PRIMARY 3 & PRIMARY 4 COMPOSITION - HOT WEATHER & EUREKA!

The pictures for today's composition:

This is not a usual theme that we see in school; as such, some pupils may find it quite challenging to write such a story. Nonetheless, I believe that it is beneficial to get the pupils to do this exercise for a couple of reasons:

1. It is good to get them to write some non-examination type stories, to expand their repertoire.

2. It can get boring to write the same type of stories over and over; so writing a story that is not typical of what they usually do spices up the exercise for them.


The story is also pretty straightforward so I won't be doing a picture analysis. Instead, for the first video, I'll zoom straight into the first focus or theme for this week: How to describe hot weather.



Hot Weather


Many pupils like to begin the story by describing the weather. As the weather in Singapore is typically hot, it would be useful to know various ways of describing hot weather.


For example, instead of saying 'It was a hot day.' -- so boring! -- you could say 'It was a sweltering day.' Watch the video to find out other interesting ways of describing hot weather.






Eureka!


In many stories, there would be a point where a character gets an idea and then the story proceeds. Again, it is so dull when you just say 'I had an idea.'


Watch the video to learn 8 different ways to say 'I had an idea.' and spice up your writing.






Sample Story

PRIMARY 3 & PRIMARY 4 COMPOSITION - LINKING WORDS TO MAKE SENTENCE STRUCTURES MORE INTERESTING

Using the same sentence structure again and again is boring


A common problem amongst beginning writers is they tend to use the same sentence structure throughout their writing, resulting in a monotonous and boring story.


The sentence structure most commonly used is:

Subject + verb + object

This problem is easily resolved by adding some linking words/phrases in front of the sentence. Linking words/phrases are simply words and phrases that link what you want to say in the sentence to the previous sentence.

Using linking words/phrases at the start of your sentence will add some variety to your sentence structure, making your writing more interesting. Not only that, they also help your story to flow more smoothly and make your story clearer to your reader (by showing cause and effect, sequence of events, etc).

Some linking words/phrases that you can add to the front of your sentences:

To describe an unexpected happening Ø Suddenly Ø All of a ____________________ Ø Out of the blue Ø Abruptly	To describe an exact moment Ø Just at that moment Ø Just at that instant Ø Just then
Phrases to show passage of a short period of time Ø After a short while Ø Within a few minutes/A few minutes later Ø Not long later/Soon Ø In no time	Phrases to show Immediately Ø Immediately Ø Instantly/Instantaneously Ø Without further ado Ø In the nick of time
Phrases to show passage of time Ø After some time Ø Some time later Ø Later in the…, Ø Finally Ø In the end Ø At last	Using Adverbs as Linking Words Ø Unfortunately/Fortunately Ø Coincidentally Ø Quickly
Words/Phrases to show two actions going on at the same time Ø While Ø at the same time Ø as… Ø concurrently	Using Emotions as Linking Words Ø Out of curiosity Ø To my shock Ø Filled with delight
Words/Phrases to show cause/Reason Ø Due to… Ø Because… Ø As Ø Since…

Here is the story for this week. Note that linking words/phrases used at the start of the sentence are in pink.

A note about content

This story is a little outdated. I first created it for my pupils in 2008. It was very popular because at that time, Mas Selamat had just escaped from prison and was still at large.

Still I decided to use this outdated story because I want to stress a point. You know the point I keep hammering about writing an original story, a story that is different from what your friends and classmates will write?

A way to do that is to use current affairs in your news. What are the current events that have captured the public's imagination? What comes to mind: the Chinese tour guide and the rich widow, City Harvest trial, etc.

Of course, to be able to do this means that you have to keep abreast of current news, which means that you need to read the newspapers.

So please do so. Not only will you improve your English, who knows, you may be able to use the news that you've read to make your story original and entertaining.

If you want to, you can download this week's assignment and sample story here.

CALLING OUT TO GRAMMAR NERDS!

I was born in the '70s.


When I attended school (both primary and secondary) in the '80s, the focus on grammar then, I believe (I was a rather 'blur' pupil), was more of incidental learning.


Sure, the teachers taught grammar (if they knew grammar) but they spent more time drilling us on the basic things like subject-noun agreement, present tense and past tense. Nothing too fancy. Anything more advanced than subject-noun agreement or tenses were only mentioned in passing. Those who understood, good and well for them. Those who didn't -- well, it was no big deal as we were supposed to learn grammar incidentally.


I was one of those who didn't get grammar. But I was fortunate in that I was really into reading, and that helped me a lot during my examinations.


Then I became a teacher and I realised that some knowledge of grammar is necessary if I want to be able to explain to my pupils clearly and simply why certain sentence structures are acceptable and others aren't. And thus began my interest in English grammar.


After some time, I realise I'm not alone. That there are a sizeable number of people out there who are interested in this topic too. Call them grammar nazis, grammar nerds, whatever; it's good to know that I'm not alone. (It's always good to know that having a particular interest, even if it's grammar, does not make one weird.)


To my fellow grammar nerds, I came across this article on Huffington Post about a trick to analyse one's sentence structure. It gets a little complex, especially towards the end, but the overarching principle is general enough to apply to primary school English.


Click this link to read the article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/01/diagram-sentence-grammar_n_5908462.html.


I hope you find it as illuminating and interesting as I do.  :)

PRIMARY 3 & PRIMARY 4 COMPOSITION - FOOD POISONING

This week's story is a picture-based story about food poisoning.

Video 1 - Picture Analysis

The pictures are ordered in the correct sequence (unlike the new format) but it's not a big issue because most pupils have no problems arranging the pictures in the new format.




Video 2 - Vocabulary of a Trip to the Clinic

The theme for this week is the vocabulary associated with a visit to the doctor's. This vocabulary will come in handy when you have to write a story about:

• falling ill after being drenched in the rain
• having a tummy ache after overeating
• breaking a bone from a fall; and numerous other possibilities in which a character in the story has to see the doctor.

Video 3 - Sample Story

The assignment for the composition can be downloaded from the link provided below.

Resources

Assignment

P3/4 COMPOSITION: FIRE

A reason why many compositions do not score well is because the writing lacks the details that make a story realistic. And the pupils really cannot be blamed for that. Vocabulary needs to be acquired. If pupils are not exposed to the vocabulary of a fire, how can they write a vivid story about it?

This is why in many writing classes in various schools and tuition centres today, you see vocabulary lists being given out in composition classes. Some parents don't like it, thinking that the children are being spoon-fed, and leads to uniform essays devoid of creativity and originality. The charge is valid, but given the classroom conditions of current schools and most tuition centres, this is the most efficient for pupils to acquire the vocabulary they need to produce a decent essay.

Another way to do it? Read. This is a more natural way, but more time-consuming, especially at the start, and it's not favoured by many pupils who already have homework and distractions clamouring for their time. Which is a pity. Because honestly, that's the best way, and the rewards reaped as time progresses are immeasurable. Know why some kids can score A* in English even if they don't have English tuition? Yes, it's because they read. A lot. And widely.

Another thing about reading: try to read beyond storybooks. Storybooks are a must (because the main writing pupils are tested on in primary school is storywriting aka narrative writing), but it is also beneficial to read a wider genre like magazines and newspapers articles.

The latter is an especially good source for petty crime (think snatch theft, robbery, burglary) and accidents (fires, drownings, road accidents) which are common themes in primary school compositions.

Today's composition will be based on a fire. The lesson will first require the pupil to read a newspaper article adaptation and then to identify the phrases/words that are used to describe the fire. After that, in the classroom, I would then go through the vocabulary with them to see how many words/phrases they have correctly identified.

This is not a normal classroom, so I'll put up a YouTube Video instead. Problem is I've no proper Internet access to upload a huge file like a video so the video would have to go up a couple of days later. Please excuse the inconvenience. The videos are ready.

What I'll do is upload the worksheet first. So anyone who is interested can attempt the exercise and then check this blog later for the answers.

Here is the worksheet. Read the article first. Then highlight or underline any words/phrases that describe a fire. Copy them into the box given below the article. Then check Video 1 below to see if you managed to identify all the words/phrases.

Video 1 - Words/Phrases Used to Describe a Fire in a Newspaper Article




Note: In the worksheet used for Video 1, there are some typos. The paragraph in red is the original paragraph seen in the video. Amendments are in green.


Evidently, the fire had broken out shortly before at the Balestier area. Another witness who saw the fire broke break quickly raised the alarm and alerted the other residents. At 1.09am, the SCDF received a call informing them that a unit is on fire at the above-mentioned location. The SCDF responded quickly; the fire engine arrived on the scene within 6 minutes.


In an earlier post, I went through 9 techniques to begin a story. One of the techniques is describing the setting (place, time of day, weather). And the tactic to use then is the five senses. Likewise for describing a fire. To make the fire vivid and realistic, using the five senses helps. So the pupil is encouraged to go through the five senses and see how he or she will use them to describe the fire.


I omitted the sense of taste because the other four senses give enough detail. And I usually recommend giving only two-three instances of descriptions, which means you don't even use all four senses below. But if you insist, taste is also possible. Hint: If you inhale enough smoke, there will be a taste in your mouth. How to describe that?


Again, because I don't have access to a fast enough Internet connection, I can only put up the answers later when I can access the Internet. So please be patient.


See Video 2.

Video 2 - Using the Senses to Describe a Fire




Now the pupil will have the vocabulary from the newspaper article and the Senses exercise. Combine that with the PEA of Fear, he can proceed to write the story. The assignment is that the pupil should imagine himself as a resident of the block that caught fire, and he was at home watching television when the power went off. He should continue the story from here. (Hint: narrator's identity is not fixed [i.e. 'I' can be a Primary 3 or 4 pupil or a doddering old man or even a pregnant woman].)


The video for the sample story will also have to be uploaded later. has been uploaded below.

Video 3 - Sample Story





Assignment

PDF format is available by clicking on this link.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NEW SYLLABUS AND OLD SYLLABUS COMPOSITIONS (PAPER 1)

The one composition a week will be postponed to the weekend or Monday. In this blog, let's go through the differences between the old and new syllabuses for English composition.


This is not my first time posting a Primary 3 & 4 composition on this blog (see here and here amongst others), but I've not talked about the examination format for Primary 3 & 4 compositions before.


Generally, for Primary 3 & 4 Paper 1 (composition paper), the pupil will have two choices: a picture-based question and a scenario-based one.


There was a change in the English syllabus a few years back.


Before the change, the picture-based question would be a series of three (plus one question mark) or four pictures that form a clearly related sequence of events. See examples below.


Example 1

As can be seen from the pictures, the four pictures are clearly linked and are in sequential order, depicting a bicycle accident in the park.
















Example 2

In Example 2, the pictures are also arranged in order and illustrate clearly a story of a car accident.


The difference between Example 1 and Example 2 is in the last picture. In Example 1, the last picture is given but the last picture in Example 2 has been replaced by a question mark.


This makes Example 2 more challenging, but also more interesting, as the pupil has to come up with the end himself. Will the boys be hit? If yes, how seriously would they be injured? Or perhaps they would have a narrow escape? And if they did, how did it happen?


Some schools test four-picture questions in both Primary 3 & 4 examinations; some test only three-picture questions; and others give four-picture questions to Primary 3 students and four-picture ones to Primary 4 students.


The differences between the new and old syllabuses

New syllabus picture composition

1. The new format is that only three pictures will be given, and there won't be any question mark.


2. The three pictures are also not in order. But they are clearly linked because if you want to, you can arrange them to form a story without problem.


3. Previously, the pupil has no choice. He has to use all the three or four pictures that are given. Now, he can choose to use any one, two or all of the pictures given. This actually gives a lot more leeway to the pupil in terms of creative freedom.


Final note

Not all schools have adopted the new syllabus for Primary 3 & 4 Paper 1. In fact, many of them are still sticking to the old syllabus and will only begin to expose their pupils to the syllabus in Primary 5 & 6. And yes, the new syllabus is also the new PSLE format.


But parents and pupils don't have to worry too much for even though the format of the question has changed, the end product is still the same; the examiner will be looking out for:

• a well-developed storyline
• vivid characterisation
• the use of literary techniques (if any)
• sound grammar
• wide range of vocabulary that is effectively used
• how interesting and creative your story is.

If anything, the new format makes it easier for the pupil. Pupils who have problems coming with plots can just link up the three pictures and give their own conclusion. Pupils who are very creative can choose to use just one or two pictures and fill in the missing gaps using their own ideas. It's a win-win situation for all, isn't it?

Edit:

• There is no change to the scenario-based question.  As before, a starting scenario is given and then the pupil is asked to continue the story. 

• Marking rubric is unchanged for both picture- and scenario-based writing. 120 words minimum. 20 marks (12 marks content and 8 marks language).