Tag Archives: tuition

June 17, 2014 · 4:41 am

To Neverland – by Jacko (aged 10)

chinese_boy_iconLate one dark and dingy night soaring high through the clouds above the Indian Ocean was a China baby on a magical carpet with an owl called whisper.  The magical carpet worshipped the China  baby because this young child was definitely no ordinary child.  He was the son of a king and the richest man alive.  The baby travelled once a year on the magical a carpet to a land called Neverland.  The baby was so happy and could not wait to reach the land.  Sparks of joy hit his heart as he reached the island in hope for hours of joy.  After he plays he and whisper are back in the sky soaring high through the clouds over the Indian Ocean.

Jacko (aged 10)

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April 23, 2014 · 2:05 am

Are Your Expectations Aligned With The Curriculum?

Year 3

Tuition Logo“These are the best years of your life.”, self assuring words spruiked by many a parent and teacher to seven-year old students who do not need reassurance after remembering their potty training years.  They have just cruised through the first two years of primary school, they know all the numbers, the alphabet and can write their name; what else is there to learn?

Year 3 is where many young students realise their world will never be the same again.  It is during this year they discover numbers do not stop at 1,000 but continue all the way to 10,000 and they have to know their order, place value, and be able to recognise if they are odd or even!   Not only that but there are numbers smaller than one that no-one told them about as they are introduced to the fractions 1/2, 1/4, 1/3, and 1/5.

When learning the multiplication table by heart for 2, 3, 5 and 10 no-one warned them about having to manage multiplying a two digit number by a single digit number, without a smart phone.  In fact, they are expected to develop strategies to perform addition and subtraction in their head (mental maths).  Counting on, regrouping and partitioning are all strategies employed to perform mental maths.

It is during this year our students are introduced to metric measurement.  I hear very few complaints from students in our tuition centre about learning measurements.  I simply remind them that learning 1,000 metres equals one  kilometre is much easier than remembering there are 1,760 yards to a mile, 22 yards to a chain, or 16 ounces to a pound.

Yes, there is a lot to learn in Year 3 (and this is only maths) and yes, these may be the best years of their life because Year 5 is ahead of them, but we won’t tell them about that yet.

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April 16, 2014 · 8:20 am

Golden Lady Beetle – by Bethany (aged 12)

Golden bugThe golden lady beetle woke up in her nest early in the morning.  The lady beetle was so colourful that you won’t even see her because she blends in with beautiful flowers.  She sleeps peacefully in her nest.  She sucks all the nectar out of the flowers.  The golden beetle enjoys her days from morning to night.

by Bethany (aged 12)

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April 16, 2014 · 8:06 am

The Sleep-over – by Oscar (aged 7)

Sleep OverOn Tuesday afternoon Finlay’s best friend Oscar, who he met at pre-school, is coming over to have a sleep-over.  In the sleep-over they are going to sleep with torches in a tent in the backyard.  When Oscar and Finlay are asleep thousands of wild bats fly over them.  Once Oscar asked Finlay if he has wild pigs or cats and he said, “I’ve got wild cats.”  On Wednesday morning Oscar’s sleep-over will be over.

Oscar (aged 7)

 

Oscar has begun to work with more complex sentences.  He is working on ways of combining three concepts or phrases into one sentence without using the conjunctive ‘and’.  For example, in the the sentence about bats he started with these sentences:

  • When Oscar and Finlay are asleep the bats will fly over them.
  • The bats are wild.
  • There are thousands of bats.

and combined them together into a sentence which used adjectives.  

In the first sentence, however, he combined these sentences:

  • On Tuesday afternoon a boy named Oscar was having a sleep-over with his best friend Finlay.
  • They have been friends since pre-school.

This time he created a complex sentence with a main clause and a subordinate clause in the middle.  The subordinate clause, which could be left out of the sentence, is marked by commas on both sides.

 

 

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April 16, 2014 · 7:43 am

The Battleship – by Gordon (aged 9)

Battle ShipEarly in the morning when it was still dark, an American battleship came whooshing through the stormy waves.  It was really dark.  It was coming for World War Two.  Many people died in the battleships but many survived.  Three years later, when it was early in the morning, the war stopped.

Gordon (aged 9)

This is Gordon’s first writing exercise with us and I think he has done very well.  Like all boys his age he was anxious about putting words to paper but discovered he enjoyed telling a story others would read.

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April 1, 2014 · 1:33 am

The Dragon Fly – by Dardo (aged 7)

Dragon FlyAt midnight we met a dragon fly in a gum tree.  He could turn people into  ants.  He was a mean dragon fly who took over their kingdoms.  He moved in an lived there.  That is the story of the dragon fly in the gum tree.

Dardo, aged 7

 

It would appear our seven year old students are battling it out for who can write the most stories.  It was only the beginning of the year these young lads showed a complete terror of putting their thoughts on paper, or even bringing them out into the real world.  They were afraid people would not enjoy them; would find them silly; would laugh at their efforts; say they couldn’t spell; etc.  All this going on in the head of a seven year old, is it any wonder boys do not like to write?

Yes, some of these stories are silly, peculiar or may not make sense but writers call upon their experience when they put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards).  We are asking our young students to use their imagination to replace their experience just as long as they over come their fear and begin to write.  Can you imagine what a writer will be like in years to come when he can build his imagination upon his experience.

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March 12, 2014 · 2:17 am

Cows in Winter by Dionara (aged 6)

CowThe cows in the North Pole in winter feel cold.  They like the snowing days.  The blue sky high above was cloudy.  All day and night the poor cows shiver.

 Dionara aged 6.

 

Some of you may be wondering how it is that our students produce the stories that are published on this site.  Well, here is our process.  We hand the children a foolscap page, a pencil and some motivation.  Presently they are looking at the paintings on our walls and choosing that as their subject matter.  In this case Dionara chose a cow (actually the photograph is just the ears and horns of a cow) in a hot stock yard.  I guess in her mind she would prefer the cow to be cooler than it was.  Then we encourage them to expand on that thought.  There is nothing elaborate and at times it requires some coaxing to bring the story out.

The goal is to practise using their imagination, word sounding skills and hands and fingers to form the letters with a pencil (keyboards do not help with fine motor skills at this stage).  We fix up the spelling for the publication but encourage them to have a go at sounding the words and writing the letters for those sounds.  Most of all it has to be fun!

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March 12, 2014 · 1:41 am

The Day Rosie Ran Into The Bush by Oscar (aged 7)

CatOn Oscar’s birthday your cat ran into a bush where there were spiders and paddy melons.  The cat was a Chinese cat who was brown and furry under the belly.  Rosie the cat saw a paddy melon and so she ran into a home.  In the house lived a family named The Clays and Mr Clay got a wet mop and swept the cat outside.  Next time Oscar has a birthday the cat won’t run into the bush.

By Oscar – aged 7

Year two in school and what a year of change is expected in our children.  One year ago they were flat out possessing the manual dexterity to control a pencil to write the alphabet.  One year on and they have to learn to formulate letters into words while constructing sentences into a story they are hearing in their head.  How difficult is this?

As adults we, thankfully, have no memory of these difficult years but if you want to put this process into perspective learning to write a short story is about as difficult as learning to approach an intersection in a manually driven car.  Think about this process for a minute – approach the intersection; foot off the accelerator and onto the brake to slow down; revs falling in the motor and now I have to change gear; still slowing and have to do it again; check the intersection as you approach ….. well you get the idea.

We all learn how to drive and eventually we all learn how to write, it just takes time and confidence with a few mistakes along the way.  Time we have, the confidence we gain from those around us.

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March 12, 2014 · 1:10 am

Spider Monkey by Dardo (aged 7)

MonkeyAt night in the big Amazon forest the spider monkey hunted.  He went looking for a praying mantis to eat for lunch.  He found one but it was too big to catch for his lunch.  It was scary to catch so he went on looking with his tummy rumbling.

The  end.

Dardo – Aged 7

 “It’s alright, I don’t need you to watch me,” said young Dardo the day he sat down to write his story.   Dardo used to have a lot of trouble writing and it was very frustrating for him.  Now he loves it as he is choosing quite complex words and getting very close to the correct spelling as he sounds out the words he has chosen and writes them at the same time.  Off and running with his new creative skills Dardo is progressing in leaps and bounds writing great little stories that no longer need a translator to understand.  Well Done Mister Dardo.

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February 3, 2014 · 1:22 am

Early Steps to Avoid Stressed Students

Daily Diary Does the Deed

The year is going to progress whether we become involved with it or not.  It has been my experience with students, particularly at secondary school level, that those who do not take control of time will have time controlling them.  It is these students that display symptoms of stress as the year progresses.

Students who learn how to use a diary and planner at the beginning of the year are more likely to feel relaxed as the year progresses.  Keeping a written diary/planner appears to be almost a lost science.  Everything today seems to be electronic with touch pads for keying entries and apps that help to link all the diaries together and co-ordinate your appointments.  This is all very impressive but is it helping your student?

At the beginning of the term or semester your student is given their assignments and due dates.  They are also aware of sports training and events they should be attending; forthcoming birthdays and family events; and school activities.  Showing your son or daughter how to use a diary is a valuable life skill to pass on to them.  Sitting down once a week (my wife and I use Sundays) and running through that week’s entries helps to co-ordinate lifestyles.

Remember: We are all given twenty four hours a day, how you use them is up to you.

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