Science: Adaptations

25 animals Camouflage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpdoDBYuHIA

2 mins Adaptation of penguin giraffe and camel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRX2JtKFUzk

Detailed adaptation video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1kiCaoIq2M

Introduction and adaptation in action/ structural adaptation  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEDxThDINgQ

Animal and plant adaptations and behaviours

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/adaptations

Interesting video on Chameleon’s adaptation (26:55 to 3010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M8iBzl9x80

Litter-free Bus Service

 

Litter-Free Bus Services On 27 July 2007, Mrs. Lim Hwee Hua, Minister of State for Finance and Transport, launched the “Litter-Free Bus Services” Programme at Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange, a joint initiative by SBS Transit Ltd, SMRT Buses Ltd. and the National Environment Agency (NEA). Identified as one of the most littered public places in NEA’s six-month Litter Behaviour Study, bus interchanges and its services will now benefit from this programme aimed at involving key stakeholders (i.e., bus operators, bus commuters, bus captains and shop tenants) in keeping bus service premises litter-free. As an extension of “Singapore, Litter-Free” Campaign, this programme is rolled out to 21 bus interchanges and more than 3,650 buses island wide. With everyone taking ownership of his/her litter and keeping bus service premises litter-free, commuters can look forward to a cleaner and more comfortable bus travelling experience. The Launch of the “Litter-Free” Bus Services was in July 2007.

Information Text: The Internet

Comprehension questions

1.   What are the things that a person can do when he/she logs on to the Internet?

2.   Which word from the second paragraph tells you that the activities that one can carry out on the Internet are ‘not real’?

3.   Why did the author call the Web a ‘gigantic library’?

4.   How can the Web actually promote the sale of more books?

5.   Do you believe that hardcopy books will be replaced by the computers one day?  Why?

6.   How can one make sure that he/she uses the Internet in moderation?

7.   How would you feel if your best friend preferred the computer to your company?

8.   What would happen if the usage of the Internet by school children was not moderated?

Sample Compositions

 

Candle Flame and Spiral Experiment

In this activity, work in groups of fives or sixes to carry out the experiment on energy changes.

Aim: To observe a series of energy changes.

Materials you need:

• Spiral made from cardboard.
• String ( about 10cm long)
• Retort stand
• Candle
• Matches
• Scissors

Method and results:

(a)  Cut along the circular line drawn on the cardboard to make a spiral.

(b)  Tie one end of the string through the hole in the cardboard and the other end to the retort stand.

(c)  Place a candle below the spiral so that it is about 10cm above the candle (see figure below).

    

(d)  Light the candle and observe what happens to the spiral.

( Caution: Do not allow the spiral to touch the candle!)

What have you learnt from the experiment?

(a)  Explain what happened to the spiral ?

________________________________________________________

            ________________________________________________________

            ________________________________________________________

            ________________________________________________________

(b)  Trace the energy changes that caused the change in the spiral by  

       filling in the blanks below.

           

___________________ energy in _______________             _________________ and ___________________ energy in candle flame _______________ energy in the air  Kinetic energy in the _____________________ ________________ energy in the spiral.

 

Energy Conversions

The picture below shows a wind-up toy duck. In your groups of fives or sixes, carry out an experiment to find out if the number of turns the key of the wind-up toy is wound will affect the time taken for it to stop moving. You will need a wind-up toy and a stop-watch for this activity.

                                      

 Method:

(1) Wind the key of the wind-up toy one complete turn.

(2) Place the wind-up toy on the table.

(3) Start timing the wind-up toy with a stop-watch once it starts to move on the table.

(4) Stop timing once the wind-up toy stops moving.

(5) Record the time shown on the stop watch. Repeat steps (1) to (4) and find its average reading.

(6) Repeat steps (1) to (5) by winding the key with 2 and 3 complete  

     turns respectively.

(a) Record your findings on the table below.

	Time taken (1st reading)	Time taken (2nd reading)	Average time taken
1 turn
2 turns
3 turns

(b)   What is the relationship between the number of turns  of the key and  

     the time taken for the wind-up toy to stop moving? Explain your answer.

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Burning of Candle Wax  Experiment

What have you learnt?

3a)      Explain what happened to the candle wax?

            ________________________________________________________

            ________________________________________________________

3b)      Trace the energy changes that caused the change in the candle wax by filling in the blanks below:

_____________ energy in ________________              ___________________ energy in ___________              ______________ energy in ____________             _____________ energy in candle

 

  

Trace the energy changes in the following examples by filling in the blanks.

A book falling off a shelf and onto the ground.

 

1.

     ________________________ energy           __________________ energy

     + _________________ energy

Wind chimes ringing in the wind.

 

2.

     ___________________ energy              ________________ energy

A battery-operated music disc player playing a song.

 

3.

     _________________ energy            ___________________ energy

                 ___________________ energy

A boy shooting water out from a toy water pistol.

 

4.

     __________________ energy             __________________ energy

Solar-powered lamp giving out light at night.

 

5.

 

     Energy from the ____________  in the day             _______________

    energy at night

****** end of worksheet ******

Mystery of an Abandoned Car

Mystery of an Abandoned Car

Spelling  

1) a deserted stretch of road	11) victim was bound and gagged in his       own car
2) an abandoned car	12) a piece of cloth was stuffed into his        mouth
3) dark and dingy road	13) pulled my handy pen-knife out of my       pocket
4) crime scene	14) a series of grisly murders
5) stopped in my tracks	15) a gruesome tale of finding human       remains behind the house
6) gasped in horror	16) brutal murder
7) cautiously took a step closer to the car	17) well-known millionaire
8) body lying motionlessly	18) kidnappers demanded a ransom
9) legs and hands were bloodstained	19) find the culprits
10) a man tied up securely with ropes	20) heaved a sigh of relief

Dictation

I stopped at the entrance of a stretch of deserted road. It was a shortcut to Kelly’s house. Should I use the shortcut? “Yes!” I said firmly to myself. That way, I would reach her house a lot quicker. I strode forward but stopped almost immediately in my tracks. Right in the middle of the dark and dingy road was a car. It was very different from the ones I had seen on the main road. They were all sleek and shiny but this one….. well, it was covered with tiny spiders beginning to make their nasty cobwebs.

Print Article
>> Back to the article
Sep 20, 2007
Body found in car outside abandoned girl's NZ home
It is believed to be that of 3-year-old's mum; US police step up hunt for father
By Roger Maynard
SYDNEY - A BODY believed to be that of the mother of 'Pumpkin' - the little girl abandoned in Melbourne at
the weekend - was discovered in a car outside their New Zealand home yesterday.
Mr Michael Xue, the father of three-year-old Xue Qian Xun, is now regarded as the prime suspect in a
murder and kidnap investigation spanning three countries.
His 27-year-old wife Anan Liu was last seen alive 10 days ago.
Mr Xue flew to Los Angeles after apparently abandoning his daughter at Melbourne's Spencer Street
railway station, where she was found wandering on Saturday.
New Zealand Detective Inspector Dave Pearson was quoted by the New Zealand Herald yesterday as
saying: 'We're looking towards the child being kidnapped by Mr Xue.'
Police in the United States were last night stepping up their search for Mr Xue.
A post-mortem, to be carried out in New Zealand today, is expected to confirm that the body found in the
boot of the car is Ms Liu's.
The car was emblazoned with the logo 'Chinese Times', the name of a magazine published by Mr Xue, the
Herald reported.
Asked why it had taken so long to find the body, Senior Sergeant Simon Scott said there had been delays
in obtaining a search warrant.
Police had earlier expressed 'grave fears' for Ms Liu, who is believed to have met her 54-year-old husband
about five years ago in New Zealand when she was an international student.
Both Mr Xue and Ms Liu are from China.
Police became increasingly concerned for Ms Liu's safety after it emerged that the couple had a history of
domestic violence.
Earlier fears over the safety of Mr Xue's daughter from a previous marriage proved to be unfounded,
however.
Police said the young woman, who disappeared about five years ago, had been found living in New
Zealand.
Meanwhile, further details emerged yesterday about Mr Xue. He moved from China to New Zealand about
10 years ago and ran a martial arts school in Auckland, but was believed to be depressed and having
money problems.
And while he regularly attended social functions with his wife, their relationship was dogged by rows and
violence.
In June, a New Zealand court convicted him of assaulting his wife, and family friends claim he hit her
repeatedly. The situation apparently became so bad that Ms Liu fled the family home earlier this year and
moved to Wellington, although she returned to Auckland last month.
Story Print Friendly Page 1 of 2
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Police had also confiscated a large ceremonial sword from Mr Xue following a report of domestic violence.
He reclaimed it the day he left the country.
And while close associates said he was proud of Qian Xun, others claimed they never saw them together in
public.
Meanwhile, the girl is in foster care in Melbourne, although the Herald has reported that her grandmother
is preparing to fly to Australia and wants to take her back to China.
Social services staff said the child - nicknamed 'Pumpkin' after the brand of clothing she was wearing when
she was found - has been sleeping and eating well.
But she will need plenty of stability and affection in the coming days, they added.
New Zealand MP Pansy Wong, who knew the parents professionally, said she was devastated by the latest
developments.
'Obviously the body is still being identified, but we are all trying to digest this tragedy,' she said. 'I feel
very upset for Qian Xun.'
rogmaynard@compuserve.com
Copyright © 2007 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement & Condition of Access
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A Jumping Toy

Materials you need : 2 pieces of thick cardboard (about 4 cm x 6 cm) (or two phonecards) Rubber bands Masking tape Scissors Metre rule (or measuring tape)

Let’s make a jumping toy!

Procedure :

1. Making the toy

 (a) Cut out two slits near the edge of each piece of cardboard.

(b) Join the two pieces of cardboard together using masking tape.

(c) Tie a rubber band over the toy as shown below.

(d) Spread out the toy flat on a table and let it go. Watch it jump!

2. You are to increase the number of rubber bands used in your toy and record the height at which the toy jump for each rubber band.

(a) What is the aim of your experiment?

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

(b) Which of the following variable(s) should you keep the same and which variable(s) should you change? Tick ( P ) the correct boxes in the table below.

Variables	Keep the same ( P )	Change ( P )
Thickness of cardboard (card)
Number of rubber band
Size of rubber band
Size of cardboard

(c) Where did the toy obtain the energy to jump?

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

(d) Record your results in the table below.

Number of rubber bands	Height at which the toy jumped
	1st try	2nd try	3rd try	Average
1
2
3

(e) How does repeating the experiment make the results more accurate?

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

(f) What is the relationship between the number of rubber bands used and the height at which the toy jumped?

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

(g) Conclusion : How did the toy work? Fill in the blanks with the correct words given below. You may use each word more than once.

When the toy was spread out, the _________________________ rubber band had more ____________________________________. When the toy was let go, the rubber band which is ________________, returned to its original length, making the toy ____________. This is because the _____________________________  in the rubber band had changed to ____________________________.

elastic

jump

kinetic energy

stretched

elastic potential energy

 

(of the stretched rubber band)

(h) Write down the main energy change in this experiment.