Secondary School Chinese

[KiddyLow]

Chen Laoshi, what is the difference in weightage or coverage for express and HMT? If my child is not offered to do HMT in Sec 1, is it advisable for him to take HMT tuition in sec 1 with the hope that he can qualify for HMT in sec 2? Thanks.

[chenlaoshi]

KiddyLow\" post_id=\"1950726\" time=\"1575088463\" user_id=\"26135:

Chen Laoshi, what is the difference in weightage or coverage for express and HMT? If my child is not offered to do HMT in Sec 1, is it advisable for him to take HMT tuition in sec 1 with the hope that he can qualify for HMT in sec 2? Thanks.

Hi KiddyLow,

For CL vs HCL format and weightage, do take a look at my old post:
https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=8835&p=1892326&hilit=chenlaoshi#p1892321

As for the situation you mentioned, IMO, unless the child's foundation + interest and passion in the language is strong, I would rather him/her focus to do well in CL - do more external reading, strengthen understanding of textbook syllabus which involves not just syllabus text but also rhetoric approach approaches, learn the must-know idioms and proverbs because even those who do well in PSLE CL and/or HCL tend to find Sec HCL challenging.

Baring in mind there are numerous other subjects to handle, relying on tuition to lay the foundation for Sec HCL may not be as straightforward as one may hope.

[manorway]

Thank you chenlaoshi. We have shown your reply and convinced the parents to stop this tuition service. I am not convinced the tutor's approach is suitable for the child's needs. There are no guided practices in the 3 lessons, except for 1 comprehension passage. I understand that it takes time to improve, so to be fair to the tutor, I am not looking for improvement after 3 lessons but more issues with the tutor's methods and how lesson time is used efficiently.


Please PM me if you have classes for O level (2020). Thanks.

chenlaoshi\" post_id=\"1949873\" time=\"1574815764\" user_id=\"162894:

Hi manorway,

- Regarding knowing individual characters, it is fundamental, since the progression towards understanding a passage is: 笔画 (strokes) > 字 (character) > 词 (phrase) > 句 (sentence) > 段 (paragraph) > 篇 (passage). 词语 are formed by combination of 字 and it is usually possible to infer the meaning of the 词语 based on the 字‘s meaning. However, this can be done via self-directed learning.

- As for the video they watch, is it related to topics that can help in 实用文, 作文 （议论文）and/or 口试? Besides, copying without understanding is ineffective.

- Do they do any guided practice on paper 1 and paper 2 components?

- Personally, in lessons, I will focus on areas that require guidance and discussions, i.e. more technique based, so as to maximize the effectiveness & efficiency of the weekly class time
( - identifying 词语搭配 and 关键词 and explaining the difference in meaning & usage of the choices in cloze passage,
- discussing/explaining content of passage in comprehension esp. those parts with underlying meaning as well as understanding what kind of response different types of compre questions are targeting at,
- discussion & mind-mapping in preparation for various themes/topics that can appear in email writing, argumentative/discursive writing and oral).

[manorway]

During my time, I remember doing 10 year series for some subjects but I don’t recall any for chinese.


Can someone please help to explain if it is advisable to practise 10 year series for O level Chinese too?

If so, is it something that school teachers will make sure students do or we have to buy the 10 year series ourselves?

[chenlaoshi]

manorway\" post_id=\"1950969\" time=\"1575217303\" user_id=\"9303:

Thank you chenlaoshi. We have shown your reply and convinced the parents to stop this tuition service. I am not convinced the tutor's approach is suitable for the child's needs. There are no guided practices in the 3 lessons, except for 1 comprehension passage. I understand that it takes time to improve, so to be fair to the tutor, I am not looking for improvement after 3 lessons but more issues with the tutor's methods and how lesson time is used efficiently.

Please PM me if you have classes for O level (2020). Thanks.

Don't mention it, manorway. Yes, general speaking, 1.5 hr x 4 x 12 = 72 hours = 3 days of tuition time a year. It's really about maximizing the effect and efficiency of each lesson. Ideally, it should be a supplement in addition to their own learning & revision, not merely a substitute - thus my preference in covering the more technical aspects which requires more explanation & guidance and discussion.

(Apologies, my schedule is already fully filled while my only Sec sch group class next year is for Sec 1 HCL.)

manorway\" post_id=\"1952075\" time=\"1575736808\" user_id=\"9303:

During my time, I remember doing 10 year series for some subjects but I don't recall any for chinese.

Can someone please help to explain if it is advisable to practise 10 year series for O level Chinese too?

If so, is it something that school teachers will make sure students do or we have to buy the 10 year series ourselves?

Actually, 10 year series has been around all the time.

For CL, majority of the school teachers will no go through 10 year series. If they do, it's usually practices on specific components, such as Paper 1 email writing. Thus, it's better to do on your own.

Do note that there were changes in exam format in 2012 for CL and 2014 for HCL. Largest change was Paper 1 letter writing switched to email writing - so for the other components, still can do as practice.

[qms]

chenlaoshi\" post_id=\"1952125\" time=\"1575776731\" user_id=\"162894:

For CL, majority of the school teachers will no go through 10 year series. If they do, it's usually practices on specific components, such as Paper 1 email writing. Thus, it's better to do on your own.

My son's Chinese teacher said that the publisher's answers do not really meet the O Levels standard. Doing the ten year series yourself and using the publisher's answers as a guide may not be good enough.

The school' s Chinese Dept came up with their own answers to help the students prepare for exams.

[chenlaoshi]

qms\" post_id=\"1952905\" time=\"1576138402\" user_id=\"5718:

chenlaoshi\" post_id=\"1952125\" time=\"1575776731\" user_id=\"162894:

For CL, majority of the school teachers will no go through 10 year series. If they do, it's usually practices on specific components, such as Paper 1 email writing. Thus, it's better to do on your own.

My son's Chinese teacher said that the publisher's answers do not really meet the O Levels standard. Doing the ten year series yourself and using the publisher's answers as a guide may not be good enough.

The school' s Chinese Dept came up with their own answers to help the students prepare for exams.

Yeah, it's similar situation to the answer sheets provided in past year school exam papers, esp. for 阅读理解二 Q25 & Q30 and 片段缩写 (for HCL). The suggested answers act more like reference for points/ideas towards answering the questions. So ideally, it'll be good seek advice on checking/grading those questions.

[phtthp]

Inside some Secondary schools booklist, they ask students to buy 250 Chinese idioms.


May we know for what purpose?
Are these 250 idioms going to help students in zuowen (Paper 1 ) or in Paper 2 understanding vocabulary ?

[Estéema]

phtthp\" post_id=\"1953168\" time=\"1576333461\" user_id=\"35251:

Inside some Secondary schools booklist, they ask students to buy 250 Chinese idioms.

May we know for what purpose?
Are these 250 idioms going to help students in zuowen (Paper 1 ) or in Paper 2 understanding vocabulary ?

It is MOE’s requirement for sec students to acquire those 250 Chinese Idioms as a minimum. This will booklet use up to sec 4.

[chenlaoshi]

phtthp\" post_id=\"1953168\" time=\"1576333461\" user_id=\"35251:

Inside some Secondary schools booklist, they ask students to buy 250 Chinese idioms.

May we know for what purpose?
Are these 250 idioms going to help students in zuowen (Paper 1 ) or in Paper 2 understanding vocabulary ?

There are several reasons behind the learning of these 'compulsory' idioms.

- they can appear as options in some of the cloze passage questions
- they can appear as part of the comprehension text
- understanding + correctly applying them will allow student to express himself/herself better, more accurately/clearly (一针见血) in oral, email writing, compo writing - esp. discursive & argumentative, as well as evaluative/discursive question under OE comprehension for related themes and topics, for e.g. gratitude 知恩图报、饮水思源; kindness 雪中送炭; arrogance/overconfidence 班门弄斧 不自量力 perseverance 百折不挠 持之以恒; hardwork & effort 不劳而获 不务正业 按部就班 一步登天 etc.

example from O'Level HCL & CL papers:
https://i.ibb.co/r0v5S3h/secclidioms.jpg\">