English tip: When there’s "either" and "or" in a sentence, do we use the singular or plural form? Which is correct: Either James or the boys is cleaning the house. OR Either James or the boys are cleaning the house. The rule here is: the subject that’s closer to the verb calls the shot! Example:[…]
Science tip: Evaporation of water absorbs heat energy from the surroundings. The full explanation is out of syllabus but for those interested, you can read up on latent heat and enthalpy of vaporization. Similarly, melting of ice also absorbs heat energy. From past year’s PSLE: Some buildings use a cooling mist system 2 lower the[…]
Maths tip: Some rate questions asks for combined rate. For these, first determine the rate, and then add them together. Example: "Lionel would take 8 days to build a wall. For the same wall, Nick would take 6 days. How many days would be needed to build the same wall if both of them worked[…]
Science tip: Question: Is a helium or hot air balloon affected by gravitational force? Ans: Yes it is! All objects (with mass) in the Earth’s gravitational field are affected by gravity. This includes objects that are lighter than air. The reason hot air balloons float is not because they are weightless, it is because they[…]
English tip: Unless you are trying to emphasize the negative form of an idea, always write in the affirmative. When you write in the negative, you have to use an extra word and your readers need to spend extra effort to understand you. Examples: – not different: similar – not many: few – not remember:[…]
English tip: When we write, it’s important to be concise. By removing redundant words, the essay flows better and once again proves to the examiner what a great writer you are. Here are some common redundant phrases: – completely finish – past history – each individual – terrible tragedy – true facts – absolutely certain[…]
Science tip: Many schools have workshops for parents of P5 and P6 students. Here are two presentation slides that may be useful. http://www.rivervalepri.moe.edu.sg/wbn/slot/u1724/Dept/Science/P5n6%20Science%20parents%20workshop%202%201.pdf http://www.radinmaspri.moe.edu.sg/wbn/slot/u3201/Presentations/Answering%20Science%20Process%20Skills%20Questions%20(P5%20%26%20P6).pdf
Science tip: For open ended questions, look at the first word of the question. It tells you a lot about what is the expected answer and what you need to do.
Very useful way to learn prepositions. Share this with your friends!
Maths tip: Here’s another step by step model drawing example. Question: Betty Siti and Meiling had $5000 altogether. Betty spent 2/5 of her money and Siti spent $500. The ratio of the amount of money Meiling spent to the amount of money Betty spent was 3:4. In the end, they had the same amount of[…]