TiMe FoR HoLiDaYssssssss!!!!!!!!!

Hari Raya had already pass...and now it's time for HOLIDAYSSSSSSSSSSSS..yehaaa...
So guys,perhaps you and your family are really thinking hard where to go to.Be it inside or outside the city...so here's some interesting places inside the city which u may choose to go to.Have fun choosing guys!!!

1. Butterfly Park And Insect Kingdom
51 Cable Car Road,Sentosa Island

2. Jurong Bird Park
Take MRT to Boon Lay Mrt station then take SBS bus 194 or 251.

3. Night Safari
Take MRT to Choa Chu Kang MRT station then take SBS bus 927 to the zoo.

4. Singapore Zoo
Take MRT to Choa Chu Kang station then take SBS bus 927 to the zoo.

5. Under Water World
Sentosa Island.Take SBS bus on the Blue,Red or Green lines.

6. Kusu Island
Take a Ferry from Marina South Pier.

7. Pulau Ubin
Take MRT to Tampines station then take SBS bus 29 to Changi Village interchange,followed
a 10-minute boat-ride from Changi Point Jetty.

8. Sentosa.

9. St.John's Island
Take a Ferry from Marina South Pier.

10. Esplanade-Theatres On The Bay.

11. Istana
Take MRT to Dhoby Ghaut Station and walk across Orchard Road.

12. Art Retreat Museum.
Nearest MRT stations are Eunos & Paya Lebar stations.

13. Asian Civilisations Museum
City Hall MRT station,walk towards Stamford Road and turn into Armenian Street.

14. Changi Chapel & Museum
Take SBS bus no.2 from Tanah Merah MRT station.

15. ChinaTown Heritage Centre
Chinatown MRT station.

16. Chinese Heritage Centre
Boon Lay MRT station then take bus no. 179.

17. Agricultural Farms
Agrotech Park

18. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
Take MRT to Newton station then take SMRT bus no.171.

19. Chek Jawa
Take a Bumboat ride from Changi Point Ferry Terminal.Drop at Pulau Ubin,either rent a
bicycle from one of the bicycle kiosks or take a local taxi to Chek Jawa.

20. Chinese Garden
Chinese Garden MRT station.

21. East Coast Park
Take bus no.401 to East Coast Park Service Road(Sundays and Public Holidays only).

22. Sculptures And Public Art
MRT to Raffles Place Station and walk towards Fullerton Hotel and Maybank building.

23. Singapore River(Boat Quay)
Raffles Place MRT station.

24. Clarke Quay
Clarke Quay MRT station then head to Riverfront.

25. Robertson Quay
Take a river taxi from Boat Quay or Carke Quay.

26. Bideford Junction Crosswalk
Bideford Junction (area bounded by Park Hotel at Orchard,Meritus Mandarin Hotel and
Ngee Ann City).

27. Carlsberg Sky Tower
Take Sentosa bus from Seah Im Interchage(just next to Harbourfront MRT station) and
transfer onto the Blue Line bus or take Sentosa Express from Vivocity level 3 and alight at
the Imbiah Station.

28. Cine Blast
Sentosa Express monorail,alight at Imbiah Station.

29. DHL Balloon
Bugis MRT station then walk to the open plot of land next to the 7th Storey Hotel.

30. Downtown East
Pasir Ris MRT station then take bus no.354 from bus Interchange.

31. Battle Box
Dhoby Ghaut NRT station then walk uphill past Park Mall and towards Fort Canning Road.

32. Changi Chapel & Museum
Tanah Merah MRT station then take bus no.2.

33. Civilian War Memorial
City Hall MRT station.

34. Fort Siloso
Sentosa.Blue or Red line buses.

35. Johore Battery
Tanah Merah MRT station then take bus no.2 and alight at the bus stop opposite Selarang
Camp.



~~~~~~~~~~~THE END~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~SeLaMaT HaRi RaYa To AlL ThE MuSlIm PeOpLe~~~~~


May This Hari Raya Brings Joy And Happiness.....................
On This Auspicious Day I Would Like To Ask For Forgiveness In Case I've Got Any Mistakes And Flaws In Our Relationship All Along........................................
Do Feel Free To Drop By Ma Place This Hari Raya................
~~~~~Assalamualaikum~~~~~

ToP 20 MiStAkEs StUdEnTs CoMmIt WhEn AtTeMpTiNg A TeSt Or ExAm PaPeR

Top 20 Mistakes Students Commit When Attempting A Test Or Exam Paper, And How To Overcome Them How many times have you walked away from a test or exam paper thinking or saying aloud: I wish I had more time! Oh, now I know the correct answer! Why didn’t I think of it just now? I shouldn’t have spent so much time on that question! How could I have missed the last page of the paper? Why didn’t the questions that I prepared so hard for appear in the paper? If the above sounds familiar to you, then you are not alone. Top 20 Mistakes Here, we describe the top 20 mistakes that most students make when attempting a test or exam paper, and how to overcome them. Spotting Questions Cramming Too Much Information Into Memory Panicking Before Or During A Paper Arriving Late For A Paper Failing To Scan Through The Questions Once Failing To Allocate Time For Each Question Starting With The Most Difficult Question Jumping Straight Into Answering A Question Without Proper Planning Misinterpreting A Question Producing An Incoherent Answer Poor Writing Style Not Sure How To Start Or End An Essay Writing Too Much Or Too Little Failing To Answer All The Unanswered Questions In The Last Few Minutes Writing Illegibly Reading And Writing Too Slowly Forgetting To Answer Unanswered Questions Failing To Check Your Answers Failing To Bring Along Required Stationery Or Items Forgetting To Write Down Your Names And Other Personal Particulars 1. Spotting Questions Spotting questions is by far one of the most common mistakes many students make when preparing for a test or exam paper. It is also the worst mistake you can commit before sitting for a paper. For subjects that require much memory work, such as History, Geography, Biology and Economics, many students try to take the easy way out by trying to spot what questions would appear in the paper. Such students believe that they can read their teachers’ or examiners’ minds. Are you trained in telepathy or fortune-telling? We don’t think so. Spotting questions is a problem that is at times made worse when the teachers themselves actively encourage their students to spot questions. As students who had sat through GCE "O" Level and GCE "A" Level papers ourselves, we can attest to that. Some teachers are also known to deliberately drop hints to their students before a test or exam paper about what types of questions to expect. That happens quite often in the local polytechnics and universities too. We know because we, our friends and our siblings have studied at the local universities and polytechnics. Sometimes, the questions actually came out in the test or exam papers. Sometimes, they never did! Instead of spotting questions, you should spot topics if you must. For example, instead of trying to prepare for a History question that reads, "Why did Singapore break away from Malaya?", you should prepare for the History topic "The breaking away of Singapore from Malaya". That means you should know the why, when, how, who and consequences of the breaking away of Singapore from Malaya. This would ensure that, should you be asked about "What were the consequences for Malaya after Singapore broke away?", you would still be able to answer it. 2. Cramming Too Much Information Into Memory You have memorised every word in all the chapters from your textbook that you would be tested upon. You see a question in the paper that begs an answer you know is found on page … Oh, no! You can’t recall the page! And so, the answer escapes you! As you try fervently to recollect that page, you realise it becomes harder! Meanwhile, the minutes pass away and you lose valuable time! If you are one of those students who try very hard to memorise everything in your textbooks, stop! Unfortunately for most of us, our brains can often only retain 10% to 20% of the information that we read. More unfortunately, we cannot control what will be that 10% or 20% of information that we will remember! So, instead of trying to recite every word from page 1 of your textbook to its last page, you should concentrate on understanding what is written in those pages. If you can understand what each topic in your textbook is about, why would you even need to memorise all those pages? You should be able to explain them in your own words! You can improve your understanding of any topic, reinforce what you have previously read and increase the amount of information that you can remember by: Taking part actively in classroom discussions and activities about the topic. Discussing the topic with your friends. Reading alternative books or chapters about the topic. Watching video tapes and video compact discs about the topic. Listening to audio tapes about the topic. This is because our brains can remember what we have said and seen more vividly than what we have read. 3. Panicking Before Or During A Paper Do you worry that you would not have enough time to complete a paper, even before it starts? Are you very afraid that you would not be able to answer most of the questions in the paper, even before it starts? Does your heartbeat increase when you enter the exam hall and your hands sweat when you receive the exam paper? Are you at a loss of what to do for the rest of the paper, when you realise that there is one question that you cannot answer? If you experience any of the above, or other symptoms of anxiety and panic, you need to check yourself. One of the worst things that you can do before and during a test or exam paper is to panic. Once you panic, your mind is in a frenzy and you cannot think properly. How can you attempt the paper calmly when you cannot even think properly? Always tell yourself not to worry too much before a test or exam. Below are some good ways to reduce or eliminate your anxiety and worry: Clarify all your doubts at the end of each lesson, so that they will not snowball into a big bag of questions before your test or exam. Always prepare for a test or exam well in advance. Don’t study every minute while you are awake. Busy yourself with some mundane household chores to take your mind off the upcoming test or exam. Have a good night’s sleep before the date of the test or exam. Keep reassuring yourself that you can do it. Once you stop doubting yourself, you will stop panicking. If all else fails, comfort yourself that it is only a paper. It’s not the end of the world even if you don’t do well for just one paper. 4. Arriving Late For A Paper Most of us are punctual, especially for important occasions. However, some of us may have a habit of being late. Even if you are a punctual person, there may be times when things just suddenly crop up and you end up late for an appointment. Late comers are the norm rather than the exception for many major examinations. Just ask any examiner. If you are the unfortunate latecomer, you may sometimes be barred from sitting for that particular paper. Even if you do get to sit for the paper, much precious time would have been lost. On top of that, your mind would still be reeling from the rush. You would not be calm enough to attempt the paper before you. What can you do to avoid being late for a paper? Be there early! Give yourself enough time to travel to the venue of the test or exam. Spare yourself at least half an hour at the venue. Use this time to familiarise yourself with the place and setting, so that you know what to expect when the paper starts. For example, if you could know in advance that the air-conditioning is very strong, then you would be mentally prepared for the cold. If you have brought along a sweater, you could then wear it and be able to sit through the paper comfortably. 5. Failing To Scan Through The Questions Once You receive the paper. The teacher says, "You may begin now!" Do you immediately turn to the first page and answer the first question straight away? If yes, stop! You are making another common mistake most students make! Always scan through a paper before you begin writing. Give yourself about 2 to 5 minutes to read through all the questions. Put a tick against the easy questions and a cross against the difficult ones. Check every page of the paper to make sure that you do not miss any question. Then, proceed to answer the easy questions first! Always leave the difficult questions to the last. This ensures that you would have answered most of the questions in the paper should you run out of time. It also gives you more time for the difficult questions, as you would need relatively less time for the easy ones. 6. Failing To Allocate Time For Each Question "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." So wrote George Orwell in "Animal Farm". The same holds true for test and exam questions. Some questions deserve more time than others. Some questions require less time than others. And some questions don’t even need to be considered if you have a choice! This happens when you can choose your questions, say 3 out of 5. Always allocate your time to each question based on the number of marks it is worth. For example, if a question is worth 2 marks out of 100, while another question is worth 10 marks, you should allocate more time to the latter question. In addition, if a question requires much drawing or graph plotting, and if you are slow at it, then you should leave it to one of the last questions that you would attempt. And remember to bring along a watch or clock to time yourself. But make sure your clock does not tick loudly or ring its alarm suddenly! 7. Starting With The Most Difficult Question Some students attempt their test and exam papers in a less efficient way. They start with the most difficult questions. "What is wrong with that?" you may ask. For one thing, attempting a tough question is a bad start to a paper. Your mind gets stumbled at the very beginning of the paper. You rack your brains trying to come out with the answers for that agonising question. You begin to feel exasperated. You mind loses its calm. You cannot think properly. And you lose precious time while you are stuck with the tough question. Before you know it, you only have half of the time left. Now, you rush to answer the other questions. But your mind has got so entangled with that tough question that it cannot think properly. You have forgotten the answers to the easy questions! You can’t believe it! And we can’t believe why you even began with that tough question! Always start with the easy questions. First, it makes you feel good about the paper and boosts your confidence. Second, you are assured that you will get the marks allotted to these questions. Third, if you manage the easy questions properly, you will be able to answer them quickly and allow yourself more time for the difficult questions. Last but not least, you may be able to attain the answers to the difficult questions after you have solved the easy ones. It has happened to many people many times! 8. Jumping Straight Into Answering A Question Without Proper Planning You read a question and you know the answer. Do you immediately raise your pen or pencil and start writing away? If yes, how many times have you encountered the following scenarios? You are halfway through your answer and then you realise that your answer is wrong! You are penning a new paragraph when you realise that it should have come before a previous paragraph! You are halfway through a point you are trying to make before you realise that you have already written it in a previous paragraph! You are writing about a new idea and then you realise that it should have been discussed together with another idea that you have already written! You realise you have left out an important point in a previous paragraph but there is no space for you to insert it! Therefore, you are forced to write this point in the margin of the paper or somewhere away from the paragraph. Then you draw a long line to connect this sentence to the paragraph. You have finished the answer but realise that the paragraphs need to be rearranged! Therefore, you resort to numbering the first paragraph as (1), the second paragraph as (5), the third paragraph as (2), and so on so forth. If you have encountered any of the above scenarios, and are still running into such situations, would you want to avoid them in future? The solution to the above problems is proper planning. Proper planning ensures that you have considered all the major aspects of the question before you start to write your answer. It would save you much time later when you write the answer. A carefully planned answer would also get more marks than an unplanned or poorly planned answer. Below are the suggested steps in planning an answer to a question: Always spend a minute or two thinking through a question. Underline the key words in the question and ask yourself what kind of answer the question demands. Make quick notes in point form as you brainstorm for all the relevant points and ideas that come to your mind. Group all the related points and ideas together into main ideas. Ask yourself whether you have enough main ideas. A long question typically requires at least three main ideas in its answer. Ask yourself whether you have too many or too few points for a particular main idea. If more than half of your answer is about one main idea only, while the other main ideas make up the rest of your answer, you are most likely paying unequal attention to each main idea and your answer will be lopsided. Finally, plan how you wish to approach the question and structure your answer accordingly. 9. Misinterpreting A Question "What are the consequences of a poor diet?" Imagine you are answering the above question. A quick definition of what make a good diet and a poor diet in your first paragraph would make a good start in your answer. You should then dive into the specific results of a poor diet. Had you written more about the examples of what make a good diet and a poor diet, including the calories count and nutritional values of various foods, you would be writing something that is uncalled for. Had you proceeded to talk about the importance of having a good diet, the disadvantages of a poor diet, the reasons why widespread poor diets exist in some countries, or the circumstances leading to a poor diet, you would be writing out of point. All that could happen because you have not understood the question, or you have misinterpreted it. Misinterpreting a question can cost you dearly in a test or exam. This is especially if the question is worth 10 or 20 marks out of 100. You would be spending precious time producing an incorrect answer at the possible expense of other questions. The only way to avoid misinterpreting a question is to read through the question at least twice. Underline the key words in the question. Make sure you understand what those keywords mean. Some examples of keywords which some students have problems with are: Describe Outline State List Explain Evaluate Discuss Where a question contains a few parts, and your answer to two of the parts are similar, you must immediately realise that you have misinterpreted at least one of the partial questions. Proceed to correct your answers. In case of doubts, you may try to ask the teacher or examiner what the question is asking for. Although teachers and examiners are often not allowed to explain the questions in a test or exam to students, some teachers and examiners are very kind and may help you. 10. Producing An Incoherent Answer One of the worst things you can do to put off the teacher or examiner marking your paper is to write incoherently. That is, your thoughts and ideas are badly expressed and very difficult for the marker to understand. In short, your writing does not make sense. Imagine that you are the person who has to mark hundreds of test or exam papers. You could be very tired by the time you reach for another paper to mark. Then to your horror, you realise that this particular student’s answers are incoherent. You have to read and re-read each of his or her answers before you understand what he or she is trying to say. Worst of all, you may not even understand what he or she is trying to say! In situations like this, how would you grade the student’s answers? Would you want to spend more time on his or her other similarly incoherent answers? Probably not. The thing about incoherent writing is that students who write like that do not realise that only they themselves understand what they are writing about! The only way to make sure that you do not write incoherently in a test or exam paper is to write more often. Below are the suggested measures: Write an essay on any topic you want. Check through your essay at least twice to make sure that you yourself understand what you are writing. Ask somebody who has a better command of English than you (e.g., your friends, classmates, teachers or family members) to proofread your essays for you. The more persons you can get to proofread your essays, the better. Find out which parts of your essay they have understood and which parts they have difficulty understanding. Ask them how you could have rewritten those parts that they do not understand. Ask yourself whether their suggested rewriting of those parts is easier to understand than what you have written. Discover where you have gone wrong in your initial write-up and try not to repeat such mistakes again in future. Proceed to step 1 above and repeat the process. 11. Poor Writing Style What is your writing style in a typical test or exam paper? "What writing style? I don’t even have enough time writing!" you may say. Well, think again. The reason why you may experience insufficient time for your test and exam papers could be because you have a poor writing style. Or because you have no writing style at all. That could also explain why a classmate got a higher score than you did for the same question when both of you had similar answers. It’s a matter of style. An easy-to-read writing style makes good reading. A complicated manner of writing, made up of many long paragraphs each containing long convoluted sentences such as this sentence you are reading, with each sentence consisting of more than one idea and replete with unnecessary bombastic words (and sometimes with long sentences in brackets as well), full of commas, semicolons while the full-stop is far away, often also containing at least two conjunction words such as "and", "but" and "so", makes reading very tough for the reader. A simple writing style suitable for use in a test or exam paper may consist of: A short introduction of not more than 50 words in one paragraph. You could use this paragraph to define the keywords in the question, grab the marker’s attention, state your stand on the topic in question, or briefly summarise what you will be writing about in the rest of your essay. A main body consisting of two or more paragraphs. Each of these paragraphs should be about a main idea that you are trying to convey. A conclusion of not more than 50 words in one paragraph. You could use this to summarise your essay, affirm your stand on the topic in question, or pose related questions to the reader as food for thought. 12. Not Sure How To Start Or End An Essay This sounds good, "What is a poor diet?" No, that’s too common. How about, "How many people really bother about their diets?" Nah, I’m sure I can come up with a better introduction than these! How much more time are you going to waste trying to figure out a superb start to your answer? Just get to the point! Remember this is a test (or exam) paper! You are not taking part in a story writing competition. Time is precious! While having a good writing style is important, the emphasis here is about the flow of your ideas. As long as your paragraphs are coherent, they connect to one another smoothly, and they are easy to read and absorb, it would suffice. "But in the end, how am I going to end the essay?" you may wonder. Again, the marker is not going to judge your essay squarely on how well you have written your last paragraph. As long as your last paragraph ends your essay nicely, it would not be a problem. Simply put, if your entire essay is out of point, incoherent or lacking, how much difference could your essay ending make? 13. Writing Too Much Or Too Little A certain question was worth 1 mark out of 100, and a student wrote about 80 words in his answer. Was that too much? Another question was worth 25 marks out of 100, and a student wrote about 80 words in his answer. Was that too little? Depending on the subject and the nature of the test or exam paper, a question worth 1 mark out of 100 may require only a 10-word answer. a question worth 25 marks out of 100 may require at least a 1-page answer. Some students write too much for questions that do not require long answers. As a result, they do not have enough time left for the other questions. Some students write too little for questions that require long answers. Consequently, they may have missed important points or not devoted more effort to expound on an idea. Invariably, these students lose valuable marks. Unfortunately, nobody can give a definitive guide to how many words is enough for a question worth 1 mark or 25 marks. Instead of looking at the number of words, you should look at the number of main points included in your answers. A short answer encompassing all the important main points would be worth much more than a long answer deliberating on just one main point only. This is because examiners who set the questions for any test or exam paper, usually set aside a certain number of marks for the list of main points that they are looking for in students’ answers. Beyond the predetermined number of marks for any given main point, you would not be awarded extra marks even you write non-stop about that point. So, be concise in your answers as far as possible. 14. Failing To Answer All The Unanswered Questions In The Last Few Minutes "You have 5 minutes left. Please check through your answers and …" "What!" you exclaim in sheer horror. "5 minutes left! Oh my, how am I going to answer all the remaining questions?" This is quite a common situation many students have come across at least once in their schooling experience. If you have 5 minutes left, and another 10 non-multiple-choice questions worth 30 marks altogether to go, what would you do? Should you pick the question that is worth the most number of marks, and start penning the first paragraph? Or should you attempt the other short questions, even though you do not know their correct answers? In such an event, this is what you should do: Pick the easiest questions that require the shortest answers, and answer them quickly. Then, proceed to the remaining questions that require longer answers and answer quickly. Forget about writing style and proper paragraphing. You have no time for that. Write your answers in point form if possible. If you have previously jotted down some notes to a question on a separate piece of paper, submit it together with your main paper. Although the above is not the ideal way to answering questions in a test or exam paper, it would at least gain you some precious marks should you run out of time. 15. Writing Illegibly Illegible handwriting is a common cause of low test and exam scores for many students. Terrible handwriting makes reading more difficult and sometimes causes misunderstanding. In the broader sense, illegible handwriting comprises: Very small handwriting that typically resembles an army of ants. Too little spacing between words. Very big handwriting such that the height of each word spans two lines or more. Single line spacing, which makes reading tougher when the student tries to insert additional lines of text in between the already congested lines. Too many words being inserted in between and above other words on the same line. Too many arrows and lines pointing to other sentences that should belong to the current paragraph, but that are written far away on the page or on another page. Writing in light-coloured ink, such as light blue, light black, light green, pink or yellow. Writing in red, which confuses the marker since the marker is also using red ink to mark the paper. In the narrower sense, illegible handwriting comprises examples such as: An "a" looks like a "u", so that "tack" becomes "tuck" (vocabulary error). A "v" looks like a "u", so that "van" becomes "uan" (spelling error). A small letter "c" looks like a capital letter "C" (punctuation error). All of the above make reading extremely tough and slow for the marker. It can even put off the marker. Some markers give up beyond a certain point and skip parts of the writing. This means that your answers may not be completely read and graded accordingly. You lose precious marks. Good handwriting should avoid all the above-mentioned instances of bad handwriting. In particular, you should: Plan your answers, so that you do not have to resort to inserting lines of text and arrows. Leave a blank line after each line of text, so that you may insert additional words where necessary. Write in black ink or dark blue ink. 16. Reading And Writing Too Slowly Suppose you are given a 1-page comprehension passage to read. Can you read it faster than most other students? If not, then you may have to increase your reading speed. Do you know that being able to read fast can save you valuable time in a test or exam? If the average student takes 3 minutes to read a 1-page passage, while you take 10 minutes, you are already spending 7 more minutes than other students. Imagine how many questions you could have answered within those 7 minutes! So how can you improve your reading speed? Well, you can try to read more often and time yourself each time you read. With constant practice, you should be able to read faster. Now, suppose that you are given a 1-page passage to copy. Can you copy it faster than most other students? If not, then you may have to work hard on writing faster. The ability to write fast, just like the ability to read fast, can save you precious time in a test or exam. If the average student takes 5 minutes to write a 200-word essay, while you take 15 minutes, then the average student would have written 600 words’ worth of essay in those 15 minutes while you struggle with your 200 words! One way to improve your writing speed is to write more often and time yourself each time you write. Another way is to experiment with your writing technique. Try using big handwriting and small handwriting. Which way works faster for you? A third way is to experiment with different types of pens or pencils. Some pens are smoother to write with, and therefore, would help to increase your writing speed. 17. Forgetting To Answer Unanswered Questions Forget to answer unanswered questions? This problem won’t happen to me!" you may think. Yet, this is a recurring problem in tests and exams. If everybody thinks it is a problem that won’t happen to him, then why does the problem still persist? It all boils down to carelessness. Some students leave the difficult questions to the last, but they forget to return to a few of them later. Some students get stuck at a tough question and decide to skip it for the moment. Then they forget to skip back to the question. Some students flip through a paper and one way or another, miss an entire page of questions. And, of course, there are rare cases of missing printed pages in a copy of a test or exam paper. And it so happens that the students who receive such papers never realise that, and so they never get the chance to answer the questions on the missing printed pages. To avoid getting caught with the problem of forgetting to answer unanswered questions: Always check the number of questions in a test or exam paper the moment you receive it. Make sure their total marks add up to the maximum for that paper, e.g. 100 marks. Circle or highlight those questions that you cannot answer or choose to answer later. Remember to return to these circled or highlighted questions later. Always check the total marks of all the questions that you have answered add up to the maximum for that paper, e.g. 100 marks. " 18. Failing To Check Your Answers So you have finished a paper 30 minutes ahead of time. Do you look around you and sneer at those students who are still struggling with their papers, sit back and relax, ask the teacher or examiner whether you can leave early, wish fervently that time will pass quickly so that you can leave soon, or check your answers? If you always check your answers once you have finished a paper ahead of time, good for you! Otherwise, you should start doing so! What some students never realise is that, in their rush to finish a paper ahead of time, they may have inadvertently answered a question incorrectly or incompletely, left a question unanswered, or forgotten to fill in the blanks that resulted from their use of correcting fluids. Always strive to complete a paper at least 10 to 15 minutes ahead of time. Then make use of this spare time to check through your paper at least twice. You may be pleasantly surprised that you can spot an error or two in your answers, and that you have the time needed to make the corrections. 19. Failing To Bring Along Required Stationery Or Items You are sitting for a paper that requires the use of a calculator, compass and protractor, but you have forgotten to bring all of them! If you realise it in the midst of a paper, you will be stuck because you are not allowed to talk to the other candidates, and hence, you cannot borrow these items from them. If you realise it before a paper, you may not have better luck because your classmates will also need these items, and they are very unlikely to have spare ones. So what should you do? First of all, list down the stationery and items that you will need for all your papers. On the day of a paper, look through this list and get the required stationery and items ready before you leave your house. Where possible, bring along at least two of each item and stationery you need, in case the first one malfunctions suddenly. This could mean bringing along two pens, two pencils, two erasers, two rulers, two protractors, two calculators and so on so forth. In the event that you still forget to bring along a required item or stationery, seek help from your classmates, any teacher in your school’s Teachers’ Room or any staff in your school’s Principal’s Office if the paper is not due to commence yet. If the paper has already commenced, don't just sit there and sigh, or try to get by without the use of the required stationery. Raise your hands and seek help from your teacher or the examiner immediately. They will try their best to help you. 20. Forgetting To Write Down Your Names And Other Personal Particulars You have submitted your paper and your teacher has packed all the papers neatly. Suddenly, you realise that you haven’t written down your name, class and index number on your paper! Fortunately, your teacher is the examiner in this case, and he or she can identify you and your handwriting. If you immediately inform him or her, he or she would be able to retrieve your paper for you, and you can quickly add in your name and other details on the spot. But what if the examiner is not your teacher but a teacher from another school, and you inform him or her only after all the candidates have dispersed? In major examinations, such as PSLE, GCE "O" and "A" levels, and university exams, the examiners are usually not from your school. How would the examiner be able to verify if you are indeed one of the candidates who has sat for the paper? Worst of all, what if the examiners have already left the school? The prospect of you getting zero mark for the paper is not unreal. The only way you can prevent this problem from happening to you is to make sure that you write down your name and other personal particulars on every piece of your test or exam paper, and check that everything is in order before you submit your paper. You should write down your name and other personal particulars on the inside pages of a paper as well, because sometimes a whole stack of papers may fall apart during transit. With your name and other personal particulars on each piece of the test or exam paper, including the inside pages, you can feel safer and more secure.

2007 PSLE Math Preliminary Examination Paper Review

Why some students did not perform as well as they should? When I received the recent prelim exam papers, I was taken aback by some of the questions set. Not only were some of these ‘cheem’ questions extremely lengthy (some can have as many as 8 sentences in a question), the person reading them must be strong in their math concepts just to be able to piece the question together to ‘see’ the clues. Surprisingly, these “cheem” questions were not only from our elite schools but a growing numbers were originated from neighbourhood schools!

Latest Update! Challenge yourself with this FREE 2007 PSLE Math Prelim Exam Paper! Click here to download

Judging from the growing trend of lengthy questions with many conditions attached, all students must not only know the Fundamental Concepts of each topic well, but must also be strong in their Cognitive Skills (the skills needed to process information mentally) in order to score well. These skills include Visual Processing (ability to rotate or flip a diagram in mind), Working Memory (ability to hold and process a group of information mentally) and Logic & Reasoning (ability to make see logics in questions). I have selected some recent prelim questions for discussion as I personally felt that despite the fact that some students might be strong in problem solving, their learning styles and cognitive abilities might cause them to under perform for these questions

Join Our FREE Mailing List! Subscribe to my newsletter and be informed of my latest tips and news on Math Learning First Name: Email address: Country: We respect your privacy. You can read about our private policy here.

---

Nanyang Primary School 2007 Math Prelim Question: A rectangle piece of paper is folded along AC at Corner B as shown in Figure 1 so that the line BC lies on the centre line. Next, it is folded along DC as shown in Figure 2 so that the line AC lies on the centre line. Finally, it is folded along EF as shown in Figure 3 so that the line GD lies on the centre line. Find

Frankly, I read this question 3 times but for every attempt, I was not able to complete the entire question because whenever I reached figure 3, I cannot proceed on as the diagram shown in the question is different from the one I had in my mental mind!

(What I am suffering from is commonly known as ‘mental block’. This will occur to most learners who are strong in their Logic & Reasoning skill. Whenever their perceived mental picture or logic differs from those shown in the question, the mind will become extremely ‘noisy’ and will be reluctant to move on until the differences are resolved.)

Finally, to help me move on, I took an A4 paper and started folding and only then, I was able to move on and complete the question as my folded paper revealed the same image as the one I had in my mind!

From an educator’s point of view, this question is a very good question as it tests a student’s true understanding of symmetry as well as the geometrical properties of triangles, four-sided figures and angles.

In order to solve this question, besides having a good grasp of the fundamentals of Symmetry, geometrical properties of Triangles, four sided figures and angles, a student must also be strong in their Visual Processing and Logic Reasoning skills.

1. To help you see and understand better, first fold an A4 paper into half as shown in figure 1
   
2. Next, fold a triangle ABC (as shown in figure 2). Noticed angle BAC and angle BCA are the same (line BC = line BA and triangle ABC is an isosceles triangle)

   

3. Then, fold such that line AC lies on the centre line of the A4 paper. You will notice that your folded paper is different from figure 3 because line AC and line AD should be of the same length! (this is the ‘cause’ of my mental block as instead of drawing line AC to be the same length as line AD, the picture showed line AC to be shorter than line AD)

   

   To prove my point, referring to figure 2, you should spot a rhombus before folding DC. Therefore, in figure 3, angle ACD equals angle ADC (22.5 degree) as line AC equals line AD. Thus, angle CAD is 135 degree (180 – 22.5 – 22.5 = 135).
   

4. Before you fold your paper to form figure 4, you will notice that line GD is parallel to line AC. Therefore, angle CAD equals angle ADG (135 degree) due to alternate angles.
   

   

5. Now, I believe you can confidently solve for angle b as it is the sum of angle ADG (135 degree) and angle ADC (22.5 degree).
   
   Answer: angle b = 157.5 degree

---

Singapore Chinese Girls School 2007 Math Prelim Question When Mrs Lee was 40 years old, her son was twice her daughter’s age. Mrs Lee will be twice her son’s age when her daughter is 28 years old. How old will Mrs Lee be when her daughter is 20 years old?

Unlike the Nanyang question, I was ‘shocked’ when I first read this question, for what first comes to my mind is …….. ‘Is this a primary school question?’

I have a reason for feeling this way. My reaction was caused by my immediate choice of approach to solve this question. As there were too many variables or unknowns in this question, I used what most adults will use to solve this question, Algebra.

This was how I solve the question for my first attempt.

Let daughter’s age = x When Mrs Lee is 40, daughter = x and son = 2x ‘y’ years later, when daughter becomes 28 years old Mrs Lee will be 40 + y, daughter = x + y and son = 2x + y From above, x + y = 28 equation 1 and since Mrs Lee will be twice son’s age, that is 2(2x+y) therefore, 2(2x+y) = 40 + y equation 2 Using the above 2 equations and the substitution technique, I found daughter’s initial age was 4 years old (x=4) and thus when she is 28 years old (16 years later), Mrs Lee will be 40 + 16 = 56 years old

If you noticed my above solutions (does not matter if you don’t understand because you will be taught them when you are in secondary school), my default mode was to use Algebra to solve.

After solving, the next question that followed my mind was “How many primary 6 students, who were not taught algebraic expansion and simultaneous equations, can solve this question?”

Staring at the question for a while, I resumed the resource of a primary 6 student and re-approached the question using techniques like listing of tables, drafting of models and finally, after many minutes, I obtained the correct answer through Guess and Check (yeah)!

Not satisfied with the Guess and Check approach as the time taken was way too long, I began to explore the model drawing approach again. After overcoming the challenge of not being able to draw the models for this sentence, Mrs Lee was 40 years old, the son is twice the daughter’s age, I finally arrived the answer.

The following Step-by-Step model solution might not be easily accepted by some students, especially students who belong to the sequential learner group.

1. Construct the first set of models of ‘when Mrs Lee was 40 years old, son is twice the daughter’s age’ by JUST listing and not drawing Mrs Lee’s model first, drawing 1 unit for the daughter and 2 units for son. (for this step, sequential learners, students who need to do things in sequence, will feel uneasy when told not to draw Mrs Lee’s model first)
   

   

2. To draw the next step correctly, one needs to be strong in their language. ‘When the daughter is 28 years’, for this sentence, you will need to agree that you have to add some more years instead of subtracting a number of years from the current age. (you will really need to read the ‘English’ of the sentence, to pick up the present and past tense of the sentence for you to agree that it should be some years later from the initial age for her daughter to become 28 years old.)
   

   My reasoning is highlighted in red: ‘When Mrs Lee was 40 years old, her son was twice her daughter’s age. Mrs Lee will be twice her son’s age when her daughter is 28 years old. How old will Mrs Lee be when her daughter is 20 years old? Therefore, I shall construct a second set of models by adding an additional block to daughter and son to represent some years later. I shall name this additional block as ‘y’.

3. Following the condition of the sentence ‘When daughter is 28, Mrs Lee will be twice her son’s age’, I am now able to draw Mrs Lee’s model by copying twice the son’s model.
   
4. Now, you need to spot for patterns from the 2 sets of models. If you noticed the first and second set of the models, the model of the son and daughter in the first set is ‘y’ block shorter than the model of the son and daughter in the second set. Therefore, logically, the model of Mrs Lee in the first set must be ‘y’ block shorter than the model of Mrs Lee in the second set. Therefore, we can now construct the model of Mrs Lee in the 1st set.
   
5. When we begin to label the models, we will arrive the following equation:
   

   4 units + y = 40 years 1 unit + y = 28 years 3 units = 40 – 28 = 12 years Therefore, 1 unit = 4 years

   
   The daughter was 4 years old when Mrs Lee was 40 years old.
   For her daughter to become 20 years old, we need to add 16 more years to her daughter. Therefore, Mrs Lee will be 40 + 16 = 56 years old when her daughter is 20 years old.
   

I hope my sharing has benefited you and your child. Before I end this posting, I would like you print out an elite school’s 2007 math prelim paper for your child to work on. An answer key is included for marking purposes. From the results, you can have a good gauge as to how prepared your child is for the coming PSLE. I hope your child will benefit from this 2007 prelim paper.

To get a copy of that FREE PSLE 2007 Math Prelim Exam Paper, click here


Top PSLE Math Trainer

P.S See how I solve one of the tougher question in that paper. (I have included a Step-By-Step Video to show a simple yet effective technique to answer the question) Remember to get it here

How To Study Well

How to Study WELL, not just harder!

Students, parents and school staff all want the same goal of happy and successful student achievers. Learning good study habits is key. Improving study habits does not necessarily need to mean studying more or studying harder.

Learning HOW to study can save time and frustration and lead to more success in school.

Organization

At School

Organization is one way to save time and frustration. It begins during the school day. Be sure to have an agenda book or other homework notebook to record daily assignments. Write the date and list each subject that you have for homework. Copy down the page numbers, item numbers or special directions the teacher may give. It also helps to have a small monthly calendar to record up-coming tests, projects, reports, etc. so you can anticipate and prepare for them ahead of time. A pocket homework folder is another good organizational tool. Use one side for “in” coming papers, such as homework sheets, notices or letters to parents, permission slips, etc. Use the other side for “out” going, completed homework, signed forms, notes to turn in to the teacher, etc. This way, all the papers will stay neat and unwrinkled and will be easy to find when needed. Many times, students take the time to do homework, but then either have to do it over again or don’t get credit for it because they can’t find it. The folder eliminates that problem.

At Home

When you get home in the afternoon, it is good to have a special study/homework area, a routine place that is uncluttered and quiet to put your book bag and other study supplies each day when you get home from school. It should have good light, be comfortable and have space for a ruler, calculator, dictionary, extra pencils and paper or any other supplies you might need. When you get ready to do your homework, everything you need is right there. When you finish, put homework and anything else that needs to be turned in to the teacher in your homework folder and return the folder and all of your books to your book bag. In the morning, when it is time to catch the bus, you will be able to get your book bag and go.

Study Time

Just HOW do you study well?

First, figure out a schedule that works for you. Some students like a snack and “fun” time when they get home from school. THEN they study. Some students like to study first and get it done. THEN they have time to play or watch a favorite TV show or read a favorite book. Which do you like best? If you do like the break first, be sure that it is only about 30 minutes. Then start your homework. Whichever you decide, work about 30 minutes and then take a 5-10 minute break. Get up, walk around, get a snack, talk with someone in your family, or play with your pet. Then go back to your homework.

Another choice you have to make is which homework you like to start first. Some like to do the easiest first; others like to do the hardest first while you are fresh and then do the easiest later when you are getting tired. Decide which works best for you.

Your agenda book has daily assignments. Your monthly calendar will remind you of reports, projects and tests that are coming up. If you have a project or report, mark on the calendar what you need to have done each day or week so that you will be prepared and not have to do it all the night before it is due. Studying for a test is best done that way, too. For instance, if you have a test on Friday, read about it Monday, look over notes or worksheets the next night, look at questions and answer them the next night, then review all and see if you can answer questions without looking at the answers or have a parent call out the questions to you. You will really be prepared for that test!

A good strategy is SQR3, Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. When you read a chapter in a textbook, especially when you are studying for a test, have a very small pad of sticky notes handy. First, SURVEY means to look through the pages of the chapter. Notice the pictures and captions, the words in bold, italicized or underlined print. That way you are getting familiar with what you are about to read; you are connecting it with what you already know. That helps you remember what you read. Second, QUESTION means to flip to the questions at the end of the chapter. Read those. Those are the most important facts. It helps you learn what information you are looking for. Then, as you READ, when you run across the answer to one of the questions, put a little sticky note by the answer. It helps you find it later if you have to write the answers to the questions and in your REVIEW for a test, it acts as a flag if you can’t remember the answer for the question. After READing the text, go back to the questions and see if you can RECITE or answer the questions without looking. If you can and you are sure of the answers, WAY TO GO! You know those! If there are some that are hard, check your “flags” and find the correct answer. That is the REVIEW. You know those are hardest for you and need more practice.

Learning to be organized both in school and at home and learning good study strategies can help you learn how to study WELL, not just harder or longer. Actually, studying WELL can help you be more successful in school and save more time to do the other things you enjoy doing. Have a great school year!

OH!: Homework Help for Elementary-Aged Students With ADD

“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” Abigail Adams

I’ve shared that quote with dozens of young Chronically Disorganized (CD) clients. I often ask them to substitute the word organizing for the word learning and read the quote out loud. Children can then see that while organization – like education – may be attainable it doesn’t come effortlessly. Students who are naturally disorganized are at a disadvantage unless we, as professional organizers, can help them by implementing systems, support, and structure. Training students how to get organized and teaching them why being organized is critical to their success is essential. Uncovering the appropriate training techniques is often an overlooked step to becoming properly organized. Most often what I see when working with junior clients (between 3^rd and 6^th grades) is that their parents or teachers have implemented a seemingly flawless organizing system for the student. Unfortunately, it isn’t the right system for that particular child. Sometimes it’s too detailed. Or, maybe it doesn’t take into account the student’s learning style.

Enter the professional organizer
We have an opportunity to provide an organizing education for families seeking help. These clients are most often kinesthetic learners and auditory learners. So, we’ll focus here on these two modalities and the techniques that I have found to be especially helpful when working with these young clients and their parents.

First things first—Location, Location, Location!
Establish a quiet place in the home where the student can be close enough to ask questions yet far away enough not to be too distracted by family members (including pets) moving around the house. Younger children need adults nearby to answer questions and help them “perform” their homework.

Bite-Sized Portions
When it comes to repetitive work (such as math problems), set the student up for success. Just as we focus on a smaller area for an ADD adult, we want to focus on a smaller portion of the homework assignment rather than the whole. For example, if a student has a page of 15 math problems to solve, it is best to have him complete five at a time. Then, an adult can check them in three separate batches to ensure that the student is understanding the directions and receives immediate feedback before moving on to the next set of five problems. Nothing is more discouraging than letting a 4^th grader do 15 problems and then discovering that he did not get one correct answer because he didn’t understand the directions or wasn’t familiar with the order of operations.

Book Reports
When dealing with a written assignment such as a book report, break the assignment into a time-line type of checklist for them. Popsicle sticks and markers are perfect for the job. On each popsicle stick write something like the following:
Pick a book to read /January 10.
Record the title, author, publisher/January 12
Read chapters 1-3/January 17
Read chapters 4-6/January 22
Finish the book; chapters 7-10/January 27

Then, after the book is read, instead of asking the student to sit down and write the report, request that the student verbally present her rough draft via a “creative report.” Allowing the student to hear her own words will help her internalize the information and make the writing process much easier and straightforward.

The following ideas for Auditory Learners and Kinesthetic Learners incorporate both Part P and Part B because they provide a child with something physical (P) to do with his hands or an opportunity to move around, while simultaneously having a mental challenge for his brain (B).

Auditory Learners are great listeners and usually very vocal.
A good opening line for an organizer to use with an auditory learner is: “Tell me about your homework assignments. . . . .” but follow up this line with a twist!

• “and pretend you’re a TV reporter on the evening news.” The child may sit at the kitchen table and use a “mike” (vacuum cleaner attachments work well as do salt or pepper shakers).
• “and act out 3 main events in your day.” The child may stand on a small rug, but the rule is not to leave the rug while they’re acting. This exercise will help children with sequencing events, something they’re often expected to do at school.
• “and chat with me while this metronome is ticking. Can you bob your head back and forth and talk at the same time?”

Kinesthetic Learners usually think best on their feet.
Try these ideas with “Tell me about your homework assignments. . . .” or for helping with memory-related homework:

• Place yardsticks or rulers on the floor. The child can explain to you the order that they should do math, reading, and spelling words by laying out the sticks (one for math, one for reading, etc.) in order.
• As the child to explain or list her assignments (or whatever it is she’s trying to learn or memorize) directly to herself by talking in front of a mirror.
• Let the child use dolls or puppets to do the talking for her.
• Play Clap, Tap, Slap. This game has proven to be extremely effective for memorizing spelling or multiplication facts. The rhythm and cadence and sing-song style encourage the facts to stick. Boys especially enjoy the military marching tune of “left, right, left, right, left . . . .” You’ve heard children recite TV commercials or radio jingles – Clap, Tap, Slap works on the same principle and you can modify it to fit all sorts of memory work. Tapping rhythms, using “hand jive” motions and claps, and having fun with sing-song chants, like the ones used for jump-roping games, can be fun and easy ways to learn facts quickly.
• Ohhhhh, Macarena! Fun songs such as The Funky Chicken and the Macarena are wildly popular with kids – put the motions to work for learning spelling words. For example, if the word is “America,” ask the child to stand up and do the motions for the Macarena dance while they spell the words out loud. You probably know of other songs that use motions that would work well, also. The repetition of the motions can help the repetition and memory of math facts, lists, dates and other such memory work.

Use positive language as a reward.
Use simple statements such as:
Wow; you’re brainy. I wouldn’t have come up with that answer.
I like the way you think!
Hey, you’re a miniature Einstein!
How on earth did you do that? Impressive!

Encourage children with such phrases as:
Keep thinking like that—I think you’ve almost solved it.
You really tried hard – I’m proud of your effort.
I can tell that this is getting easier for you. You amaze me.
You should feel really proud of yourself.

The following ideas offer some suggestions on how to organize schoolwork, personal stuff, and schedules.

Crate on Wheels or Portable Hanging File Folder
Why a crate? It’s a mini file cabinet on wheels that can easily be moved from room to room. Novelty is a must for ADD students; a moveable crate allows their homework environment to change periodically. The crate, containing color-coded file folders, is a system that most kids enjoy using once they learn how. Create both a business and a personal section.

The business section contains all things relating to school with a folder for each subject and an extra one for projects that are works-in-progress. After the project is complete, it should be filed under the appropriate subject. I suggest blue for business, for example, because the first letters match. Make sure you explain the color scheme you choose—again, teach them why you are doing things a certain way. An older child may be able to choose the colors himself and explain why he or she has chosen that particular color for a particular subject. He should have a specific reason why he relates, say, red to business. Maybe it fires him up!

The “p” for personal folders could also be “p” for pink, purple, passionate red, papaya orange, or even pepperoni brownish-red. They hold documents related to topics such as:
Memorabilia: photographs, ticket stubs and awards
Passwords: i-tune account information, PSP and Game Boy data, etc.
Sports: schedules, registration forms, contact information on teammates
Hobbies: choir, music, scouting, articles they tear out of magazines related to crafts, etc.
Religion: Sunday school activities, confirmation class schedules, youth group outings, etc. Equipment: warranty and purchase information for their personal property: bikes, software installations, calculator instructions, etc.

Calendars
A year-at-a-glance academic calendar can be a great organizational tool for children in 3^rd grade or older.

* Print a copy of the year-long calendar and highlight all holidays, teacher workdays, and early release days. Place it in a page protector and clip it to the front of their portable crate. Younger students will need to be taught how to use a calendar but once explained, using a calendar becomes a learned skill that will be incredibly useful for them.

* Most students younger than 3^rd grade don’t understand the linear significance of a calendar. It’s a surprise to some younger children that calendars are arranged in lines and rows and read left to right like a book. This concept is foreign to them. Interestingly, more than one junior client has commented that they thought calendars should be like clocks—round.

Binders can be a thing of beauty.

Pocket Folders
Pocket folders help children avoid having to dig in their backpacks and having their papers scattered everywhere. Label one side Homework and the other side Sign and Return.
Either buy a pocket folder that is already hole-punched or punch holes in one yourself and put the pocket folder in the student’s binder. Pocket folders help children avoid having to dig in their backpacks and having their papers scattered everywhere. Label one side and the other side. Either buy a pocket folder that is already hole-punched or punch holes in one yourself and put the pocket folder in the student’s binder.

Tabbed Dividers
Color-coded dividers help the student keep his binder organized because the colors make subjects easy to “read”. For example, green may represent science, blue for reading, red for writing, yellow for social studies, etc. A child may want to represent his favorite subject with his favorite color, for example. Again, encourage the child to attach some significance to the relationship of the color and the subject, but there’s no right or wrong here. Within each color-coded section, create a section for quizzes and tests. Use the same color tab and place a gold star on it; put this divider behind the first divider of the same subject. It is important that students learn to hang on to old quizzes and tests that will help them study and reflect upon what they have learned. Collected tests and graded papers also serve as progress indicators so the child can see how much she’s learning throughout the year.