Lower Secondary Science

[Dr.033430Daniel]

For those asking questions about classes, just PM me. I do not advertise in the forum posts. I just try to post interesting and helpful information.


But what you are all asking are good questions. Short experiements and hands on things are great to work into science lessons in the context of the syllabus. I like doing things that relate to the syllabus, so its not just about hands on. It is about how the hands on activities relate to what students are supposed to learn.

We were taking a break during our 3 hour Sec 1 Science (Chemistry) Holiday Class. We were drinking milo, so we decided to build a molecule that is in cocoa. The molecule pictured here is called Theobromine (which is a funny name because the element Bromine is not in the molecule). It is found in chocolate. We estimated more than a billion times a billion of these molecules exist in one cup of milo. The colors that represent the different atoms are: Black: Carbon, Red: Nitrogen, Yellow: Oxygen and White: Hydrogen. The chemical formula is C7H8N4O2. This molecule is very similar to caffeine and is also a mild stimulant. In any case this was a good opportunity to study the difference between atoms and molecules, and some details as to how atoms bond together in a molecule including double bonds and single bonds. Notice each carbon atom has 4 bonds, each nitrogen 3, each oxygen 2 and each hydrogen just one. We go over the Chemistry logic for this that we teach the students from the Periodic Table of the Elements.
http://physicsandcalculus.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/cocoa3.jpg\">

[Blanja85]

Dear Dr Daniel,

I am interested to enroll my son who is going sec1 next year. Please provide me the information’s or pm me.
Thz

[Dr.033430Daniel]

Blanja85:

Dear Dr Daniel,

I am interested to enroll my son who is going sec1 next year. Please provide me the information's or pm me.
Thz

OK - sent you a PM. Our website is in my profile here. You can see it by clicking on my name.

Just one piece of advice for parents with students going into Sec 1 Science: Make sure they learn the metric system ASAP. They should know how many millimeters are in a centimeter, and the other prefixes such as kilo, Mega, Giga, micro and nano. The difference in preparing for the first physics test will be huge for those kids who already know the metric system vs those who still struggle with it.

What I noticed this year was that a few more primary schools are picking up on teaching the metric system now. During our holiday program there was a big gap between kids who had been taught the metric system in primary and those who had not (still the majority have not). We closed that gap for a lot of students, so for those who were new to it, they now have the advanced knowledge going into Sec 1. The ones that had already learned it were challenged with tougher questions. It is not a hard topic, certainly much easier that a lot of those P6 model questions, but it is very important for Sec 1 Science preparation. We will be reviewing it again in January.

[PlayfulFairy]

Hi all,


Any recommendation for Science tuition( group/ individual) for Sec 1 Express (2016)? Preferably in the west…
Thanks!

[cftan]

The book ‘Longman 1001 MCQ’ is meant more for O level rather than lower sec?

[kennethTutor]

cftan:

The book 'Longman 1001 MCQ' is meant more for O level rather than lower sec?

If you are talking about:

http://www.funlearners.com/products/books/all-about-physics-1001-mcqs-for-o-level.html
https://estore.pearson.com.hk/en/home/9789810626310-detail

Yes, these are for O level, although there are some topics relevant for lower sec. The Longman 1001 MCQ is the older edition of the links I posted.

[Dr.033430Daniel]

cftan:

The book 'Longman 1001 MCQ' is meant more for O level rather than lower sec?

If you look closely at that book, the questions are labelled with difficulty levels 1-3 (symbolized by fingers on a hand). Difficulty level 1 can be used for lower secondary. A student can try level 1 questions first, then check their answers, then proceed to level 2. Difficulty level 3 would be more challenging upper secondary style questions. These however would be appropriate for Sec2 students in IP classes. This book is good for checking the student's knowledge of basic facts and concepts and the ability to do short calculations using the correct formulas.

Coming up with the right level of difficulty for practice worksheets for lower secondary takes a bit of investigation as to the class that the student is in. Some classes focus on a few topics and do significant amounts of O'Level difficulty. Other teachers like to cover more topics but at less depth. And then there are the ones covering a lot of topics also at a lot of depth. But aside from the MCQ's, help with answering structured questions is very important. I spend a lot of time in tuition class on structured answers because the questions in the schools are trending harder in the last few years in lower secondary. There is a lot of testing on being able to explain the cause and effect relationships in science. This requires clear understanding of the concepts first. Then second is the ability to express thoughts in writing using the accurate words and terminology. This just take a lot of practice and guidance. But this is what is separating the A's from the B's in a lot of cases now.

[prettyinpink]

Hi,


Any recommendation for 1 to 1 private tutor for Sec 2 express Science? I am staying at the West.

[bsk]

Hi

Is there any recommendation for lower secondary science tuition ? I’m looking for a skill level for above average student to push for a high score., location is around Novena/Thompson/central

[StillThinking]

Dr.Daniel:

cftan:

The book 'Longman 1001 MCQ' is meant more for O level rather than lower sec?

If you look closely at that book, the questions are labelled with difficulty levels 1-3 (symbolized by fingers on a hand). Difficulty level 1 can be used for lower secondary. A student can try level 1 questions first, then check their answers, then proceed to level 2. Difficulty level 3 would be more challenging upper secondary style questions. These however would be appropriate for Sec2 students in IP classes. This book is good for checking the student's knowledge of basic facts and concepts and the ability to do short calculations using the correct formulas.

Coming up with the right level of difficulty for practice worksheets for lower secondary takes a bit of investigation as to the class that the student is in. Some classes focus on a few topics and do significant amounts of O'Level difficulty. Other teachers like to cover more topics but at less depth. And then there are the ones covering a lot of topics also at a lot of depth. But aside from the MCQ's, help with answering structured questions is very important. I spend a lot of time in tuition class on structured answers because the questions in the schools are trending harder in the last few years in lower secondary. There is a lot of testing on being able to explain the cause and effect relationships in science. This requires clear understanding of the concepts first. Then second is the ability to express thoughts in writing using the accurate words and terminology. This just take a lot of practice and guidance. But this is what is separating the A's from the B's in a lot of cases now.

Actually... IP and O levels for my school at least goes at the same speed, only that O level is more theory based and IP is more project/practical based.