2012 PSLE Discussions and Strategy
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HAPPYH:
No worries; glad to be of some help
Thank you so much for sharing. :hugs: How long did your DD take to finish this compo? My DD will take at least an hour plus. She always do the beginning part and midpart relatively well. But the ending will be short and she will always say she ran out of time. How to solve this issue? Any suggestions/advice? Thank you once again.
The kids MUST finish this within the alloted time and DD stole 5 minutes from the Situational Writing section to do slightly more on the compo but by the time we were facing the PSLE, DD was able to do something like this [ and complete editing and checking] within the 50 minutes + 5 minutes she 'stole\" from the other section. For this piece, I can't remember how long she took but it looks like an early piece, so while she would have finished her first attempt within the prescribed time of 50 minutes, I am quite sure that the re-writing exercise we went through took a whole afternoon at least.
Yes, the kids do tire out and initially, we did take about 3 hours just to 'correct\" a first attempt sentence by sentence and paragraph by paragraph. But there is still value in that - quality and not quantity was what we aimed for.
The thinking behind the compo is critical and that was what we spent alot of time on - why we write it this way and not another way.
Sometimes when a whole compo was too much for the the both of us [ and there were many of such days], we would work on re-writes for paragraphs instead. Typically, kids get quite a lot of practice for the beginnings - but really the marks are awarded at the end so you can't neglect this part of it too.
Reading good models with a guide to take them through these [pointing out where the good parts and weak parts are] also helps.
Above all, the 99% perspiration bit - I'm afraid we found no escape from that.
There really isn't any magic to this - hard work, a good guide - the kids really benefit from these. Gb! -
Thanks psle2011mum… Another wonderful piece of compo to "inspire" my DS;)
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Peony:
Ha.. Ha.. How to wear mask everyday. Not environmental friendly & very costly. Just cover up Your nose & mouth with your hand if it happens inside the lift or just wait for the next lift. We can't expect everybody to be so considerate. We have a lot to learn from the Japanese.Aside from the nutritious food, am also concered about external factors - people sneezing and coughing openly.
Yesterday while we were in a lift lobby, someone coughed openly. My DD and I dared not enter the lift with her. Then DD said,\"should I wear a mask when we go out?\"
Do I/we sound :siao: -
Thank you psle2011mum ! Much much appreciate your sharings.
We are cutting out deep fried food. I boil soup every other day. Making sure sufficient sleep (for both general and soldier) and some outdoor time.
Gosh... :siam: ...final battle is creeping really close !
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psle2011mum:
:thankyou: psle2011mum for the sharing again. Appreciate that you took time to key the compo out !My apologies - an avalanche of work landed late last week and delayed this.
Hope you have fun with your DC with this next compo.
Copyright waived if you are a student or parent guiding your child but not otherwise.
Gb!
Snatch Thief
“What a bad day it has been!” I thought grumpily to myself. Not only did I get scolded by my boss for not completing my mountain of work on time, but I had also forgotten to bring my wallet that day and had been too embarrassed to borrow any money to take the bus home after my EZ-link card had run out of value. Lunch had been a poor meal of Milo and biscuits from the office pantry and now, tired, hungry and angry, a frown was etched on my face as I stomped back home.
Comment: One of the strategies you can use [ although the child needs to be mature enough to carry the ‘voice” of the compo through] is to write from the perspective of an adult. DD used this when the compo topic was a ‘tired” one [ set ever so often] like this one. We used more words to describe after some words to “tell” eg tired, hungry and angry, a frown was etched on my face as I stomped back home.
\tOn route, near a shopping mall in my neighbourhood, I felt a sweaty, hirsute arm knock roughly into my elbow, almost knocking me over as the culprit rushed away without even so much as a backward glance. “Why am I so unlucky today?” I moaned as I massaged my aching elbow. Wallowing in self pity, my depressed mutterings were rudely interrupted when a woman’s shrill scream pierced the air! “Thief! Help! Thief! That man stole my handbag! Catch that no good scoundrel!”
\t
Comment: “hirsute” is a word I didn’t know myself – DD picked this up from a classmate who had picked it up from a tutor. Again, instead of saying something like “ a burly man rushed past me”, we used a lot more descriptive phrases and included action, words and emotions. See too, the words we used throughout the compo to refer to the thief.
\tMy instincts kicked in and without a second thought, I rushed forward, adrenaline pumping in my veins. I ran as if powered my some unknown force and with the scumbag of a thief in sight, I mounted a last gigantic leap, soared through the air and “CRASH!!!” Alas, my aim had been poor and I had missed the rascal! Instead, concrete greeted my face even as my cheeks turned a dark shade of red in embarrassment.
Comment : The magic of 3 [ or in this case 2] at work here – we never “solve” our problem all at once. This is the first failed attempt. It gives the kids something to write about and builds a little suspense.
\tThankfully, the Fates were kind and ahead, the panting thief had himself tripped over a divider as he dodged through a swarm of shoppers blissfully unaware of all that had been happening. This lucky break fueled me with a final burst of energy and once again, I leapt into the air! This time, I hit the bull’s eye and landed right atop the rogue!
Comment: This is how the problem was resolved.\t
As I pinned the man down, a female passer-by helpfully called for the police. The victim soon arrived at the scene, panting as she tottered on her high heels. With an angry swipe, she retrieved her handbag from the exhausted thief and using it as a convenient weapon, rained blows on the poor man’s head.
” What do you think you are trying to do! Rob a lady of her hard earned money! You low- life! Can’t you get a job? You deserve to be put into jail and I hope they throw away the key after that!” the lady lectured the thief in a torrent of words, while other passers-by tried to calm her down. Fortunately for the poor thief, the police soon arrived and arrested him. I was of course commended and thanked profusely for my heroic act.
Comment: Note the description of the feisty victim and the perfunctory \" police came, arrested, thanked me profusely \" bit - there was enough focus on other parts of the compo and this is quite a \"standard\" part, so DD tended just to \"attend\" to it but not dwell on it.
As the crowd dispersed and I continued on my way home, starlight dropped her curtains down as Mother Nature painted the sky in hues of pink and gold. With lighter footsteps and a smile on my face, I was glad for a heroic ending to what had otherwise been a horrible day.
Comment: Here is our “recycled” reflection paragraph adapted to the compo at hand. The alliteration at the end makes for better reading.\t
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pixiedust:
same here ! Sometimes i just can't fall asleep :nailbite: ... DH said ,\"now before Prelim u can't sleep... come PSLE, Singapore has another big mummy panda liao !\" :faint:Thank you psle2011mum ! Much much appreciate your sharings.
We are cutting out deep fried food. I boil soup every other day. Making sure sufficient sleep (for both general and soldier) and some outdoor time.
Gosh... :siam: ...final battle is creeping really close ! -
Thank you so much psle2011mum. I still need to put in a lot of efforts to improve my DD's writing skills. One thing is time management and another thing is no consistency. I can not predict she can do a certain topic well or not. Luckily she is doing relatively well in her school tests so far probably because she is getting the known/exposed topics. I am learning a lot from your write-ups and you are really a blessing to this forum. :salute: and :thankyou: so much.
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adult’s Brands? Are u guys aware that there are kids version as well?
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My boy told me that their school principal had breakfast ( Mac Donald’s sausage mac muffin) with them today. Recess was extended to one hour & he took the opportunity to motivate them.
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Layla:
adult's Brands? Are u guys aware that there are kids version as well?
Yes, similar stuff but smaller bottle.
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