Scottish highers

[chocoluvva]

My DD is spending hardly any time studying, in spite of being in S5 and planning to do 3 highers and an advanced higher in May. She doesn't read either. What can I suggest to her that she could be doing for her english? How much studying are your DCs doing?

She will/should have been given homework already. Presumably she started the courses after her study leave and prior to the holidays? I'm an English teacher and expecting my Higher candidates to redrafting their first folio piece, doing a weekly close reading assignment and perhaps going over our first text. I don't imagine other subjects are any different as the Higher courses are very tight for timing. Advanced Higher is generally s6 course, can I ask when she sat the Higher in that subject? It may help her to recall the commitment required.

Ah, thankyou for that. A weekly close reading assignment?
Her class has started preparing a text, but she's adamant that there's NO point reading it at home (even with me - as it were - 'translating' (shakespeare) it for her). .When will she be supposed to be doing her redrafting and how many redrafts are allowed?
The AH is music. She got an A in higher music this year - 94% to be precise. I think she hopes to dash off pieces of work - or gives up if she can't manage first time round. Unfortunate, as she's doing english and maths.

SQA guidelines say that these folio pieces shouldn't be marked and marked repeatedly, the reality is different, as Higher marks are ultimately what we are judged on. If she is not being given close reading homework get her a broadsheet some highlighters. Choosing articles on topics which interest her get her to identify examples of tone change, imagery, word choice, climax, anti-climax and comment on her understanding of them. BBC bitesize has a fun hazard perception game for Higher English.

it seems very peculiar to be doing only 3 highers but also a AH

what is she aiming to do next year/at uni?

doesn't she bneed to be doing 4/5 highers this year then AHs next year?

I cant see how this way is benefitting her?

Thankyou for the English homework advice. I've read the SQA website on performance indicators, but it seems so woolly.
She's at a specialist school and hopes to do music when she leaves school.

Just wondering how you know your dd got 94% for Higher music. DDs school only have banding ie high or low band

She got 58/60 for the performance and 36/40 for the exam paper. Band 1 is 85% and over, apparently.

All schools get given the exact marks for each Higher paper a couple of weeks after the results come out. We don't tend to tell pupils these unless they ask though.

My son is only just getting into stride with his homework. At higher stage I expect him to manage his homework himslef though, you sound a bit overinvolved. Is it the school or your child you don't trust?

My child. She spends hardly ANY time studying. I'm aware that fifth year is sooo short.
DH and I have very rarely sat over our DCs. In primary they coasted along near the top of their classes I think with barely any time spent on homework. DC1 gives up at the first hurdle now and can't be bothered putting any THOUGHT into her english.
Sigh, you can lead a horse and all that...
DC1 wants a tutor for English. She has asked for that for her 16th birthday!!!!
DH is aghast. I sort of share his feelings - she has to be a bit more independent - she wants it done for her. Partly she's lost confidence as she compares herself to her exceptionally clever, high-achieving friends. But she refuses to read fiction.(She used to read a lot).
We can BARELY afford a tutor.
I gave her and two friends a lift home from school one recent rainy day. One of them was talking about the encouraging feedback he'd had for the first draft of a piece of creative writing. DD wouldn't go into details when I asked about hers (later) except to say that she had to think about a theme. If I try to help she goes mad. (Once I got a prize for a piece of creative-writing. Stupidly, she knows that).
DH thinks she feels pressured or controlled by me nagging her and I just shouldn't talk to her about her school work at all. I feel there's a happy medium to be had. I eased off the nagging sooo much in fourth year, resulting in her doing hardly any work and getting QUITE GOOD standard grades (and a phenomenally good result in higher music).
Also, she's very distracted (and influenced, I think) by her boyfriend who doesn't do much studying either.

I'm very glad my son doesn't have a girlfriend. I think relationships whilst still at school can be very distracting, my daughter is a bit younger and just into crushes with unobtainable blokes. Not much you can do if they do get into one sadly.
I've found concentrating on where they want to go helps alot. My stepdaughter had a tutor for highers and it helped her confidence. My son isn't doing English higher so no idea how much other kids are doing with that. His homework only took him about an hour this weekend though. I presume it will get harder although sciency subjects seem to dish out less homework, or less time consuming homework than the writing based subjects.

I would be asking her about her analytical commentary for ah music. It is a huge piece of work and it is largely self study. I've been trying to get my pupils to do as much of it as possible now so that she has time for her other subjects later on. Hth

Thank you for your advice.
DH has said she can have money for her birthday and put it towards a tutor if she wants. I think a few sessions would help her - it's not too good a life lesson though...
She's handed in a draft of the first half of her analytical commentary for music. Hopefully it's on the right lines.
Her boyfriend is two years older than her. I think she sees him as more sophisticated than her other friends.
The english and maths are my main worry.