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A Lesson Learnt!

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:28 am
by scatshouse
I've never really got involved with my children's school work, they've never struggled and always been in top sets for everything.

However, I thought I would play Mrs. Good Mother and get involved and try and help my daughter with her sats practice now she has entered year 9.

So, I found a website offering free past sats papers and printed off all the past Shakespeare papers from 2003 to 2007. In my ignorance thinking they wouldn't know which actual play they would be asked questions on.

But, I now find out that not only do they know exactly which play they will be tested on, they know the actual act, scene and lines that they will be tested on! Romeo and Juliet! which has not been a choice since before 2003! and, of course, not one of the test papers I'd printed off.

Oh well! I thought, now I know that I can still help, so I printed off the parts she will be tested on, still trying to help, only to be told she already has these from school and had already worked through them, done very well and moved on!

The lesson I've learnt is that I should have done MY homework!

hermanmunster wrote:
from a DH Lawrence essay, Education of the People, published in 1918:

"How to begin to educate a child. First rule: leave him alone. Second rule: leave him alone. Third rule: leave him alone. That is the whole beginning."
I think that's just what I will do :D .

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:06 am
by laid back son worried mum
OK, I'11 confe55 that I did look up English past papers for Shakespeare questions but I did not print them... :lol:

I'm finding that I have to leave them we11 alone for a lot of things now.
Yr 8 has been such a change to Yr 7.
The school has exce11ent teachers in a11 departments and watch them so closely.
The routines are we11 placed and there is le55 shouting and nagging, which I wi11 also admit is mostly due to me over worrying.

I just hope it is not due to the fact we've a11 had a good summer break. :lol:

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:06 am
by Marylou
Yes, I discovered something similar when DD1 did her KS3 tests and was quite surprised. I was aware that they knew which play they were supposed to be studying, but not that the test was restricted to extracts.

At least now you can sit back and enjoy the awe and admiration when you say "In my day we had to read the whole play and we didn't know which bits we were going to be tested on!!" :wink: :lol:

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 12:33 pm
by Here we go again
This thread interested me. I started a thread on the forum a couple of years ago asking whether I should help my son with French as I felt it was his weakest subject but I was aware that he would probably give it up in year 9 anyway (he had just started year 7 at the time). Most advice was that I should give him a hand as he would have to do French for 3 years and it wouldn't be nice for him to struggle. So I helped him revise for his fisrt end-of-term test and he scored very well. So much so that he was put into the top set for year 8 (which he wasn't very happy about!) I mentioned to his teacher at the open evening that he felt he was struggling and the rest of the class were much better at French but she insisted he could cope. He now starts year 9 on an A/A* course with the mention that his class could take the GCSE a year early if they wished. Maybe I just under estimate him (he couldn't have been put in the top set based on the one test I helped him revise with, surely?) Anyway, at least he seems settled in the class now but I'll be interested to see whether he sticks with French or German when he chooses his subjects end of this year.
Beware the home help! Funny thing is, I am totally useless at French myself (but I'm learning!)

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 12:59 pm
by Marylou
Marylou wrote:Yes, I discovered something similar when DD1 did her KS3 tests and was quite surprised. I was aware that they knew which play they were supposed to be studying, but not that the test was restricted to extracts.
Forgot to mention - this was after I'd ploughed all the way through Richard III. :roll:

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 6:58 pm
by Guest55
They do need to read the whole play and be able to COMPARE aspects of the two extracts - it is not as simple as you make it sound.
The MAAN question this summer was something like 'How do these do extracts illustrate that loving someone isn't easy?'

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 7:16 pm
by Marylou
Guest55 wrote:They do need to read the whole play and be able to COMPARE aspects of the two extracts - it is not as simple as you make it sound.
- yes, you are right - in DD's case they did read it all and most did very well in English (if the KS3 results are anything to go by!), however in a less academically rigorous environment I would imagine that the temptation just to stick to the extracts would be quite high!
Guest55 wrote:The MAAN question this summer was something like 'How do these do extracts illustrate that loving someone isn't easy?'
- I'll bet this elicited some interesting answers! :)

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:01 pm
by chad
Oh Dear..... DS sat KS3 Sats this year... did well in Maths & science but we haven't got the English back yet.....and after hearing what question it was I don't think I want to know how he did....! :roll:

Having Aspergers he doesn't do 'feelings' very well and finds it hard to describe his own, let alone feelings from a text from Shakespeare.

Oh well....at least I will be prepared for the worst.

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:22 pm
by Guest55
Chad - that question was only 18 of the 50 marks on the Reading paper.

I think it is a challenging question for an A level paper - let alone 14 year olds. :lol:

Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:37 pm
by chad
and as he was only 12 when he took it (July birthday. school does KS3 in 2 years) I dread to think of what he put down !!!!!!!! :oops:


Oh well ....as one teacher said to me recently.....once they are done you can forget about them....they don't get put on a CV and Uni's aren't interested in KS3 grades.