Combining Practical Fun With Academic Demands
At Instic we understand the importance of balancing the fun in science with the academic requirements of the PSLE. As a result Instic incorporates numerous opportunities for hands-on experimentation and practical application. At the root students gain a thorough understanding of the key Concepts required for each topic as well as the appropriate Process Skills including Scientific Methodology, Mnemonics and Buddy Words.
The last key component is the acquisition of of appropriate Answering Techniques such as RPR and CER.
One of the key tools we leverage is the CER method [Claim, Evidence, Reasoning] developed by Krajcik and McNeil in 2007 for the National Research Council in the United States.
CER is a scientific approach to aid students in articulating their thought process and serves to describe the world around us. Instic applies CER to train students to develop and apply the necessary skills to tackle the PSLE answering format.
This combined with hands-on experiments, targeted worksheets and individual learning pathways to mentor students in the acquisition of the appropriate Process and Concepts skills demanded of the Primary Science PSLE.
Primary Science
Science should never be confined to the four walls of the classroom and a textbook. Tailored for students of varied abilities from P3 to P6, Instic’s science lessons are designed to have an emphasis on the application of scientific concepts, be hands-on, be fun and incorporate our environment and the greater world around us leveraging the student’s natural curiosity. The lessons are developed to strengthen the student’s investigative abilities and to acquire the necessary skills to score at PSLE. At Instic Primary 3 and 4 students will:
Primary 3 and 4 Students will:
Leverage tools such as simulations, experiments, and dramatisation to deepen their understanding on the concepts and topics such as plants, human body systems, life cycles, and magnets to name a few
Learn through practical application to categorise similarities and differences of living and non-living things.
Be given opportunities to strengthen their skills in using appraratus and equipment.
Hone their communication, inferencing and analysing skills. Decipher experiment setups to determine purpose, factors, and outcomes of the experiments.
Decipher experiment setups to determine purpose, factors, and outcomes of the experiments.
Primary 5 and 6 Students
In preparation for the challenges of the PSLE, Primary 5 and Primary 6 students will be provided with ample opportunities to close gaps from previous years as well as improving their skills of communicating, predicting and analyzing. Attention is placed on exam techniques including data analysis, evaluating and formulating hypothesis, and question analysis. Reinforcement and application of the CER approach to tackle open-ended questions will facilitate superior organisation, accuracy and depth of answers.
I don’t know where I would be without my Instic coach! My maths [marks] would probably be down the dustbin. She is passionate, patient and kind – definitely a rare find … she motivated me to do better and [demonstrated] that maths actually matter. My coach has sparked my interest in this subject … come join Instic Academy!
Rebekah Tan – S3
Singapore Chinese Girls School (SCGS)
