Sunday, July 6, 2008
Maria Hertogh Riot
Dear children,
Singapore is a multicultural society where we live, work and play with fellow Singaporeans with different races, religions and cultures. It is therefore of great importance that we respect our differences and celebrate the diversity.
We should treasure racial harmony that did not come by easily.
Find out more about the Maria Hertogh riot which was one of the many racial disputes that happened in early Singapore history.
Maria Hertogh Riot part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q51daa9HZ-M
Maria Hertogh Riot part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWlnUBIvHH0&feature=related
Singapore is a multicultural society where we live, work and play with fellow Singaporeans with different races, religions and cultures. It is therefore of great importance that we respect our differences and celebrate the diversity.
We should treasure racial harmony that did not come by easily.
Find out more about the Maria Hertogh riot which was one of the many racial disputes that happened in early Singapore history.
Maria Hertogh Riot part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q51daa9HZ-M
Maria Hertogh Riot part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWlnUBIvHH0&feature=related
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The Mozart Effect
Dear children,
Find out more about the fascinating life of one of the greatest musicians, Mozart.
http://www.stringsinthemountains.org/m2m/1once.htm
An excerpt about the Mozart effect:
The Mozart effect
Music may tune up your thinking, but you can't just crank up the volume and expect to become a genius
A DECADE ago Frances Rauscher, a psychologist now at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, and her colleagues made waves with the discovery that listening to Mozart improved people's mathematical and spatial reasoning. Even rats ran mazes faster and more accurately after hearing Mozart than after white noise or music by the minimalist composer Philip Glass. Last year, Rauscher reported that, for rats at least, a Mozart piano sonata seems to stimulate activity in three genes involved in nerve-cell signalling in the brain.
This sounds like the most harmonious way to tune up your mental faculties. But before you grab the CDs, hear this note of caution. Not everyone who has looked for the Mozart effect has found it. What's more, even its proponents tend to think that music boosts brain power simply because it makes listeners feel better - relaxed and stimulated at the same time - and that a comparable stimulus might do just as well. In fact, one study found that listening to a story gave a similar performance boost.
There is, however, one way in which music really does make you smarter, though unfortunately it requires a bit more effort than just selecting something mellow on your iPod. Music lessons are the key. Six-year-old children who were given music lessons, as opposed to drama lessons or no extra instruction, got a 2 to 3-point boost in IQ scores compared with the others. Similarly, Rauscher found that after two years of music lessons, pre-school children scored better on spatial reasoning tests than those who took computer lessons.
Maybe music lessons exercise a range of mental skills, with their requirement for delicate and precise finger movements, and listening for pitch and rhythm, all combined with an emotional dimension. Nobody knows for sure. Neither do they know whether adults can get the same mental boost as young children. But, surely, it can't hurt to try.
From: http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg18625011.900-11-steps-to-a-better-brain.html
Listening to Mozart music may not make you smarter but it definitely will help to calm your mind down so you can concentrate on your work.
Find out more about the fascinating life of one of the greatest musicians, Mozart.
http://www.stringsinthemountains.org/m2m/1once.htm
An excerpt about the Mozart effect:
The Mozart effect
Music may tune up your thinking, but you can't just crank up the volume and expect to become a genius
A DECADE ago Frances Rauscher, a psychologist now at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, and her colleagues made waves with the discovery that listening to Mozart improved people's mathematical and spatial reasoning. Even rats ran mazes faster and more accurately after hearing Mozart than after white noise or music by the minimalist composer Philip Glass. Last year, Rauscher reported that, for rats at least, a Mozart piano sonata seems to stimulate activity in three genes involved in nerve-cell signalling in the brain.
This sounds like the most harmonious way to tune up your mental faculties. But before you grab the CDs, hear this note of caution. Not everyone who has looked for the Mozart effect has found it. What's more, even its proponents tend to think that music boosts brain power simply because it makes listeners feel better - relaxed and stimulated at the same time - and that a comparable stimulus might do just as well. In fact, one study found that listening to a story gave a similar performance boost.
There is, however, one way in which music really does make you smarter, though unfortunately it requires a bit more effort than just selecting something mellow on your iPod. Music lessons are the key. Six-year-old children who were given music lessons, as opposed to drama lessons or no extra instruction, got a 2 to 3-point boost in IQ scores compared with the others. Similarly, Rauscher found that after two years of music lessons, pre-school children scored better on spatial reasoning tests than those who took computer lessons.
Maybe music lessons exercise a range of mental skills, with their requirement for delicate and precise finger movements, and listening for pitch and rhythm, all combined with an emotional dimension. Nobody knows for sure. Neither do they know whether adults can get the same mental boost as young children. But, surely, it can't hurt to try.
From: http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg18625011.900-11-steps-to-a-better-brain.html
Listening to Mozart music may not make you smarter but it definitely will help to calm your mind down so you can concentrate on your work.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Idioms
Idioms are a fast way to make your writing interesting.
The phrases usually have meanings different from the usual definitions of the words in the dictionary.
Check out the many idioms on this website.
http://www.idiomconnection.com
Game to help you master your idioms
http://www.funbrain.com/idioms/index.html
The phrases usually have meanings different from the usual definitions of the words in the dictionary.
Check out the many idioms on this website.
http://www.idiomconnection.com
Game to help you master your idioms
http://www.funbrain.com/idioms/index.html
Thursday, June 19, 2008
HI!
Dear children,
The school holiday is coming to an end very soon. I hope it has been fabulous for you. I am looking forward to be back in school to see all of you.
Love,
Mdm Chan
The school holiday is coming to an end very soon. I hope it has been fabulous for you. I am looking forward to be back in school to see all of you.
Love,
Mdm Chan
MOE Excel Fest 2008
Dear children,
A range of exciting events has been planned for this year's Excel fest. The event is open to the public on 5 July (Sat). Please encourage your parents to look at the seminars and sharing sessions and sign up for them.
Click here for the link to the website and to sign up.
Love,
Mdm Chan
A range of exciting events has been planned for this year's Excel fest. The event is open to the public on 5 July (Sat). Please encourage your parents to look at the seminars and sharing sessions and sign up for them.
Click here for the link to the website and to sign up.
Love,
Mdm Chan
Monday, April 7, 2008
Your Amazing Body
Dear children,
It is an amazing world inside our bodies. Each of the organ system will work together interdependently for your body to work well. Our body is such a fascinating 'machine' that it is much more superior than the most powerful computer!
When any one part of your body fails to work properly, the other body systems will also be affected.
Take a trip inside your body by visiting the following websites.
1) Discovery Kids - A website with information on the various body systems and the yucky things your body do, like poop and farts.
http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/body/index.html
2) Kids Konnect - Excellent resource with many other websites for your to learn about the five main organ systems and the other major systems in the body.
http://www.kidskonnect.com/content/view/337/27/
3) National Geographic Kids - Your amazing brain
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Stories/SpaceScience/Brain
Love,
Mdm Chan
It is an amazing world inside our bodies. Each of the organ system will work together interdependently for your body to work well. Our body is such a fascinating 'machine' that it is much more superior than the most powerful computer!
When any one part of your body fails to work properly, the other body systems will also be affected.
Take a trip inside your body by visiting the following websites.
1) Discovery Kids - A website with information on the various body systems and the yucky things your body do, like poop and farts.
http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/body/index.html
2) Kids Konnect - Excellent resource with many other websites for your to learn about the five main organ systems and the other major systems in the body.
http://www.kidskonnect.com/content/view/337/27/
3) National Geographic Kids - Your amazing brain
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Stories/SpaceScience/Brain
Love,
Mdm Chan
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