Tricky Science PSLE Question

One of my tutees sent me a message to clarify the following tricky question that was set in the PSLE this year. Try to do the following question using elimination!

What is/are the characteristic(s) that only birds have but not other animals?

A: They have a beak.
B: The have wings.
C: They have feathers.

(1) A only
(2) C only
(3) A and C only
(4) B and C only

Put on your thinking cap and try to solve this question.


Answer: 2

Explanation: Some pupils will be tricked into choosing option 3. However, a platypus is a mammal but has a beak known as a bill. Birds are the only animals that have feathers.

Real-life Application Science Question - Invisible Water Vapour

Parents can pose the following question to the kiddos.

Question:
Water vapour is not visible. How do we show that water vapour is in the surrounding air?

Approach:
The P5 kiddos  have learnt about water and its three states hence one easy way to prove that water vapour is all around them is to place a bottle of cold water or a can of cold drink on the table. After some time, water droplets will form on the outer surface of the cold bottle or cold can.

Science Concept and Keywords:
When the warmer water vapour in the surrounding air comes into contact with the cooler outer surface of the bottle/can, the warmer water vapour loses heat to the cooler outer surface of the bottle/can and condenses to form water droplets.

A Peek into Our Teaching Approach:
We believe in making learning easier for the kiddos. Hence we introduce our kiddos to template answers to certain questions. Template answers contain keywords that the PSLE markers are looking out for.

What Parents Say About Our Programmes and Teachers...

Here are some testimonials written by our tutees (from the 2016 graduating classes) and their parents. You may like to read some of the testimonials to learn more about our programmes, teaching strategies and teachers. We will continue to upload the testimonials written by our tutees and their parents. To the tutees and parents who have written testimonials for us, thank you so much for writing the lovely testimonials :)

Testimonials from our tutees' parents:

Testimonials from our tutees:

Tapping on Newspapers and Current Affairs for Learning

We believe that it is important for pupils to be aware of current affairs and what's happening around them. Hence we tap on newspaper articles and other media such as the Internet while preparing our English curriculum. When kids deem what they are learning relevant to them, they will be more motivated to learn.

For instance, pupils in the Primary 5 cohort have read our in-house resources on recent events in Singapore and in the world such as the outbreak of the Zika virus in Singapore, the origins of the Olympics and the Pokemon Go hype. Through our customised resources, pupils are kept abreast of current affairs. At the same time, we integrate essential language skills in the resources.

Keeping abreast of current affairs also gives the pupils an advantage in PSLE Oral as they can support their opinions on relevant issues with what they have gleaned from the articles.

Post-PSLE Activity: Watch a video on Periodic Table

In 1864, Dimitri Mendeleev published the first periodic table that organized all the known elements in the world. This tool was groundbreaking for many reasons–including the fact that Mendeleev planned with incredible foresight, leaving space for any new elements that would be discovered beyond his time.  

Go to the following website which has an interactive periodic table. Click on each element to watch a video and find out more about the element.

http://ed.ted.com/periodic-videos

2016 PSLE Question on Interdependence / Symbiotic Relationship

On 25 July 2011, I wrote a blog entry on interdependence among organisms.
http://serenagreenhouse.blogspot.sg/2011/07/interdependence-among-organisms.html

When I go through some examples of interdependence or symbiotic relationships among organisms with my tutees each year, many of them will tell me that they have not come across the examples I shared with them in school.  Some will even ask me if these concepts will be tested at all in the PSLE.

I will always explain to them that interdependence among organisms is within the syllabus hence SEAB can actually set a PSLE question on interdependence with a context given. I always believe that if a context is given, pupils can be tested on examples that they have not come across. Hence it is important to READ WIDELY. Parents should encourage their kids to read Young Scientist magazines and watch National Geographic channel. The kiddos' learning SHOULD NOT be restricted to only the facts and examples in the school textbooks. As an ex-teacher and a current tutor, I know that pupils may not have enough exposure to real-life examples. Hence I will always make it a point to share with them these real-life examples.

I was glad that some of my tutees shared with me that in the 2016 Science PSLE, they were tested on a question that has similar concepts to this example that I shared with them during one of my lessons:

2016 PSLE Composition Topic

Our Primary 6 tutees were very happy after the English PSLE as we covered the PSLE Composition topic this year, A Secret, during our Writer's Craft classes. Some kids told us, "Bingo!" 

The pictures given for the PSLE examination were:

Picture 1 - girls whispering to each other

Pic 2 - a sealed envelope with the word secret on it

Pic 3 - out of bounds area with gate

After the PSLE, I checked with a few tutees on their story plots. Although we had done the same topic before, they did not write the same stories. Some of them adapted the story plot that we went through for the topic, "A secret" while others adapted story plots that we had gone through for other topics. Well done! We're really proud of their progress and achievement!