transformation - working as a team!

Discuss in your groups of 4 or 5, all the questions. Input only your group's assigned questions in this form.

1. All the student leaders have been through a special training programme.

Every one ________________.

2. As a student, he has to be responsible and ensure that he completes his homework on time.

It is his _____________.

3. He encouraged me. I could overcome my fears.

_______________ without _________________.

4. "Are you the one who was playing with Sam at the playground last week?" Mrs Tan asked me.

Mrs Tan asked ________________.

5. The guest-of-honour arrived late. So, the ceremony started late.

_________________ because of _________________.

Enter your group's or personal reflections here.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Scarlet fever

Miss Chua spoke of scarlet fever on the first day of the new term.

This condition, the other being HFMD (Hand Foot Mouth Disease), has been a concern recently.

Hong Kong has declared scarlet fever outbreak. Read about it here and here.

Complete your task here.

This is a lot of money!

Drug trafficking thwarted!

Read this.

Task:
What is the meaning of thwarted? What is another word for it?

Make a sentence with 'thwarted".

Write your responses here.

View your class overall responses here. Do give your comments to help your peers to improve on their sentences.


Do you remember this booklet? You are required to complete the tasks and submit the booklet to me on 8 July 2011.

You can find some of your answers in this website.

Your work will be assessed and you will be awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze based on the quality of your work.

Friday, June 24, 2011

When school reopens

Hi all

You are reminded to have the following with you on Monday (27 Jun):
- your working ODT (oral digital thermometer)
- maths homework (booklet A and booklet B)
- cyberwellness comic strip (if you have not done so)

Supplementary class is on from 1.30pm to 3.00pm.

Supplementary class is also on this Friday.

See all of you on Monday.

Cheers
Mdm Toh

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Maths homework 22 Jun 2011

Dear all

Please check your MConline email today. There are documents to be downloaded from there.

Thanks

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

A Day at the Beach

You were having a picnic at the beach with your friends. While you were eating, a little boy came towards you. He was crying.

Where?
- At the beach
Who?
- You and your friends (note – 'friends' is plural. This means there must be at least 2 friends with me.)

What?
- Having a picnic

- eating

- a little boy came towards me.

- he was crying.


That last beautiful Sunday morning, in the last June holidays, started off the way how all perfect picnics should. The balmy weather, the gentle breeze by the beach, and most important of all, the best companions – Ray and Marvin.

"Hey, Ray. Try this muffin. I am sure you will have me to thank for life," Marvin shoved a muffin into Ray's hand.

There was something fishy about Marvin. He was a guy with the biggest heart I ever knew but, as a food lover, he seldom offered food to others but himself. I snatched the chocolate chip muffin from Ray's hand and sank my teeth into it. "How could I ever give up the last muffin we have to Ray. I haven't even taken any yet!" I thought to myself.

All too soon, the stinging sensation invaded into every taste bud in my mouth and through my nostrils and mouth. I screamed in protest. Marvin was up to his tricks again. Without our knowledge, he had slathered lavishly wasabi onto the muffin! As I jumped up and down with those nostrils of mine snorting away from the wasabi, Marvin was laughing his head off. Ray too, burst into uncontrollable laughter. This was just so typical of Marvin and no one would have the heart to bear any grudges with him. I could not help but laughed at myself after spitting out the 'tampered' muffin.

Our merry-making took a complete turn when it was interrupted by someone crying more loudly than the racket we were making. I spun around to see a little boy, probably five or six of age, walking towards our direction.

Our laughter ceased at the sight of the approaching boy whose face was streaked with tears and dirt. We exchanged glances with each other before the boy stopped right in front of me.


"Oh man! Why me?" I cursed under my breath. I had never been good with little kids. They somehow did not take to me. And now, I was face-to-face with one such creature. To make it worse, this one standing in front of me had to be a cry baby!

"Hey, what’s the matter, Dude?" Marvin squatted down and asked in concern.

The boy continued to cry. Ray and I tried to say something comforting but all we could manage was some useless mutterings of "Don't cry. Don't cry."

I looked around for anyone who could be the crying boy's parents. His cries did not stop but thankfully not as loud as before. No panicky-looking adults around us. Whoever the parents of this boy were, I wondered if they knew their son was driving me nuts.

Ray was the more patient one. He helped to wipe away the tears and clean off the mucous from the boy's face. "What's your name?" he asked. "Where's your mummy?"

The bawled even louder at the word 'Mummy'. Ray was taken aback and looked completely helpless. "What have I done?" he mouthed to me.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Hey, hey, look what I've got," Marvin dug into his pocket. He adeptly fished something out and hid it behind his back.

That did it! Spellbound, the boy hushed down and his cried reduced to sobbing. Marvin went on with his trick. Ray and I too watched in awe, anticipating what this guy was up to again. I had always admired him. He was always full of surprises.

Like a veteran magician, Marvin had the boy's attention completely captured. His hands moved swiftly in front of the boy and out of nowhere, he grew a chuppa chup from his hand upon snapping his fingers once.

"You want some more magic?" he asked, handing the lollipop to the boy.

The absolutely mesmerized boy nodded.

"Tell me your name first and I'll do something more awesome," Marvin coaxed.

"Kenny," the boy finally spoke a word, soft but audible to be heard. I was greatly relieved. I was certain that Ray was too. His cries were getting on every single nerve. Marvin was marvellous. I saluted him from the bottom of my heart.

"Ok, Kenny. Why are you alone?" Marvin asked. His nimble hands began working again.

His magic show resumed but did not get to the end.

"Kenny, Kenny, where did you go?" a young woman came running in our direction, breathless and clearly shaken.

"Mummy!"Kenny made a dash to the young woman's embrace.
"Thanks. Kenny wandered off on his own while we were unloading our car. Thanks." she explained.

Marvin replied gentlemanly, "Don't mention at all. It's my pleasure. Kenny is awesome. Bye Kenny, go back to your mummy."

Ray and I smiled sheepishly and we watched Kenny and his mother receding into the other end of the beach.

We got back to our picnic mat. By then, the wasabi had stopped acting up. "Hey, bro, you were good eh? I wonder what else you can grow from your hand," I gave his shoulder a friendly tap.

"It is this!" Marvin dangled a tube of wasabi before me and threatened to squirt it onto my face.

"Run, Ray. Don’t let him get us!" The three of us got into a mad chase, hearts soaring, our friendship growing, not from Marvin's fingers but from seeing a crying Kenny reuniting with his mother.

That last beautiful Sunday morning, in the last June holidays, ended off they way how all perfect picnics should. The balmy weather, the gentle breeze by the beach, and most important of all, the best companions – Ray and Marvin.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

What you need to bring to school tomorrow

Hi all

You will need your maths textbook 6B and the remaining of your 6B maths workbook. We will be covering 'Volume'. Help to spread the word around. Thanks and see you all tomorrow.

Cheers

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The day it rained indoors

If you have been following the news, you would know which shopping mall is badly hit by the heavy downpour last Sunday. Find out the answer here.

Leave your comments behind. How would you be affected?

As for me, I am really thankful the flood happened on Sunday. Just one day before, my mother was there selling her wares at the weekend bazaar! What a close shave for her!

E. Coli

E. Coli has become quite a concern and a talk in town.Thiss bacteria has taken 22 lives (21 in Germany, 1 in Sweden) lately. Read about it in this cna article.
Good hygiene and well-cooked food will keep you high and dry from this micro-organism. Google e. Coli to find out more.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Donkey Milk!

Hi all

I find this article interesting. I have never thought of drinking donkey milk. Would you if you were offered?

Read the article and leave your comments behind on the class blog.

Enjoy!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

For Bhairavi and Brian

Dear Bhairavi and Brian

Take note of the following:

1. The supplementary class on 23 June 2011 (Thur) has been rescheduled to 8.00 am to 11.30 a.m.

2. Complete this CW and hand in on 20 June 2011.

You were having a picnic at the beach with your friends. While you were eating, a little boy came towards you. He was crying.

Based on the above situation, write a composition.
In your story, make use of the points below.
- why he was crying
- what you did
- what happened in the end

3. Download and complete this post-reading task based on the last assigned reading article A Love Measured in Memories. Hand in on 20 June 2011.

4. Submit your Cyberwellness 3-framed comic strip on the same day too.

Regards
Mdm Toh

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Composition by Jin Kang - I lost my father to gambling

It was a tiring Monday and I was longing to get home as soon as possible. Finally, I reached my house door. I did not bother to ring the doorbell as I knew that my mother was not at home. She had gone to buy groceries as like every other Monday. I searched my bag for the bunch of keys but to my dismay, I could not find it. I was thinking of taking everything out in my bag to search for the keys again when I heard a banging sound coming from the house.

I froze as my blood turned to ice, and a chill went down my spine. I listened hard for the noise again, but this time, I did not hear anything. I thought that maybe it was my imagination. After all, I had had a long and tiring at school. Just then, I heard a crash coming from inside the house. My heart pounded against my chest. I took hold of the door to find that it was not locked.

Then I heard a shrill screeching sound emanating from the house. I recognised that sound. It was the sound of the dressing table being dragged against the floor. Behind this table was a
compartment where my mother kept all her valuables.

I refused to accept the truth that my house was being ransacked. Now that I knew that some uninvited intruder was in my house, I felt that I was so unlucky. I already had a tiring day, and now such a thing had to happen to me. It was then I realised that the person in the house could have stolen my keys and broken into my house. I always kept my keys in my pencil case in my bag, and no one but myself knew about this habit of mine. So it meant that the person in the house knew me very well, and had been watching my every move.

Just then, the door of my house flung open and out rushed a figure in a mask, holding a large and bulging bag. He crashed into me and I called out for help.

"Thief! Thief! Don't let him get away!" I yelled at the top of my voice. The figure seemed shocked and he stood rooted to the ground. Then he turned and ran towards the stairs. He had barely to reach the stairs when a broomstick hit his head and he tumbled down the flight of stairs. Lady luck was on my side. A cleaner had heard my cries and came to stop the burglar in time. The cleaner pinned him to the ground as I called the police.

They arrived quickly and they pulled the mask from the burglar's head. At the first sight, I did not recognise him. However, as I stared closer, I found out that I knew no one better than him. He was my father! I remembered many years ago, he had gambled away all his money and the police had arrested him. It seemed all so long ago, but he was back. I could not believe what had happened.

Tears sprung to my eyes as the policemen handcuffed him and took him away.

"I'm sorry," my father said remorsefully and hung his head low." I needed some money."

That explained everything. He had been spying on me all the time, and waited for the right moment to steal my keys and rob my house. No wonder he knew where my mother's possessions were kept. I could not believe I could feel so sorry for him. I only knew him for a few years, and for all that he had done or had not done, I would have hated him. There was no hatred as I watched the police officers frogmarched him into the patrol car. After all, he was still my father and I should feel sorry for him and I truly did.

Just then, I saw my mother coming towards the house with a smile on her face. I could not bear to dampen her spirits by telling her what had happened. How was I going to break the news to her without breaking her heart?

Composition by Devesh (unedited) - My Maiden Flight

I took one last look at Singapore before nervously boarding the Airbus 330. "I will only be able to catch glances of my home country now that I have taken up this job," I thought moodily. No, I was not a travelling businessman then. I was a male steward.

This was my maiden flight as a steward, so naturally I would be trembling with anxiety. The good thing was that Cathay Pacific did allow stewards and stewardesses like me to watch the in-flight movies when not delivering earphones, food or sick bags. I really appreciated that, for it would help me take my mind off the stress of providing good service in the face of difficult passengers.

"We will shortly be screening 'Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'. Enjoy the flight!" the speaker relayed. My ears pricked up. Lord of the Rings! Being an avid reader of Tolkien and a fan of Peter Jackson alike, I quickly delivered the earphones, all the while repeating "Enjoy your flight!", then rushed to the stewards' lounge to watch the film.

About 20 minutes into the flight, however, the screens switched off and warning lights started flashing. My heart almost skipped a beat. 20 minutes into my job and I was in an emergency already?!

Just then, two sharp bangs jabbed my ears. Then, the plane started quivering, and that quivering soon turned into violent shaking.

Then, a message came on the Public Announcement System. "We are currently experiencing technical malfunctions to our Number Two engine. We will be returning to Changi Airport, Singapore, to resolve the problem," it said. I was relieved at first, but quickly discovered that this was not the end of the emergency.

One of my colleagues informed me that there was a fire in the engine. Just then, the lights went out. We were close to Singapore and we had to inform the passengers of the imminent danger and ask them to quickly collect their belongings. It was then that I faced the horror of the service industry -- a difficult customer.

I found myself dealing with an old lady who was taking her time to take out her luggage. I told her to hurry up but she kept her pace, insisting that she had precious items in her suitcases that she did not want to break. I swore under my breath, thinking to myself, "Is she mad?! Why is she valuing her so-called precious items over her life?" I got fed up. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I simply took the luggage out for the lady and then left her to carry it. Meanwhile, chaos was still reigning all around me.

After all the drama on board, the plane touched down onto the taxiway, we finally alighted the plane and we re-entered Singapore. My maiden flight may have lasted for only 40 minutes, but it felt like four hours to me!

Composition by Matthias - A lucky escape

Hands trembling and sweaty, I gripped the airplane controls so tight till my knuckles turned white. I was a new pilot and it was my first time flying an airplane!

I was lucky as I was privileged to have an experienced pilot ,Jay, guiding me through my maiden flight. However, I still felt uneasy. My stomach felt heavy. Then there came the announcement of my flight. After the flight stewardess had briefed the 136 passengers on safety measures, it was time to fly!

My hand pushed the lever on the dashboard, my eyes wide and alert.

"Take deep breaths, do not be scared. Everything is going to be all right," Jay reassured me.

As the plane lifted from the ground, anxiety turned into anticipation. I started to enjoy myself. Pressure started to build up in my ears. Finally, we were soaring in the sky. I smiled to myself, relieved. It was not so bad after all.

We experienced some turbulence. Other than that, everything was going well. My grip on the controls loosened. It was a breeze!

However, not everything went as planned. I started to smell something burning. This time, fear crept over me. I started to hear passengers muttering worriedly to each other.

"Something is not right! I can smell something burning!" one of the passengers said.

The chief flight stewardess started to make safety announcements on the use of parachutes and oxygen bags.

On the other hand, Jay was unperturbed my the situation. He calmly told me to wear my parachute and oxygen mask. How I wished I had the ability to stay calm like him!

"Bang! Bang!" Two sharp bangs went.

Immediately, the plane started shaking violently. I was so scared I froze. To make matters worse, the lights went out. Luckily, the controls were still working. I carefully refocused my mind and tried to navigate my way to Singapore.

At 2am, with the help of Jay, my plane safely touched down on the taxiway at Changi Airport. The tension and fear in the air dissipated. I heard shouts of disbelief. Everybody cheered.

Jay congratulated me and the whole crowd cheered for me. I heaved a huge sigh of relief. I managed to take everyone to Singapore unscathed.

The next day, I was reported as a hero on the papers. I had saved everyone on board. It so happened that engine 2 of our airplane caught sparks and went on fire.

Oh boy! We were sure lucky that the airplane did not explode.

Reading the news, I smiled to myself contentedly. I was lucky all right, real, real lucky!

Article - A Love Measured in Memories

Read and print out this article.

After reading the article, give comments at the bottom of the page. You will have to use your real name for my monitoring purposes.

Don't forget to observe good netiquette when you pen your comments.

Download the post-reading task.