Virtual Tour - Science

Be warned! This is not for the faint-hearted.

1) http://www.edheads.org/activities/hip2/
Virtual Hip Resurfacing :Take on the role of the Surgeon throughout a hip resurfacing surgery!

2) http://www.edheads.org/activities/hip/
Virtual Hip Replacement :Take on the role of the Surgeon throughout a hip replacement surgery!

3) http://froguts.com/flash_content/index.html
Click on "demos" on the top-right corner to view 3 demos.

Surprising Solution - Math Problems

Hey!

Here is a very simple problem with an even simpler solution. Yet the solution most pupils will come up with is much more complicated.

Try the problem yourself tonight and see whether you fall into the "majority-solvers" group. Give me your response tomorrow.

A single elimination (one loss and the team is eliminated) basketball tournament has 25 teams competing. How many games must be played until there is a single tournament champion?

DIVISIBILITY OF NUMBERS

Divisibility Math Trick

We are able to enhance student learning in mathematics with tricks. There are many tricks to teach pupil divisibility in mathematics. Some tricks are listed here. If you know others, please let me know.


A Number is Divisible By 2 if :
Its One's Digit is divisible by 2.
E.g. 368: 8 is divisible by 2, therefore 368 is divisible by 2.










A Number is Divisible By 3 if :
The Sum of its digits is divisible by 3.
E.g. 732: 7 + 3 + 2 = 12, 12 is divisible by 3.
Therefore 732 is divisible by 3.

For example: 12123 (1+2+1+2+3=9) 9 is divisible by 3, therefore 12123 is too!








A Number is Divisible By 4 if :
If the last two digits represent a number divisible by 4
E.g. 524: 24 is divisible by 4, therefore 524 is
divisible by 4.









A Number is Divisible By 5 if :
It ends in Zero or Five.
E.g. 105: 105 ends in a Five, therefore 105 is
divisible by 5.

A Number is Divisible By 6 if :
It is divisible by BOTH 2 and 3.
E.g. 786: 6 is divisible by 2, therefore 786 is
divisible by 2.
7 + 8 + 6 =21 and 21 is divisible by 3,
therefore 786 is divisible by 3.
Hence 786 is divisible by 6.








A Number is Divisible By 7 if :
Take the last digit, double it and subtract it from the rest of its numbers. Check if the
result is divisible by 7.
E.g. 28: 8 x 2 = 16, 16 – 2 = 14 and 14 is
divisible by 7. Therefore 28 is divisible by 7.

Example: Is 2016 divisible by 7?
6(1) + 1(3) + 0(2) + 2(6) = 21
21 is divisible by 7 and we can now say that 2016 is also divisible by 7.






A Number is Divisible By 8 if :
The last three digits represent a number divisible by 8.
E.g. 3 792: 792 is divisible by 8, therefore
3 792 is divisible by 8.

Example: 6008 - The last 3 digits are divisible by one, therefore, so is 6008.









A Number is Divisible By 9 if :
The Sum of its digits is divisible by 9.
E.g. 36 792: 3+ 6 + 7 + 9 + 2 = 27 and
27 is divisible by 9. Therefore 36 792 is
divisible by 9.


For example: 43785 (4+3+7+8+5=27) 27 is divisible by 9, therefore 43785 is too!







A Number is Divisible By 10 if :
It ends in a zero.
E.g. 320: 320 ends in a zero, therefore 320 is
divisible by 10.






A Number is Divisible By 11 if :
The difference between the sum of its
odd-position digits and the sum of its even-position digits is divisible by 11.
E.g. 957: (9+ 7) – 5 = 11 and 11 is divisible by 11.
Therefore 957 is divisible by 11.





A Number is Divisible By 12 if :
It is divisible by BOTH 3 and 4.
E.g. 684: 6 + 8 + 4 =18 and 18 is divisible by 3,
therefore 684 is divisible by 3.
84 is divisible by 4, therefore 684 is divisible by 4.
Hence 684 is divisible by 12.

Math Holiday Homework - Create a Tessellation!

Gentlemen, you have to go to 'Sharepoint' to read up the tutorial on how to create a tessellation.
You may want to view this tutorial too. But you need to have 'JAVA' plugin install for your browser.

http://arcytech.org/java/patterns/patterns_j.shtml



Try this website for really advanced stuffs of the world of tessellations!
1) http://www.mcescher.com/
2) http://library.thinkquest.org/16661/escher/tessellations.1.html


On Wednesday night, I will post the Science Homework.

Social Study Project for Primary 5 - 2007

AN IMPORTANT EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF SINGAPORE 1950s - 1970s
(Groupwork)

Specific Instructional Objectives:

Pupils should be able to:

• identify and describe some important events in the history of Singapore 1950s to 1970s.
• role play an important event in Singapore's histroy from 1950s to 1970s.
• communicate and cooperate in a group.

National Education Message
Singapore is our homeland: this is where we belong
We must preserve racial and religious harmony

Resources:
1) Episodes of Singpore Story
http://www.s1942.org.sg/s1942/home

2) Uniquely Singapore
http://www.visitsingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en/home/what_to_see/world_war_ii_sites.html

3) Fall Of Singapore
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/fall_of_singapore.htm

Sony Creative Science Awards 2007

Purpose:

• Promote creativity and innovation amongst primary level students
• Promote interesting ways of learning science for primary level students
  

Toys must demonstrate at least one scientific principle.

Toys are selected based on:

• Originality
• Creativity
• Design
• Sturdiness

The following are some very common toys that we see every year, and it is very difficult to select any unique ones to award a prize:

• Cars, Boats and Aeroplanes

• Magnetic toys

• Ball bearing toys

• Rolling can toys

• Merry-go-rounds

• Quiz toys

• Tracking toys

• Workshop toys

Common Problems:

• Too fragile due to inappropriate use of materials.

• Cannot withstand repeated play

• Difficult to figure out how the toy works

Finaling Judging:

• How much does he/she understand about the toy,including
  
• The scientific principle behind the toy
  

• The toy making process

• How much did the student contribute to the toy, including

• Design and conceptualisation

• Making and testing

• Determine whether the student has participated actively;gained from the experience

If you are looking for some toys examples...

Please go to the SCSA website and look under 'Join the competition' link.

Scroll down and look for 'For Teachers' header. Download and open the file ' TOYS ppt'.

http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/

Hope this helps you with your creation!
Have fun!

External Links

Dr Toy
http://www.drtoy.com

Information on the best toys and educational products as well as articles, resources and toy-related links.

Mathematical Games, Toys and Puzzles
http://compgeom.cs.uiuc.edu/~jeffe/mathgames.html

Web directory of mathematical games, toys and puzzles.


Science Toys
http://www.scitoys.com

Instructions in making toys for kids with common household materials to demonstrate scientific principles.


Wild Planet Toys
http://www.wildplanet.com

Where all the things wild and wonderful, award winning toys that parents and kids both love.


A*Star
http://www.a-star.edu.sg/astar/index.jsp


Ministry of Education
http://www.moe.edu.sg

Mathematics and Science Websites 2007

The following are useful websites that I have
encountered. They include something for all levels of students. Many will link you to other sites
that we have not listed here. Enjoy your adventure!

1) Math Forum -- http://mathforum.org

You can also find a problem of the
week under the Projects title which could be used by teachers or students. Other titles include
Math Tips and Tricks, Beat Calc, Divisibility Rules, and Multiplication Tips.

2) Bob Wilcox's Mathematics Page -- http://geocities.com/Athens/3352

This link includes a problem of the week and links to sites all over the web.

3) Linda Sheffield’s Web Pages -- http://www.nku.edu/%7Emathed/p12sr.html

Resources for you.

4) Mathematics Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools -- http://www.moems.org/

These are contest problems that are administered 5 times during the school year within the
school. The top few scores are sent as the "team score" as part of the competition.

Thinking Out of The Box - Graphs

Please go to our 'Sharepoint Portal' to download the tutorial on how to create a graph in Microsoft Excel.

If you do not have Microsoft Excel, don't worry. Please go http://download.openoffice.org/2.0.2/index.html


to download openoffice. It's free!

Weblogs by YOU

Remember that I told all of you about some weblog done by some kids I know?
Here it is!

1) http://voiceof10yearold.blogspot.com/

2) http://natcomments.blogspot.com/

What is a WebQuest?

WebQuests:

• can be as short as a single class period or as long as a month-long unit;

• usually (though not always) involve group work, with division of labour among students who take on specific roles or perspectives;

• are built around resources that are preselected by the teacher. Students spend their time USING information, not LOOKING for it.

Examples:

1) http://stratford.gardencity.k12.ny.us/fifth%20grade/Maguire/what_does_it_matter.htm

2) http://yorkcountyschools.org/mes/what's%20the%20matter%20webquest/index.htm

3) http://scorescience.humboldt.k12.ca.us/fast/teachers/Matter/matter.htm

Welcome 2007 P4F

Hello my darlings of P4F!

Welcome to my blog!

These are the websites that we have visited today!
Enjoy!

1) http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/states_of_matter/
2) http://www.dac.neu.edu/physics/b.maheswaran/phy1121/data/ch04/anim/anim0402.htm
These are animation of three states of matters.

3) http://www.planetguide.net/book/chapter_2/water_cycle.html
Water Cycle

MATH - RUSH HOUR

Dear P1, P2 & P3 Math Teachers : )

1st thing to do :)
Go to 'sharing folder', look for my name and double-click on it.

2nd thing to do :)
Copy the 'rush hour' folder to your own folder in the 'Teachers Sharing' system.
Note: Do not drag-and-drop the 'rush hour' folder into yours. It may not copy the files.

3rd thing to do :)
You can use the web pages in the 'rush hour' folder to introduce the game to your students.
Just double-click on the 'index.htm' web page.

4th thing to do :)
After the introduction, you can ask your students to double-click on the 'moving car' image below to go and start to play the game!

5th thing to do :)
Remember to get 2 best players from your class. Have fun!

Good Stuffs - skoool.co.uk homepage

1) http://lgfl.skoool.co.uk/
skoool.co.uk is a vast educational resource for teachers to use inventively and creatively in the classroom to add extra value to their classroom teaching of Maths and Science.

Search for the topics that you want to know more about it. Take note, some topics are not available or simply you have to refine your keywords.

Enjoy!




2) http://www.legoeducation.com/content/section.aspx?CategoryID=100
This is one of my favourite sites.

Click on the menu on the left to revise the topics of simple machines.








3) http://en.wikipedia.org
This is another one of my favourite sites. Why do you need to buy those expensive encyclopedia when you can have it free from Wikipedia. Anyone can edit it.

But you still must be caution of the information available on the internet. Please do your own research on the topics.

Extra Stuffs - Science

Hello gentlemen,

1) http://science.howstuffworks.com/light-bulb2.htm
It has a picture of a light bulb which explains the different structures in it.

2) http://www.eggsedu.org.uk/secondary/ks3/ks3_theinsidestory.htm
Birds' eggs have five important parts.
The most important is the germinal disc.
This is found inside the yolk and is the cell nucleus
from which the young bird would have developed
if the egg had been fertilised.
Commercially produced eggs for eating
are never fertilised.

Science Topics - Electricity

Here we go again!
Enjoy!

1) Understanding Electricity -- http://www.jets.org/electronicsworkbench/START.html
The Understanding Electricity site contains information that are beyond what you need to know about the topic as a primary student. But then, why stop you??

2) Lightning -- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/06/0623_040623_lightningfacts.html
Remember how electricity was discovered?

3) Using Electricity -- http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/6_7/electricity.shtml
Experiment with different circuits without even getting electrocuted!!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) - Movie Review

"Charlie Bucket, a boy from an impoverished family under the shadow of a giant chocolate factory, wins a candy bar contest and is given a tour, along with four other children, of the amazing factory run by the eccentric Willy Wonka and his staff of Oompa-Loompas."

Well, I just came home from the movie with my wife. I always like watching (Willy Wonka) Johnny Depp's movie. Edward's scissorhands... Pirates from the Carribean... just simply wonderful.

But in this movie, he seemed to remind me of Jim Carrey. If you do not know who is Jim Carrey, he acted as 'Count Olaf' in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events! Or maybe you will best remember him as the 'Joker' in 'Batman Returns'.

Johnny takes Willy Wonka's odd behavior one step further though, creating a truly eccentric character that definitely steals the show. Anyone tends to disagree? Why?

The part that my wife and I dislike the most are those 'Oompa-Loompas' singing and dancing away in the show. Boring...There are not many high or low in the movie. Still prefer just to read the book.

I like the child actor (FREDDIE HIGHMORE) though who acts as Charlie Bucket, I think he is a natural actor.

Investing in the Stock Market

"If you had $1000 to invest in a stock, what company's stock would you buy?
Why?"

Name some of your favourite products.
From there, you could already figure out the company.
Nike Inc., for example, makes sneakers.

June Holidays

Hello gentlemen,

Please don't forget to do your homework during the holidays.
Revise your work if you have not done well.

Please don't hesitate to email me when you have problems with your math homework.
I will be trying out a new method to help you to have a better understanding of the following topics:
1) Fractions
2) Ratios
3) Decimals
4)Percentage

Be good and remember...
WORK HARD PLAY HARD

P5 - Reproduction: Twins

Hmm... Ever wonder how twins are formed?

1) http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=99&id=2151

2) http://www.conjoined-twins.i-p.com/how.html

Faraday Lecture 2005

The Faraday Lecture 2005 comes to Singapore!!!

“Control Freaks?”

Hello there!

Are you keen to find out ………

· Why robots will be your living partners? (Scary!?)

· What makes robots perform delicate surgery, clear minefields and explore the planets?

Faraday Lecture @ Singapore 2005 will reveal some of these surprising secrets by taking you into a lab of the future where robots move and think in a series of live, interactive demonstrations and multimedia displays.

· What’s more, after the show, there will be a hands-on splash of Science & Technology at the “Science on the Plaza” exhibition.

· Best of all, it’s free, it’s schoolwork made fun and it’s at the

Singapore Polytechnic Convention Centre!

And for parents…

This is a GREAT chance to catch up with what your kids are learning at school!!!

To find out more about the Faraday Lecture 2005 and easy on-line registration, please log on to:

http://www.iee.org/Events/Lectrs/Faraday/2005/asia-venues.cfm

See you there… let’s FILL the house!!!