Greek Mythology: Trojan Horse

After fighting for ten long years, neither the Greeks nor the Trojans seemed to be able to win the battle, until one of the Greek kings, Odysseus of Ithaca, had an idea.

"Build a big wooden horse on wheels," he said, "big enough for a bunch of Greek soldiers to hide inside it." So the Greeks did. Then the Greeks all pretended to sail home (except the ones hiding inside the horse!). They acted like they had given up and left. But in truth, they hid just around the corner.

Soon the Trojans found the horse. "What is it?" they asked each other. Nobody knew. (The Greek soldiers hiding inside kept very quiet). Then they found a Greek soldier hiding nearby. He said (though this was part of the trick) that the other Greeks hated him and they had left him behind. So the Trojans asked him what the horse was for. He said it was an offering to Athena.

Well, the Trojans did not want to upset Athena either, so they rolled the big horse into the city of Troy. It was so big it would not go through the gate, and they had to tear down a piece of the city wall to get it in. They left it at the temple of Athena, and then the Trojans had a big party to celebrate the end of the war. All the while, the Greek soldiers inside the horse kept very quiet and still.

Finally, after the great celebration of the end of the war, everyone fell asleep, and NOW the Greek soldiers came out of the Trojan Horse and killed the guards on the walls. They signalled to the other Greeks to come attack Troy. They could get in now because the walls were torn down. There was a big battle and the Greeks won. All the Trojan men were killed, and all the women and children were taken back to Greece as slaves.

Greek Mythology: Echo and Narcissus

The ancient Greeks have many interesting myths and legends. I'll add on to the list as and when I come across them:

Echo and Narcissus



In Greek mythology Echo was a wood nymph who loved a youth by the name of Narcissus. He was a beautiful creature loved by many but Narcissus loved no one. He enjoyed attention, praise and envy. In Narcissus' eyes nobody matched him and as such he considered none were worthy of him.

Echo's passion for Narcissus was equaled only by her passion for talking as she always had to have the last word. One day she enabled the escape of the goddess Juno's adulterous husband by engaging Juno in conversation. On finding out Echo's treachery Juno cursed Echo by removing her voice with the exception that she could only speak that which was spoken to her.

Echo often waited in the woods to see Narcissus hoping for a chance to be noticed. One day as she lingered in the bushes he heard her footsteps and called out “Who's here?” Echo replied “Here!” Narcissus called again "Come", Echo replied "Come!". Narcissus called once more “Why do you shun me?... Let us join one another.” Echo was overjoyed that Narcissus had asked her to join him. She longed to tell him who she was and of all the love she had for him in her heart but she could not speak. She ran towards him and threw herself upon him.

Narcissus became angry “Hands off! I would rather die than you should have me!” and threw Echo to the ground. Echo left the woods a ruin, her heart broken. Ashamed she ran away to live in the mountains yearning for a love that would never be returned. The grief killed her. Her body became one with the mountain stone. All that remained was her voice which replied in kind when others spoke.

Narcissus continued to attract many nymphs all of whom he briefly entertained before scorning and refusing them. The gods grew tired of his behaviour and cursed Narcissus. They wanted him to know what it felt like to love and never be loved. They made it so there was only one whom he would love, someone who was not real and could never love him back.

One day whilst out enjoying the sunshine Narcissus came upon a pool of water. As he gazed into it he caught a glimpse of what he thought was a beautiful water spirit. He did not recognise his own reflection and was immediately enamoured. Narcissus bent down his head to kiss the vision. As he did so the reflection mimicked his actions. Taking this as a sign of reciprocation Narcissus reached into the pool to draw the water spirit to him. The water displaced and the vision was gone. He panicked, where had his love gone? When the water became calm the water spirit returned. “Why, beautiful being, do you shun me? Surely my face is not one to repel you. The nymphs love me, and you yourself look not indifferent upon me. When I stretch forth my arms you do the same; and you smile upon me and answer my beckonings with the like.” Again he reached out and again his love disappeared. Frightened to touch the water Narcissus lay still by the pool gazing in to the eyes of his vision.

He cried in frustration. As he did so Echo also cried. He did not move, he did not eat or drink, he only suffered. As he pined he became gaunt loosing his beauty. The nymphs that loved him pleaded with him to come away from the pool. As they did so Echo also pleaded with him. He was transfixed; he wanted to stay there forever. Narcissus like Echo died with grief. His body disappeared and where his body once lay a flower grew in it's place. The nymphs mourned his death and as they mourned Echo also mourned.

A narcissistic person is someone who only has eyes for himself.

We are Singapore

Remember I talked about the National Day song "There was a time when people said that Singapore won't make it"?

The title is "We are Singapore".

To watch the MTV and listen to the song, click here.

Pointers for your composition writing

I have marked your latest compositions that some of you submitted.

There are still some common mistakes present in the scripts. Do avoid them in your Paper 1 exam:

1) 'Me and my friend' or 'I and my friend' is wrong.
Correct structure: My friend and I

2) Paragraph your story
Without paragraphs, you will be marked one band down. Please remember to paragraph it.

3) Check your tense. A written story is usually in PAST tense. Please read through your story to check if you have changed all the verbs to past tense, where necessary.
Please read through the "Past tense and Past Particle" worksheet you have done and filed in your Worksheet and Revision Papers File.

4) Use a present tense after the word 'to'
Eg. to go, to eat, to run, to buy, to sleep, to dance, to sing

5) Be specific
Name the shopping centre, the shop, your friend you include in your story
Instead of writing 'We went to the shopping centre to do some shopping.", write "We went to Northpoint Shopping Centre to do some shopping."
Instead of writing 'My friend and I were hungry.', write 'My friend, Alice, and I were hungry.'

6) Clothes shop is called a 'boutique'. Bread shop or cake shop is called a 'confectionery'. Spectacles shop is called an 'optical shop'.

7) A policeman cannot send the criminal to jail. He can only take him to the police station.

Term 4 Week 5 Spelling List

Theme: Fire

Page No.: 82 - 84

1) frantic screams

2) chaos broke out

4) arson

6) extinguish the flames

10) converged on the scene

13) defying all attempts

15) devastating

20) worth salvaging

21) reduced vast swathes

24) whirled in all directions

New Mock Test Dates

Maths - 13 Oct, Wednesday

Science - 14 Oct, Thursday

English - 15 Oct, Friday

SSM ( Maths) - 12 Oct, Tuesday (During Math Periods)

Term 4 Week 4 Spelling

Theme: Burglary / Theft / Murder

Page numbers: 80, 81, 86

2) stood rooted to the spot

3) took to his heels

4) rummaged through

1) whizzed to the crime scene

2) silhouette

5) series of grisly murders

6) gruesome tale

7) brutal

8) started ... enquiry

10) ghastly details

It will be conducted on next Monday, 11 October.

P5 English Mock Test (Week 5)

There will be a mock test in Week 5 for each subject:

1) Science - Monday 11 October
2) English - Wednesday 13 October
3) Maths - Tuesday 12 October

The tests' contents will be what you have been taught.

Racial Harmony Pics

Term 4 Week 3 Spelling

pp 78 - 80 Theme: Beach/Sea

1) desperately screaming

3) picturesque sight

5) sound of waves crashing

8) tantalizing glimpse

14) last ounce of strength

15) crystal clear

17) glittered gold

18) luxuriate

21) plopped down

23) sun-drenched

Spelling date: Monday, 4 October

A Note of Thanks

Thank you, 5 Commitment.

I really appreciate it when I read how you spoke up for me on Facebook. I am very touched.

Quizzes and Games

Hi children,

I have sourced for these quizzes and games for you to try out.

Do have a go at these quizzes:
1) Past versus Present
2) Present and past tense
3) Simple present and present continuous
4) Simple present and simple future
5) Present, past and non-continuous

Basketball games on:
1) Past tense
(Click on 'play game'. There are 3 choices for you to make or click on: 1 point, 2 points or 3 points)
2) Verb usage (past, present and future)
3) Prepositions (on, over, in, behind, between, above, under etc)
4) Comparatives (more than, -er)
5) Auxiliary verbs (can, could, will, would, may, might, shall, should etc)

Notes on:
Present tense and past tense

Have fun!

Term 3 Week 8 Spelling

1) caressing

2) tranquillity

3) pointed enthusiastically

4) reminiscing about the good times

5) danger that lurked ahead

6)hesitated

7) stepped gingerly

8) frantically

9) precarious situation

10) relentless

Spelling for Week 2

Theme: Accidents
Page no.: 76 - 77

1) nauseated and dizzy

4) charred beyond recognition

5) summoned the ambulance

6) wreckage exploded

15) swerved ... winding and bumpy

18) lying prone

19) retch

23) went into convulsion

25) incapacitated

28) showed great sangfroid

Class Photographs

I have attached the class photos for your reference. Your parents can also take a look at the pictures if you wish that they could help you to choose which one to buy. You can click on the pictures for an enlarged view.

Please remember to bring the money and the envelope next Thursday or Friday. The vendor will be at the canteen to take down your order.

Have fun choosing the pictures!

It's no joke!

(Click on the article for an enlarged version)

This report is about a Taiwanese woman who drank 7 litres of water a day - 3 times more than than recommended amount - in the hope of decreasing her blood pressure.

In short, the article tells us that drinking too much water on a constant basis can lead to hyponatremia, a condition where there is insufficient sodium in your blood, resulting in loss of sight or blindness.

So while it is good to drink lots of water, do not overdrink.

Class Photo-taking on Friday

Hi children,

Please come in your school uniform on Friday, 3 September, as I will be taking a class photo with you on that day instead of the scheduled 2 September.

National Day 2010

Some pictures to share with you on National Day ...

At the Parade Square
Scouts carrying the State Flag

In the hall

Mr Kiran and Mr Lim

Indian dance

Malay dance

Chinese dance

Our endearing Mr Chua

Benedict and his brother

Term 2 Spelling 3

p. 127

1. quiver (line 2)
2. concrete debris (line 4)
3. staggering (line 6)
4. soot and ash (line 8)
5. consumed (line 11)
6. inferno (line 12)
7. personal identification (line 16)
8. packed solid (line 19)
9. mangled (line 22)
10. speculated (line 25)

Term 2 Spelling (2)

The Spelling will be conducted on next Monday, 12 April 2010.

All the best!

p. 115

1. twirling (line 2)
2. lay undone (line 4)
3. pry open (line 6)
4. gone abroad (line 7)
5. audacity (line 9)
6. had the nerve (line 10)
7. dizzy with fright and anxiety (line 13)
8. nowhere to escape (line 21)
9. red-handed (line 22)
10. disappear into the darkness (line 24)

NEWater Plant Visit

Children,

Please help to spread the word around or inform your friends if they are listed below:

These are the children who have not submitted their consent form to me:

1) Beckham
2) Benedict
3) Hari
4) Jay
5) Alzakry
6) Navin
7) Nur Hidayah bte Fakrudin
8) Plinio
9) Sneha
10) Thandar
11) Lee Cheng

Please hand in your consent forms to me as soon as possible.

These children:
1) Xuemin
2) Mei Yan
3) Yong Chuan

Please note that you will join the class in the Visit on 16 April 2010.

Free admission to Singapore Museums

Hi children,

There will be free admission for the National Museum, and the other museums (Singapore Art Museum, Peranakan Museum and Singapore Philatelic Museum), tomorrow, in celebration of the opening of the Circle Line.

I encourage you to pay the museums a visit.

More information can be found here.

Post activity for 'Ant Tribe'

Dear students,

The 'ants' in Ant Tribe in China earn meagre salaries, are employed in sales jobs, insurance and technical support, and live in poor conditions.

Do research on the life of fresh graduates in Singapore ie. how much they earn, what kind of jobs they are employed in and where they live, and share with us in the Comment section.

Please help remind each other

Students who have not handed in their report book:

1) Beckham
2) Jay

Students who have not handed in their CA1 paper:

1) Jay
2) Plinio

Term 2 Spelling (Week 1)

p. 114 of Creative Writing Phrases Book

1. muscular with broad shoulders (line 9)
2. dishevelled (line 10)
3. perspiring profusely (line 12)
4. browsing (line 14)
5. scan the purchases (line 19)
6. glimmering under the light (line 21)
7. ransacked (line 25)
8. criminal (line 26)
9. interrogated (line 32)
10. assured (line 33)

'Common Cents' Performance

Dear children,

Please be in school at 1.15 pm tomorrow.

Attendance will be taken at 1.30pm and the bus will leave at 1.45pm. We will not be able to wait for you if you are late.

Health Check & Vaccination

Health Check falls on Tuesday, 9 March 2010, which is tomorrow.

Please be in your PE attire.

Homework

Dear children,

Please complete Review 2 of your Homework Book (pp 65 - 78) as revision for your CA1.

Do inform your classmates about it if you've read this message. I shall appreciate it very much!

Since it is a revision for your CA1, which is on this coming Monday, I do expect that you complete Review 2 by Sunday and hand it in on Monday, after CA1.

Health Booklet

Dear children,

Please bring your Health Booklet for submission by Friday, this week.

As for foreigners or non-Singaporeans, please submit your vaccination certificates.

I shall be collecting them on Friday.

Chinese New Year

Hi children,

Your along-awaited CNY pictures:

Task 3 - E-journaling

Dear children,

You may answer only one of the questions below.

Please keep your comment to about 50 to 100 words.

1. What are the qualities you admire most in your grandfather? Explain why you admire such qualities.

2. If you were granted one wish, what would it be? Why?

3. Johnson became an orphan when he was ten years old. Explain in your own words what he would desire most ie. how he would feel and how he could try to overcome this feeling of being alone in this world.

Spelling 4

Our next Spelling will be conducted in Week 8, 25 February, Thursday.

From p. 101 of 'Creative Writing' Book:

1. It was a blisteringly hot and windless Tuesday afternoon.
2. The train was so crowded that I had to push and wriggle my way out of the train.
3. I had to jostle my way to get to the end of the train.
4. The train halted suddenly, sending the standing passengers to fall forward.
5. A piercing scream was heard as I got out of the train.
6. I saw a middle-aged woman struggling frantically to her feet.
7. At the same time, she was gesturing in silent anger towards a teenage boy who was running towards me.
8. The teenage boy was clutching onto a woman's handbag.
9. He rolled over several times, ending up in front of a man in a security uniform.
10. She thanked me profusely and offered me $50 from her purse as a reward.

Dress Code for Tomorrow

Hi children,

Please be in traditional clothes tomorrow. If you do not have Chinese traditional costumes, you may wear your own ethnic, traditional costumes ie. Malay's baju kurung or Indian's sari, as long as they are red or gold.

Do not worry if you do not have traditional costumes. A red t-shirt will do just fine. However, please do not wear spaghetti straps or singlets to school.

If you do not have red tops either, do not worry. Just come to school in your school uniform. We will celebrate all the same and I'm sure there are many other children who will be wearing school uniforms as well.

As for the bottoms, you may wear school culottes if you do not have a matching bottom for your red top. DO NOT wear jeans to school as jeans are considered casual and not appropriate for school.

Chinese New Year Decoration

Hi children,

The school is organising a Chinese New Year decoration competition to liven up festive mood.

Criteria is as below:

Usage of recycled materials - 50%

Following the theme 'Year of the Tiger' - 25%

Creativity in design which includes:
good use of colours - 10%
decorations - 15%

Total points - 100%

The top 3 classes for each level will be given prizes.

The classrooms will be judged on next Thursday, 11 February.

So think of ideas on how to decorate your class, with recycled materials in particular. We can have a brief discussion on this matter when we come back to school on Monday.

Task 2

Research on one of the following topics:

1) Life on the moon

2) Time travel

3) Life of a landlord

Include the website address or books that you get your information from. Avoid copying and pasting information directly from the website or books. Instead, you may want to phrase the answers in your own words.

Keep your research to about 50 - 100 words.

Happy commenting!

Doodle Google

Hi children,

Good news!

You can hand in your Doodle for Google next week, with the accompaniment of a short write-up. That will give you ample time to write about your Doodle.

Please hand them in by next Monday.

Spelling 3

Spelling 3 will be conducted in Week 6, 11 February, Thursday.

The list is as below:
pp 80 - 81 (Burglary / Thief)
1) I saw two men clad in black jeans, white T-shirts and black jackets with white markings.
2) "A burglar!" I thought. The pounding of my heart filled my chest and I stood rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do. My eyes scanned the stairway.
3) The thief quickly took to his heels with her handbag.
4) Drawers and cupboards had been rummaged through and empty jewellery boxes were strewn across the once tidy room.
5) To prevent this from happening again, we installed window grilles on every window.
6) He snatched her handbag from her before taking off at breakneck speed.

p 86 (Murder)
7) The police car whizzed to the crime scene.
8) Straining my eyes, I saw a silhouette of a strongly-built man in the dark night.
9) Her legs and hands were bloodstained. Blood was still seeping through her clothes.
10) My heart palpitated. I bit back a scream, quickly snatched Tim's mobile phone and called the police.

Meanwhile, look through these pages and consider the meaning of these words.

Do bring your Creative Writing Phrases Book on Monday as I will be going through the words and their meaning with you.

The Faces