Science topics - Different school, different topics. Why?
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Daughter will be tested 5 topics under Diversity for CA1…leaving out bacteria/fungi and material. For SA1, everything under Diversity…Term 3 will start Cycles. So I bought ‘Science Weekly’ for P3 and P4. Most schools teach Systems for P3 in the second half.
Using Teachers’ Production with Science Weekly (EPH) new publication. -
It’s wiser to buy the top school exam papers and let the child practise answering the relevant questions in Section A and B. Just select the questions for the topics that will be coming out for test, let the child tackle the questions independently. Do marking and from the mistakes the child make, you will have to revise that part of the topic with your child to clear his doubt and ensure that he knows why he made the mistakes. By following the method I recommend, I have seen many children scoring Band 1. It’s really easy to score marks in P3 Science : )
Oops! Not forgetting to mention that the child must know to spell basic Science vocabulary words. -
janet_lee88:
Wow! atleast your dd school is having CA1 exams. My dd school no CA1. hope the teacher will conduct some topical test to see what is the students level of understanding for topics taught so far..Daughter will be tested 5 topics under Diversity for CA1...leaving out bacteria/fungi and material. For SA1, everything under Diversity...Term 3 will start Cycles. So I bought 'Science Weekly' for P3 and P4. Most schools teach Systems for P3 in the second half.
Using Teachers' Production with Science Weekly (EPH) new publication.
all the best for your dd
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Daughter had holistic assessment aka CA since P1…this year no difference. CA1/CA2 10%, SA1 20% and SA2 60%. Have to revise from start with every tests…but I choose those areas she is weak in…then school holidays we will revise and try to work on other sections…finish as much as possible in Nov/Dec.
As for Science, there is no such thing as too many assessment bcos we are talking about exams from P3-6. -
i must say that the primary science syllabus has been in a bit of a mess all these years. topics like simple machines and solar system used to be in primary 5 but have been taken away from it. water cycle used to be taught at primary 4 but has been shifted up to primary 5. i have students that studied digestive system and magnets at p3 while others are only learning it at p4. there are many other examples of crosses between different levels which i am sure you know what i am talking about. the moe scholars can’t seem to make up their minds what they want for each level and stick to it.
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lawyerteachertutors:
i must say that the primary science syllabus has been in a bit of a mess all these years. topics like simple machines and solar system used to be in primary 5 but have been taken away from it. water cycle used to be taught at primary 4 but has been shifted up to primary 5. i have students that studied digestive system and magnets at p3 while others are only learning it at p4. there are many other examples of crosses between different levels which i am sure you know what i am talking about. the moe scholars can't seem to make up their minds what they want for each level and stick to it.
As long as they are all covered before the PSLE, the fact that different teachers prefer to teach the topics in different order probably means that it doesn't make much of a difference. -
imo it is all right to shuffle topics covered within the same level in that same year, but to have topics shuffled at two different levels is simply unacceptable. they should do away with the upper and lower blocks n have fixed topics for each level for each of the years from p3-6.
slmkhoo:
lawyerteachertutors:
i must say that the primary science syllabus has been in a bit of a mess all these years. topics like simple machines and solar system used to be in primary 5 but have been taken away from it. water cycle used to be taught at primary 4 but has been shifted up to primary 5. i have students that studied digestive system and magnets at p3 while others are only learning it at p4. there are many other examples of crosses between different levels which i am sure you know what i am talking about. the moe scholars can't seem to make up their minds what they want for each level and stick to it.
As long as they are all covered before the PSLE, the fact that different teachers prefer to teach the topics in different order probably means that it doesn't make much of a difference. -
term 1, for science under ‘diversity’, covered everything excluding materials.
term 2, cycles of plants/animals excluding states of matter.
it is confusing. -
lawyerteachertutors:
imo it is all right to shuffle topics covered within the same level in that same year, but to have topics shuffled at two different levels is simply unacceptable. they should do away with the upper and lower blocks n have fixed topics for each level for each of the years from p3-6.
slmkhoo:
As long as they are all covered before the PSLE, the fact that different teachers prefer to teach the topics in different order probably means that it doesn't make much of a difference.
Why do you find it unacceptable? As long the child learns all the topics before the major public exam, I don't really see any problem with it. My kids have been in a small international school overseas for many years, and often subjects like science and social studies are taught in 2-year blocks, eg. all grades 3 & 4 kids do the same topics, then the grade 3 kids will do the rest of the topics the following year, while the grade 4 kids will have done them the year before. It has worked fine for the kids. They don't do this for Maths and English though. -
slmkhoo:
I have taught and managed international schools, and my two older boys went through international schools. It's different when there are no exams involved which might stream your kids into classes with \"less desirable\" fellow students (I have yet to hear of international schools that do such streaming). Once exams and Asian parents (both legal combinations) are involved, then the parents would want more accountability in the teaching and examinations.
Why do you find it unacceptable? As long the child learns all the topics before the major public exam, I don't really see any problem with it. My kids have been in a small international school overseas for many years, and often subjects like science and social studies are taught in 2-year blocks, eg. all grades 3 & 4 kids do the same topics, then the grade 3 kids will do the rest of the topics the following year, while the grade 4 kids will have done them the year before. It has worked fine for the kids. They don't do this for Maths and English though.
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