Using Secondary School material to prepare my PSLE kid

[kitty2]

Lock:

Going back to the topic.

Someone mentioned that PSLE is not testing beyond PSLE. Well, if you take local textbks as the level and syllabus, then PSLE IS TESTING BEYOND. While I believe in preparing my kids for the challenging PSLE, I don't subscribe to getting them to go way way ahead or beyond.

My dd (P4) is in the best class and she had a secret wish to beat the top girl in her class who was top in P2 and in P3. One day, she went up and asked her how she managed to do so well. It came as a shock to me (so sua ku then) :oops: that she is always 1 level above the rest. For instance, when her peers were in P2 struggling with P2 work, she would already be doing P3 assessments. For this year, she has already finished her P5 assessments and will be going on to P6 this Dec hols. :faint:

Naturally, she will be the top girl again this year. My dd is the hardworking, motivated and competitive type. She did mentioned that she would like to go on the same accelerated learning as well. I asked her what for? She wanted to beat the top girl and be the top. And I asked her after beating her and be the top, then what? She couldn't answer me. My dd is already among the top 10 in the best class in her sch. She has a balanced time-table that includes, 'rotting' time (as some of you have mentioned) She doesn't have a good reason to do accelerated learning, at least the reason is not good enough for me. Why sacrifice play time for that few moments of pride and vanity? I would rather do scrapebooking, play cluedo and go cycling with her this hols then to start her on the P5/P6 syllabus which I know she will comply and cope if I push it. But what for?

My point is that as parents, we have to be the one who draw the line and know the limit as to when is enough. Yes, some kids may want to do nothing but study and do assessments beyond their level but they are afterall just kids. Do they know what they are really getting into or what they are missing out? We, as parents know better and we should provide that guidance.

:goodpost: PSLE is defintely testing beyond.By reading the textbook or just the school activity books will not pass PSLE.The're far too easy than the PSLE.Alot of kids are like your dd'd friend,they're always 1level more above the rest.It's very common now.

[Chenonceau]

Duplicate

[Chenonceau]

Lock:

While I believe in preparing my kids for the challenging PSLE, I don't subscribe to getting them to go way way ahead or beyond.

:goodpost: :rahrah: :goodpost:

Lock:

My dd (P4) is in the best class and she had a secret wish to beat the top girl in her class who was top in P2 and in P3. One day, she went up and asked her how she managed to do so well. It came as a shock to me (so sua ku then) :oops: that she is always 1 level above the rest. For instance, when her peers were in P2 struggling with P2 work, she would already be doing P3 assessments. For this year, she has already finished her P5 assessments and will be going on to P6 this Dec hols. :faint:

I only learnt this this year when my DS flunked in the first quarter. We really had to scramble. I regretted not teaching ahead.

Lock:

Naturally, she will be the top girl again this year. My dd is the hardworking, motivated and competitive type. She did mentioned that she would like to go on the same accelerated learning as well. I asked her what for?

I said the same thing to DS when he asked for P5 Math to do last Dec. My son was 8th last Dec and in the best class too. I was afraid that this year would be stressful and requested that he go into 2nd best this year. I regretted. Better to be last in best class than first in 2nd best... because best class gets different training. DS had to do volumes of easy homework. I had to write letters asking teachers to excuse him from HW.

Lock:

My point is that as parents, we have to be the one who draw the line and know the limit as to when is enough. Yes, some kids may want to do nothing but study and do assessments beyond their level but they are afterall just kids. Do they know what they are really getting into or what they are missing out? We, as parents know better and we should provide that guidance.

:goodpost: :rahrah: :goodpost:

[Strparent]

Chenonceau:

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.

Hi Chenonceau,

I would like to share what I think was the reason for the low marks. Just my personal views, hope you don't mind. No ill-intention intented whatsoever.

yr DS has good English language foundation and is able to apply appropriate verses and phrases well into his composition. If this was written similarly in a CHINESE compo ( with idioms and such ), he would have scored very well.

However, for English language, though the compo is relatively well written, the story is lacking in creavity and lacks the element of surprise, therefore not captivating. If I am not wrong, half of the marks alloated is for a child's composition is on the language itself, while the other half is on 'contents' - meaning interesting storyline, creative thinking, sort of like out-of-the-box concept. You can write very well, but if the essay lacks the 'punch', then it just look like a well cut&paste piece of work, lacking suspense , creativity, unexpected turns of events, etc.

I noticed that for chinese compo and english compo, they looked for entirely different perspective in the writing of stories.

My DS is always the lazy sort, his compo are usually filled with grammar mistakes and simple words, which I simply HATES, and always telling him to buck up on his vocabulary and grammar. But for some reasons, his teachers usually love his composition due to his different, unusual story lines. Even this year S1 in his sch, his English teacher was praising him while I was knocking his grammar mistakes. She said everyone can use nice words and phrases from books and write extremely well, but to be different, to be creative, to captivate the reader on the story itself, these factors are from within.

I am not saying which should be good, which is not - but I think teachers give marks not just for the good Enlgish written, but emphasis quite a lot of the actual storyline / contents creativity.

Just sharing my views. My DD is the one lacking the creativity. :sad:

[alng]

Hi Chenonceau,


Just to add on your ds’ creative writing. Your ds writes very well and I can see that he likes to write. However, as strparent has stated, 50% of the marks go to contents. If your ds has written that compo for a picture compo, he could have done badly in contents but scored very well in language. This is a common issue with my dd’s classmates. Many of them love to write and maintain a blog for their writings. But they do not score well in their compo. They score between 28-32. Those who score 35-36 are those who learnt the skills of writing and not excellent in the languages. Some of them do not even like the language and hardly read. My dd can score reasonably well in compo because she acquires the skills for content writing (i.e. meet the requirement of the contents) and she memorises good phrases to score for the language part. For content writing, I learn from the teacher that they look for logical reasoning and corherent details.

I have to struggle with English language during my school days. My dd has taught me that one needs not like the language or to read widely in order to score well in English language exam. I am not sure (and doubt) if this will continue for English Literature when she goes to secondary.

[Pen88n]

PiggyLalala:

Pen88n:

DS said he is now the \"Cinderella\" at home :rotflmao: - he had to sweep the floor, wash the dishes and iron his own shirts! He is starting to help with cooking too! :hi5:

Wow.. Pen88n, you are good, you can turn your ds to ''cinderella' to work at home. Do you have any magic wand that I can borrow, would like to turn my ds1 to be cinderella too. He is like the prince charming at home, playing his computers games, listening to songs and reading his storybooks. To get him to help out in the household chore is so tough. :mad:

PiggyLalala, it is just that DS is bored with playing and reading all the time (since he has been doing that for >4 weeks including going on play date with frens) and we parents cannot \"tahan\" him feeling bored. I do not want any more academic brainy stuff, but I need to find something to occupy him. So, in the name of teaching him \"survival skills\" (which I nicely put it as he will need when he is on his own, esp. living in hostel), I \"loaded\" some household chores on him.

[Chenonceau]

I am touched that both of you took the trouble to brainstorm possible flaws in DS' writing. :love: Here is my take.

Strparent:

However, for English language, though the compo is relatively well written, the story is lacking in creavity and lacks the element of surprise, therefore not captivating. If I am not wrong, half of the marks alloated is for a child's composition is on the language itself, while the other half is on 'contents' - meaning interesting storyline, creative thinking, sort of like out-of-the-box concept. You can write very well, but if the essay lacks the 'punch', then it just look like a well cut&paste piece of work, lacking suspense , creativity, unexpected turns of events, etc.

In P4, he was more often than not accused of TOO MUCH creativity. That was DS' problem last year. We dunno what is the problem this year but we do know that he is top in class for compo quite consistently and once, his Teacher said \"This compo is good and interesting but I won't photocopy it for the others because the language is TOO sophisticated and it may confuse others.\" :?

Strparent:

to captivate the reader on the story itself, these factors are from within.

Nope... there are writing techniques to generate interest and suspense. Also, it is too fatalistic too argue that creativity is only from within. I am a Psychologist, remember? I have access to valid tests of creativity used for research. My son is quite good on divergent thinking.

alng:

coherent details.

This is more likely his problem this year...

alng:

My dd has taught me that one needs not like the language or to read widely in order to score well in English language exam.

This is true. Those essays which score well are boring to read because over laden with details (I read two)... AND there are bombastic words hanging all over like a X'mas tree with clashing decorations. Balance and elegance is lacking.

I have actually been trying very hard to boring-fy his compo. And with some success because he managed to go from 28/40 (top in class) in CA2 to 32/40 (still top in class) in SA2. I have to keep telling him NOT to take too many risks with content, because if the teacher doesn't get it, then you don't get the marks. Something unrealistic but highly creative, like Lord of the Rings will FAIL content.

Sooooo... too interesting cannot... to boring cannot... At the end of the day, it depends on who is marking for content.

[alng]

Chenonceau:

I have to keep telling him NOT to take too many risks with content, because if the teacher doesn't get it, then you don't get the marks. Something unrealistic but highly creative, like Lord of the Rings will FAIL content.


Sooooo... too interesting cannot... to boring cannot... At the end of the day, it depends on who is marking for content.

I told my dd exactly the same thing. Do not be a heroine at exams. Do what you should at the exam, even if you have to repeat a compo that you have written before. Only take risks and try out new things at classwork.

But it can be quite difficult for someone who loves to read and write to follow that strategy. Imagine asking him or her to re-write something. How boring that would be!

[verykiasu2010]

alng:

Chenonceau:

I have to keep telling him NOT to take too many risks with content, because if the teacher doesn't get it, then you don't get the marks. Something unrealistic but highly creative, like Lord of the Rings will FAIL content.


Sooooo... too interesting cannot... to boring cannot... At the end of the day, it depends on who is marking for content.

I told my dd exactly the same thing. Do not be a heroine at exams. Do what you should at the exam, even if you have to repeat a compo that you have written before. Only take risks and try out new things at classwork.

But it can be quite difficult for someone who loves to read and write to follow that strategy. Imagine asking him or her to re-write something. How boring that would be!

冒险家is for the real world, not for the exam, and definitely not in PSLE

[Strparent]

Chenonceau:

In P4, he was more often than not accused of TOO MUCH creativity. That was DS' problem last year. We dunno what is the problem this year but we do know that he is top in class for compo quite consistently and once, his Teacher said \"This compo is good and interesting but I won't photocopy it for the others because the language is TOO sophisticated and it may confuse others.\" :?

there are writing techniques to generate interest and suspense. Also, it is too fatalistic too argue that creativity is only from within. I am a Psychologist, remember? I have access to valid tests of creativity used for research. My son is quite good on divergent thinking.
Those essays which score well are boring to read because over laden with details (I read two)... AND there are bombastic words hanging all over like a X'mas tree with clashing decorations. Balance and elegance is lacking.

At the end of the day, it depends on who is marking for content.

I guess the last statement says it best :evil: :evil:

maybe your DS was too imaginative initially, and the teacher misread it as trying too hard to impress, hence her statement about too sophisticated. Personally, I love his writing style, you can see the amount of effort he puts in and how well taught he is, for his age. I have a niece also like that, she writes a different story almost every week and reads widely, unlike my lazy DS :skeptical:

But I do know Chinese compo would bode well with sophistication, because DS simply memorise idioms and phrases and just throw them in whenever possible - his Chinese is actually worse than it seems LOL.

pardon the from within comment, those were not my words, that was from the RI PTM during mid year with his English teacher, and god knows I was arguing about her about her over-flattering comments because I know he is not putting enough effort. My DS knows that I am his biggest critic when it comes to school work.

All the best next year. :salute: