Posted in MUST KNOW PSLE, Parents - PSLE, Pri Science, PSLE SCIENCE

PSLE Science question of the week

PSLE Science question of the week #1:
Banana Tree
Unripe bananas are green and contain chlorophyll.
Question: Bananas curve upwards when growing. Suggest a reason why bananas grow upwards.
Option A: They grow upwards to counteract the force of gravity
Option B: They grow upwards so that animals cannot reach and eat them before they are ripe
Option C: They grow upwards towards the sun so they can photosynthesize
Option D: They grow upwards so that they can get more carbon dioxide

Answer: Answer is C, plants always grow towards the sun in order to capture more sunlight for photosynthesis.

PSLE Science question of the week #2:

Athlete’s foot

Question: Student A has a medical condition in which fungus grows on his feet. The doctor advised student A to wear slippers instead of covered shoes. Explain how wearing slippers helps reduce the growth of fungus on the feet.

Option A: Wearing slippers allows the student to air his feet and prevent growth of fungus

Option B: Wearing slippers keeps the student’s feet dry, as fungus needs water to grow

Option C: Wearing slippers instead of shoes as fungus likes to grow on socks

Option D: Wearing slippers exposes the feet to the sun, and fungi do not like sunlight

Answer: Answer is B! Fungi needs water to grow, so it prefers damp environment. Wearing slippers allowed sweat to evaporate, keeping the feet dry and free of fungi.

PSLE Science question of the week #3

Question: A man used a hammer to drive a nail into a piece of wood. Which factor will NOT affect how deep the nail goes into the wood?

Option A: Mass of the man

Option B: Mass of the nail

Option C: Friction between the nail and the wood

Option D: Height at which the hammer was raised

Post your answer in the comments section below!

Answer: Answer is B, mass of the nail is unrelated to the amount of force or energy the man needs to hit the nail.

PSLE Science question of the week #4

When Student A closed the switch, the bulb blew. Which one of the following would have prevented the bulb from blowing?

Option A: Using fewer batteries

Option B: Closing the switch more quickly

Option C: Changing the direction of the switch

Option D: Changing the direction of all batteries

Answer: Answer is A! Using too many batteries can cause the bulb to fuse due to too much current flowing through the bulb, and heating up the filament.

Posted in Enrichment, Parents - PSLE, Pri Science, PSLE SCIENCE

2024 PSLE A-STAR SCIENCE PROGRAM FOR ADVANCED LEARNERS IN P6

This program is designed as a lead-up to our IP secondary classes, tutors in charge will be putting a greater emphasis on process questions instead of pure content and drilling. Tutors in charge will be our IP tutors who have been training PSLE high scorers for many years, who are graduates from schools offering the IP stream, on top of being NIE trained as well as NUS graduates

If your child is getting an A but is struggling to attain A* in PSLE science, this program will interest you. The common weakness of students who fail to achieve A* standard is the inability to handle creative open ended questions found at the end of the paper which cannot be answered using rote-learning methods, in fact, memorizing will be a detriment. This program aims to equip prospective students with the necessary skills and knowledge to confidently break down and solve such problems. Students who are aiming to attend Integrated Program(IP) with an aggregate of AL4-AL8 are strongly recommended to attend, as those schools will have very competitive Maths and Science syllabus.

Level/Subject:  P6 A-Star SCIENCE

Dates: Friday

Time: 330pm – 5.00 pm

Benefits of the PSLE A-Star Science program:

-Keyword spotting and recalling important content

-Custom summary topical notes for efficient reading

-Reading and classifying questions under topical categories

-Visualizing and solving of abstract or creative type questions

-Focus on questions that require Higher Order Thinking(HOT) e.g. Experimental Questions

-Small class size and individual checking of working and solution

-Term tests to gauge progress

-Constant feedback from tutor

-Detailed analysis of school exam papers and common mistakes of the students

Level/Subject:  P6 A-Star MATHS

Dates: Friday

Time: 530pm – 7.00 pm

Benefits of the PSLE A-Star Maths program:

-Heuristics heavy curriculum

-3D mensuration (shapes, figures, volume, area, perimeter)

-Visualizing and solving of abstract or creative type questions

-Focus on questions that require Higher Order Thinking(HOT) e.g. Challenging Problem sums

-Small class size and individual checking of working and solution

-Term tests to gauge progress

-Constant feedback from tutor

-Detailed analysis of school exam papers and common mistakes of the students

Level/Subject:  P6 A-Star ENGLISH

Dates: Monday

Time: 330pm – 5.00 pm

Benefits of the PSLE A-Star English program:

-Strong focus on creative writing *weekly practice with marking and review*

-Challenging Comprehension practice with step by step guidance

-Customized notes and lesson structure to assist in writing within a Singaporean context

-Highly dynamic and creative class to ensure constant engagement and interest with a results oriented focus

-FREE listening comprehension and oral workshop

-Small class size and individual checking of composition and comprehension

-Term tests to gauge progress

-Constant feedback from tutor

-Detailed analysis of school exam papers and common mistakes of the students

 

Fees: 280 per student, for each additional subject taken, a permanent discount of $30 is applied

i.e student takes EMS, each subject is 280-30-30=220, total is 660/month

Singapore Learner @ Bukit Batok

Admin Address: Blk 644, Bukit Batok Central, #01-68. S(650644).

Tel: +(65) 6569 4897,  +(65) 87762711 (WHATAPPS ADMIN) https://wa.link/rey2dv

Posted in EDUCATIONAL ADVICE, Educational Advice, Pri Science

Using the CER(Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) method in Primary 3 and 4 Science

As parents, many of you would have seen your child bring home science worksheets which require them to answer using the CER method, and are unsure of how to guide them to solve those questions. So what is the CER method? The CER method stands for Claim, Evidence and Reasoning. It is developed to encourage students to answer a scientific problem using data to support their answers. This method is used to train students to develop the necessary skillset to tackle the PSLE answering format.

C – Claim. When you make a claim, it is supposed to be a statement which is unsubstantiated. This statement has to answer the original question. For example, in a question with woodlice in a box, a student can make a claim which is “woodlice prefer to live in dark areas”

E – Evidence. Provide evidence to your claim. This evidence must always be based on whatever diagram, model, table or graph that is presented in the question. Evidence is typically numerical in nature, i.e. the student must quote the significant numbers to substantiate their claims. For example, in the same woodlice question, a student can say “after 2h, there are 10 woodlice in the sheltered area, and 0 woodlice in the lighted area”.  Note that in the answer, the student needs to quote and compare these statistics presented.

R – Reasoning. Reasoning is the use of scientific concepts to explain your claim and evidence. These scientific concepts are usually limited by the scope of your issued textbook, i.e. your answer should include keywords or key concepts quoted in that specific topic in the textbook. An example of a good reasoning answer would be “some animals are nocturnal in nature. Because more woodlice are in the sheltered area, this means that they are nocturnal and prefer the dark or will be more active in the dark”

Some parents might ask, is this exact answering scheme required of my child in PSLE? Of course not, the questions in PSLE science do not segregate the questions into its individual CER components and expect an answer as such. However, you must bear in mind that this mode of answering is effective for training your child to become a learner who can give proper scientific answers, which is what the PSLE is looking for. I hope you find this information useful for your child’s academic growth.

Posted in DSA, EDUCATIONAL ADVICE, Educational Advice, Exam Results, Parents - PSLE, Pri Science, PSLE SCIENCE

Bridging the gap from AL2-3 to AL1 in P6 Science

Many parents of academically gifted children are often perplexed by their inability to secure an A* for Science, especially if their child is already doing exceedingly well in other subjects such as Mathematics, which also requires higher order thinking. Based on my experience from training such students, as well as my personal experience, I can offer some insight into this matter.

1) Primary level Science, unlike Mathematics, follow a strict marking scheme with a range of keywords. Mathematics on the other hand, accept a wide array of solving techniques, even if they are of a more advanced nature. (i.e. using simultaneous equations to solve problem sums is a valid technique, even if it involves competencies which are taught in Lower Secondary maths) A strong Maths student at P6 may find themselves knowledgable on Science, but unable to be a high achiever because their phrasing is not within the acceptable parameters of the P6 Examination. A very knowledgable student in Science can still fail to get A* if they do not use the correct terminology. Drilling of keywords is necessary, but can be memory intensive and inefficient. It is important to teach them that there are a set of keywords instead of just one acceptable answer, so their thinking is nimble, and able to adapt to different questions. It is also less taxing on their memory.

2) Carelessness in MCQ. Even after the changes to MCQ section, moving from 30 questions to 28 questions, the MCQ still forms the bulk of the grades in the PSLE. Securing near full marks in MCQ is vital to securing A*. As a parent, you must understand that almost every year without fail, there will be an extremely challenging or creative section B question which most students cannot handle. In order to hedge against the scenario that your child might be unable to get the question right, you must have near perfect MCQ grades. That marginal difference in MCQ means that carelessness cannot be tolerated, and MCQ techniques or skills have to be properly taught to them, and it has to be taught early. Last minute preparation will not serve you well.

3) Overanswering in section B may cost you more than you think. Parents, students, or even some teachers, may have the mentality that overanswering is the way to go, and better be safe than sorry. This tactic will not serve you well if you are aiming for A*. Overwriting often leads to less time allocated to reading long questions and understanding complex diagrams. This is costly as the students might find themselves misinterpreting the question and going out of point. It is much more efficient to learn how to interpret certain prompts(state, explain, describe) in the questions and answer accordingly. (i.e. not all 2 marks questions must have lengthy answer, and not all 1 mark questions are that straightforward. The specific wording used in the question will determine the depth of your answer)

4) Last but not least, a healthy interest in the pursuit of Science is important. A driven and motivated child will be well read, and in turn, that makes the child very resilient to challenging questions which involve scenarios that test heavily on external knowledge. It is not surprising that many of my students who eventually made it into specialist science schools (SST, NUS High) have a deep interest in the sciences, and are very well read or engaged(perhaps even more knowledgable than myself in certain aspects, which is a very impressive feat). Providing them with an environment which encourages the pursuit of science beyond grades alone, will actually improve their grades in the long run.

Posted in Pri English, Pri Math, Pri Science, Workshops

P3-P5 Study Supervision During PSLE Marking Days 17-20 Oct

Dates:  PSLE Marking Days 17 – 20 Oct 2016

Timings/Session:  8 am – 10 am | 10 am – 12 pm | 12 pm – 2 pm | 2 pm – 4 pm

Fee:  $20 per 2-hr session (inclusive of any materials and light refreshment)

Location:   Blk 644, Bukit Batok Central, #01-68. S(650644).

(Our location is just a 3-min walk from either the Bukit Batok MRT station or theBukit Batok Bus Interchange. Buses that stop along the roads surrounding our location are numbers 157, 178, 66, 506, 173, 174, 176, 187, 985. Buses services which terminate at Bukit Batok Bus Interchange are 61, 77, 106, 173, 177, 189, 852, 941, 945, 947)

Target Group & Purpose:  To meaningfully occupy P3 – P5 pupils with English, Math and Science activities during the PSLE marking days when schools are closed, through study supervision and revision for end-of-year exams.

Activities during Study Supervision may include:

(1) Completing Homework, with guidance from our tutors;

(2) Self-directed Revision for end-of-year exams, with mentoring from our tutors;

(3) Doing Exam Papers & Discussing Answers, with guidance from our tutors.

TO REGISTER, SMS <STUDENT NAME> <LEVEL> <PSLEMD> TO 97860411.

As places are limited, pre-payment is encouraged to confirm your attendance. You can make payment by visiting the centre at the address above.

_____________________________________________________

TUITION CLASSES:

jcbutton          secbutton

ipbutton                    pributton

_______________________________________________________________

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES:

hwsupervbutton                   intensivebutton

headststart-1                   private-candidates

______________________________________________________________

By EX-MOE TEACHERS & EXPERIENCED TUTORS

@ BLK 644, BUKIT BATOK CENTRAL, #01-68. S(650644).

CALL 65694897 OR SMS 98530744 OR 97860411.

Posted in Pri Science, PSLE SCIENCE

PSLE SCIENCE JUNE HOLIDAY INTENSIVE REVISION

JUNE 2016

The PSLE Science June Holiday Intensive Revision is a 4-day intensive revision programme conducted during the upcoming June school holidays to prepare P6 pupils for the 2016 PSLE Science Examination.

Level/Subject:  P6 SCIENCE

Dates:  Mon 20/6, Tue 21/6, Wed 22/6, and Thur 23/6 (four 2 hr sessions)

Time: Afternoons 1.00 pm – 3.00 pm

Location:   Blk 644, Bukit Batok Central, #01-68. S(650644).

Our location is just a 3-min walk from either the Bukit Batok MRT station or the Bukit Batok Bus Interchange. Buses that stop along the roads surrounding our location are numbers 157, 178, 66, 506, 173, 174, 176, 187, 985. Buses services which terminate at Bukit Batok Bus Interchange are 61, 77, 106, 173, 177, 189, 852, 941, 945, 947.

Target Group & Purpose: P6 students who wish to MASTER MCQ-ANSWERING TECHNIQUES, SCIENCE PROCESS SKILLS and SCIENCE APPLICATION SKILLS.

The objectives of the programme are as follows:

  1. Reinforcement of Science IMPORTANT Facts and Concepts.
  2. Recap of Science Process Skills (according to MOE syllabus): eg. Comparing, Classifying, Inferring, Analysing etc
  3. Review of Science Application Skills (according to MOE syllabus): Communicating, Predicting, Generating Possibilities, Evaluating, Formulating Hypothesis etc

Focus: CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING & EXAM-ANSWERING SKILLS

Format: Teaching + Worksheets + Discussions

Fee: $240 (if registration confirmed in June), $190 (if registration confirmed before 1st June)

TO REGISTER, SMS <STUDENT NAME> , <P6SCIENCEJUN> TO 97860411.

As places are limited, pre-payment is encouraged to confirm your attendance. You can make payment by visiting the centre at the address above.

_______________________________________

TUITION CLASSES:

jcbutton          secbutton

ipbutton                    pributton

_______________________________________________________________

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES:

hwsupervbutton                   intensivebutton

alevelprepbutton                   olevelprepbutton

______________________________________________________________

By EX-MOE TEACHERS & EXPERIENCED TUTORS

@ BLK 644, BUKIT BATOK CENTRAL, #01-68. S(650644).

CALL 65694897 OR SMS 98530744 OR 97860411.

Posted in Pri English, Pri Math, Pri Science, PSLE Math

Weekly Tuition for PSLE ENGLISH, MATH & SCIENCE

Preparation for the PSLE begins early. Concept Learning, a division of Singapore Learner, provides weekly PSLE prep classes for the following:

P6 MATH (Problem Solving & Heuristics); P6 ENGLISH (Writing & Oral Skills); P6 SCIENCE (Process & Application Skills).

Our standard monthly fee (4 sessions) for each P6 subject is $160. But students who register before 1st Feb enjoy a Special Early Bird Discount of $40 off each subject, paying only $120 per month per subject till they complete their PSLE.

We are OPEN for REGISTRATION from 10 am to 4 pm on Weekends. Our Location: Blk 644, Bukit Batok Central, #01-68.

Our centre is also open for registration on weekdays, from 11 am to 6pm, from 5 Jan to 9 Jan. (Tel: 65694897; 97860411).

Posted in Pri Math, Pri Science

Update on PSLE math and science intensive revision june 2014

I’m quite happy that to date, 6 and 5 students have signed up for my june hols psle math and science intensive revision workshops respectively. My intention was to prepare my own daughter comprehensively for psle math and science, and the classes will continue even if she is the only student.

Each 3h lesson will consist of mini-lectures to highlight the important concepts to be tested at the PSLE, short worksheets with must-know questions that the students must do, and discussions at the end to reinforce the salient points of the topic. For math, I will display different ways to solve the same problem sum so that students can select their natural method of solving math questions. For Science, I will highlight common errors in answering the structured questions.

As it is a REVISION workshop, each worksheet will have easy to hard questions, and the faster students can do more questions while the slower students will be given guidance along the way.

There will be another PSLE intensive revision in the Sep hols, but I’ve not yet decided whether it will be a repeat or a continuation of the June one.

As with the previous year, participants will be invited to attend my post-PSLE Algebra workshops sometime in Nov or Dec, for which I already have one student signed up. : )

I believe in what I do, as I’ve successfully guided my eldest daughter (and most of my students) to make the transition from lower to upper pri, from upper pri to lower sec, and from lower to upper sec, without much academic pain.

I look forward to meeting the PSLE workshop participants this June.

Rgds,

Ilyasa

PSLE MATH & SCIENCE INTENSIVE REVISION JUNE 2014

Posted in Pri Math, Pri Science

PRI 3 – PRI 6 CONCEPTUAL LEARNING SCHEDULE 2014

Classes marked with a ‘*’ are Conceptual Mastery courses whereas those without a ‘*’ are Conceptual Drilling classes.

Conceptual Drilling classes are for students who need to strengthen their maths or science foundation, using constructivist and scaffolding approaches. Conceptual Mastery courses are for students who are ready to learn how to answer or solve challenging questions, using a metacognitive approach.

P3 Math*:      Every Monday, 3.00 pm – 4.30 pm (Start Nov 18); Code: P3M1.

P3 Math:      Every Wednesday, 3.00 pm – 4.30 pm (Start Nov 20); Code: P3M2.

P3 Science*:   Every Thursday, 3.00 pm – 4.30 pm (Start Nov 21); Code: P3S1.

 

P4 Math:       Every Monday, 3.00 pm – 4.30 pm (Start Nov 18); Code: P4M1.

P4 Math*:       Every Tuesday, 3.00 pm – 4.30 pm (Start Nov 19); Code: P4M2.

P4 Science*:    Every Friday, 3.00 pm – 4.30 pm (Start Nov 22); Code: P4S1.

 

P5 Math:        Every Monday, 4.30 pm – 6.00 pm (Start Nov 18); Code: P5M1.

P5 Math*:        Every Tuesday, 4.30 pm – 6.00 pm (Start Nov 19); Code: P5M2.

P5 Math:          Every Saturday, 3.30 pm – 5.00 pm (Start 11 Jan); Code: P5M3.

P5 Science:    Every Wednesday, 4.30 pm – 6.00 pm (Start Nov 20); Code: P5S1.

P5 Science*:    Every Friday, 4.30 pm – 6.00 pm (Start Nov 19); Code: P5S2.

P5 Science:    Every Saturday, 5.00 pm – 6.30 pm (Start 11 Jan); Code: P5S3.

 

P6 Math:        Every Monday, 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm (Start Nov 18); Code: P6M1.

P6 Math*:        Every Tuesday, 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm (Start Nov 19); Code: P6M2.

P6 Math*:        Every Saturday, 9.30 am – 11.00 am (Start Nov 23); Code: P6M3.

P6 Math:        Every Saturday, 12.30 pm – 2.00 pm (Start Nov 23); Code: P6M4.

P6 Science*:     Every Friday, 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm (Start Nov 22); Code: P6S1.

P6 Science:    Every Wednesday, 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm (Start Nov 20); Code: P6S2.

P6 Science*:     Every Saturday, 11.00 am – 12.30 pm (Start Nov 23); Code: P6S3.

P6 Science:     Every Saturday, 2.00 pm – 3.30 pm (Start Nov 23); Code: P6S4.

 

P6 Math:        Every Monday, 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm (Start Nov 18); Code: P6M1.

P6 Math*:        Every Tuesday, 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm (Start Nov 19); Code: P6M2.

P6 Math*:        Every Saturday, 9.30 am – 11.00 am (Start Nov 23); Code: P6M3.

P6 Math:        Every Saturday, 12.30 pm – 2.00 pm (Start Nov 23); Code: P6M4.

P6 Science*:     Every Friday, 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm (Start Nov 22); Code: P6S1.

P6 Science:    Every Wednesday, 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm (Start Nov 20); Code: P6S2.

P6 Science*:     Every Saturday, 11.00 am – 12.30 pm (Start Nov 23); Code: P6S3.

P6 Science:     Every Saturday, 2.00 pm – 3.30 pm (Start Nov 23); Code: P6S4.

 

Administrative Matters:

Location: Blk 627, Bukit Batok Central. Our location is just a 3-min walk from either the Bukit Batok MRT station or the Bukit Batok bus interchange. Buses that stop along the road in front of Blk 627 are numbers 157, 178, 66, 506, 173, 174, 176, 187, 941, 947, 985.

Max Class Size: 8

Monthly fee for each subject or slot for P6/P5/P4/P3 is $110/110/90/90 respectively, inclusive of materials fee. Discounts apply for multiple subjects or slots.

TO REGISTER, SMS <FULL STUDENT NAME>, <CODE> TO 97860411.

For enquiries, kindly call or sms to 9786 0411.

Posted in Pri Science

Metacognitive P5 Science Tuition

For our latest timetable, click here =>  pributton

===============================================================

ORIGINAL POST(OUTDATED):

 

I conduct P5 Science tuition every Friday 4pm to 5.30pm at blk 627, bukit batok central. $100 per mth. Max 8 students. Yesterday’s lesson was on the human circulatory system. My emphasis is on thinking, process skills, application and metacognition. You can view my resume at https://singaporelearner.com/about-us/about-ilyasa/.

You can sms or call me at 97860411 for more details. Thank you.