1) English Practice Paper 7
2) Composition 9 (PSLE Booklet)
3) Situational Writing 4 (PSLE Booklet)
Thursday, August 5, 2010
You Reap What You Sow by Ian Harijanto
"All right! Let’s head out!” Mr Tan said. I quickly ran up the bus and grabbed the window seat. Soon, my best friend Hezekiah arrived and sat next to me. Immediately, we struck up a conversation. During the journey, we talked about one subject in particular. We were discussing what our English teacher, Mrs Gan, had told us about. It was this phrase “You reap what you sow”.
I could not fully comprehend and Hezekiah was no different. I shrugged at the thought as we had arrived at the beach. When we were very near the beach, I felt the sea breeze and it made me all energetic again. Once we were at the beach, Mr Tan gave us a quick briefing of what we had to do. Mr Tan said, “You’ll have to pick up all the rubbish on the beach that you can find. No fooling around. While you’re doing that, I’ll be enjoying myself picking up seashells!”
The moment we heard that, we all chorused in complaint as Mr Tan skidded off towards the sea. I thought to myself, “Man, we have to do all the work and he gets to enjoy himself.”
I strolled over to take the garbage bag and started picking up all the rubbish that inconsiderate people left. As I picked up the endless amount of garbage, I saw something small moving in the distance. At that moment, I actually thought, “Cans can’t move around!” At that thought, I laughed heartily to myself. I ran over, ignoring all the rubbish scattered on the ground. As I moved closer, I saw that it had two pincers and it turned out to be a crab!
I watched it for a considerable amount of time and then, a nasty thought filled my mind. I instantly looked around for a wooden pole. When I finally found one, I rushed over and was jubilant to find that the crab was still there and not moving. I crept over stealthily, raised the pole and did an overhead swing. It landed perfectly on the crab shell and it created a dent on it.
It scampered back to its underground tunnels and it seemed to wince in pain. I laughed at that sight and continued picking up the rubbish. When I returned to where my friends were, I told them my story. Surprisingly, they did not believe what I had said and told me to prove it to them. I scanned the ground for holes that represented the entrance to the crabs’ underground tunnels. I soon spotted some and I stuck my hand in, trying to draw out a crab. After I had dug my hands in the sand for a considerable amount of time, I felt a sharp pang of pain and let out a loud shriek! I instantaneously pulled my hand out of the soil and what I saw shocked me.
The crab that was on my finger had a dent on its shell. It was the one that I had whacked before. Now it was my turn to wince in pain and I reckoned that it felt satisfied to have got its revenge. In the distance, I heard one of my enemies doubling over in laughter. The word spread like wildfire and soon everyone was present.
Finally, I heard my teachers’ voice ordering, “Move aside! Move aside!” When he saw me, he asked with concern, “What happened? Hurry up and get that crab off your hand!” He used a stick to probe the crab and soon, the crab was off my hand and it hurried back to its tunnel.
My finger was bandaged and as Mr Tan bandaged my finger, he forced the circumstances out of me. I was ready for the inevitable and prepared to face the music. Mr Tan glared at me with dagger eyes and started his ear-piercing speech.
After the lecture was over, Mr Tan asked me what I had learned and I told him that we should not disturb nature. I also learnt that retribution would come back and haunt us if we did wrong. There was something else I learnt which I kept to myself. Now, I could finally comprehend the phrase “You reap what you sow”. This would be a lesson that will stay etched in my mind as I had learnt it the hard way. It would help me in making my life’s decisions for years to come.
I could not fully comprehend and Hezekiah was no different. I shrugged at the thought as we had arrived at the beach. When we were very near the beach, I felt the sea breeze and it made me all energetic again. Once we were at the beach, Mr Tan gave us a quick briefing of what we had to do. Mr Tan said, “You’ll have to pick up all the rubbish on the beach that you can find. No fooling around. While you’re doing that, I’ll be enjoying myself picking up seashells!”
The moment we heard that, we all chorused in complaint as Mr Tan skidded off towards the sea. I thought to myself, “Man, we have to do all the work and he gets to enjoy himself.”
I strolled over to take the garbage bag and started picking up all the rubbish that inconsiderate people left. As I picked up the endless amount of garbage, I saw something small moving in the distance. At that moment, I actually thought, “Cans can’t move around!” At that thought, I laughed heartily to myself. I ran over, ignoring all the rubbish scattered on the ground. As I moved closer, I saw that it had two pincers and it turned out to be a crab!
I watched it for a considerable amount of time and then, a nasty thought filled my mind. I instantly looked around for a wooden pole. When I finally found one, I rushed over and was jubilant to find that the crab was still there and not moving. I crept over stealthily, raised the pole and did an overhead swing. It landed perfectly on the crab shell and it created a dent on it.
It scampered back to its underground tunnels and it seemed to wince in pain. I laughed at that sight and continued picking up the rubbish. When I returned to where my friends were, I told them my story. Surprisingly, they did not believe what I had said and told me to prove it to them. I scanned the ground for holes that represented the entrance to the crabs’ underground tunnels. I soon spotted some and I stuck my hand in, trying to draw out a crab. After I had dug my hands in the sand for a considerable amount of time, I felt a sharp pang of pain and let out a loud shriek! I instantaneously pulled my hand out of the soil and what I saw shocked me.
The crab that was on my finger had a dent on its shell. It was the one that I had whacked before. Now it was my turn to wince in pain and I reckoned that it felt satisfied to have got its revenge. In the distance, I heard one of my enemies doubling over in laughter. The word spread like wildfire and soon everyone was present.
Finally, I heard my teachers’ voice ordering, “Move aside! Move aside!” When he saw me, he asked with concern, “What happened? Hurry up and get that crab off your hand!” He used a stick to probe the crab and soon, the crab was off my hand and it hurried back to its tunnel.
My finger was bandaged and as Mr Tan bandaged my finger, he forced the circumstances out of me. I was ready for the inevitable and prepared to face the music. Mr Tan glared at me with dagger eyes and started his ear-piercing speech.
After the lecture was over, Mr Tan asked me what I had learned and I told him that we should not disturb nature. I also learnt that retribution would come back and haunt us if we did wrong. There was something else I learnt which I kept to myself. Now, I could finally comprehend the phrase “You reap what you sow”. This would be a lesson that will stay etched in my mind as I had learnt it the hard way. It would help me in making my life’s decisions for years to come.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Sounding the Alarm by Ben Lim
“Dad! I told you a million times we shouldn’t come to this horribly crowded place. Just moving an inch takes half an …..” I groaned and moaned as patience was not one of my virtues.
Last Saturday, Dad brought me to Jurong Point to buy groceries at the Fair Price supermarket. I dreaded that place as it was usually crowded. It was my worst nightmare! As I was complaining, I sensed frustration emanating from my father. He had become increasingly infuriated with my bombardment of complaints. He bellowed in my face, “You’d better shut that dissatisfied mouth of yours before I make sure it can never be functional!” I knew better than to disobey Dad when he was in such a foul mood, so I dragged my lethargic legs across the floor as I followed him through the boisterous crowd.
After spending an hour and a half at the supermarket, Dad and I made our way to the cashiers. To my utmost horror, there was an unbelievable 5-metre beeline in front of every cashier! Irritated to the point of explosion, I blurted out, “Not again!” Dad threw me an utterly stern look. Instantaneously, my lips sealed so tightly as if they were fused.
Out of the blue, an ear-piercing blare of the fire alarm reverberated throughout the mall. The once joyous place turned into a sight of hell. People went helter-skelter. Screams of terror filled the air. Panic-stricken shoppers scurried to any emergency exit they could access. It was total mayhem.
Mustering all my courage, I tried to stay calm as I was advised during the last fire drill in school. Dad, however, was “ice-cool” throughout the whole ordeal. He ordered me to call for help as he listened closely for any announcements made.
Suddenly, something swift and sinister caught my eye. He stood out from the crowd almost perfectly. He was clad in black and carried a black bag and suitcase. He seemed to be in a hurry to escape from the building, not because of the fear of a possible fire, but of the fear of being caught. I came to the conclusion that the man had most likely stolen something valuable from the supermarket, then triggered the fire alarm so that it would be a diversion for his escape. Excited about the impending adventure, I quickly told Dad my theory. To my surprise, Dad accepted what I had guessed and urged me to report the ominous-looking man to the authorities. As I called the authorities, I continued to spy on the strange man. He dashed, he jumped and he rolled across the floor. Lo and behold! He was trapped by his own escape plan! Being overwhelmed by panic, the shoppers had occupied every single possible exit to safety.
Irate, the man in black pushed through the crowd, but could not get far. With no other choice, he took out a knife and swayed it menacingly in the air. My suspicions were confirmed – he was a criminal! People of all ages backed off, trembling in fear. Now, the people had two causes for worry – the fire and the apparently insane man!
In the frenzy, an elderly man fell onto the ground, unconscious. At this moment, a police officer appeared out of nowhere and confronted the perpetrator. Instinctively, the criminal stabbed and swayed but was finally subdued as more police officers arrived.
Dad, the other shoppers and I were led out of the shopping mall as police officers cordoned it off for further investigation. By now, recordings from surveillance monitors had determined that there was no fire and that the fire alarm was indeed set off by the suspicious man.
News of the day’s events was widely publicized. There was a short feature of how my instincts about the crime led to the timely arrival of the police. However, I did not bask in the glory of my feat. I only had one wish in mind: May world peace be possible one day.
Last Saturday, Dad brought me to Jurong Point to buy groceries at the Fair Price supermarket. I dreaded that place as it was usually crowded. It was my worst nightmare! As I was complaining, I sensed frustration emanating from my father. He had become increasingly infuriated with my bombardment of complaints. He bellowed in my face, “You’d better shut that dissatisfied mouth of yours before I make sure it can never be functional!” I knew better than to disobey Dad when he was in such a foul mood, so I dragged my lethargic legs across the floor as I followed him through the boisterous crowd.
After spending an hour and a half at the supermarket, Dad and I made our way to the cashiers. To my utmost horror, there was an unbelievable 5-metre beeline in front of every cashier! Irritated to the point of explosion, I blurted out, “Not again!” Dad threw me an utterly stern look. Instantaneously, my lips sealed so tightly as if they were fused.
Out of the blue, an ear-piercing blare of the fire alarm reverberated throughout the mall. The once joyous place turned into a sight of hell. People went helter-skelter. Screams of terror filled the air. Panic-stricken shoppers scurried to any emergency exit they could access. It was total mayhem.
Mustering all my courage, I tried to stay calm as I was advised during the last fire drill in school. Dad, however, was “ice-cool” throughout the whole ordeal. He ordered me to call for help as he listened closely for any announcements made.
Suddenly, something swift and sinister caught my eye. He stood out from the crowd almost perfectly. He was clad in black and carried a black bag and suitcase. He seemed to be in a hurry to escape from the building, not because of the fear of a possible fire, but of the fear of being caught. I came to the conclusion that the man had most likely stolen something valuable from the supermarket, then triggered the fire alarm so that it would be a diversion for his escape. Excited about the impending adventure, I quickly told Dad my theory. To my surprise, Dad accepted what I had guessed and urged me to report the ominous-looking man to the authorities. As I called the authorities, I continued to spy on the strange man. He dashed, he jumped and he rolled across the floor. Lo and behold! He was trapped by his own escape plan! Being overwhelmed by panic, the shoppers had occupied every single possible exit to safety.
Irate, the man in black pushed through the crowd, but could not get far. With no other choice, he took out a knife and swayed it menacingly in the air. My suspicions were confirmed – he was a criminal! People of all ages backed off, trembling in fear. Now, the people had two causes for worry – the fire and the apparently insane man!
In the frenzy, an elderly man fell onto the ground, unconscious. At this moment, a police officer appeared out of nowhere and confronted the perpetrator. Instinctively, the criminal stabbed and swayed but was finally subdued as more police officers arrived.
Dad, the other shoppers and I were led out of the shopping mall as police officers cordoned it off for further investigation. By now, recordings from surveillance monitors had determined that there was no fire and that the fire alarm was indeed set off by the suspicious man.
News of the day’s events was widely publicized. There was a short feature of how my instincts about the crime led to the timely arrival of the police. However, I did not bask in the glory of my feat. I only had one wish in mind: May world peace be possible one day.
Bullying by Julian Goh
“Ring” The long awaited recess bell rang as throngs of eager students made a beeline for the canteen. Whereas for me, I was morose by the thought of missing my break and now found myself dragging my lethargic legs towards the most dreaded place in the school, the Staff Room, where my incensed teacher would give me a piece of her mind for not doing my homework.
Drifting away in my thoughts, a clamorous shriek, followed by some faint sobbing woke me from my reverie. My suspicion aroused, I took a quick glance around my vicinity. From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a big burly boy and a small-sized boy. The big boy stood there menacingly, arms akimbo, as lewd profanities spewed from his mouth which the defenseless boy curled up like a millipede and was crying profusely.
I was shocked by the scene that unfolded before me and finally decided to take matters into my own hands. Being a good Samaritan, I approached the bully and to my horror, I realized that it was John, the notorious “baddie”. I chided him for bullying a little boy but he gave me a scornful look and passed a scathing rebuke. Feeling unjustified, I held my anger and asked the little boy, “What did he do to you?”
In between sobs, the little boy replied, “He extorted money from me and I have been giving him my allowance for the past three days.” Bewildered by his unacceptable behaviour, I decided to put a stop to it. I said, “Why don’t we have a challenge? If I win, you must let the boy go.”
“Fine! Let’s fight!” John replied. At the back of my mind, I knew that I would lose so I decided to use an excuse.
I thought hard and could feel my mind gears whirring as a plan formulated in my head. I replied, “Since this is the World Cup period, let’s have a penalty shootout!” Being a soccer fanatic, he instantaneously nodded his head. We proceeded to the field with the little boy in tow. After playing for a while, it was over. The little boy was freed. John shot me a dejected look as he walked away in sorrow.
Like a bolt out of the blue, the recess bell rang again. I stood rooted to the ground and my face turned as pale as sheet. As if the Earth was getting warmer and warmer, I started perspiring profusely when I recalled that I still had to pay a visit to the staffroom and face my teacher. Nevertheless, I mustered all my courage and decided to face the music. When I saw my teacher, her face turned a bright shade of ruby red. She towered over me and demanded an explanation for being late! After relating the incident to her, she calmed down and praised me for being helpful. She even said that on account of what I did, she would not scold me for not doing my homework and gave me a chance. After that, she confronted and berated John and even took disciplinary action against him.
As I walked back to my classroom, I reflected on the things that happened in the short duration. Even though I got a hurtful scolding from John, the teacher let me off the hook and even praised me! This was indeed a blessing in disguise.
Drifting away in my thoughts, a clamorous shriek, followed by some faint sobbing woke me from my reverie. My suspicion aroused, I took a quick glance around my vicinity. From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a big burly boy and a small-sized boy. The big boy stood there menacingly, arms akimbo, as lewd profanities spewed from his mouth which the defenseless boy curled up like a millipede and was crying profusely.
I was shocked by the scene that unfolded before me and finally decided to take matters into my own hands. Being a good Samaritan, I approached the bully and to my horror, I realized that it was John, the notorious “baddie”. I chided him for bullying a little boy but he gave me a scornful look and passed a scathing rebuke. Feeling unjustified, I held my anger and asked the little boy, “What did he do to you?”
In between sobs, the little boy replied, “He extorted money from me and I have been giving him my allowance for the past three days.” Bewildered by his unacceptable behaviour, I decided to put a stop to it. I said, “Why don’t we have a challenge? If I win, you must let the boy go.”
“Fine! Let’s fight!” John replied. At the back of my mind, I knew that I would lose so I decided to use an excuse.
I thought hard and could feel my mind gears whirring as a plan formulated in my head. I replied, “Since this is the World Cup period, let’s have a penalty shootout!” Being a soccer fanatic, he instantaneously nodded his head. We proceeded to the field with the little boy in tow. After playing for a while, it was over. The little boy was freed. John shot me a dejected look as he walked away in sorrow.
Like a bolt out of the blue, the recess bell rang again. I stood rooted to the ground and my face turned as pale as sheet. As if the Earth was getting warmer and warmer, I started perspiring profusely when I recalled that I still had to pay a visit to the staffroom and face my teacher. Nevertheless, I mustered all my courage and decided to face the music. When I saw my teacher, her face turned a bright shade of ruby red. She towered over me and demanded an explanation for being late! After relating the incident to her, she calmed down and praised me for being helpful. She even said that on account of what I did, she would not scold me for not doing my homework and gave me a chance. After that, she confronted and berated John and even took disciplinary action against him.
As I walked back to my classroom, I reflected on the things that happened in the short duration. Even though I got a hurtful scolding from John, the teacher let me off the hook and even praised me! This was indeed a blessing in disguise.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Homework
Vocab p. 162-165.
Keep pressing on!
PSLE Oral is coming!
Keep reading aloud. Take any picture and talk about it.
During the conversation segment, pls remember to give specific examples and personal experiences. For example, instead of just saying that you like documentaries because they are interesting, you may talk about a specific documentary that you have watched. Talk about the content of that documentary and what you have learnt.
Do memorise some descriptive words and phrases that you have learnt for the compo exam next week. We will talk more about composition and situational writing on Thu.
Happy Founder's Day.
Keep pressing on!
PSLE Oral is coming!
Keep reading aloud. Take any picture and talk about it.
During the conversation segment, pls remember to give specific examples and personal experiences. For example, instead of just saying that you like documentaries because they are interesting, you may talk about a specific documentary that you have watched. Talk about the content of that documentary and what you have learnt.
Do memorise some descriptive words and phrases that you have learnt for the compo exam next week. We will talk more about composition and situational writing on Thu.
Happy Founder's Day.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Busy indeed
Sorry guys. I've been having meetings or workshops in the afternoons and the only time I have online, I need to clear the numerous emails that I receive. Will try to make the postings more regular.
Please hand in Practice Paper 6 tomorrow. Daniel, pls submit your composition on the crab incident too!
PSLE is drawing very near. PSLE Oral is in 18 days' time. We need to get all our gears whirring. You will reap whatever you sow (as Ian's recent composition will remind you). Press on and I am praying for you. Take good care of your health too.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
revival
Hi,
Hope you have all done your weekend homework:
1) Practice Paper 3
2) PSLE Booklet p. 31, 32
About 40 more work days left to PSLE. Press on! Do remember to take breaks now and then.
God bless.
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