Secondary School History

[sharonkhoo]

MrsKiasu\" post_id=\"2045370\" time=\"1636333112\" user_id=\"43981:

slmkhoo\" post_id=\"2045366\" time=\"1636331228\" user_id=\"28674:

[quote=MrsKiasu post_id=2045338 time=1636286418 user_id=43981]Slmkhoo, are all the years very important coz I feel that dd may be using too much efforts/time to remember all these 'individual' years. I asked her and she says need to.. coz she is like me short memory type so I just worry if eg 2 exam papers which require high memory work, fall on the same day then may pose a challenge.

Some key dates are very important, but some are less so. I also have a poor memory for numbers, so my strategy (also applies to numbers in Geog) is to be selective about the \"must know\" dates. Then I relate other dates to these key dates - 3 years before, 6 mths later.... I try to remember them if possible, but sometimes I will fudge a bit, especially if in an exam and I can't remember accurately - shortly after, a few years earlier, in the years leading up to..., as a result of.... For other numbers, like population nos. or group sizes which are not possible to know exactly anyway, I will round them - nearly 10 million, over 600, etc.

But the main advice I have for your daughter is not to regard these subject as \"memory work\" - treat them as real-life stories. There is a flow of events, with cause and effect, like reading a novel or watching a film. Once she sees it in that light, it will be easier to remember a lot of it without effort, and then she needs to only focus on memorising a few key items. Also, she should figure out what helps her fix things in her memory - writing it out? saying it aloud? drawing mind maps, cartoons? drawing a timeline, maybe with illustrations? acting out the story while saying the dates and facts aloud?

I must put in a plug for Geog - I've always enjoyed Geog as it explains the physical world as well as societies. There is some overlap with History, of course. My family travelled a lot, even when I was a child, and one of my joys was to see Geog come alive before my eyes - different landscapes and landforms, rocks, agriculture, vegetation, etc. Walking around in cities or towns, I could see how they are laid out, the similarities and differences. Then there's demographics and population, trade etc. Another plus point is that there are fewer dates, and numbers in Geog can be rounded much more easily (population nos., trade figures, lengths of rivers, etc) Given how much Singaporeans (used to) travel, I find it strange that not many seem to enjoy Geog and just want to get it out of the way. If I'd had my way, I would have studied it at university.

Haha that was what in my mind too..around the time, round up etc..thanks slmkhoo.[/quote]If it's a very key date or figure, rounding might lose some points. But if it's not, I think you can get away with it if the reasoning of the rest of the answer is good enough. And personally, I think it's better to have a good rounded figure than a wrong exact one!

Maybe those who mark Geog papers can confirm? I'm not a teacher or tutor.

[Liew Nga Wing]

Date and Years are important in History exam. I have come across the following exam questions :


1. What was happened in Europe during the Year 1789?
2. Why was Russia defeated in the war 1904 to 1905?
3. What was the outbreak for the War in 1914?

If you cannot remember the Year correctly, you may not be able to answer these questions.

[MrsKiasu]

Thank LNW…and slmkhoo no worries…just try to remember if cannot then too bad.

[sharonkhoo]

Liew Nga Wing\" post_id=\"2045380\" time=\"1636336443\" user_id=\"195250:[quote=\"Liew Nga Wing\" post_id=2045380 time=1636336443 user_id=195250]
Date and Years are important in History exam. I have come across the following exam questions :

1. What was happened in Europe during the Year 1789?
2. Why was Russia defeated in the war 1904 to 1905?
3. What was the outbreak for the War in 1914?

If you cannot remember the Year correctly, you may not be able to answer these questions.[/quote]

I distinguished between key dates and other dates. These are obviously key dates.

[Jworld]

Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2045233\" time=\"1636212968\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2045233 time=1636212968 user_id=58173]

Jworld\" post_id=\"2045230\" time=\"1636211036\" user_id=\"35780:

Is it necessary to have tuition in History? My kid is getting 50-60 / 100. She's going Sec 2 next year.
I am not sure how impt is to have history tuition. She already has a lot of schoolworks.

I actually have the same question as well. As the kids take 3 humanities, I often wonder if doing badly in 1 of them (history) is okay? Any expert advice? Thanks.[/quote]

I was told it's important for students to be able to answer the history exam type of questions because in Sec 3 and 4 they will be taking Social Studies which will have the similar type of questions. Need one humanity subject for O levels' L1R4 or L1R5. ie if the kid going to Poly or JC next time.

[Swc]

Jworld\" post_id=\"2045459\" time=\"1636376910\" user_id=\"35780:

Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2045233\" time=\"1636212968\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2045233 time=1636212968 user_id=58173]

Is it necessary to have tuition in History? My kid is getting 50-60 / 100. She's going Sec 2 next year.
I am not sure how impt is to have history tuition. She already has a lot of schoolworks.

I actually have the same question as well. As the kids take 3 humanities, I often wonder if doing badly in 1 of them (history) is okay? Any expert advice? Thanks.

I was told it's important for students to be able to answer the history exam type of questions because in Sec 3 and 4 they will be taking Social Studies which will have the similar type of questions. Need one humanity subject for O levels' L1R4 or L1R5. ie if the kid going to Poly or JC next time.[/quote]Yes the same skills set is required for both History and Social Studies. Hence, some people feel it is better to take combined SS/History instead of SS/Geog or SS/Lit.

[Zeal mummy]

Jworld\" post_id=\"2045459\" time=\"1636376910\" user_id=\"35780:

Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2045233\" time=\"1636212968\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2045233 time=1636212968 user_id=58173]

Is it necessary to have tuition in History? My kid is getting 50-60 / 100. She's going Sec 2 next year.
I am not sure how impt is to have history tuition. She already has a lot of schoolworks.

I actually have the same question as well. As the kids take 3 humanities, I often wonder if doing badly in 1 of them (history) is okay? Any expert advice? Thanks.

I was told it's important for students to be able to answer the history exam type of questions because in Sec 3 and 4 they will be taking Social Studies which will have the similar type of questions. Need one humanity subject for O levels' L1R4 or L1R5. ie if the kid going to Poly or JC next time.[/quote]Oh, thank you for sharing. My kiddo is in IP school, I think they don’t have social studies. (Could someone please confirm?) n Perhaps kiddo wants to do geography or literature. I just feel bad for history for being the sacrificial lamb.

[Zeal mummy]

Swc\" post_id=\"2045461\" time=\"1636377371\" user_id=\"178585:

Jworld\" post_id=\"2045459\" time=\"1636376910\" user_id=\"35780:

[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2045233 time=1636212968 user_id=58173]

I actually have the same question as well. As the kids take 3 humanities, I often wonder if doing badly in 1 of them (history) is okay? Any expert advice? Thanks.

I was told it's important for students to be able to answer the history exam type of questions because in Sec 3 and 4 they will be taking Social Studies which will have the similar type of questions. Need one humanity subject for O levels' L1R4 or L1R5. ie if the kid going to Poly or JC next time.

Yes the same skills set is required for both History and Social Studies. Hence, some people feel it is better to take combined SS/History instead of SS/Geog or SS/Lit.[/quote]That makes sense. Thanks for sharing! Just curious, is there a choice to do pure geog or lit or history?

[Zeal mummy]

Swc\" post_id=\"2045324\" time=\"1636279077\" user_id=\"178585:

Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2045293\" time=\"1636261060\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2045293 time=1636261060 user_id=58173]

Upper secondary History - content wise, it's new content. However, the skills required for Source Based Questions (SBQ) will be a built up from what has been taught in lower sec so it is necessary for the students to have a good grasp of the answering skills taught in lower secondary.

Thanks for the information, Swc. Is sec 2 history content the extension of sec 1’s work? How do one improve on SBQ?

Lower sec History is Singapore history. While it is connected, the focus of the content is different. So one does not need to be intimately familiar with sec 1 content to do well for sec 2 history per say.

As for SBQ skills, the most basic will be the ability to infer from the provided source the point that answers the question. But I am not sure how to strengthen inferencing skills other than the obvious one which is to read widely and do deep thinking when reading.[/quote]Thankfully. Good to know it’s not a built up of knowledge.

[Swc]

Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2045469\" time=\"1636381759\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2045469 time=1636381759 user_id=58173]

Swc\" post_id=\"2045461\" time=\"1636377371\" user_id=\"178585:

I was told it's important for students to be able to answer the history exam type of questions because in Sec 3 and 4 they will be taking Social Studies which will have the similar type of questions. Need one humanity subject for O levels' L1R4 or L1R5. ie if the kid going to Poly or JC next time.

Yes the same skills set is required for both History and Social Studies. Hence, some people feel it is better to take combined SS/History instead of SS/Geog or SS/Lit.

That makes sense. Thanks for sharing! Just curious, is there a choice to do pure geog or lit or history?[/quote]For O level students, as Social Studies is not a full subject, it has to be combined with either History, Geog or Lit. However, if the student takes 2 humanities, then s/he can take combined SS with History, Geo or Lit, and take Pure History, Geog or Lit as the 2nd humanity subject. However, the subject taken as a combined subject with SS cannot be taken as a pure for the 2nd humanity. So if the student chose combined SS/history, then s/he can only take pure Geog or pure Lit as the 2nd humanity subject.

For IP schools, different schools package SS with some other studies (eg Philosophy) differently and different schools have different names for that subject. Students can choose to take another 2 pure humanities subjects ie taking a total of 3 humanities subjects.