Education

My take on the different aspects within education which relates to ongoing societal concerns.

Bridging the GAP: Reinforcing the learning of Chinese

 

 

Assessment books which we use

Assessment books which we use

Chinese Language is not an easy subject for me to teach. Being an English teacher I’m more versed in teaching English and other subjects which use English as the mode of instruction.

It has been an ongoing challenge  for me as I try to recall what I was taught during Chinese lessons in school when I was still a student.  Chinese has never been a strong subject of mine. I had Chinese tuition as a child as my parents do not speak Mandarin. Both of them learned Malay in school and were not able to guide me in the language therefore the need for additional help from a tutor.

Monkey boy and his siblings have it easier as compared to me. Both his dad and me are able to speak and write Mandarin so we are able to guide him along the way if needed. R’s parents are also retired  Chinese  school teachers so they too are able to teach him.

Nowadays there are  many more resources both online and in print which can aid a child in learning Chinese. I have been using both online and print material in coaching Monkey boy with his Chinese.

In the previous post on -Identifying the GAP in Chinese I mentioned that  I need to beef up his vocabulary bank together with his  written ability to express himself.

The only way that Monkey boy will be able to improve in his grades is through  constant practice in  both oral and written Chinese.

Speaking and listening to Mandarin during Chinese lessons in school is insufficient exposure to the language.   One needs constant practice to be able to both speak and write fluently in the language.

Being a mainly English speaking household, I  try to give the kids more opportunity to speak and listen to  Chinese where possible. I  borrow Chinese storybooks from the library which I read with them regularly  and try speaking to them in Mandarin as often as possible.

Besides interacting with them in Mandarin I do set up a schedule for Monkey boy so that he is able to get adequate practice in the areas which he is weak in.  I don’t believe in cramming before a test or an examination.

I feel that it is much better if the child gets constant and regular practice in a subject so that he will be able to cope with any test or exam as he does ongoing revision.

The child will not be as stressed as he is confident that he has covered all the material that would be tested has been revised.

I find that less stressful for the parent as there is no need to take note of all the dates for the various tests/ mock tests which are administered.  I personally only take note of the dates for  SA1 and SA2 as Monkey boy’s school doesn’t have CA exams.

Monkey boy's revision schedule

Monkey boy’s revision schedule

This is the revision schedule for Chinese which Monkey boy and I have set . We agreed on what we will be working on on a weekly, bi-monthly and monthly basis besides the regular homework that is given by his school teacher.

Difference in the length of the composition written from P4 to P5

Difference in the length of the composition written from P4 to P5

As Monkey boy is doing  HCL he has to be able to write a composition of 200 words or more fluently.  To  build up his ability in composition writing I have used the composition writing assessment book shown in the picture at the top of this posts.

 

Composition Exercise in the assessment book

Composition Exercise in the assessment book

As you can see from the photo of a picture composition above,  in each exercise,  focus is given on individual pictures. There is a lot of helping words given and even a sample writing paragraph given below on how to describe the picture shown above.

I feel that it is a good way of teaching Monkey boy through the examples shown the possible vocabulary that can be used to describe the different picture.

The 5 W and 1 H ( Who, What , Where, When, Why and How) are clearly shown together with how the picture should be analysed. It makes the child think of what can be said or describe upon seeing the picture It  makes sure that every angle of the story is covered in detail.

There are also suggested introduction and conclusion for the given  picture composition so that the child gets a clear picture of what is expected of him when faced with that particular topic.

In order to score for Chinese composition the essay that is written has to be very descriptive and also fluent in expression.   Knowing to use the right words in the right context would certainly help Monkey boy score well in this area.

Vocabulary list within the book

Vocabulary list within the book

This particular book has a sample composition and a vocabulary list at the end of exercise for reference.  These come in handy when Monkey boy is looking for inspiration on what to write in his own essay based on the given pictures.

I will be giving  practice papers and sample exam papers to complete  before his  coming SA exams. This would give him a clearer understanding of which areas he is weak in and also sufficient practice before the school exams.

How do you reinforce the learning of

Chinese with your kids?

 

1) Bridging the Gap- An Introduction

2) Bridging the Gap-  Identifying the Gap in Chinese Language ( P4 to P5 )

3) Bridging the Gap- Reinforcing the Learning of Chinese

4)Bridging the Gap- Identifying the Gap between P4 and P5 English.

5)Bridging the Gap- Learning of English in Upper Primary

6) Bridging the Gap- Identifying the Gap between P4 and P5 Maths

7) Bridging the Gap –  Modelling and Methods  in Maths (Part 1) 

8) Bridging the Gap- Modelling and Methods in Maths ( Part 2)

9) Bridging the Gap- Upper and Lower Primary Science

10) Bridging the Gap-  Moving from Lower to Upper Primary

11) Bridging the Gap- Moving from Lower to Upper Primary ( Part 2)

Bridging the GAP: Identifying the Gap between P4 and P5 Chinese

Bloom or Wither?

Bloom or Wither?

 

Like a flower that has yet to come into bloom  one wonders what is in store for our child.   Would all the pruning and fertilizing that we are doing at the moment bear fruit?   Is it worth out effort and investment?

The answer to this question will not come immediately.  Only in time would we know   if our efforts have paid off.

This is a gamble that I’m willing to take.

If we as a parent  do not  put in the effort to teach our child  the skills to cope with the changes, he would certainly  be placed  at a disadvantaged.

I’m sure you would not want that for your child. I definitely wouldn’t not want my children to lose out in this harsh world of ours.

As Monkey boy enters  Primary 5, the challenges that he faces increases. The expectation of how he has to perform academically is also much greater as compared to when he was a Primary 4 student.

Being a  Primary 5 student he  is facing a very challenging year as the teachers will be pumping into  him all the information that is needed to prepare him for the PSLE come 2016.

Technically most of the stuff  that he has to know as a upper primary student  will be taught from now till March 2016. From April 2016 it is solely  revision all the way till the  PSLE in August .

This is certainly a crucial year for him in his journey as a student and he has to be able to get a firm foothold of everything that has been taught to him so far.

In this segment where I’m focusing on Monkey boy, I will be going through the gaps in each subjects highlighting what the differences are in the subject at Primary 4 as compared to Primary 5. I am  starting with one of the most challenging subject for him- Chinese Language.

Composition Requirements for Chinese

Composition Requirements for Chinese

As you can see from the above diagram even there is quite a lot of difference in the length of the Chinese composition that needs to be written.  Monkey boy is doing Higher Chinese so he will have to write 200 words or more as compared to the length of  80 words which he used write when he was in Primary 4.

There isn’t the option of choosing Picture Composition as what is available is selection of given topic or to complete a given scenario with your own ending.  It is certainly more challenging as he has to come up with more appropriate vocabulary on his own and to be able to describe the situation aptly.

Everything has to be explained in detailed and there is a great emphasis on the use of appropriate descriptive sentences and idioms.

Paper 2 Format

Paper 2 Format

 

In Primary 5 everything is more complex. It is no longer just simply cut and paste the answer as you see it. There is a heavier emphasis on comprehension.

Monkey boy has to be able to do the following.

– Compare and contrast what is happening in the given situation.

– Rephrase information given from a dialogue speech

– Come up with his own conclusion and guess the next action

– Give an analysis of what was learned from the story he just read.

There are more higher order thinking questions involved and an increased need to explain why a certain action had taken place.

Chinese Oral Format

Chinese Oral Format

There is a higher weightage in marks for Reading and Picture Description.

Here again Monkey boy has to have a great mastery of vocabulary  词汇(字形、字义、用法 )and be able to use the appropriate words to describe what he knows and sees to be able to do well in the Picture Description and Dialogue section.  He needs to have build up his vocabulary word bank so that he be able to draw on the reserves stored within his memory when needed.

An overall

An overall difference between P4 Chinese and P5 Chinese

 

In the next post I will be sharing on the materials that I am currently using with Monkey boy to improve his knowledge of Chinese Language and to help him meet the expectations of school.

 

 

 

1) Bridging the Gap- An Introduction

2) Bridging the Gap-  Identifying the Gap in Chinese Language ( P4 to P5 )

3) Bridging the Gap- Reinforcing the Learning of Chinese

4)Bridging the Gap- Identifying the Gap between P4 and P5 English.

5)Bridging the Gap- Learning of English in Upper Primary

6) Bridging the Gap- Identifying the Gap between P4 and P5 Maths

7) Bridging the Gap –  Modelling and Methods  in Maths (Part 1) 

8) Bridging the Gap- Modelling and Methods in Maths ( Part 2)

9) Bridging the Gap- Upper and Lower Primary Science

10) Bridging the Gap-  Moving from Lower to Upper Primary

11) Bridging the Gap- Moving from Lower to Upper Primary ( Part 2)