interviews 4 psle examiners techniques that i use while ... · 1 deepa c: author and tutor...
TRANSCRIPT
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Deepa C: Author and Tutor
INTERVIEWS → 4 PSLE EXAMINERS
TECHNIQUES that I use while teaching my students and have seen actually PRODUCE results
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Compre Open-ended – T/F Question
▪ Rule – Replace the word ‘reason’ with ‘evidence’
True /
False
Reason (Students’ answer) Evidence
Mrs Kim had left the
only phone the
family had in their
car.
False Mrs Kim had left only her
OWN handphone in the
family car.
Mrs Kim had left
only her OWN
handphone in the
family car,
everyone else in the
household relied on
their own personal
handphone.
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Compre Open-ended – T/F Question
▪ Rule – Replace the word ‘reason’ with ‘evidence’
True / False Reason (Students’ answer) Evidence
Mrs Kim found out
that the duck was
nearby when she
saw its beak.
False Mrs Kim heard the duck
before she saw it.
Mrs Kim heard a
familiar ”quack,
quack” coming
from outside the
house before a
beak could be
seen sticking out
from behind the
door.
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Rephrase or Lift (Copy)
▪ Rule – Rephrase as little as possible. If you cannot find the answer or are doubtful
about the answer, copy it.
Question Lifted answer Rephrased answer
How can you tell from the first
paragraph that the duck was
very persistent?
Mr Kim tried chasing it away several
times. However, the duck was very
persistent. It would always return,
quacking softly outside if the door was
closed……….
Mr Kim tried chasing
THE DUCK away
MANY times BUT IT
would always
return………
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Rephrase or Lift (Copy)
▪ Rule – Rephrase as little as possible. If you cannot find the answer or are doubtful
about the answer, copy it.
Question Lifted answer Rephrased answer
Before the duck left the
house, in what two ways was
its presence helpful to Mrs
Kim?
Fearing that she
had……outside the
house. The repetitive
sound……..calmed her
down.
Mrs Kim was beginning to panic
when she heard the repetitive
sound of the duck quacking. That
struck her as comical and calmed
her down.
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Language – 20 marks
Bare minimum – 10 Marks▪ Spelling
▪ Grammar
▪ Punctuation
Extra marks – 2▪ Use of dialogues
▪ Beginning with anything
other than, ‘One day’
High band – 3, 4, 5, 6
• Usually marked strictly by teachers
• Watch out for single ticks / double
ticks on the top of words /sentences
Descriptive phrases – characters & setting
Descriptive phrases – feelings
Bombastic vocabulary
Use of ‘sound’ words
Varied sentence structure
Interesting beginning and ending
Phrasal verbs
Idioms
Proverbs
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Content – 20 marks
Bare minimum – 12 Marks
✓ Simple
✓ Singaporean
✓REALISTIC
Extra marks – 2
✓No story holes
High band – 3, 4, 5, 6
✓ Topic of the compo addressed
for at least two paragraphs – 12
sentences
OR
✓ Unique story
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IMHO – STORY is more important than language
Bare minimum – 10 Marks▪ Spelling
▪ Grammar
▪ Punctuation
Extra marks – 2▪ Use of dialogues
▪ Beginning with anything other than,
‘One day’
High band – 3, 4, 5, 6• Usually marked strictly by teachers• Watch out for single ticks / double
ticks on the top of words /sentences
Descriptive phrases – characters & settingDescriptive phrases – feelingsBombastic vocabularyUse of ‘sound’ wordsVaried sentence structureInteresting beginning and endingPhrasal verbs
IdiomsProverbs
Bare minimum – 12 Marks✓ Simple
✓ Singaporean
✓ REALISTIC
Extra marks – 2✓ No story holes
High band – 3, 4, 5, 6
✓ Topic of the compo addressed
for at least two paragraphs – 12
sentences
OR
✓ Unique story
Language – 20 marks Content – 20 marks
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Why writing a simple, Singaporean, realistic story
is BETTER for an ordinary PSLE student
▪ It is TOO STRESSFUL to come up with a unique story and write it well under exam conditions – Maximum
45 minutes
▪ Child is 11 / 12 years old with few unique life experiences
▪ Child is likely to be a non-reader
▪ Only a tiny percentage of children is likely to be gifted in writing
▪ PSLE topic is already going to be tricky, not tough but tricky
▪ Child is likely to have a personal experience which can be moulded into a story
▪ Child will be able to write several details and elaborate well
▪ Chances of story holes / gaps are greatly reduced
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2015 PSLE Compo topic – Being considerate
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Correct stories
• Helped clear my table in a food court after
eating; cleaner aunty was old and weak
• Helped clear some canteen tables after
recess; some members of the cleaning staff
were absent
• Father did not watch the Soccer World Cup
Finals before my exams
• Elder brother did not play on the PlayStation
for a week before my exams
• Gave up my reserved seating for an elderly
person / injured person / pregnant lady
2015 PSLE Compo topic – Being considerate
Students’ likely stories
• At a food court, the previous diners
left their table dirty
• Elder brother blared the TV while I
was revising / studying
• An officer-goer occupying a
reserved seat did not offer his
place to an old woman
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2016 PSLE Compo topic – A Secret
• Opened father’s bank statement, no money
• Opened a letter addressed to father, fired from job
• Opened a letter from a hospital, family member has cancer
• Told everyone friend’s top-secret T-score
• Overheard mother talking to a friend, found out I was adopted
• Broke into q locked gate near home, discovered smugglers
• Saw the school gate unlocked, discovered some boys vandalising
Students’ likely stories
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2017 PSLE Compo topic – A Special Gift
Correct stories
• Gifted my best friend a mug because he helped
me train for the NAPFA run / Maths PSLE
• Gifted a bracelet to my form teacher because she
helped me improve in Science problem sums
• Gifted a family member a T-shirt of his/her favourite
brand because he/she took care of me during an
illness
• Saved up my pocket money for a year; bought
Christmas gifts (T-shirts) for all the children in a
nearby orphanage
Students’ likely stories
• Mostly will be a surprise gift instead
of a special gift
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What is a story hole / gap?
Examples
▪ An incident occurs in the school canteen. However, the students’ parents scold him. No explanation on
how the parents managed to get to the school in such a short span of time.
▪ A student misbehaves in the classroom. The Discipline Master punishes her. No explanation about how
the matter was communicated to the DM.
▪ A child helps an old lady with her shopping bags. The child’s father praises him. No explanation on how
the father came to know about his good deed.
Reasons
➢ Trying very hard to write a ‘Unique story’ and impress the teacher
➢NOT PLANNING THE STORY BEFORE BEGINNING TO WRITE
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PLAN, PLAN, PLAN – Parent, put your foot down
▪ Any planning method is ok
▪ Compulsory think through of a simple, Singaporean,
realistic story till the end
▪ Initially, TOUGH but well worth it
▪ With enough practice, can be achieved in 10 minutes
▪ Even on THE DAY of the PSLE exam – 10 minutes for
planning
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COMPO PRACTICE – Oral story-telling with one picture only
NARRATE THE STORY
Values
•Honesty
•Kindness
•Charity
•Courage
•Teamwork
•Responsibility
•Loyalty
Nouns
•Carelessness
•Danger
•Wish
•Opportunity
•Dilemma
•Teamwork
•Surprise
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Focus on the words in BOLD
Topic word
• Surprising announcement
• Shocking discovery
• False alarm
• Special gift
What was the announcement
/ discovery / alarm / gift?
Why / How was it surprising /
shocking / false / special?
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Shortcut for scoring in the language component
Feelings phrases – Acronyms
Anger
Boredom
Curiosity
Disappointment
Disgust
Expectation
Excitement
Embarrassment
Fear
Illness
Irritation
Relief
Sadness
Surprise / Shock
Tiredness
Gratitude
Pride
Happiness
Worry
Gratitude
Pride
ABCDE FIRST HW GP
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Look at this....
“I can’t put up with the guy I’m putting up at my
house, his put-downs really put me out and I’m
feeling put-upon”
“I’m doing up my house and it’s doing me in.”
Source: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160908-the-language-rules-we-know-but-dont-know-we-know
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Thank you