Exam Preparation

[wonderm]

Funz:

Keep in sight the longer term objective instead of just seeing each exam as a stand alone. The near term objective after the mid year exam is the year end exam, and the long term objective is PSLE. Each exam is not something to be gotten over with but as a learning and fine tuning opportunity. That way, you will find yourself less wound up and more positive as you know there is a chance to improve.


At P2/3 for compo, I will be more focused on grammar, spelling, proper sentence structure and the flow of the story. Foundation stuff. Once they get a good grasp of that, we can attempt more descriptive writing, using more words to describe a feeling, the weather, a person, etc. Simple words can still be used, no need for bombastic vocab, eg, for weather, grey sky=sky heavy with grey clouds. And progress from there to introduce more vocab, 'ominous clouds gathering in the horizon'.

Seriously, bombastic vocab may gain you that 1 or 2 marks but poor grammar, sentence structure and flow may mean a failing grade.

:goodpost:

[BeContented]

Funz:

Keep in sight the longer term objective instead of just seeing each exam as a stand alone. The near term objective after the mid year exam is the year end exam, and the long term objective is PSLE. Each exam is not something to be gotten over with but as a learning and fine tuning opportunity. That way, you will find yourself less wound up and more positive as you know there is a chance to improve.


At P2/3 for compo, I will be more focused on grammar, spelling, proper sentence structure and the flow of the story. Foundation stuff. Once they get a good grasp of that, we can attempt more descriptive writing, using more words to describe a feeling, the weather, a person, etc. Simple words can still be used, no need for bombastic vocab, eg, for weather, grey sky=sky heavy with grey clouds. And progress from there to introduce more vocab, 'ominous clouds gathering in the horizon'.

Seriously, bombastic vocab may gain you that 1 or 2 marks but poor grammar, sentence structure and flow may mean a failing grade.

:goodpost:

[SAHM_TAN]

Funz:

Keep in sight the longer term objective instead of just seeing each exam as a stand alone. The near term objective after the mid year exam is the year end exam, and the long term objective is PSLE. Each exam is not something to be gotten over with but as a learning and fine tuning opportunity. That way, you will find yourself less wound up and more positive as you know there is a chance to improve.


At P2/3 for compo, I will be more focused on grammar, spelling, proper sentence structure and the flow of the story. Foundation stuff. Once they get a good grasp of that, we can attempt more descriptive writing, using more words to describe a feeling, the weather, a person, etc. Simple words can still be used, no need for bombastic vocab, eg, for weather, grey sky=sky heavy with grey clouds. And progress from there to introduce more vocab, 'ominous clouds gathering in the horizon'.

Seriously, bombastic vocab may gain you that 1 or 2 marks but poor grammar, sentence structure and flow may mean a failing grade.

Yup, for P2 compo, my focus is on grammar and sentence structure. I do not neglect vocab but it's done in a more causal manner. I do observe improvement in dd1's vocab. Her vocab bank still not impressive but keeping in mind her starting point, I'm happy.

At the same time I do keep PSLE at the back of my mind and chk that she's progressing at a suitable pace towards it. So I :faint: when I flipped thru the guides becos I'm like huh kids have to write like that har.

buds,

I'm not targeting at the phrase you shared. I just needed to get a feel of what's what.

Becontented and wonderm,

Thanks for sharing your kids' PSLE experiences

[sharonkhoo]

SAHM_TAN:

Not meant to hijack vinegar's thread. I'm errrrrrr rather \"afraid\" of creative writing becos not used to the style of using phrases like cold breath from the grave, I dunno how to come up with such phrases :faint: plus really must write like that to pass?

NO!!! In fact, many teachers don't like such phrases. Maybe it's become the 'style' for PSLE, but many of these phrases make secondary and JC teachers shudder, especially when they sound forced or are misused. I can't stand them myself and my daughter doesn't like them either, so we worked out a compromise between what we felt was reasonable style and what PSLE markers want (and I'm not even sure that all PSLE markers want that). She did get an A* for English, so I don't think her avoidance of the worst excesses was a bad thing.

[sharonkhoo]

SAHM_TAN:

At the same time I do keep PSLE at the back of my mind and chk that she's progressing at a suitable pace towards it. So I :faint: when I flipped thru the guides becos I'm like huh kids have to write like that har.

Don't necessarily follow what the guides say because many of them are truly horrible and the suggestions are way too flowery. If your daughter imbibes too much of it, she will have to unlearn it to do well in sec school.

[Funz]

slmkhoo:

SAHM_TAN:

At the same time I do keep PSLE at the back of my mind and chk that she's progressing at a suitable pace towards it. So I :faint: when I flipped thru the guides becos I'm like huh kids have to write like that har.

Don't necessarily follow what the guides say because many of them are truly horrible and the suggestions are way too flowery. If your daughter imbibes too much of it, she will have to unlearn it to do well in sec school.

I tend to agree with that. I cringe at some of the things DD came up with in some of her compo. As I have mentioned, I have the opposite issue with DD compared to Vinegar's son. DD goes way over the top with her writing and I have to pull her back to earth. Have to keep reminding her to keep plots believable and limit her number of 'flowery phrases'. There was a week where the teacher was doing idioms with the class and her compo was fill with as ____ as. Teacher's comment was \"I am glad you know your idioms but refrain from using idioms at every given opportunity.\"

[SAHM_TAN]

Hi slmkhoo,


Ya, finding my way too.

Now waiting for dd1’s writing style to develop. heehee

Not sure how I can help, will take it one step at a time.

[vinegar]

slmkhoo:

SAHM_TAN:

At the same time I do keep PSLE at the back of my mind and chk that she's progressing at a suitable pace towards it. So I :faint: when I flipped thru the guides becos I'm like huh kids have to write like that har.

Don't necessarily follow what the guides say because many of them are truly horrible and the suggestions are way too flowery. If your daughter imbibes too much of it, she will have to unlearn it to do well in sec school.

it's true.the more i read thru creative writing books,the more i confuse n obsess wf the phrases they use.

[vinegar]

SAHM_TAN:

Yup, for P2 compo, my focus is on grammar and sentence structure. I do not neglect vocab but it's done in a more causal manner. I do observe improvement in dd1's vocab. Her vocab bank still not impressive but keeping in mind her starting point, I'm happy.

At the same time I do keep PSLE at the back of my mind and chk that she's progressing at a suitable pace towards it. So I :faint: when I flipped thru the guides becos I'm like huh kids have to write like that har.

buds,

I'm not targeting at the phrase you shared. I just needed to get a feel of what's what.

Becontented and wonderm,

Thanks for sharing your kids' PSLE experiences

Here r some of creative phrases which his tutor taught:
1) panic started to engulf him
2) terror seized him
3) froze in her track
4) in high spirits
5) boiling with rage

I agree grammar/sentence structure/voca/story flow r impt...asked the tutor once if mark will be penalized for incorrect grammar,etc...she said not impt,impt is story flow....

now i am a bit in a lost...My intention is to continue to engage this tutor till i find a tuition centre(gave up on tutor).Knowing her teaching method is not suitable for my son(i guess her teaching more suitable for higher primary?),shld I terminate her immediately?She refuses to teach grammar.Her reason is she could teach him grammar thru compo n compre.

[sharonkhoo]

vinegar:

slmkhoo:

[quote=\"SAHM_TAN\"]At the same time I do keep PSLE at the back of my mind and chk that she's progressing at a suitable pace towards it. So I :faint: when I flipped thru the guides becos I'm like huh kids have to write like that har.

Don't necessarily follow what the guides say because many of them are truly horrible and the suggestions are way too flowery. If your daughter imbibes too much of it, she will have to unlearn it to do well in sec school.

it's true.the more i read thru creative writing books,the more i confuse n obsess wf the phrases they use.[/quote]What my daughter and I decided was that she should try to use more adjectives and adverbs (but only one at a time), and limit herself to 2 similes or metaphors per compo. That was about all we could stand in the 200-300 words!