KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

I'm assuming if IP, they are gearing up for A level/IB style of answering, writing conclusions will prob be A bit different.

if your son wrote like this for o levels assuming K's rise to power is in O level syllabus, i would think it is a pretty awesome conclusion already

ok, coming from an IP school, the way this is done is first u summarise the everything like u say something like in conclusion, i believe stalin rose to power due to reason 1, 2, 3 . Then afterwards the evaluation part comes in, you would go on and comment on how which reason is the most powerfulr eason, which hoenstly can be any as long as u justify. That would be it!

faithfuldad123 wrote:Hi all,
I was wondering if anybody could provide an example of how to write the final paragraph for the "Judgment"/"Evaluation" type of SEQ questions (Eg "Stalin rose to power because of Trotsky's unpopularity in the Politburo. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?" Points: Trotsky's unpopularity in Politburo, non-disclosure of Lenin's testament and Stalin's own manipulation). My DS is unable to get it right for the life of him. His history teacher has told him to compare his points via short term/long term, extent of impact and root cause. Even though my DS has tried his best to follow this format, he still is unable to secure the final 2 marks.

The reason I am concerned about this is because my DS's SBQ skills are much weaker compared to his SEQ skills, and those 2 marks may mean the difference between an 'A' or a 'B' grade!

Your help is much appreciated!

how to make history interesting for children to want to learn themselves? r there any other recommended books for them to read up on other than textbooks?

r there any comic type of magazine to learn history? like how kids learn science by reading young scientists in a broken down manner?

Sorry to ask, but does IB students learn Singapore history and do they use the same text for the lower secondary?

Thank you

sec 1 history is about the founding of singapore and pre Japanese occupation.
sec 2 syllabus is from Japanese occupation to independence of singapore 1965-1975.
it would have been easier if there wasn't SBQ because that really required a certain amount of skill.

deardear07 wrote:how to make history interesting for children to want to learn themselves? r there any other recommended books for them to read up on other than textbooks?

r there any comic type of magazine to learn history? like how kids learn science by reading young scientists in a broken down manner?

Words and texts may not often be the best way to guide some children - if they are not keen on reading their textbook, why would they want to read something else on the same subject? Moving images, sounds, etc tends to work better with some children. History, however, is a difficult subject to learn by themselves, unless they have acquired the interest and are inquisitive about the subject. Better to stimulate their interest and guide them first. Do note that history isn't 'science'. While there can be more than one right answer due to the nature of competing history, not all of them are well-received by the teachers

If you are looking at founding of Singapore, the 'official' version can be found in several documentaries available in DVDs following LKY death. They cover several of the major incidents like racial riots etc. Alternatively, the National Museum of Singapore is a good place to go on a weekend (free for Singapore Citizens, so make use of it). The permanent exhibits are a good starting point to guide and stimulate further discussion on early Singapore history (especially lower secondary history on the Singapore story from 1300 - 1975). From the National Museum, you can also take a walk to Chinatown, Little India, Arab Street, Singapore River, etc. When history comes alive, I think they will enjoy it / remember it better.

There are also extensive movies / films about World War II, European history and Asian history (i.e. subject matters for upper secondary history). You can always use them as a starting point to stimulate a discussion - but has to bear in mind that there are non-factual materials in some of them, which the children should be taught to identify. I think you can easily fill up an entire weekend watching movies on the world in crisis. If you are keen to look into 'other' books, reading materials like 'The Diary of Anne Frank', 'For Whom the Bell Tolls', 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', etc are also good source for discussion (but can be heavy on some children).

schools organizing learning journey aka excursions.
these excursions add an interesting touch to make learning more interesting instead of theory lessons.
unfortunately SBQs and essay questions really killed daughter's ability to do well. I am simply out of touch.

janet88 wrote:schools organizing learning journey aka excursions.
these excursions add an interesting touch to make learning more interesting instead of theory lessons.
unfortunately SBQs and essay questions really killed daughter's ability to do well. I am simply out of touch.

Hi, you might want to try Ace Your History. The writing frames are helpful. Though it is for O and N levels, it can be used for Sec 1 and 2 too. When my child was in Sec 2, the sections on inferring and comparing came in very handy and laid her foundation for the upper levels.

janet88 wrote:schools organizing learning journey aka excursions.
these excursions add an interesting touch to make learning more interesting instead of theory lessons.
unfortunately SBQs and essay questions really killed daughter's ability to do well. I am simply out of touch.

Hi, you might want to try Ace Your History. The writing frames are helpful. Though it is for O and N levels, it can be used for Sec 1 and 2 too. When my child was in Sec 2, the sections on inferring and comparing came in very handy and laid her foundation for the upper levels.