1.1 The School Bell Rings Again…
Warm-up :
• Think and write.
New things I want to learn this year.
Computer Coding Spoken English Drawing and Painting Science Experiments
1. Read and recite.
The poem is about the beginning of a new school year. The students are now in Grade Six and are excited to learn many new things. The poet encourages students to work hard, learn together and always believe in themselves.
Word Basket
• buckle up : to get ready or prepare for something intense, exciting
• clan : a group of families who are related to each other
• commence : to start or begin
• slacking : decrease or reduce in intensity, quantity or speed
2. Read the following questions and tick 
the correct answer.
(i) What does the poem describe at the start?
(c) A new school year
(ii) What does “buckle up” suggest in the poem?
(b) Get ready for a journey
(iii) Which Grade are the students in?
(c) Grade Six
(iv) What new things will be added to the learning mix?
(b) Difficult calculations and writing
(v) How does the poet feel about each school term?
(c) Exciting
3. Discuss in pairs and answer the following.
(i) What is the poem about?
The poem is about the beginning of a new school year. It describes the excitement of entering Grade Six and learning many new things.
(ii) How does the poet describe each school term?
The poet describes each school term as exciting and full of new learning experiences.
(iii) How was your first day in the school? Explain in 2 or 3 sentences.
My first day in school was very exciting. I met my teachers and made new friends. I was happy because I was going to learn many new things.
4. Find and write rhyming words from the poem for the following.
(i) start – part
(ii) go – know
(iii) cracking – slacking
(iv) writing – exciting
5. Complete the following tree diagram.
Two new things you learnt in Grade Five
Fractions
Paragraph Writing
(Any other suitable answers may also be written.)
Poetic Device : Alliteration
Alliteration is a figure of speech where the same initial consonant sound is repeated in a series of nearby words.
e.g. “A year in which we will all take part.”
(Alliteration: we – will)
6. Find more examples of Alliteration from the poem.
• A year in which we will all take part.
• There are so many things we want to know!
• I think that as a classroom clan,
• So let’s begin, commence, get cracking;
Line-by-Line Explanation of the Poem
A new school year and a brand new start,
A new school year has begun. Everything is fresh and new. The students feel happy because they have another chance to learn, grow and make new memories.
A year in which we will all take part.
All the students will participate in learning and classroom activities together. Everyone will work, learn and enjoy as a team.
So “buckle up” and off we’ll go,
The poet asks the students to get ready for an exciting journey of learning. Just as we buckle up before travelling, students should prepare themselves for the new school year.
There are so many things we want to know!
The students are curious and eager to learn many new things. They want to discover new ideas, subjects and skills.
Now that we are in Grade Six,
The students have entered Grade Six. They are older now and are ready to accept new responsibilities and challenges.
New things will be added to the learning mix.
The students will learn many new topics and activities in Grade Six. Their knowledge and understanding will increase.
Difficult calculations, forms of writing;
The students will learn harder mathematical calculations and different types of writing. These things may be challenging, but they will also be useful and interesting.
Each term will be so exciting!
Every school term will bring new lessons, activities and experiences. The poet feels that the whole school year will be enjoyable and exciting.
I think that as a classroom clan,
The poet considers the class as one big family or team. All the students should help, support and learn together.
Our motto should be, “Yes, we can!”
The students should have confidence in themselves. They should believe that they can learn new things and overcome difficulties through hard work.
So let’s begin, commence, get cracking;
The poet encourages everyone to start learning and working immediately. They should begin the new school year with energy and enthusiasm.
Just remember there should be no slacking!
The poet reminds students not to be lazy or careless. They should work sincerely, remain active and always give their best throughout the school year.