Name

Resource provision within the Chemistry departmentThe NotebooksAll students are given a specialised exercise book designed to allow them to use the and Cornell notetaking method. At the back is an explanation of it from Cornell University. Briefly, in class they write their notes in the main part of the page, after class they translate new words and highlight key ideas at the sides. Then the write 1 or 2 sentence summary of the most important idea, in their own words. Eventually, when they get to university and beyond, it will be their ability to learn, of which notetaking and organisational skills are key that will allow them to access positions of leadership in whichever career they decide to pursue.

Main Area Notes taken in class

MarginArea for translations, further explanations, keywords or further questions to ask in the next lessonDONE AFTER THE LESSON, IDEALLY THE SAME DAY!

Summary section1 or 2 sentence summary of most important ideasDONE AFTER THE LESSON

Patrick Brannac www. Smashing Science.org Page 1 of 5

Space to be left for teacher’s comments

The Topic BooksWhat the students get is a 40 to 50-page topic book, which I have written myself and is specifically designed to help the students that learn at SCBS. It contains all the relevant information they will need, as well as exercises and extension work.

Too many students last year found the textbooks we gave them too challenging and were unable to focus with them. Like all of the textbooks I have so far seen designed for the CIE course, they require a reading age of between 11 to 15 and a native level of English. We have given them instead workbooks which, along with their notes from class and the topic books gives them all of the information they need to succeed at the highest level in CIE Secondary 1 Science. Should they complete the extension tasks at the back of the topic books, there is no limit to how deep and how far they can go with each topic.

This is the link to an online version of the topic book about Space (P7b) as an example (they get a printed version as well):

https://www.smashingscience.org/uploads/2/1/5/0/21509466/sec1_sci_p7b_tb_topic_book_the_earth_and_beyond_final.docx

Each topic will have it's own topic book from the Chemistry department. The physics department will be instead delivering textbooks as soon as they can.

QuizletAlso helpful are the Quizlet online word learning games and activities. Mr Brannac has created these word lists for all topics that the students have so far studied and uploaded them to this free website. They can be accessed either through my website, or the whole folder with all of them in can be found here:

https://quizlet.com/Patrick_Brannac4/folders/secondary-1-science-cie-glossary-english-and-chinese-translations/sets

Patrick Brannac www. Smashing Science.org Page 2 of 5

Introducing my website - For Parents Page (对于父母页面)(http://www.smashingscience.org/for-parents.html) https://www.smashingscience.org/for-parents.html

This contains information designed specifically for parents about the courses being studied and the directs parents to pages like the Expanding your Mind and the University Advice pages which offer advice on what students could do in addition to the work set in class to broaden their understanding and build their interest in ideas and science to the level required by the world’s best universities (like Imperial College and Cambridge, pictured above) It also contains information about the topics being studied, which when used with the For Students pages, will allow students to prepare for their next topics in advance should they wish to do so.

Grade 6 and grade 7 CIE Secondary 1 site (6 年级和 7 年级 CIE 中学 1 级网站)

This syllabus is based on the UK National Curriculum Key Stage 3 Science course and adapted by the Cambridge International Examinations group (a part of the University of Cambridge) for English as a Second Language learners of science. The resources available are nearly all specifically made by me for our students at SCBS.

Patrick Brannac www. Smashing Science.org Page 3 of 5

Expanding your Mind Pagehttp://www.smashingscience.org/expanding-your-mind.html

This includes information about the kinds of things students should be reading, watching and listening to in order for them to learn about the world and themselves. If students are progressing well in science, then this is a great place for them to go. There is a range of ideas in this website whose main purpose is to give students the advice I think will best prepare them not only for a career, but a life lived well. What that last part means to them is something that they will have to decide upon themselves. For me it involves using what I know and the work that I have done to help others, which is why this website has no advertising, allows anyone to access all of it for free and they can use or change whatever resource I have made that they think will help them or their students best. Since coming to this school, everything that I have added has been designed for the students I now teach; but

University advice https://www.smashingscience.org/university-guidance.html

I’ve coached students get accepted by universities like Imperial College, the University of Cambridge (I’m a graduate of both of these myself), as well as Yale, Oxford, University of Hong Kong and a range of other countries including Malaysia, Canada and Ireland.

Things to do over the holiday pagehttps://www.smashingscience.org/holiday-activites.html

One of the most important things to do if you want the very best out of yourself is to rest, especially in the holidays, but there are other ideas here of things to do once you have rested.

Patrick Brannac www. Smashing Science.org Page 4 of 5

420 CCCGarden Ave ExtensionIthaca, New York 14853-4203t. 607.255.6310f. 607.255.1562

www.lsc.cornell.edu

The Cornell Note-taking System

2 1/2”

Cue Column

6”

Note-taking Column

1. Record: During the lecture, use the note-taking column to record the lecture using telegraphic sentences.

2. Questions: As soon after class as possible, formulate questions based on the notes in the right-hand column. Writing questions helps to clarify meanings, reveal relationships, establish continuity, and strengthen memory. Also, the writing of questions sets up a perfect stage for exam- studying later.

3. Recite: Cover the note-taking column with a sheet of paper. Then, looking at the questions or cue-words in the question and cue column only, say aloud, in your own words, the answers to the questions, facts, or ideas indicated by the cue-words.

4. Reflect: Reflect on the material by asking yourself questions, for example:“What’s the significance of these facts? What principle are they based on?How can I apply them? How do they fit in with what I already know?What’s beyond them?

5. Review: Spend at least ten minutes every week reviewing all your previous notes. If you do, you’ll retain a great deal for current use, as well as, for the exam.

Summary

2” After class, use this space at the bottom of each page to summarize the notes on that page.

Adapted from How t o S tud y i n Co lle g e 7 / e by Walter Pauk, 2001 Houghton Mifflin Company

From: http://lsc.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Cornell-NoteTaking-System.pdf

This 5 day study plan is also interesting: http://lsc.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/The-Five-Day-Study-Plan.pdf

Patrick Brannac www. Smashing Science.org Page 5 of 5