How to Prepare for the English Language PSLE – Preparing for Your Child’s Oral Examination (Part 1)
The PSLE Oral Examination is drawing near, and for some parents, we know that this may be a period of anxiety for you and your child as they prepare for this watershed examination. This is not made easy by the recent circuit-breaker measures, with studying now confined to the homes for your child. For a conversational and practical skill such as oral examination mastery, the home setting may not necessarily offer the best platform to learn.
With that in mind, we have prepared a two-part series for your child to prepare for the English Language PSLE Oral Examinations in May! The first part will focus on the Reading Aloud portion, where your child is required to articulate, verbalise, and read a given passage accurately. The second part of the series will turn towards Stimulus-Based Conversation and the techniques needed to turn your child into an immaculate conversationalist!
For the first part, let us share three quick tips you can apply in the comfort of your home for your child!
Tip #1: Prepare with Purpose
In our experience, one of the oft-overlooked portions of the Reading Aloud segment is the preparation phase that students have before they start their reading exercise. This means that students are not maximising the time allocated to them to prepare by looking out for the key features of the passage that may trip them up. Your child can use this preparation time to their benefit by ensuring that they start their reading exercise comfortably and steadily.
We recommend the Scan-Study-Speed approach for your child in preparing for their reading assignment. In the short time give to them, first, scan the reading passage by reading the passage once through while keeping an eye for any difficulties that jump out (e.g. 3-syllable words, expressive phrases, action words). Once that is complete, study the reading passage is greater detail, taking in each sentence and its relationship with the next. This involves practising pronunciation, vocal tone, or even delivery aspects. Finally, read with speed in the last 30s – 1 min of the preparation time to internalise the passage. This is more likely to assist in committing the passage to muscle memory for a smoother delivery during the actual test!
Tip #2: Punctuate with Purpose
During the preparation Study phase, one of the overlooked vocal aspects in the verbalising of punctuations in the passage. While common punctuations such as the exclamation mark are more discernible (i.e. sharp increase in tone and volume), others such as the question mark or comma are more subtle. By picking out these punctuation marks during the preparation, your child will focus on making each sound distinct.
In picking out the punctuations from the reading passage, encourage your child to look out for the commonly ignored punctuations such as full stops or commas. These tend to be taken for granted, and when ignored, can lead to a less natural presentation. For example, commas should be emphasised with a sharp but slight pause, especially if it appears as part of a list. Try reading this line “She is tall pretty smart” and “She is tall, pretty, smart” – the subtle addition of pause is what your child should aim for!
*Without punctuations, the mouth goes…*
Tip #3: Practise with Purpose
Finally, moving away from the examination itself, oral examination practice can take place at home, even with you as the teacher! While formal training or tuition is recommended, students can still find learning opportunities at home during this period to hone their reading skills. We recommend adopting a Practise with Purpose approach by using various reading practice modes to help your child develop their reading skills.
For example, a practice mode you can try with your child is a Start-Stop exercise. Instead of waiting for your child to finish the entire passage, pause, highlight, and correct a mistake (such as pronunciation or delivery). This creates immediate awareness of their habits and focuses them on the techniques to apply or habits to change. This will encourage your child to be more aware of their reading progress and be more careful, even during practices!
Final Thought:
Ace that Oral Examinations!
Oral examinations, while holding a lower percentage in the overall grade, are still an important component of the English Language PSLE format. The grade may even be the difference to push your child into a stronger grade. In today’s article, we have shared the techniques applicable to the Reading Aloud component. Tune in next week to catch more tips on how to ace the Stimulus-Based Conversation component!
By The Way…
If you’re keen to bring your child’s PSLE oral examination, public speaking & presentation skills (either business/corporate presentation or kids in-class presentation) to the next level so that your kid may speak and present with flair and charisma, feel free to check out our offerings below!
For more about our Public Speaking Course for Kids / Children:
https://publicspeakingacademy.com.sg/group-classes-students-age-9-18/
For more about our Public Speaking Course for Adults :
https://publicspeakingacademy.com.sg/courses-and-programs/group-classes-for-adults/
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