Use of Mindmeister for sharing of mindmaps

In preparation for the GCE O-level Oral Exam and essay paper, we will be building up your content knowledge as a class. I have created a new folder where materials will be added gradually. The folder can be found here. 

We will be using Mindmeister rather frequently but you are not required to purchase the license for the app. I will convert all mindmaps produced by the class into images and upload them on the folder above. 

However, please note that you are only given 3 mindmaps for the free account. Therefore, you are required to ensure that by Friday each week, you have at least 1 free mindmap available for your SST email account. I will be using this account to invite you to collaborate on the class mindmap. 

Preparation for Term 3 Week 1

Survey on holiday homework

Please complete a very short holiday homework survey found here by 29 Jun (Mon) 2359h.

Lesson 1

Bring your LD to class with your holiday homework mindmap on Science and Technology. Bring writing paper as well. 

Lesson 2

Ensure that you have completed the ACS (Barker) Prelim 2014 paper given as holiday homework and mark your work. Complete the survey here by 29 Jun (Mon) 2359h. 

Lesson 3

No further preparation needed

June Holiday Homework and Project Ace reminder

Project Ace reminder

You are reminded that Project Ace is due this weekend as mentioned in the blog post here. Those taking the MTL exams, you may submit on Wed after your exams.

As instructed in class, you are to make use of the skills learnt in Creative Persuasion this week (see slides here) to improve your essay. You should at least aim to make your introduction and conclusion interesting, and have a 12 word persuasion to end your essay. If you need to revise the basics of writing introduction and conclusion, click here. If you need to revise the creative methods taught just before you mid year exams, click here. 

June Holiday Homework

1. Comprehension Practices

I have distributed 10 sets of comprehension practices in class. You are to complete all 10 sets during the holidays and mark your own work (do 1 comprehension paper every 3 days). The answers can be found here. 

2. Mindmap

The objective of this project is to prepare you for some of the common essay and oral topics that are tested in the GCE O-level examination. Your detailed mindmaps will help you to deal with any questions in the prepared topics if they are tested.They will help you cut down on thinking time needed and help you to generate ideas. Please refer to the instructions found here. 

3. Project Beta (Second Submission) 

The second submission for Project Beta is due in Term 3 Week 1. Please pay attention to the instructions found here, particularly point 3, 4 and 5 (which were often ignored), and point 7 (which I just added). Upload your completed essay to the relevant folders found here. Note that
(a) you are not allowed to change the question you wrote for your first submission.
(b) you are to work on the feedback given for your first submission and make improvements. Failure to do so may result in your essay not being marked.
(c) students who did not submit the first time round should choose a question and submit for this submission.

Preparation for Term 2 Week 10

Lesson Preparation 

No preparation is required this week. Lessons in Term 2 Week 10 will focus on tools which will help you add style to your writing, assuming that your essays have substance. Please have ready access to your MYCT Paper 1 scripts (which will be returned to you) and your Project Ace scripts. 

Self-direct learning for focusing adverbs

I introduced the concept of focusing adverbs this week (recall the word 'indeed'). I have put together a handout for you to read up more on your own. The handout can be found here. Please seek clarification if you are unable to understand the handout.

Project Ace (Second Submission)

The second submission for Project Ace is due on 31 May (Sun) 2359h. Please pay attention to the instructions found here, particularly point 3, 4 and 5 (which were often ignored), and point 7 (which I just added). Upload your completed essay to the relevant folders found here. Note that 

(a) you are not allowed to change the question you wrote for your first submission.

(b) you are to work on the feedback given for your first submission and make improvements. Failure to do so may result in your essay not being marked. 

(c) students who did not submit the first time round should choose a question and submit for this submission. 

Preparation for Term 2 Week 9

For S4-08, both Lesson 1 and 2 will run on Tue from 2pm to 4pm. 

Lesson 1
Anaylse the questions and do detailed essay plans for Q3 and Q4 of your MYCT Paper 1 following the format taught in class. The planning table can be found here. Upload your preparation on the relevant folder found here. 

Lesson 2
I am trying out something new in order to help us learn better and get more practice for Paper 2. It is therefore essential that everyone does the preparation and follow the instructions here carefully.

1) Complete the NCHS MYCT 2014 Paper 2 found here. You may choose to work on the softcopy or print a hardcopy on your own. There is no need to upload your work any where. 

2) Mark your own work using the answer scheme found in the same folder above. It is essential that you do your work first and then mark it, and not just simply look at the answer scheme. Otherwise, you will not learn anything 

3) Complete the survey found here by 9pm on Mon as prove of completion of your work. I need your inputs to plan the lesson for the following day. 

Preparation for Term 2 Week 8

Lesson 1 (MYCT Paper 1 Situational Writing Feedback)

1) Read the question for situational writing for your MYCT paper found here and fill in the table found here. 

2) Grade the sample scripts found here using the rubrics found here. You are to label R1 to R4 for the requirements of the question on the samples, give marks for TF and L, and write down some comments to justify the mark you gave. 

3) In your respective class preparation folder found here, create a folder and label it with your name. In this folder, place all your preparation work from items 1 and 2 above. 

Lesson 2 (S4-06 only)

Do detailed essay plans for Q3 and Q4 of the essay questions of your MYCT paper found here. Place your preparation in your respective class preparation folder found here. 

Organising your personal electronic files

Dear students,

I have been looking at some of your personal electronic files and I would like to address those of you who have been rather conscientious in your filing so far. 

Even among the most conscientious students, I have noticed that there is insufficient organisation of your files. You have simply parked all or most of your files in the existing master folders I have created for you. This will eventually result in an untenable mess as the number of files you have continue to increase. As a good housekeeping practice, you need to periodically reorganise your files into sub-folders. And you are free to create your own under the existing master folder structure I have set up for you! 

If you are clueless about how this can be done, refer to the class materials folder. Take a look for example at the writing folder found here. You can simply follow the structure I have set up to organise my materials for the class.

For those of you who are not keeping up with your filing, please start to do so after your common tests. I will be doing another round of checks from Week 9 onwards and I will contact your parents directly this time if I find that your file is not up to scratch. It is important that you maintain your files because you need your materials for revision.