Sec 3 Parents’ Evening

9 March 2017

Supporting your daughter for the next phase of the learning journey

By Mrs Nancy Phua

Consultation Sessions

• self-initiated sessions with teachers

• teachers availability – book early!

Remedial

• selected students whom the teachers think will benefit from the session

Bridging lessons

• 29 – 31 May

• 30 October – 3 November

What your daughter experiences in school

Quiet Time

• daily routine in school – set priorities of the day;

stay calm and be focused

Early Bird Reading on Mondays & Tuesdays mornings

• Short articles to help them to know about current events

Realistic Goal Setting + Charting the process to reach their goals

• SMART goals – small steps to success

Brain Breaks

10-24-7 strategy

• 10 minutes…24 hours…7 days, to review the learning/material

• Quiz yourself, make mind maps, make notes etc

What your daughter experiences in school

Good attendance in school

Keep abreast of the homework

• building blocks

• scaffold their learning

• ask questions to address their gaps

Supporting your daughter in school

Supporting your daughter in schoolNutrition and Food intake

• breakfast at the start of the day is a good habit to have

• water

Healthy sleep

• adequate and quality sleep

• electronic devices

Exercise

• a family activity?

• stretching and moving around

Promotion CriteriaPromotion Criteria Pass Fail

Secondary

3NT

Grade D or better in

2 subjects, one of

which is English

Language or

Mathematics

Promoted to Sec 4NT

*Laterally transferredto Sec 3 NormalAcademic

Retained at Sec 3NT if student

failed to fulfil the Promotion

Criteria

Secondary

3NA

Grade 5 or better in

(a) English Language

and 2 other subjects

(b) 4 subjects

Promoted to Sec 4NA Retained at Sec 3NA

if student failed to fulfil the

Promotion Criteria

Promotion CriteriaPromotion

Criteria

Pass Fail

Secondary

3 Express

Pass

(C6 or better)

in English

Language

and 2 other

subjects

Promoted to

Sec 4 Express

Advanced to Sec 4 Express

if student failed English

Language but obtained C6 or

better in 5 subjects

Retained in Sec 3 Express

*may be laterally transferred to

Sec 4 Normal Academic

• Institute of Technical Education (ITE)

• Polytechnics

• Millennia Institute

• Junior Colleges

• LASALLE College of the Arts (LASALLE)

• Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA)

• Universities

http://bit.ly/2mIkiS3

(a pdf file from MOE website)

Handout with important information

We work together to realise her dreamsBe Present for your daughter

Be Proud of your daughter (make every effort count!)

Academic Talk:English Language

HOD English

Mr Andrew Seah

Overview

• Demands of the Subject

• How Parents Can Help at Home

Demands of the Subject

• Four Papers1. Writing (Editing, Situational Writing and Continuous Writing)

2. Comprehension (Visual, Narrative, non-Narrative texts, and Summary)

3. Listening Comprehension

4. Oral Communication

Demands of the Subject

• Questions that your daughters may encounter– People should have the right to speak their mind. Do you agree?

– Parents often believe that it is better to be safe than sorry. Do you consider young people to be too protected?

– Do you agree that the motorcar is the greatest threat to the environment?

– How far would you agree that we all have a responsibility for the animals of the world, especially those that are endangered?

– Do you think that people can be taught to be creative? Why, or why not?

– How far would you agree that more flexible working hours would be the best way to solve commuting problems?

– Some people think that natural disasters are becoming more frequent. How far do you agree that human activity is causing this?

How Parents Can Help at Home

• Discuss current affairs / news events at home– What is this news event about?

– What are my thoughts and feelings about this news event?

– Why is it important?

– How will it affect me / my family / society in the short / long run?

– What are some of the advantages and disadvantages?

• Encourage your daughters to have an opinion… and share the opinion in an appropriate manner– Share matured thoughts about the topic

– Use examples to justify thoughts and opinions

How Parents Can Help at Home

• Reading

– One of the strongest predictors of reading comprehension –not only in the EL subject but in every school subject – is the amount of time a child spends reading

– Reading exposes a child to good examples of Standard English and builds up general knowledge.

– Reading reduces stress

– Reading improves focus and concentration

How Parents Can Help at Home

• Encourage your daughters to read

– Read with your daughters (family activity)

– Encourage your daughters to take part in the Early Bird Reading Programme

• Every morning 7.00 a.m. to 7.25 a.m.

• School Hall

Academic Talk:Mathematics

HOD Mathematics

Mdm Ang Cheow Tee

Current Mathematics Syllabuses

Syllabus Subject Code

First year of exam

Maths NT 4046 2016

Mathematics NA 4045 2016

O-Level Mathematics 4048 2016

N-Level Additional Maths 4044 2014

O-Level Additional Maths 4047 2014

Today’s Briefing

• In what ways are the new syllabuses different from the previous ones?

• What do students need to do to handle the new syllabuses well?

Current trend in O and N LevelsMaths exams

• There are more questions requiring explanations or giving reasons for answers

2016 O-Level

Maths

2016 NT Maths

2016 NA Maths

Implications

• Students need to -learn the correct mathematical terms-know the properties / laws well-support explanation with evidence e.g. quote values

Current trend in O and N LevelsMaths exams

• Novel / unusual questions

2016 NT Maths

2016 O-Level Maths

2016 O-Level Maths

Implications

• Students need to -exercise flexibility in their thinking-understand the concepts very well-read and interpret questions quickly-persevere, can-do spirit

Current trend in O and N LevelsMaths exams

• Questions are less structured, i.e. not broken down into smaller parts

2016 O Level

Maths

Implications for students

• Students need to-present working clearly-write short statements for working steps-build up good habit from daily work-understand the need for teachers to penalise for poor presentation

Current trend in O and N LevelsMaths exams

• Problems in real-world context

2016 O-Level Maths

2016 NT Maths

2016 NA Maths

Implications

• Students need to-understand the concepts very well so as to be able to apply them to questions of different context-read and interpret the information quickly and accurately

Current trend in O and N LevelsMaths exams

• Questions to be solved by a particular method

O-Level Maths

Additional Maths

Implications

• Students need to -be open minded about learning different methods to solve a problem-not rely too much on so called ‘short-cut’ methods

In conclusion

To handle the new syllabus well, students need to

• Have good reading skills

• Practise with understanding

• Be flexible in their thinking

• Have resilience and can-do spirit

Academic Talk:Humanities (Social Studies)

HOD Humanities

Mdm Rasheada Begam

Outline of Presentation

• Overview of the Social Studies (SS) curriculum

• Assessment in the SS Curriculum

• What can parents do to help?

New Syllabus : Exam on 2017

The ST, 21 Jan 2016

New Social Studies Syllabus

Envisions students as

• Informed, concerned and participative citizens

• competent in decision-making with an impassioned spirit to contribute responsibly to the society and world they live in.

AIMS of the syllabus

- instill a sense of national identity as well as global awareness / perspectives

- develop critical thinking skills

NEW SOCIAL STUDIES CONTENT

Content is organised around three Issues.

• Issue 1: Exploring Citizenship and Governance

• Issue 2: Living in a Diverse Society

• Issue 3: Being Part of a Globalised World

Each issue is organised around an Inquiry Focus.

HUMANITIES (2017)

Social Studies

Geography ElectiveHistory Elective

Literature Elective

50 %

50 %

The SS Examination Format

Components in the SS Paper [1 hr 45 mins]

Sections (All Compulsory Questions) Marks

Section AOne Source-based Case Study (SBCS)5 sub-parts [Qns 1a-e]

35m

Section B One Structured-Response Question (SRQ)2 sub-parts [Qns 2a-b]

15m

Section A (SBCS)

• Requires students to interpret and

evaluate a collection of sources based on

a societal issue.

• Can be set on any one of the three

issues in the SS syllabus

• Issue/ Focus of SBCS may or may not

be covered in the syllabus

Section A: Sample of Source-based Case-Study (35m)

Section B: Structured‐Response Qn

• Students will be required to show their

understanding of societal issues when

they apply their knowledge as they

analyse societal issues and construct

explanations.

• Emphasis on knowledge beyond factual

recall and ability to construct reasoned

arguments, and making informed

judgement and recommendations.

Sample of Structured Response Question (15m)

(a) Extract 1 states that public vigilance was extremely low during the conduct of Exercise Times Square on 9 November 2010 in Singapore.

In your opinion, how can public vigilance in Singapore be improved? Explain your answer using two strategies? [7]

• Sub-part (a): requires consideration of

issue in the context of Singapore

Extract 2 and Extract 3 reflect on the role of local government and the international community in helping to prevent the acts of terrorism.

Do you think the local government has a more important role to play than the international community in helping to prevent acts of terrorism? Explain your answer [8]

• Sub-part (b): application of content

found in the TB

How to do well in Social Studies• READ

- Newspapers , Magazines , Books

• Understand different perspectives surrounding an issue

• Ability to interpret, evaluate and analyse sources

• Ability to apply the knowledge and skills to make an argument and construct explanation

• DO well in the ELECTIVES

(Geog, Literature, History)

How can parents help?• Encourage your child to read

- read the papers and watch the news

• Discuss different perspectives surrounding an issue whenever the opportunity presents itself

• Encourage her to form opinions about various issues and justify her stand.

• Regular Attendance in School

• Ensure that your child does her homework whenever it is given

• Inculcate good study habits