Using Secondary School material to prepare my PSLE kid
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ridcully:
1000000 times of :goodpost:
The Secondary English practice books in Popular vary considerably in style, content and quality.Helping--Hand:
Last week, i went to popular to get some stuffs. I picked up a secondary 1 english practice book and began browsing it....
I was suprised :? that the practice is so similiar to p6's english: Synthesis, grammar,vocab, punctuation(i think there is) and etc.
Is Seconday 1's english similiar to p6? Can anyone tell me? Thanks ^^
(actually i thought that sec 1 is supposed to be difficult&different)
Secondary English is much tougher than Primary English. In Secondary English, students have to focus on comprehension and composition. A new aspect to comprehension is summary writing; this is something many students, especially in Secondary One, find enormously difficult. There is a large focus on vocabulary in comprehension. In compositional writing, there are many new genres and text types; students find argumentative writing particularly difficult.
In Secondary English, the subskills of grammar, punctuation, vocabulary etc are treated as that: subskills. In other words, they support the main areas of comprehension and composition. This contrasts with the focus in Primary English where the subskills are taught as worthy in their own right, and tested accordingly.
To give an example: one of the reasons summary writing is done poorly is that students do not join ideas together succinctly. This reflects poor Synthesis and Transformation skills. Secondary schools do teach connectors, but they are taught in order to strengthen written expression, not because there will be a S&T assessment worksheet as there is in the PSLE.
With regard to teaching students secondary school material to prepare for the PSLE, I have one word of advice: Don't. Actually, that's a contraction of two words... Most primary children burdened with secondary school material will not see the wood for the trees. You should make sure a child has a firm grasp of the basics for the PSLE, so that the child does not throw away easy points. It is true that there will be the odd one or two questions, especially in maths and science, where an exposure to secondary school material will give an edge, but is it worth exhausting a kid to chase those one or two points? I have seen kids score the one or two points but have lost easier points through carelessness and over-confidence.
Just my five cents worth...
Rgds
R -
I think there is an unspoken assumption that many might have missed : the use of secondary materials, esp lower sec, for pri 5 or 6, is meant for those who have no problem completing / covering / understanding the pri 5 and 6 stuff and goes deeper into the respective topics at higher level. in other words, the basic is already mastered.
it is no point asking someone struggling with the basic to try lower sec stuff -
ridcully:
Just my five cents worth...
Rgds
R
Inflation makes 2 cents worth become 5 cents. :rotflmao:
Actually your posts are worth far far more. Thanks for taking your time to explain.
I fear this kind of thread is just adding fuel to a kiasu mind.
Soon doing Sec books for P5/P6 will be the norm.
so your post might save some disasters -
Sun_2010:
:rotflmao: Thanks for the laugh! :celebrate:ridcully:
Just my five cents worth...
Rgds
R
Inflation makes 2 cents worth become 5 cents. :rotflmao:
Ridcully... :celebrate: -
Sun_2010:
I agree, priceless sharing. The PSLE 2013 thread is also converging in the same direction for the P4 kids. Discerning parents would ignore but there would be anxious ones who may take kiasu-ism to another dimension. May God bless the children in SG.ridcully:
Just my five cents worth...
Rgds
R
Inflation makes 2 cents worth become 5 cents. :rotflmao:
Actually your posts are worth far far more. Thanks for taking your time to explain.
I fear this kind of thread is just adding fuel to a kiasu mind.
Soon doing Sec books for P5/P6 will be the norm.
so your post might save some disasters
-
Any good guide books for secondary school’s subjects? TIA.
-
The fact still remains that the PSLE is a normed exam... pegged to the highest performer in order to discriminate who is best... better... good.
I use 2 chapters of a Sec 3 Compo book (just the chapters on Creative Writing) to help my son in English compo. He tops the class routinely, BUT he never scores above 30/40. This makes one wonder what it would take to score 35/40... JC assessment books? I never thought I would have to resort to this to help my son's compo marks move from 21/40 to 28/40.
I use 1 chapter of the same Sec 3 Compo book (the chapter on expository writing) because unbeknownst to many, expository writing is a critical skill for answering Science open-ended questions. The most difficult Science questions have 7 to 8 discrete ideas that need to be linked up and positioned for coherence.
In all, I use about a quarter of that book (my daughter's book)... and I would not have used it if we didn't already have it, and also that the content documented looked a lot like the Compo Powerpoint slides given to us at a Parent Workshop for PSLE Compo and his P3 & P4 Compo manual P4, except that DD's Sec 3 book explained it better.
So... are parents kiasu? Probably. But I am not about to sit by and watch my son score 21/40 in P5, for compos of this quality (written in P4)... http://littleboyscompositions.blogspot.com/2011/03/burglar-in-night.html
Parents respond to school feedback. If the schools feedback that a compo is worth 21/40 only, then parents will do something because the child is borderline... and since the compo seems already very good for Primary level, then it only means that to get the marks to a miserable 28/40, I've had to use a Sec 3 book.
PSLE should simply cap the standard at an invariant level, and not respond to the market as it were. Market forces drive everything up. One might as well say that HDB flat inflation is the fault of kiasu homeowners. Individuals respond to systemic influences. Parents are caught in the tsunami of inflationary pressures and unless I want to migrate, then I must help him improve from 21/40. If you tell parents not to do what it takes to help their kids, then you might as well tell families not to try and buy a flat.
Some parents can sit back and say \"It doesn't matter.\" I cannot. I cannot look into my son's eyes and see his heartbreak. I cannot face the tears of a little boy who studied hard everything teacher gave him and still failed or is only at borderline pass. If Sec 3 books are what he needs to be my happy go lucky one, then so be it.
I am sorry if I scare people. This is the reality I lived through. Only sharing it. Is all.
Right now, he is happy. He spent yesterday reading Cornelia Funke's Inkspell... and then he watched a video on forensic science with all the blood and gore and electrostatic lifting. SA2 is next week. I know he won't fail. I don't care that he is not FIRST in class so we're on holiday. Top 10 in class is good enough for me so he is happy... and I am happy. If I push him further he can perform even better, but we chatted and he decided that he wanted to play.
Now, he is happy and I am happy. He won't fail. That makes us both happy. -
Chenonceau:
Can you share your son's current composition?I thought the above was good.The fact still remains that the PSLE is a normed exam... pegged to the highest performer in order to discriminate who is best... better... good.
I use 2 chapters of a Sec 3 Compo book (just the chapters on Creative Writing) to help my son in English compo. He tops the class routinely, BUT he never scores above 30/40. This makes one wonder what it would take to score 35/40... JC assessment books? I never thought I would have to resort to this to help my son's compo marks move from 21/40 to 28/40.
I use 1 chapter of the same Sec 3 Compo book (the chapter on expository writing) because unbeknownst to many, expository writing is a critical skill for answering Science open-ended questions. The most difficult Science questions have 7 to 8 discrete ideas that need to be linked up and positioned for coherence.
In all, I use about a quarter of that book (my daughter's book)... and I would not have used it if we didn't already have it, and also that the content documented looked a lot like the Compo manual given to my son in P3 and P4, except that DD's Sec 3 book explained it better.
So... are parents kiasu? Probably. But I am not about to sit by and watch my son score 21/40 in P5, for compos of this quality (written in P4)... http://littleboyscompositions.blogspot.com/2011/03/burglar-in-night.html
Parents respond to school feedback. If the schools feedback that a compo is worth 21/40 only, then parents will do something because the child is borderline... and since the compo seems already very good for Primary level, then it only means that to get the marks to a miserable 28/40, I've had to use a Sec 3 book.
PSLE should simply cap the standard at an invariant level, and not respond to the market as it were. Market forces drive everything up. One might as well say that HDB flat inflation is the fault of kiasu homeowners. Individuals respond to systemic influences. Parents are caught in the tsunami of inflationary pressures and unless I want to migrate, then I must help him improve from 21/40.
I am sorry if I scare people. This is the reality I lived through. Only sharing it. Is all. How you teach your son's in creative writing,by memorising?From another forum,i heard people scoring 39.5/40,so amazing!!!
Thanks for sharing :udawoman: -
kitty2:
Nope... no memorising for English... Too hard to explain... we work on
Can you share your son's current composition?I thought the above was good.Chenonceau:
The fact still remains that the PSLE is a normed exam... pegged to the highest performer in order to discriminate who is best... better... good.
I use 2 chapters of a Sec 3 Compo book (just the chapters on Creative Writing) to help my son in English compo. He tops the class routinely, BUT he never scores above 30/40. This makes one wonder what it would take to score 35/40... JC assessment books? I never thought I would have to resort to this to help my son's compo marks move from 21/40 to 28/40.
I use 1 chapter of the same Sec 3 Compo book (the chapter on expository writing) because unbeknownst to many, expository writing is a critical skill for answering Science open-ended questions. The most difficult Science questions have 7 to 8 discrete ideas that need to be linked up and positioned for coherence.
In all, I use about a quarter of that book (my daughter's book)... and I would not have used it if we didn't already have it, and also that the content documented looked a lot like the Compo manual given to my son in P3 and P4, except that DD's Sec 3 book explained it better.
So... are parents kiasu? Probably. But I am not about to sit by and watch my son score 21/40 in P5, for compos of this quality (written in P4)... http://littleboyscompositions.blogspot.com/2011/03/burglar-in-night.html
Parents respond to school feedback. If the schools feedback that a compo is worth 21/40 only, then parents will do something because the child is borderline... and since the compo seems already very good for Primary level, then it only means that to get the marks to a miserable 28/40, I've had to use a Sec 3 book.
PSLE should simply cap the standard at an invariant level, and not respond to the market as it were. Market forces drive everything up. One might as well say that HDB flat inflation is the fault of kiasu homeowners. Individuals respond to systemic influences. Parents are caught in the tsunami of inflationary pressures and unless I want to migrate, then I must help him improve from 21/40.
I am sorry if I scare people. This is the reality I lived through. Only sharing it. Is all. How you teach your son's in creative writing,by memorising?From another forum,i heard people scoring 39.5/40,so amazing!!!
Thanks for sharing :udawoman:
(1) analogies and metaphors
(2) power words
(3) energy level plotting
(4) generating twists
(5) how to create suspense at the start
and other techniques
I will get him to type out his 28/40 compo into his blog and put a link here later. But VKS2010 is right... to use these materials the child must already possess a certain minimum standard. You can see from my son's blog that his P4 compos were already much better than what many adults can write. I was so proud of him then and thought I could relax for English only to get a shock in January this year.
If your child is not at a minimum level of competence, don't use the secondary books. -
The teacher has his compo file. I have typed in one of his latest creations ...
http://littleboyscompositions.blogspot.com/2011/10/flash-flood.html
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