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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Y7 Revision!

25 replies

Dingle · 11/04/2011 13:27

Help, where do you start?

It has been hard enough to encourage my DS to sit down and do "actual homework" but revision seems to be impossible.

I had hoped for perhaps a couple of hours a day over the holidays but DS seems so unstructured and unplanned but I am not sure how to help/guide him.

Any advice would be much appreciated please.x

OP posts:

RatherBeOnThePiste · 11/04/2011 14:33

Well if you find the answer please do let me know! When are the exams? Ours are in June, so we are not starting yet, but it will be a trial.

Goblinchild · 11/04/2011 14:34

Short, timed focused activities, and using websites such as BBC bitesize.
What is he supposed to be revising exactly and for what purpose?

bebumba · 11/04/2011 17:32

Hi my Ds is in yr7. He has assessments in each subject after the half term breaks (Oct, Feb and May) and is expected to revise during half term. We have found the best way for him to revise is to do a mind map around each topic and then if he is uncertain on any areas he will refer to BBC bytesize or his exercise books. This way it checks his knowledge but is not too time consuming. Hope your Ds does well.

Original poster

Dingle · 11/04/2011 18:12

He has assessments in all subjects when they go back after Easter. I know it's not the be all and end all as such, and he has several lots of assessments since starting Grammar in September BUT I want to support and encourage a good foundation if that makes any sense.

DS is one of the youngest with a late August birthday and is so easily influenced when "revising online!" Somehow he will go off at tangents and end up playing a game!

I have considered setting a revision timetable for him in hope that he will cover all the subjects needed-if I left it to him he would spend all his "revision time" doing maths revision games online!

I feel life is a constant battle with one child who simply "can't" because of her disability and another child who is so capable but just "can't be bothered!"

OP posts:

activate · 11/04/2011 18:16

he needs to learn to do it himself so don't do him a revision timetable or force it on him - encourage him without making him do it - the poster with the mind map suggestion was a great idea

sometimes letting them fail once is a good idea

Original poster

Dingle · 11/04/2011 19:14

I know revision is a hard thing to master, where do you stop? He was only assessed last month and his grades were OK as far as I know!

I am not very familar with mind maps (LOL, don't think they'd been invented when I was at school!) but DS is, I will suggest this to him!

Thank you.

OP posts:

noblegiraffe · 11/04/2011 19:31

Oh dear god revision timetables in Y7? He is going to be totally and utterly sick of it by the time he gets to Y11, and I wouldn't blame him. 2 hours a day over the holidays? Give him a break! Unless these assessments are vitally important, which I doubt, the crushing tedium of daily revision doesn't need to come till later in his school career.

And I'm speaking as a teacher.

cat64 · 12/04/2011 01:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

Dingle · 12/04/2011 08:07

I am sorry if I have shocked you but getting help and opinions was all part of this post. Perhaps if you reread one of my posts, I do also have a disabled DD so getting out on bike, swimming, camping may not be as easy for some as it is others. DS was out playing cricket last night and goes swimming at the weekend with his dad, when childcare is not such an issue.

Wouldn't it be great to take the Easter hols out, go out everyday, perhaps go on holiday and experience the world a little but not everyone has the finances to do this either.

Sorry! Iam only trying to do the best for my son whose needs often get pushed to one side, not through choice but through necessity!
Perhaps I should let him just roam the streets or sit on an XBox for 12 hours a day!

OP posts:

cat64 · 12/04/2011 12:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

webwiz · 12/04/2011 16:20

My DCs have exams in every year and for year 7 they did a few PSHE sessions on how to organise your revision and different ways to revise. I think its a great way to start learning how to prepare for exams but without dire consequences if you don't do well. Does your DS know which subjects he actually has exams in? Things like Art, D&T, Drama and PE had assesments rather than written exams. School also told them what they should be revising so for Geography it was populations and as well as answering questions there was an essay they could prepare for (a mini version of a controlled assessment), for science and maths it was all the topics they had covered over the year so far.

We made a list of what needed to be revised and talked about how long each bit should take ie french vocab and easy maths topic would be quite quick, a more involved science topic would be a bit longer. A couple of weeks with a bit of revision each day was plenty and not really noticeable. Each day was usually either science and another subject or maths and another subject.

klm4765 · 12/04/2011 19:39

My Ds (Yr 7) had exams after half term, so we've already been through this. He had been told that results in a couple of subjects would infuence which sets he would be in next year - in other subjects he couldn't see the point of revising at all. I tried to explain that this was an opportunity to find out which methods of revising work best for him, so that he would be ready for exams which matter more in later years. He tried using some revision websites, reading through notes, copying out some things, putting post-it notes of French vocab. all around the house etc. He probably did about 30 mins per day - he was more motivated when the exams actually started after he got back to school.
He probably did as much revision as anyone else, and did reasonably well in his exams, and, fortunately, did better in the subjects he had revised most, so I hope has at least learned that revising does work!

HalleluiaScot · 12/04/2011 19:48

For end of year Year 7 exams, I would recommend no more than 2 hours per day holiday revision. These exams aren't really that important. The point of having them is to train them for public exams in 3-4 years' time.

Ar year 7, there is no such thing as past papers, so all they have to go in is what is in their exercise books and text books. So, at minimum, your child should read over these.

roisin · 13/04/2011 10:50

Hi Dingle! My sons both have homeworks over Easter. ds2 (11 as you know) has now finished all of his, but spent a couple of hours a day for the first 3 days of the holidays in order to do so.

ds2 also has music theory and music practice as well to fit in.

There's plenty of time to have fun as well. But school work is important. At ds2's school they don't set in yr7, but do from the start of yr8. So assessments in yr7 are important.

Original poster

Dingle · 13/04/2011 11:13

Thank you for the responses, support is much appreciated.

DS didn't have much written homework set for the holidays, his homework was to revise in all subject except for Art, DT, PD...etc

I certainly didn't want him to spend every given hour swotting but I did think he needed a bit of guidance and structure set to help break down what must have been quite a daunting task for an 11 yr old. I also wanted to give him the idea of revision being an important issue.

We sat down together and DS made up a timetable in Excel, he loves his PC so this was actually quite a fun thing for him. Now he has a few small aims each day he is much happier about it all. Thank you. x

OP posts:

Doobydoo · 17/04/2011 16:18

Dingle! My son is year 7 at Grammar and 29th August birthday.I am so pleased I saw your post.I have been wondering how to approach it too.I want him to get the hang of revision for the future and also I know he will get mardy when he goes back after Easter if he hasn't done anything[exams May too].I think I will try your approach.
Good Luck

LynetteScavo · 17/04/2011 16:33

2 hours a day revision in Y7???????? [faints]

DS1 is doing NOTHING!

HSMM · 17/04/2011 16:46

My DD had her assessments before the holiday, so she just has her normal homework to do during the holidays and otherwise time to relax and get ready for next term.

Doobydoo · 17/04/2011 17:03

Will be aiming for 2x 30 min sessions a day

Doobydoo · 17/04/2011 17:04

and..

forehead · 17/04/2011 18:55

I personally don't think there is anything wrong with doing two hours of revision during the holiday, if you split it into 30 min time slots. There is lots of time to play.
My nine year old dd does 1.5 hours of study Monday to Friday. She has also attended several birthday parties, has been swimming, cycling , visiting family and also chilling out.

LynetteScavo · 17/04/2011 20:41

So had do you know what to revise?

And what if they know what they have already covered off by heart. Do you go into the subject in more depth?

How much more is there to know about motte and baily castles?

Jonnyfan · 21/04/2011 23:09

If they know everthing in the exercise book that is job done! No more detail should be needed in year 7 if their notes are of a good standard. Prac labelling diagrams for geog and sci, and vocab for language. mind maps and mnemonics can be useful. I think 2 hrs a day is quite reasonable!

coccyx · 22/04/2011 12:12

1.5 hours a day in holiday time for a 9 year old. good grief

jayneymc · 26/04/2011 18:40

It took me all my time to get my elder daughter to do 2 hours a day when she did her A Levels she got BBC so did ok!
My younger daughter is in Year 7 and has exams next week, she has done no work so far as she has been enjoying being an 11 year old in the holidays, she will however be expected to crack on with it when she goes back to school but only week nights not weekends. 2 hours a day in my opinion is a ridiculously high expectation.

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