Learning with Dominique- English Composition(An Introduction)

Dominique Education, Parenting and Kids, Parenting Views English Composition, Series

This year as Monkey boy entered Primary Four I am focusing more on sprucing up his skills in English Composition. English composition is an area which many students find trouble in. Even though as a component itself it doesn’t bear the majority of marks in the English Semestral Assessment which occurs twice yearly it does affect one’s overall English grade.

Photo by Photoxpress

Before one can put the pencil to paper there are many different things that one needs to consider.

1) The story line

2) The tone of the essay

3) The use of content and language.

The requirements have changed a lot since entering Primary one. Now in Primary 4 he is required to write a essay is at least 120 words long and has to either describe in detail the pictures given or develop his own story based on the prompt given.

Just stating the facts as based on what one sees and brief or minimal expression of ones thoughts or feelings will not suffice at this level. No doubt you may be able to pass this component by doing just that but you would not be able to score good marks.

The visual/written cues given in the chosen scenario has to be fully and thoroughly developed into a highly interesting written piece which has to capture and captivate the interest of the reader. The essay which is pen out has to be entertaining and also tug at the marker’s heart string.

Besides having an engaging story line the students needs to use appropriate grammar and have minimal spelling mistakes in their essay. If he is able to fulfill these requirements I’m certain that he would be able to score highly in this area.

How then does one groom a child to do well in this component?

In the next post I will touch on the rubrics on how a composition is marked.

Post in this series

1)Learning with Dominique- English Composition(An Introduction)

2)English Composition – Understanding the Rubrics(Part 1)

3) English composition- Understanding the Rubrics(Part 2)

4) English Composition- Common Mistakes

5) English Composition- The changes to PSLE come 2015

October 25, 2013

Holistic Learning- Understanding Your Creative Pattern

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Parenting Views, Thoughts Holistic learning, Series

A white bloom

Everyone has a different personality type. In fact there are 16 different type which one can be classified under. While reading the book Creative You I found out personality type the boys were.

Monkey boy is a ENFJ (The Persuader) while Doggie boy is a INFP (The Muser). This means that they are polar opposites and it can be really difficult to get them to understand each other. One is an introvert while the other is an extrovert.

Monkey boy is a talented speaker and very good at using his words to try to convince others about his point of view. He tries to use speech to worm his way out of delicate situations which are not to his advantage. However you can say that the has had limited success with me so far.

Doggie boy on the other hand innovates best by contemplating and imagining . He needs a lot of time to reflect on the task at hand before really getting into the groove of it. He is a more private person and prefers working alone then in groups.

Both boys have different learning patterns too. Monkey boy can follow just having verbal instructions however Doggie boy relies more heavily on visual aids to learn. As a result I have to tailor the same set of instructions so that both boys will be able to understand and follow through.

I am still seeking more information on how best to coach these two boys to maximize their potential. Now that I know their creative pattern it is easier for me to alter task to make them suitable for each boy.