xueyan:

slmkhoo:

[quote=\"xueyan\"]Thanks hquek. Ds love reading model composition book. Have no idea whether this will help in his English. I think he likes it because it is simple and easy to understand.

I see that a lot of parents encourage Harry Potter but ds just doesn't like such books.

OK - I confess that I'm a language snob. I personally feel that model compo books are NOT good reading material as they are stilted, forced and unnatural. While they may be a good indication of what is needed for exams, I would encourage you to get your son to read other books.

The main thing about choosing books is that they should be just at or very slightly ahead of his current level of proficiency. If he can't figure out what is going on, he won't be interested. Also, the content must be interesting to him. If he doesn't like HP for whatever reason, then help him find things he does like. Not everyone likes the same kind of reading material. He may prefer non-fiction, or mysteries, or animals, or outdoor adventures etc. If he doesn't have a reading habit, set aside a fixed 20-min block every day for reading until it becomes a habit. If he likes being read to, you can select books a little harder than he can read for himself and read to him (let him listen, not make him read!) so he can have more exposure to natural prose. Reading isn't a quick cure-all for improving his English MARKS, but will improve his English proficiency over time. Hope this helps.

I actually do not like model composition but as this are the only books that he enjoyed, I let him do so. It is better than reading nothing.

Few days ago, I read a chapter every evening on Roald Dahl book. He felt that the story is really interesting. Am working on it now.[/quote](I'm actually not a parent, but a uni student, so do take my words with a pinch of salt.)

Have you tried letting your child choose the book that he wants to read? Bring him to the library perhaps, where there are wider selections, and allow him to choose something that he deems interesting? If he does, he might graduate from reading model compositions, which as someone earlier in the thread mentioned, are forced and unnatural. He could choose a few books in the library which he might be interested in and sit down to browse the first few pages/chapters before deciding if he really likes them.

PS: An additional note that I feel the need to address, possibly. Somebody up in the thread also mentioned reading Enid Blyton. I would highly advise against that tbh. While Blyton's books are good for younger readers, I find her writing to be absolutely pedestrian and bland, and it also endorses some questionable values.

Sweet Joy:

Just like to ask parents whose children are studying in NUS or NTU, what are your views of these institutions?

My parents both prefer NTU.

Mom and i attended the open houses for the 3 unis, and she impressed by how the students at NTU were more friendly and willing to share and answer questions. We went there at around 2 and left at 5-6.

For NUS, she thought that the students were less friendly and not as willing to engage with the open house attendees. We went there at 2 and left at 3 because there wasn't much to do and listen.

As for myself, I felt that NTU had a more laidback and casual vibe, while NUS was just... like that lor. Could be my personal bias though

Weilingt:

Can I check is it compulsory to take double maths in order to do triple Science?

Not necessary- but it all depends on the school. Some schools mandate double maths, some don't.

It's probably better if you contact the school or ask the teachers, since each school varies with the subject combinations offered.

PS: But then again, it is usually expected of students who take triple science to be able to keep up with the rigour of double maths, since there's a supposed correlation between doing well in science and doing well in maths (I hope that makes sense!)

lastdaynight:

apollonia:

[quote=\"lastdaynight\"]Hi , I am supposed to choose my streaming subjects this year , but my school does not provide the subjects i am intrested , and can score well in , what should i do? T^T

Hello, i am a student who graduated from jc last year, so my memory of sec 2 streaming is still fresh

A thing to always note when it comes to streaming/selecting your combination is to firstly, look at the subjects you're interested in, and secondly, look at the subjects that you are good at, and have the potential to score well in. (BUT interest may not always mean that you'll score well)

Judging from your dilemma, i'm curious to know which subjects you are keen in, and what do you intend to work as in the future. It may seem a long time away, but your choice of subjects now may determine what subjects you get to take at a tertiary level and even in uni. Are you more of a science student, or a humanities student? Do you want to working in the science or arts field in the future?

Also, as a student who has sat for the o-levels and done my fair share of worrying over the exams, I can pretty much assure you that as long as you put in consistent effort towards your studies in sec 3 and 4, leading up to Os, it is very much possible to do well in subjects that you thought you might not perform stellar in.

Thanks For You Reply ! ^^

Looking Through My MYE Scores , My Best Subjects are Higher Mother Tougue ( A1 ) , Literature ( A1 ) , History ( A1 ) And Mathematics ( A2 ) , well my weaker ones are my English ( C5 ... ) , Science ( B3 ) .

I should think that I am more of an ' Arts ' / Humanities Student ? I prefer more of my language subjects and Humanities , but is really uncertain about the other subjects... Especially when i need to take A Maths As A compulsory subjects , along with Science...

I tend to hope that i can word towards the literature study of my language subjects or history... But work wise... Im Really Unsure what i can take.

:thankyou:[/quote]Hi! You do appear to be an arts student, and judging by your results, i don't think you'll have any problem at all performing well at Os!

Also, a B3 for science is pretty good, imo. It's not THE best, but i'll say it's above average. Like i said, most students, including myself, tend to perform better in the actual Os bc it's easier as compared to school papers. In my case, I was C, D, E chem student right up till prelims, but I managed to get a B for pure chemistry! And As for like 3-4 of my subjects!

You also seem to be doing well for maths at sec 2 level, so you needn't worry too much about that. A-maths is something most students tend to struggle with when they first learn it, but it's not something that is insurmountable or too challenging. With the help from your teachers and your already pretty good abilities in math i'm sure you'll be able to do well!

puffybelle:

Any recommendations to improve English composition as well?

Hi! Am a student who graduated from JC last year, and scored As for english in psle and o-levels and in gp

The trick to improve writing, in general, be it narrative (composition), argumentative, etc, is:

1) Avoid long, run-on sentences. Keep sentences short and sweet. This may be useful especially if there is an issue with expression.
2) Have a good grasp of grammar and punctuation. To that end, please always begin a dialogue on a new paragraph.
3) Use adverbs prudently.
4) Focus on the theme/conflict at hand, and elaborate on it. Highlight the main character's feelings throughout the beginning, middle, and end of the composition, either through describing the thoughts in their head or through actions.
5) Use big words sparingly- I've been reading sample compositions for reference, and I find that some of them end up sounding verbose or comical with their choice of words, similes, and metaphors.
6) Read GOOD books often. I cannot emphasise this enough. Personally, I find many kids are reading books that are either too mature for them, or too childish. J R R Tolkien's The Hobbit is a great start, and it was originally published as a children's book.

The trick is to write like Ernest Hemingway- keep your sentences brief, but concise and to the point

Lastly, is to always be creative. Since PSLE composition mainly dwells in narrative, I think it's definitely for the best if the student comes up with a plot that is exciting and fresh and seizes the attention of the examiner, rather than regurgitate a plot that has been well-memorised.

phtthp:

for Sec 4 O level History : which are the more difficult topics to tackle or remember historical facts ?

Hi! Was a pure history student in sec sch and studied h2 history in jc

I find that for most students, especially from what i heard in jc from my classmates, they tend to find bi-polarity and the cold war a more challenging topic in secondary school, since it grapples with more complicate concepts. Some of them even gave up studying this topic for Os. But a disadvantage to forsake studying the cold war for Os would be if you/your child intends to take history in jc, since the history curriculum emphasise a big deal on the cw and understanding said complicated concepts.

hope this helps!

phtthp:

for Sec 4 O level History : which are the more difficult topics to tackle or remember historical facts ?

Hi! Was a pure history student in sec sch and studied h2 history in jc

I find that for most students, especially from what i heard in jc from my classmates, they tend to find bi-polarity and the cold war a more challenging topic in secondary school, since it grapples with more complicate concepts. Some of them even gave up studying this topic for Os. But a disadvantage to forsake studying the cold war for Os would be if you/your child intends to take history in jc, since the history curriculum emphasise a big deal on the cw and understanding said complicated concepts.

hope this helps!

lastdaynight:

Hi , I am supposed to choose my streaming subjects this year , but my school does not provide the subjects i am intrested , and can score well in , what should i do? T^T

Hello, i am a student who graduated from jc last year, so my memory of sec 2 streaming is still fresh

A thing to always note when it comes to streaming/selecting your combination is to firstly, look at the subjects you're interested in, and secondly, look at the subjects that you are good at, and have the potential to score well in. (BUT interest may not always mean that you'll score well)

Judging from your dilemma, i'm curious to know which subjects you are keen in, and what do you intend to work as in the future. It may seem a long time away, but your choice of subjects now may determine what subjects you get to take at a tertiary level and even in uni. Are you more of a science student, or a humanities student? Do you want to working in the science or arts field in the future?

Also, as a student who has sat for the o-levels and done my fair share of worrying over the exams, I can pretty much assure you that as long as you put in consistent effort towards your studies in sec 3 and 4, leading up to Os, it is very much possible to do well in subjects that you thought you might not perform stellar in.