Gcse 2018 (10) The one with half term

@oratory1 - she’s very good with words and comprehension, she just can’t spell them. For some reason phonics just don’t mean anything to her. She has high reading scores and is good at remembering and is very logical but a really slow handwriting speed (not that you could read it anyway!!!).
Laptops have made a massive difference to her. She is academic and darned determined.
And yes she does love English and History but mainly because she like a good debate (argument £

.... ie scores right at the end of the scale at both ends on Ed Phsyc report) seriously considered history A level as he loves it but in the end decided to focus on maths, physics, CS and try and keep up the interest in History outside school*

Are you me, Oratory1? DS made exactly the same choice, except swap economics for CS because he really isn't interested in CS at all. (Too many dull ICT lessons).

To me, it just doesn't make sense to make your life difficult by choosing something that has a handicap in its path, when there are easier, and equally rewarding in their own way, alternatives. I suggested to DS that he could maintain his interest in history by buying books on it, and the upside is that he'll never have to write an essay for it and he can choose which bits of History he wants to study.

So, if the rise of feminism doesn't excite him (and it doesn't) but it does interest his female History teachers who choose the curriculum, then he doesn't have to do it anyway. however, he can read up on the industrial revolution, or the monarchies or various wars and battle tactics, if that is what he likes.

mmzz did raise the practical element of Biology with DD. She was fairly stroppy with her reply by answering that she could use YouTube to watch the practicals as she didn’t need to actually do it just know how to write about them. I hadn’t considered how she would prove the practical side of things to the exam board. I have to tread carefully as she is likely to say I’m putting obstacles in her way and/or dig her heels in and do the opposite

DD made a late decision to swap from Maths to a language. That in itself was okay, but the organisation of the blocks meant that she also had to swap from English Lit and Lang to English Literature. She was an external applicant and it was a pretty late decision (but before the beginning of term), though.

@teenmum60. Option blocks....obvious really but I hadn’t considered how they timetable. I can ask the school for a copy and see how viable her combinations is.

Now just the is it a good/bad idea for a dyslexic to choose humanities issue. Which is driven by the is it better to do subjects you love or subjects that are easy for you question!!!

Teenmum
Here is a link: 37 Days

It could be a way to get your DD to revise, when she thinks she has stopped revising...
I don't know anything about dailymotion though.

Sorry that as a bit of a ramble but we've been having those same thoughts - I am very fortunate that these GCSEs seem to have cemented his choices (although if the results go against him, particularly physics, that could change)

Hi, DS (very dyslexic ie scores right at the end of the scale at both ends on Ed Phsyc report) seriously considered history A level as he loves it but in the end decided to focus on maths, physics, CS and try and keep up the interest in History outside school. I think the answer to your questions depends on a number of things. eg does the dyslexia just affect writing/spelling etc as there are so many things to help with that now (lap top, voice to text technology etc etc) or does she , like DS, find it hard to form arguments, remember facts etc etc, Does she really love the subjects. Do the teachers/school understand her strengths and difficulties and how best she learns etc. I certainly wouldn't rule it out and I think the higher the academic level the less the dyslexia impacts etc - it is less about simple learning and simple written concepts but more about intelligence. intellect and problem solving so their difficulties become less apparent or can be overcome. I am also hoping with fewer subjects it will be easier for dyslexic DC to find ways to overcome some of their difficulties in a way there just wasn't time for in GCSEs

I do think its also important for DC to do something they enjoy and are genuinely interested in even if they might find it harder or get a lower grade.

Thanks mmzz.

Cblue - depends on the A-level blocks the school applies to see whether the subjects she wishes to study are in different blocks...

Should have said a bit of eng lang and sciences thrown in. The work he did on Eng lit improved his work dramatically before the exam but it may be harder to get the same level improvements for language. Practise and following the above tips hopefully will bring all the struggling DC on here up to the passes/grades they need though. I think building their confidence can also play a big part - it certainly helps DS not to freeze and be able to dredge up things to say.

Really interesting to read your posts about changing A Level options. I have a couple of questions.....(a) how easy is to change - and when I say change I mean change literally all of them and (b) have any of you got dyslexic dc who are considering English Literature and History? After studying for her revision she has declared that she hated studying physics chemistry and maths but really enjoyed English and History. She would like to also do Gov and Politics and Computers Science (CS is a no brainier for her cos she’s really good at it). Worried that all the intensive written work might be a bit much and that grades might suffer. But she would prefer them. Arrrggghhh. Any advice gratefully accepted!!!!!

DS spending most of half term on history with a bit of eng lang . He has depth and breadth studies which I think are a good concept but as they are the first its difficult to know how much detail they should know for the breadth study (British democracy 1215 to present day !!) in comparison to Germany between the wars for example. An interesting range of topics covered here - DS has your power and the people rumbled but not the USA. He also has Normans thrown in for measure. He struggles with the dates and names so will have to focus on the concepts and implications etc.

DS is back on the history and maths again.

His History topics range from Elizabethan England, through to America 1920--1973, with WW1 and Power and the People c1170 to the present day,

He has spent an hour this morning researching cricket bats again, and trying to convince me its reasonable to pay £250 because the bat has been reduced from £460. Maybe its his way of working on his English Language skills and persuasive writing?????

Ds has one called "health and the people" which is the entire history of medicine. I know it encompasses ideas from 1000 years ago, but it can't come up out date. It must stop somewhere. Maybe with the development of penicillin? I suspect it's quite superficial.

There was a BBC docu-drama back in 2014 called 38 days to war or something similar. It ran from the shooting of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand through to the Uk joining the war. That would be an excellent way to revise the causes. It really explained all the individual countries pressures and hopes ( eg the Alsace region etc)

mmzz - I think its the first paper that is causing so much work (IGCSE - its an old syllabus again)

Development of dictatorship: Germany, 1918-45
A world divided: Superpower relations (Cold War)

but when I look at the second paper I think its just as bad :

The origins and course of the First World War, 1905-18
Changes in medicine, c1845-c1945

So much information ...

Oddsocks15 what about the core practicals. The school has to submit a letter/ form to the exam board saying they were done. How can they do that if it's distance learning?

Maybe I'm getting confused? If your DD wants to do A Level biology, then she has to do GCSE higher biology first (surely?). It's GCSE higher biology that has the core practicals. It would make sense if A level Biology had them too, but I don't know for sure.

DS is still mulling over his A level options. I think psychology and biology are definite but the other one is a bit flexible! He has two sixth form taster days at the end of June, which may focus his mind but some of it will depend on the numbers on results day.

Oddsocks15 I think A level choices will change for some over the forthcoming weeks...I could not have envisaged DD looking at Chem A Level or even considering doing 4 A levels for the first year and possibility dropping one ...after Yr1...but it could well be on the cards.

I get the impression that Biology A level is really enjoyable - not so much plant biology so a syllabus that most DC can relate too.

Teenmum60 DS is doing History too. He said exactly the same thing yesterday to me about how much work there is. So far he has done 25ish hours and he is thinking that there are at least another 10 left.
Which board / options is your DD doing? For DS, it's the minutiae of the Cold War that he struggles to remember eg the names of the key players in the Hungarian uprising and the exact dates the events happened.

DD announced last night that she wishes to do distance learning for her A levels. Reasoning behind this is to escape all the toxic friendships and so she can do Biology which as she is doing foundation she doesn’t have entry requirements.

She is hell bent on doing A level Biology and feels that she is in a better mindset now and her grades dropped a few years ago due to toxic friends. She says she is coping with social side of school better during exam period as she doesn’t have to see as many people.

To keep peace and not run the risk of DD rebelling, I looked on internet for A level distance learning.

She is talking about asking school to let her sit mock higher Biology paper so she can prove to them she is capable.

She has currently chosen Maths, Geography and IT having previously chosen Maths, Sociology and Psychology. She has gone off the idea of IT, Sociology and Psychology and faces limited choice due to either not having done subject at GCSE or not having entry requirements. She is now considering Maths, Further Maths and Geography which I’m concerned about if she finds Further Maths too hard going she doesn’t have a fall back

The confused face is me not finding my posts, the flowers are for Teen!
Technically, I think there was a change that meant a pass in English literature avoids having to resit. However, in practice universities and a lot of college courses want the language GCSE, so students tend to have to resit it anyway.

Teen you're amazing - I can never find my previous posts!
I'd really recommend Mr Bruff for the writing questions - he does one on description and one on stories using the same photo. You could find different photos and practise the descriptions using the same techniques, then use an online thesaurus to find some synonyms and try to expand vocabulary that way. Finding alternative words for colours is particularly good.

Teen thanks for copy & paste of English advice.

Loose thank you for the informaion.

Am I right in thinking that if they pass Literature but not Language that counts as rhat vital English pass, no need for retake?

Morning all

BishopBrennan You mentioned German - my ds has German at the end finishing on 21st June. He seems to be neglecting it but he will cram after Physics exam on 15th June. He is out of the loop with friends so no distractions unless that suddenly changes.

Anyway....we have an appointment to hire a suit for Prom on Weds!! I am looking forward to it; I have visions of him in a blue mod style suit.

We are off out today driving to a local town, walking to a village scenic route 6 miles then getting train back. Lunch on the way. Ds is in good spirits (or he was yesterday...) gorgeous day here too.

Enjoy the bank holiday everyone.