Bridging the gap to A-level - work for current Y11

[noblegiraffe]

A thread for suggestions on how current Y11 can best keep their hand in and set themselves up for the start of Y12.

For Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, CGP have made their ‘Headstart’ kindle books FREE

www.amazon.co.uk/Head-Start-Level-Maths-2017-2018-ebook/dp/B06XD29GX2?tag=mumsnetforu03-21 (this is the maths one, the science are in ‘what other customers buy’ list).

Lots of work for maths here: www.dropbox.com/sh/ppm47xsrvr054p3/AACmvv67MzUCX2foyJIMJpm-a?dl=0

Some maths youtube bridging videos here: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUNK8a8DSxXv6d9HxUuliXPZbySSeTTK-

Oh, and for German, The Wave, is excellent. Really accessible.

He is going to do OCR Classical Civilisation.

Thank you for the reading ideas!

For English I would recommend The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

clary have you seen The Lives of Others? It is one of my favourite films ever.

Thanks @noblegiraffe DS plans to do maths and sciences so those links are great!

Thanks @noblegiraffe

Is there a text book you'd recommend for studying edexcel maths? I'm wondering if there is one that isn't a direct study guide. Dd is very able, but very lazy at studying (she gets it very intuitively) and I think one that she can work through-more old fashioned style- may give her a different challenge.
She can get through that sort of one without engaging brain properly, getting all the questions right, but not being able to say what she did 5 minutes later.

@Twisique
DD is doing Latin, Ancient Greek and Ancient History for A level.
My recommendation for reading, that has a listening twist first is:
An appointment with Mr Yeats by The Waterboys
Caveat: I’m an old gimmer

Could someone please recommend background reading for psychology, biology or chemistry? Many thanks

I've seen the Headstart CGP recommendation. Thanks for that. Anything else?

Thanks all for recommendations, really useful.

piggy no I don't know that one. Will have to watch it. I'm better on books tbh, I had to do four for each A level (and no films! lol!). I'm old tho 😀

Me too Biedermann. Katharina Blum, Brecht and Die Neuen Leiden des Jungen W. Fun times.

And I am scarred by Baudelaire for French.

Dd (Y11) is having daily emails from her teachers/videos/Google classroom etc. She had her A level interview on the last week and has contact from the HoDs of subjects she'll take at A level. She is still working 5/6 hours a day. Her school if fab.

Noble - that is fantastic. Just ordered DD New Head Start to A-level Biology & A-Level Biology: Essential Maths Skills
Many thanks :-)

Is there a text book you'd recommend for studying edexcel maths?

Witchend not sure whether you’re after a GCSE or A-level textbook?

I like this textbook for GCSE

The AQA Further Mathematics GCSE textbook is obviously aimed at Further Maths but has lots of challenging questions on GCSE content as there’s a crossover.

If you want an AS level textbook these are the business for pure

and applied

(Thanks to Margot for the shorter links...)

Oh yes Piggy, I did Katharina Blum too and Voltaire and Moliere for French, both still on the syllabus I see!

@noblegiraffe I’m just searching Amazon to see if there is a similar ‘Head Start’ book for A level psychology - but could only find the ‘essential maths skills for A level psychology’ book - would you also recommend this as a useful generic guide?

Thanks for this thread - very useful, not just to try to motivate the teens (oh @lljkk how I agree about the parallel universe!!) but for reading for the grown ups too! I read English at university and might give some of the recommended books a go to keep my own brain in gear...

Thank you for all this info! I will be downloading those head start books for dd as biology and chemistry are 2 of her choices for a level. Any good books to help get ahead for geography or psychology?

I loved Oliver Sacks' books when I was 18. Just genuinely interesting to read!

Thank you @noblegiraffe it was A-level. I've ordered them.

@clary Are those films and books for French GCSE pls?
Where could we find them pls?

DD will be taking Geography, Politics and DT - any ideas of resources that might help her have a head start please?

Economics: a friend has recommended we listen to an FT webinar on the current crisis, Wednesday 1st April at 4pm. Might be useful for politics/geography too?

live.ft.com/Events/The-Global-Economic-Emergency

No the films and books are for A level, no need for French novels at Gcse. Watching the films would always be helpful tho, can get them on Amazon

My son studied OCR classical studies - he said reading the Iliad is very useful, if you have not already done so.
And obvs The Odyssey.
Also he found Religion and the Greeks useful by Robert Garland.