CCPS LRD blog makes the news!

Our very own CCPS LRD blog is in the news! You might not know it, but you are reading the 1st shared school blog for current affairs.

In CCPS, we use this blog to showcase the knowledge and insights we have gained from using the Little Red Dot in our English and Social Studies lessons. Last year, we were also thrilled to receive the 'Top Dot School' award by The Straits Times for our efforts to promote the use of the LRD in our school. Do read the articles at schoolbag.sg http://www.schoolbag.sg/archives/2011/03/school_blog_puts_news_on_the_l.php as well as the Straits Times article at our school website http://www.canossaconventpri.moe.edu.sg/

You might also have noticed that we were featured in this week's LRD issue (29/3/2011) on Page 7!

Thank you to all the classes who designed the posters that you see in the background! Please continue to read the LRD and to read and contribute your posts and comments to the CCPS LRD blog!

To eat or not to eat? By 6 Peace

From this week's LRD (29th Mar issue), we read that pop singer, Karen Carpenter died of heart failure when she was only 32. Her death drew public attention to anorexia nervosa. The popular singer was desperate to remain thin so she punished herself by going on a crash diet. She would also throw up whatever she ate to deprive her body of food.

At first, she was thin but healthy but the sickness took a toll on her health and she became extremely thin and weak. She eventually collapsed during one of her performances in Las Vegas. Sufferers of anorexia nervosa or bulimia have to fight a psychological problem as they struggle to remain thin. The end result can be tragic as their bodies become living skeletons.

Without enough nutrition, the body and the organs can no longer perform their functions. Victims of anorexia nervosa face a tragic end unless they receive help and treatment to overcome their fears about eating .

If your friend is overweight and feels depressed, what advice can you give to help her lose weight ?

Killer waves! By 6 Joy

On March 11, an underwater earthquake measuring 9.0 in magnitude on the richter scale created a 10m-tall tsunami that hit the east coast of Japan. It caused great damage to the environment and a huge loss to the economy for entire towns in the affected area have been destroyed. To date, no one knows as yet how many people have been killed. In the aftermath of the tsunami, the Japanese government has to grapple with the issue of a possible meltdown of nuclear rods due to an explosion at a nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture which would lead to harmful radiation leaks. This would add on to the catastrophe which the Japanese are reeling from.


What are some of the environmental issues as a result of this earthquake.?

LRD Passport Week 1 -- Are you kind to yourself?

Today (22 March 2011), after reading Page 12 of this week's LRD,  we read about how to take care of our kidneys at worldkidneyday.org

From the website, we learnt that having a balanced diet and leading a healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise will help us to take care of our kidneys. 

Today's LRD Passport activity is on being kind to yourself by having proper nutrition and nourishing our minds and our bodies. 

One of the ways that we nourish our minds by reading good books and articles and thinking good thoughts. 

Can you think of other ways that you can nourish your mind?

Why is it important to be kind to yourself?

Killer Waves! by 6 Charity

Today we read an article on the Japanese tsunami and these are some of our reflections: 

- I feel that Singaporeans should not take things for granted (Vanessa)

- Some Singaporeans who were interviewed said that they could not travel anymore. This is rather selfish. (Christine)

- The relief efforts have been slow because of things are stuck in Narita airport. This is very sad. The people who are living in slums are also very pitiful because now it is worse for them. (Merissa and Taranya) 

- The Japanese were really calm and they were not feeling frustrated. I think if this happened in Singapore, it would be mayhem. (Jiexin and Vanessa)

What do you think about the disaster?  Leave a comment below! 

Getting around

There is an article in the 8 March issue of LRD on the increase in the percentage of people taking the MRT. According to a population census conducted by the Department of Statistics, MRT travel has risen sharply.

The percentage of people who go to work by taking the MRT or a combination of other modes rose from 23.6 in 2000 to 31.2 in 2010. The increase in train commutes has resulted in a decrease in bus commutes.

Work trips by car increased by only 1.1 percentage points despite a 50 per cent increase in car population.

1. What is your favourite mode of transport? Why?
2. What are some of the problems you face when you use public transport?

All because of a spelling mistake (P5 eLearning)

All because of a spelling mistake
Issue: 1 March 2011 (page 7)
P5 eLearning Exercise

Interestingly, the name of the neighbourhood Serangoon came about because of a spelling mistake. In the 19th century, the burong ramggong, a small marsh bird, was commonly found in the swamps of north-east Singapore. Thus, a river in that part of Singapore was named “Saranggong”, a combination of part of the word “satu” (Malay word for “one”) and “ranggong”.

Activity:
Imagine you have to take a friend on a tour of Serangoon and Upper Serangoon Roads. Using a street directory, choose one place along these roads that you would introduce to your friend and explain why.
(Note: You can click here to view a map of the area around Nex, a shopping centre in Serangoon)

Post what you would say to your friend as a comment to this blog entry.

The above write-up is adapted from Little Red Dot (Issue: 1 March 2011) page 7.

Are you absent-minded?

There is an article (1st March Issue Pg 1) about being absent-minded. ‘Absent-minded Dot’ shared on how she forgot about her Math tuition session. She also said that since the start of the year, she had left her mobile phone in the canteen, misplaced her homework and forgotten to study for her spelling tests. She always has a hard time keeping track of what she needs to do.

Are you like ‘Absent-minded Dot’?
Do you forget to do your homework?
Do you misplace your library books?
How often do you forget to do things?
Do you get into trouble when you forget to do things?

Give some suggestions as to how to keep track of things you need to do. =)

Lucky? Or just a happy coincidence?

On Tuesday, 6 Faith read the article on Page 18 of the LRD and did the comprehension questions.

After we had read the passage and attempted the questions, we held a quick poll of our class to see who believed that the story was true. 20 out of 27 of us (74.1%) did not really believe the story.

Surprisingly, many of these 20 girls said that they had seen animals like frogs and crabs survive after being put in the freezer, so they felt that the catfish in the story was not really that special.

"It's just superstition!" one of my classmates said.

We then had a discussion about the kinds of superstitions we knew. Have you heard that shaking one's legs means shaking away good luck? Or that eating at a transparent table means you're eating on the floor? Or that sleeping beside your bed means that you're sleeping outside the house?

Then, Miss Wong told us something quite amazing. Originally, the Singapore Flyer was built to turn from the land toward the sea. However, after it faced bad business and some technical glitches, feng shui experts were consulted and guess what? They reccommended that the Flyer turn the other way instead! A lot of money had to be spent to make the Flyer turn the other way. After that, the Flyer became more popular and business started to improve.

Click on the link below for a report on this
http://www.asiaone.com/Travel/News/Story/A1Story20080811-81704.html

After we had heard this story, we were a bit unsure if such superstitions were really true afterall....

What do you think? What kind of superstitions do you believe in?

Or if you don't believe in any superstitions, why not?

Leave your comment below!

Plastic Surgery --- For or Against?

Yesterday, we (6 Charity) had a debate about plastic surgery after reading the LRD article on Page 4 of this week's LRD (15th Feb).

Half the class came up with points supporting plastic surgery while the other half came up with points against it. The class got very noisy because many of us were very passionate about our views, but I think it was a very interesting topic!

FOR PLASTIC SURGERY
- It gives people a headstart in the beauty department, according to the article
- It gives doctors more money
- It increases emotional security, according to the article
- It might be necessary for accident cases or for life-threatening cases
- It enhances natural beauty
- After you look confident on the outside, you will feel more confident on the inside
- It is no different from beautifying yourself with make-up
- There is always a risk whatever you do

AGAINST PLASTIC SURGERY
- The opposite sex likes natural beauty and plastic surgery might be off-putting
- It wastes money if you do it unecessarily
- It's better to feel confident on the inside first. Then, you'll look confident on the outside.
- There is a risk if operations go wrong
- It can cause a lot of scars and there may be side-effects from the procedures
- After you do one procedure, there will be a lot of mental stress to keep looking beautiful all the time
- Botox makes you look tight
- People should just be satisfied with what God has given them

What do you think about plastic surgery? Leave a comment below!