Year 8 Parental Information Evening Preparing for the Year 8 Exams - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Year 8 Parental Information Evening

Preparing for the Year 8 Exams

This evening’s presenters



Peter Morris – How to Revise Effectively



Victoria Phelps – Year 8 Exams in English



Mike Penhale – Year 8 Exams in Maths



John Stokes – Year 8 Exams in Science

Without revision

Recall after Learning

Recall after Learning

To stop the drain from the brain, the brain needs regular recall and review exercises. After a 1 hour learning period …  First review after 10 minutes  2 - 4 minute review after 24 hours  2 minute review after 1 week  2 minute review after 1 month

review after 10 mins 2-4 min review after 24 hours 2 min review after 1 week 2 min review after 1 month

and so on ...

With revision

learning

Recall after learning

So what do I need to do?

Learners need to: be resilient be independent respond positively to setbacks

So what do I need to do?

So what do I need to do?

Effective reading

1. Skim or survey

• Check relevance - date of publication, author, title
• Contents page - which chapters should you read? Don't assume you should read a book from cover to cover
• Introduction - what is the author's intention?
• Be purposeful - question
• Ask yourself: Why read this?
• Which areas are of specific interest?
• How will it help my studies?
• Is it worth reading?

1. Quickly read the opening and closing paragraphs and then the first and last chapters to make your judgement.

• Read effectively
• Get a feel for the chapter/passage - read it quickly

■ Do you understand it? ■ What is the key point the author is making? ■ What is the main point of each paragraph - there should only be one!

• Sort out: The facts
• Examples and illustrations
• The author's own ideas
• Evaluate

■ How convincing are these ideas? ■ Do you have all the facts? ■ Are there contrary examples to those given? ■ Can you think of alternative theories? ■ What are the consequences of these alternatives as opposed to the author's suggestions?

• Remember what you've read or recall
• Having read a complex passage or chapter, try to note down, without looking, the key points of what you have read
• Try to think of a couple of the main examples given
• Check your memory or review
• Check your notes against the passage
• Correct and amend
• Make sure you have covered the key point of each paragraph

Skim - What is relevant? Overview - Beginning & end? Read effectively - Key points?

Recall - Make notes from memory. Key points?

Review - Check your notes against the text.

Memory Skills

1 Use IMAGINATION to make it OUTSTANDING 2 ASSOCIATE it to something you already know 3 CONDITION its RECALL until you can’t get it wrong

Memory Skills

Key principles 1 Use your senses

Memory Skills

2 Include movement

Key principles

DESCRIBE the pirate. Write down at least 7 things.

Memory Skills

3 Use exaggeration

Key principles

Memory Skills

4 Use colour

Key principles

if ax2 + bx + c = 0 x = -b ± √(b2 - 4ac) 2a

Memory Skills

4 Use colour

Key principles

if ax2 + bx + c = 0 x = -b ± √(b2 - 4ac) 2a

Memory Skills

4 Use colour

Key principles

if ax2 + bx + c = 0 x = -b ± √(b2 - 4ac) 2a

Memory Skills

4 Use colour

Key principles

T

Memory Skills

5 The more absurd the better

Key principles

Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more:

Memory Skills

6 Create links

Key principles Easy to learn Hard to learn

Come up with one of your own for the Noble Gases.

Memory Skills

6 Create links Key principles

Most very easy methods just select unusual novelty photos.

My very educated mother just spiced up nine planets

Helium Neon Argon Krypton Xenon Radon

Memory Skills

7 Use humour

Key principles

Memory Skills

Key principles

3 Use exaggeration 1 Use your senses 2 Include movement 4 Use colour 5 The more absurd the better 6 Create links 7 Use humour

Memory Skills

3 Use exaggeration 1 Use your

senses

2 Include movement 4 Use colour 5 The more absurd the better 6 Create links 7 Use humour 8 Use images

What were they again?

Revising? Really?

Try this. Available from www.thinkbuzan.com/uk/ You can trial it for 30

• days. If you decide not to

buy it, they let you keep a basic version for free … The basic version is fine for school revision. Try this revision website. www.getrevising.co.uk. Loads of revision tips and revision planning tools

Free Stuff

English

Development Stage Internal Exams and assessment

How does my child gain their

• verall level in English?

At Gordano, we use a national strategy called Assessing Pupil Progress (APP). It breaks down English into core skills such as:

• Retrieving facts and information

from texts

• Reading between the lines and

inferring hidden meanings

• How accurately they can use

punctuation and grammar

• How well they can organise and

structure their writing. We have an internal tracking system where their English teacher records their levels in each particular skill.

How does my child gain their

• verall level in English?

All through the year, their English teacher has been keeping a track

• f how they’ve been doing.

How well they do in their exams will be added into these records. An overall level will be given at the end of the year based on how they have performed across the two key skills areas during the year: Reading Writing

What level should my child achieve?

• The national average for students at KS3 is a Level 5/6.

However, it is worth noting that at Gordano our KS3 levels are generated at the end of Year 8, as opposed to many other schools who have a three year KS3. Last year, 84% of students achieved a Level 5 or above, with 100% of the cohort achieving Level 4 or above.

• Your child will have been given a target level for the

end of the year, based on prior attainment at KS2 and their CATs scores. This is the level that your child should be working towards.

Reading

• 1 hour and 15 minutes
• There will be two non-fiction texts to read and a series
• f short questions on them.

What’s on the papers?

The questions will say which of the Reading Assessment Focuses (RAFs) you need to think carefully about when answering. Focus on: Finding relevant quotes. (RAF2) Reading between the lines. (RAF3) Explaining how structure creates an effect. (RAF4) Explaining how words create an effect. (RAF5) Explaining a writer’s views. (RAF6)

Writing

• 45 mins
• One piece of non-fiction writing – it will be

a letter

Skills being tested:

• Writing for the correct audience and purpose
• ACCURACY (mind those commas and full stops!)
• Controlled, organised and interesting.
• Use techniques and devices e.g. repetition and

rhetorical questions if you are writing to persuade.

• How can your child prepare?
• Nag their teachers: make sure they know exactly

how to get the level they want overall, particularly if they’re on a 4a or a 5a!

• Revise: There’s a section on the Gateway under Year

8 English called ‘Year 8 Revision resources’ – lots of activities for reading and writing.

• There are also useful activities on the BBC Bitesize

website under KS3 English Reading and Writing.

• ELPs/revision homework pieces being set will be

tailored to help students achieve their best in the exams.

• Reflect: Look at their previous

assessments and comments in your book – what has their teacher said they need to do to improve?

• Practise at home: Write a persuasive

letter for their teacher to look over...

How can I help my child prepare at home?

1.Direct them to the revision resources on the Gordano Learning Gateway. 2.Ask them about the homework and Extended Learning being set in class at the moment. 3.Encourage them to attempt tasks independently to show to their teacher: a letter to the headteacher about a school issue they’re passionate about, or an article about their favourite computer game for a teenage magazine.

How can I help my child prepare at home?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/english/reading/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/english/writing/ http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar _tutorial/page_41.htm The websites underneath also have useful resources to help with improving reading and writing skills:

MATHEMATICS

• END OF DEVELOPMENT

STAGE EXAMS

TIPS 4 THE TOP

Which papers will students be taking?

 The papers are the Key Stage 3 SATs in all but

• name. They have been created centrally but will be

marked in school.

 There are 4 tiers of entry: Levels 3-5, 4-6, 5-7 and

6-8. Each student will be entered for a tier appropriate to his/her ability and should know what this is!

 Papers (spread over 2 days):

• Paper 1: Calculator not allowed (1 hour written

paper)

• Mental Arithmetic paper (20 minute listening

paper)

• Paper 2: Calculator allowed (1 hour written paper)

Why do students need to work hard for this?

 The results of this exam will be

combined with the assessment tests completed during the year to determine each student’s level at the end of the Development Stage (KS3)

 This will help determine which set

students should be in when GCSE Mathematics courses start in Year 9

What Students Need To Bring

 Black Pen – writing answers!  Pencil – drawing diagrams  Eraser – in case a mistake is made  Sharpener – for blunt pencils!!!!  Ruler - measuring lengths, drawing

straight lines, locus questions

Maths Equipment

 Protractor  Pair of Compasses  Calculator

Answering the Questions

 Write ALL answers AND working on

the test paper.

 Students can get marks for showing

their workings.

 Students should not spend too long

• n a question – they may be able to

come back to it later

 60 marks in 60 minutes – ‘do the

math’ - that means 1 mark a minute!

Getting It RIGHT 

 Students only get the mark if they write the

answer in the correct way!!! Negative Numbers & Algebra Example WRONG  RIGHT  Minus two 2-

• 2

n squared n x n n2 Two times n n2 2n

Getting It RIGHT 

Money and Time

Example WRONG  RIGHT  Three pounds and twenty pence £320p £3.2 £3 200 £3.20 £3 20pence £3:20 Two hours and thirty minutes 2.3h 2.30 2-30 2h 3 2.30min 2.5 hours 2h 30 2:30 Eight forty in the morning. 8.4am 8.40pm 840 8:4:0 084 84 08.40 8.40 8:40 0840

Getting It RIGHT 

Coordinates Example WRONG  RIGHT  (5,7) (7,5) (5x, 7y) (5x, 7y) (x-5, y-7) (5,7) (05,07) (x=5,y=7)

Getting It RIGHT 

Probability Example WRONG  RIGHT 

7/10

7 in 10 7over 10 7 out of 10 7 from 10 70 3.5/5 7:10 7:3 7 to 10

70/100 70% 0.7

35/50

What can we use to help?

 A sheet listing all topics covered by the various

levels within their tier of entry will be issued to all students.

 The internet:

We have a school subscription for mymaths.co.uk Login: gordano Password: similar Each student also has an individual login and password. Lessons (including practice questions) and online homeworks are available on all topics.

Other internet resources

Also useful are:

 www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/

maths

 www.samlearning.com

(login details in journals)

 www.mathsnet.net/ks3/index.html  www.channel4.com/homework

Search and you will find (generally)!!

Development Stage Science

Reaching the next level

Assessment

• End of topic tests 20%
• Extended project 20%
• Online assessment

60%

Weds 11th June AM

Online assessment

What support are we providing

• Conversations within lessons about

moving up to the next sub-level/level

• Progress interview
• Revision Guide
• Assessment Logs
• Mentoring sessions
• Booster classes

What can you do at home?

• Online assessment
• Revision guide – any KS3 science
• www.samlearning.com
• www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize
• Online textbook and
• Science MP4 podcasts for every topic on

the Learning Gateway