FAIRFIELD METHODIST SCHOOL (SECONDARY)

INFORMATION SHEET FOR SEC 1 PARENTS 2016

Strategies for different subjects

SUBJECT STRATEGIES

English 1. Reading Straits Times (hard copy or app) at home or on the bus/car to and from school/home to expand real world/current affairs knowledge so as to build content knowledge for essay writing and oral.

2. Using online dictionary websites (www.dictionary.com, www.ldoceonline.com, www.thesaurus.com, www.dictionary.cambridge.org) to find out the meaning of certain difficult words used in news articles and books to widen range of vocabulary needed in essay writing, comprehension and oral.

3. Talk to your child at home about an interesting news at home, and discuss it so that your child gets used to giving and explaining an opinion/ personal response about things around them.

4. Tell your child about a book/ novel you have read and why you love it, so as to inspire your child to love reading

5. Watch Channel 5 news from 9pm to 930pm everyday together with your children to get them into the habit of watching it. Get your child to read the subtitles beneath after listening to the accurate pronunciation of the newscasters, so as to train their listening and reading aloud skills, and broaden their knowledge of real world issues needed as examples in spoken interaction and essays.

6. Be aware of how language is used well on webpages, in print/newspaper advertisements and flyers, and ask them what the purpose of the advertisement is, the effect the headline has on the reader, and why the reader uses certain words (persuasive language) to convey its purpose, so as to help your child to more effectively answer the visual text comprehension.

Chinese

(Express/NA)

1. Narrative Writing: a. Read stories in the textbook and break them into 4

components of a story: 1 I nt r oduct i on 开头；Cause 起因；Event / Cl i max 经过/高潮；Concl us i on 结尾。

b. Read 《非常阅读》to increase vocabulary, and increase reading speed. Reinforce vocabulary learning by completing the practice behind each passage.

2. Comprehension:

c. Revise the different types of comprehension questions and the techniques for each type. Review Comprehension practices assigned throughout the Semester. Practice comprehension exercises regularly.

d. Practice reading and listening to to Chinese, by listening to the Audio recordings in textbooks, posted on MC Online.

e. Revise the additional vocabulary lists provided during each Unit, to ensure he or she can read and express those real-life ideas

f. Focus on mastering the text book and vocabulary. Spend more time on dictation and make sentences.

g. Tune in to YES933 or Jia883, to cultivate the habit of listening to Mandarin

Higher Chinese

1. Essay Writing: a. Read stories in the textbook and break them into 4

components of a story: 1 I nt r oduct i on 开头；Cause 起因；Event / Cl i max 经过/高潮；Concl us i on 结尾。

b. Read 《非常阅读》to increase vocabulary, and increase reading speed. Reinforce vocabulary learning by completing the practice behind each passage.

2. Comprehension:

1) The most important for lower HCL is comprehension. Revise the different types of comprehension questions and the techniques for each type. Review Comprehension practices assigned throughout the Semester. Practice comprehension exercises regularly. Focus more on Text book, and look into more to grasp the theme of each chapter.

2) Treat HCL as 1st language, not the 2nd language. Spend

more time out of class.

Chinese (NT) 1. Revise the passages and vocabulary in the textbook to enable the students to increase their vocabulary bank and be able to recognise words.

2. For the last section of paper 1, students need to write sms or email to a friend regarding an event. Students will need to remember the format as teachers practise the exercises with them in class.

3. Speak more Mandarin and watch Chinese programmes at home as the paper 2(Oral) makes up 50% of the total marks in N level.

4. Be ready and co-operative in class and hand in

assignments/homework on time. 5. Tune in to YES933 or Jia883, to cultivate the habit of listening to

Mandarin

Literature General Advice

1. Take notes during Literature lessons ● Any interesting things you might have noticed while reading the

material or poem (such as a motif, or if you recognized an

important theme)

● - Any words that you think would be good to include in future

essays or exams

● - Information that you found on your own, and think might be

good to know

● Quotes from literary critics’ analyses of the materials (Trust

me, teachers and exam markers love when students can

directly quote critics! It makes you sound more

knowledgeable, will score you some extra points, and help

validate the point you’re trying to make!)

● - Important quotes from characters.

● - Lists of themes, motifs, characters, and literary devices used

● - Important background information on the author, poet or

playwright (such as events in their life, where they lived, what

was happening in the world at the time) and how that would've

impacted their works.

2. Ask questions in class when in doubt. If you didn’t get a grade you expected on an essay, stay behind after class and ask the teacher about it.

3. Prove and validate your point. Always back up what you write with textual evidence – that is, give examples from the book or play that support your views.

4. Apply the PEEL structure when crafting your response in paragraphs [https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/susaiewoo75/using-peel-rb1].

POINTIs there a point of view

EVIDENCEWhat informa

EXPLANATIONWhat

LINKWhat does this

that needs sharing?Is there an important piece of information that you can share in response to the question?Do you need to define a term?

tion do you have to support your point?Are there quotes that you can use to illustrate the point that you are making?Are there examples that you can include that show what you mean?

effect does this evidence have?How important is the information that you have shared?

point and evidence have to do with the question?NOTE: The link should not be a rehash of the point. An attempt must be made to reword / reexpress the point to show the connection at least.

-One of the reasons why…-To begin with…-Moving on to the next point..

-For example..-This is shown in..-Such as..-We can see this in..

-As a result of..-This means that..-This caused..

-In conclusion..-This tells me that..-This helps to answer the question because..

5. Study for exams. Don’t leave studying until last minute; English

Literature is a very complex subject, with a lot of information to remember. Instead, start at least four weeks in advance; dedicate some time every day to revising and studying English Lit, and increase these as the day of the exam draws nearer.

Poetry

1. A brief summary and online course on poetic devices to refresh memory [http://study.com/academy/lesson/poetic-devices-definition-types-examples.html]

2. Revise and test understanding of poetic devices [https://quizlet.com/9916695/poetic-device-terms-and-examples-flash-cards/]

3. Glossary of terms for poetic devices [http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072405228/student_view0/poetic_glossary.html]

Prose - Wonder

1. R.J Palacio discusses Wonder [http://youtu.be/Hh5qbE62IyY]. 2. Wonder wiki

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_(Palacio_novel)] 3. Plot summary [http://www.shmoop.com/wonder/summary.html] 4. Online Quiz [http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-wonder/free-

quiz.html#gsc.tab=0]

History 1. Comprehend the content and make notes to help you understand the topic[s].

2. Be ready to listen to different perspectives and form your own views.

3. Practice the skills taught to familiarise yourself with the different components presented ,especially for source-based questions.

4. Make the best of the revision booklet (ROX) . This will help you know the expectations of questions and understand how to present your answers to meet the demands of the different questions

5. Arrange for consultation sessions with the teachers to clarify doubts. Come prepared to discuss your work for maximum benefit.

Geography 1. Understand the content and make notes using mind-maps for example.

2. Participate actively in class discussion and listen to different perspectives.

3. Practice the skills taught to familiarise yourself with the different components presented for example basic techniques and GI questions.

4. Make the most of the revision booklet (ROX) . The TOOLKIT is helpful in your revision for Source-based questions (SBQ). ROX also highlights the expectations of questions and helps you understand how to present your answers to meet the demands of different questions

5. Arrange for consultation sessions with the teachers to clarify doubts. Come prepared to discuss your work for maximum

benefit.

Mathematics 1. Remember the formulae.. 2. Log in to Mathematics portal (www.ace-learning.com) to revise on

topics as well as practice the question under Self-assessment (Drill and Practice) or Progressive Mastery Programme(PMP) module on topics.

3. Do numerous practices on different topics from the Review Exercise of each topic or Revision Exercise A/B from the textbook.

4. Arrange for consultation session with teachers to clarify doubts in the topic(s). Come prepared with questions which you do not know how to do.

Science

1. Look through learning objectives for every chapter to have an overview/big picture/theme of the topic.

2. Memorise definitions and spellings of key terms and remember all formulae and units for questions with calculations.

3. Read textbook for general understanding but study in depth using teacher’s given notes in the notebook and worksheets.

4. Make full use of all worksheets to practise. Make it a timed practise to manage time well during tests and exams.

5. File all the worksheets, notes and test papers into the Science file and revise through all past worksheets/test papers to learn from past mistakes. It is especially crucial for Life Sciences topics which notes can’t be found in the textbook.

6. Do all practice questions found at the end of every chapter and then go for more practice in assessment books if necessary.

7. Take note of the question command words in test/exam questions to improve on answering technique skills.

8. Listen out for common misconceptions that teachers explain during worksheets/tests and learn how to tackle these questions that test understanding.

9. Arrange for consultations with teachers to clarify doubts.

Food and Nutrition

1. Be diligent in completing your weekly assignments. 2. Commit to meeting the mini deadlines for project work. 3. Meet teacher to ask opinion and feedback on their project work

and make changes accordingly.

Computer Applications (NT only)

1. Familiarize yourself with the skills required for Corel Draw, word processing and spreadsheet.

2. Read the textbook for the theory component.

Available resources for revision

SUBJECT RESOURCES

English 1. Sec 1 EL Resource Package

Chinese B 1. Workbook 2. MC online Portal

Chinese 1. Sample Essays 2. Chinese Language notes 3. MC online 4. 情境文手册

Literature 1. Literature Resource Book

History & Geography 1. Revision booklet (ROX) 2. Past year school examination papers

Mathematics 1. Mathematics portal (www.ace-learning.com.sg) 2. Past year papers given by teacher

Science 1. Science textbook Vol A and B 2. Science notes in notebook and worksheets 3. Past year practice papers given by teachers 4. Online resources from MConline.

Food and Nutrition 1. FCE Textbook

Computer Applications (NT only)

1. MOE CPA website https://sites.google.com/a/moe.edu.sg/cpa7018/

2. CPA ebook (https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=bW9lLmVkdS5zZ3xjcGE3MDE4fGd4OjExMTg1NDJjNTNkOWI2NjY)

Suggested Template for Planning Revision

Tips:

1. Avoid doing heavy content subjects on the same day. Mix and match the different subjects for revision

2. For more difficult topics, plan a longer time for revision

3. Factor in different programmes and activities, Example: Tuition and Extended Curriculum

Planning of time

DATE TIME SUBJECT/TOPIC THINGS TO DO DONE

1 June 4:00 to 6:00 PM

English – 1 Comprehension and 1 Planning for Free Writing

Do 1 Comprehension Paper

6:00 to 7:00 PM

DINNER

7:00 to 9:00 PM

History

Read and make notes for content

9:00 to 11:00 PM

Mathematics – Algebra

Do practices in Textbook

Checklist for Revision

1. List down all the topics you need to cover for all the subjects.

2. Put a tick and the date you completed revision on a topic.

Subject Topic/Chapter Done Date Completed

Mathematics Algebra