Tip 26: Past Tense

A list of verbs in past tense for P2. An observation can be easily made here - English is irregular. For instance, some irregular verbs like "cut", "beat", "hit" do not change when they are in past tense. Not all past tense verbs end with "ed".

Tip 25: Lower Primary Oral

A list of Do's and Don'ts for Primary 2 Oral Exam (Picture-based):

Do’s

1) Greet Teacher.
2) Start well – this is a picture of a (adjective) …..(topic), this picture shows a (adjective)… (topic), this picture depicts a scene from a…(topic).
3) Tell story with clear articulation and with expression (appropriate intonation and pitch).
4) Show a rich vocabulary.(e.g use adjectives to describe the characters).
5) Use present tense.
6) Use a variety of ways to start the sentences by e.g indicating position of picture (the left hand side of the picture…, the right side of the picture..), using numbers (there are 3 young ladies…, 2 boys are…, etc), adjectives (an elderly man, a blind girl, many children, several girls, etc), or position of the subject (sitting beside the young girl is…, standing next to the boy is…, resting under the shady tree is a girl…).
7) Discuss about the characters (e.g I think the girl is very kind-hearted, I think the boy is very thoughtful and considerate...), make suggestions/share opinions/feelings (e.g this is not right…(consequence), she should...), they seem to be very close friends…, the boys seem to be having a fun time building sandcastle).
8) Thank Teacher.


Don’ts

1) Do not point to pictures.
2) Do not say “this is…..”, “that is…” when referring to the characters in the pictures.
3) Do not say “I see…”, “I saw...”.

Tip 24: Composition Writing

For the Primary 2's, writing composition for the very first time is like learning to walk on a tightrope, or at least I feel this way.

I made a list of items for my daughter so that she could use it to check against her own writing each time she has to do a composition.

1) Start(setting), body(problem-solution), ending. Do some upfront planning (5 minutes).

2) Start - make it interesting (descriptions, speech, feelings).

3) End - make it impactful/ memorable (e.g use of proverbs, saying, incorporate feelings).

4) Check tense, tense consistency, spelling, and ensure complete sentences.

5) Check punctuations marks - capital letters, comma, full-stop, inverted commas, exclamation marks, and question marks.

6) Show a rich/colourful vocabulary. (Find substitutes for common words such as "good", “bad”, "nice", "happy", "like", “sad”, “walk”, “run”, etc).

7) Read the story again after finishing, ensure flow is smooth and coherent.