Unpacking the PSLE Oral & P5 Oral – Recycling

The PSLE Oral, (thankfully) did not hold any surprises for my students this year. We had prepared both topics well and explored how to answer the different question types such as Are you like the boy in the picture?

While it held no surprises, the theme of recycling did make my students on Day 1 very happy. It is one of the ‘common’ themes that I usually explore at the start of the year, as well as, in the second half of the year. I also worked on this theme during the June holiday PSLE Oral workshop. So for those students who attended that workshop, I hope that what we worked on did help you for PSLE.

So while my P6 students bid adieu to the Oral component, the P3s to P5s at TF have begun working on this component this month and will do so till after the Oral SA2. With a mixture of class and individual testing, our students gain confidence and knowledge on how to manage different themes and questions. This is essential for the P5s this year, many of whom were not tested on the oral component for SA1 and many still who were not even tested during their P4 SA2 last year due to the increase of Covid-19 cases.

Below is an SBC on the theme of recycling that we worked on during the PSLE June holiday workshop. At TF we use the technique TREES approach to help students answer the SBC questions.

PSLE oral model: Recycling

Question 1: Would you attend this talk?

Thought

Yes, I would definitely attend this talk.

Reason 1 & Example

I feel very passionate about the 5R’s and I think that this talk will give me more knowledge and ideas about how to tackle this topic of reducing waste at home and in school.

Reason 2 & Example

There will be experts who have researched and tested out ways to reduce waste who will be sharing with us their experiences so I think that is highly informative. I have not read the Zero Waste blog but if it is a popular, it probably has a lot of useful information.

Reason 3 & Example

The talk is also after the PSLE and it is held at the school hall after school. This will be the perfect way to spend my free time and I do not need to travel far to attend the talk.

Reason 4 & Example

Every participant at the talk will also receive a shopping tote bag and I may stand the chance to win a mini compost maker. I have read about compost makers where certain food wastes can be recycled and I am very interested to try that at home. However, the compost makers are usually quite expensive so winning one will be exciting!

Experience

During the HBL period, I watched a talk online about reducing waste. The talk was targeted at children and how we can help reduce waste in our own way like making sure that we only use what we need, not buy unnecessary items and the proper ways to cycle our products. I was impressed by the talk and found it beneficial. I even employed some of these ways at home and suggested them to my teacher.

So, I believe that this talk will be very beneficial and interesting.

Opinion

In my opinion, practicing the 5 R’s is crucial in reducing waste and keeping our earth healthy.

---

Question 2: Looking at the poster, do you practice any of the 5R’s at home and which would you like to try?

Reason 1 & Example

We recycle at home. We put all out newspapers, papers, tin cans and plastic bottles in different bags for recycling. The last person to finish drinking from the can or the plastic bottle has to wash it and recycle it. Then, once a week, we will head to the recycling bin near our block and place these in the correct recycling bin.

Reason 2 & Example

We also reuse paper and sometimes make craft out of them. My sister and I will put our used papers into a box and then take them out to do some doodling or even Math calculations.

I have owned a metal straw for a few years now so I don’t have to use plastic straws anymore. It came in a nice cloth bag and I carry it with me wherever I go. I have also bought a reusable silicone bag to pack in my snacks instead of using a plastic ziploc bag.

Reason 3 & Example

My mother always reminds us to reduce waste and only buy things that we really need. We borrow books from the library and we will also borrow books on Libby which is the application for borrowing E-books from the library. In this way we do not need to accumulate books that we read only once and then throw them away.

Reason 4 & Example

We have a few shopping bags at home which we carry with us when we go buy groceries or when we go shopping. Nowadays shops charge for the plastic bags that they give us. This is a good way to encourage everyone to bring their own reusable bags instead of using plastic bags which pollute the earth.

Reason 5 & Example

I have not tried to turn out food waste into compost yet as we need a compost maker to do so. As we live in a flat, we do not have the space for a big compost maker so we will need to try a small one and see if it works.

Suggestion & Opinion

 I suggest that we should learn to reduce our waste as there are limited resources on Earth and we need to keep those resources for further generations. It simply requires time and some effort to recycle, reduce and reuse.

---

Question 3: How can your school promote the 5R’s?

Reason1 & Example

I think that our school should have a Recycling Week instead of just one day. There are so many things that children need to learn about recycling that a week of activities will be beneficial to everyone.

Reason 2 & Example

Students can put up informative posters about the 5R’s in areas where pupils can stop to read them like in the school canteen. The posters should be eye-catching and easy to understand for the lower primary students.

Reason 3 & Example

Schools should also organize more talks like the one in the poster to help educate students on how they can practice the 5R’s. Many students want to help the environment but they are not sure how. Educating them is the key to success.

Experience

This year, my school organized a Kindness Day. Students were encouraged to make posters about kindness and put them up in the schools. They also had a competition and the best poster design received prices.

Opinion

In my opinion, it is important that everyone start practicing the 5R’s seriously. Our landfills are overflowing with waste and we need to do something about it urgently.