janet88:

12mum:

If it is remedial class to help the weaker kids, yes, it is necessary to start ASAP. But if it is supplementary class to prepare for psle, then it should be for upper primary.


that's my thoughts.

Yup...that should be the way.
Remedial is for weaker students...anytime from p1, especially those who have no tuition. I requested for daughter to continue with science remedial lessons as well as small group lessons as she can grasp concepts under less pressure.

Usually schools will use the word 'supplementary' when classes are conducted for a significant majority/whole of the class and 'remedial' when it is a small select group.

In the end though, I guess the lessons are there to help students fare better and cope with the curriculum. I agree that these lessons should not be necessary for most students from P1 to P3, but it really depends on how much support the student needs.

I however disagree that supplementary lessons should be conducted simply to keep students 'busy' and away from home. That's akin to suggesting that if parents are not able to parent the child, the state should be responsible to adopt them. Don't think that is the right approach...

We came across this blog which shows how a teacher used ICT to help teach pupils how to write. It seemed pretty cool. He was leveraging on something that pupils are readily interested in, to teach them how to write.


Sharing it for everyone to consider using.

http://mrparkinsonict.blogspot.co.uk/20 ... iting.html

chloecube:

mommybel! u not kidding me arent u?

i suddenly am full of hope again reading ur post

DS math is between 50-60, one a few occasion fail by 1-2 marks
his paper 2 failed and pull down the overall marks
he wout say he is lazy, he trys his best to complete all hw given by teacher and tutor. problem is he does not speak up or ask when he does not understand. he will just do the correction and then forget how to do again when the same kind of questions was given to him. so its kind of frustrating
when i explained to him, he understand but after a while, he forgets again,
got to repeat and re-inforce the same kind of sum many times before it gets to his head.
nevertheless, i am not going to give up on hin now
but its not easy to strike a balance of \"overloading\" him and letting him enjoy his childhood

Just to share some experiences. Some pupils have difficulty retaining what was taught because they treat the specific process, data, information as \"discrete data\". The more discrete information is, the less likely it will be retained in their memory.

One way to help anchor lessons taught is to created as many connections to examples, real-world applications, other concepts, etc... as possible. The more connections the child can make, the more likely he/she will be able to remember. Sometimes we are so focused on the child getting the answer \"right\", that we forget to provide the needed connections that help them anchor their learning in long term memory.

Hope this helps...

adribaby:

Hi...can anyone recommend a good creative writing book?

It really depends on the current skill level your child is at in his/her writing. Many of the creative writing books available in the market is simply a collection of cliches and \"good\" phrases/vocabulary. For weaker pupils who are still trying to string their ideas together coherently, these will help.

But for stronger writers, they become unhelpful and in some cases damaging crutch...

Based on what I have read thus far, someone asked for stats on the success of the GEP during the briefing…


Based on that, it would seem like it was essentially a trap question which no matter how the panel answered, they would be judged as inadequate or wrong. There are numerous ways to to define success, and the definition of success is in many ways intensely personal, who is to judge whether one definition is "better" or more "valid" than the other?

Did the individual explain what his definition of success is? Percentage of GEPPers scoring As in exams, percentage of GEPPers in professional careers, percentage of GEPPers in NGOs, GEPPers’ commitment to family, etc… If the individual did not define what success meant to him before asking the question, it would be like asking a doctor to diagnose your illness, but refusing to tell him your symptoms or even to examine you. Its a non-starter…

I guess that many have reservations about the programme due to the fear of the unknown. They are unsure if their child might not be able to cope in the programme or wonder if they would lose their childhood due to the higher expectations. This is sadly unavoidable… A possible analogy would be to liken the GEP to the Singapore Sports School (SSP). Those that enter must have certain prerequisites to cope with the higher expectations. One can be assured that the programme is catered to their needs. However, does joining SSP guarantee "success" in the sporting arena? Hell no. It might give one a better chance, but it does not guarantee it. One joins SSP because of love for sport and enjoyment of the challenge of sparing with the best in sport. Do the students sacrifice things, such as personal time, in the process? Of course! But you do so with open eyes and a full awareness of what you have gained in the process. We simply need to replace sport with intellectual challenge for the GEP.

hhgold:

Hi, my DD used to score either full marks or 1/2 or 1 marks less than total marks in oral until P4. While i noticed in P5, she scores atleast 4-5 marks less than total marks. She says she did well in Oral. When i drill with her, she seems to be perfectly fine. Just curious, why is there such a drop? Is there a high expectation in P5 English?

Honestly, I cant accurately tell through the details just provided. I would need to hear the child speak before an Oral assessment can be made. There could be multiple reasons; higher expectations, different test questions, test readiness of the pupil, etc... Also oral assessments, despite the rubrics are notoriously subjective...

hhgold:

What is the max score a student can get in P5 English composition and P5 English Oral

40/40 for Continuous writing and 30/30 for Oral. But I think what is more useful is understanding the components that make up the scores and the expectations of those components.

Cheers,
Advanced Academia

notredame:

I am confused.

Refer this link: http://www.english-for-students.com/Number-of-People.html#chitika_close_button
It says 'a number' is strictly singular but the phrase 'a number of' is used with plural noun.
So it doesn't apply to 'a series' and 'a series of'? Hmm... what's the difference?

I'll try my best to explain this, but might not come out clearly in writing. When attempting concord (S-V-A) questions, we are trying to match the verb to the subject.

Typically, when talking about an amount, it requires a singular verb. The number serves as the subject. E.g.

Five dollars is a lot of money.
The number of confused English students is massive.

However, plural forms are used when the emphasis of the sentence is on the individual constituents of that number E.g.

A number of people are waiting for the bus.
Three forummers are discussing about the usage of concord.
The crew are preparing to dock the ship.

With reference to the original question. I think the best way to think about \"series\" is to consider it as a list. So similarly we would say, \"A list(series) of books was given to my boy.\" and not \"A list(series) of books were given to my boy.\"

notredame:

Question: A series of publicity stunts _______ (was/were) staged.


Model answer is 'was'. I thought it should be were. Please help. Thank you.

The answer is 'was'. A series is singular, think of it as a list or collective noun.

beariecrystal3:

My brother has always been taller than _____ even though he is three years younger.


1) i
2) me
3) mine
4) myself

Can someone help me. is it I or me? Thanks

This is the perennial chestnut... depending on your emphasis and the school of grammar thought you ascribe to. Take a read of http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/i-versus-me?page=all for a quick explanation. (Its an American site, but I think it nicely summarizes the predicament.)