Higher & National 5 parental Information Evening

1. Higher & National 5 parental Information Evening 10 September 2014

2. Agenda for this evening • Outline the reasons you have been invited • Information on what studying looks like • Input from specific departments • Individual time for questions at the end of the presentations

3. Reason for invite • You have a child who is studying for at least 1 Higher or National 5 qualification • One or more departments in the school feel that your child needs to do more to give them a chance of passing • We are here to hear from some of them and have a look at the booklet • Mock exams (Prelims) begin 16 February 2015 • 26 weeks time – actual school time is 22 weeks

4. What’s been happening in school or will happen? • Tree of Knowledge – in recent years • 6 week block in PSHE • Learning style examples • Mind mapping • Mnemonics • Which styles of studying suit particular pupils/subjects • Daily advice from teachers • Reports – full reports or tracking reports • Study Support – yellow sheet

5. Study Booklet • Blue cover • Input from teachers who are doing the teaching • Pink booklet • Assessment times

6. What does it mean to revise? • Form a routine • Go home at 3.30pm • Get changed • Sit down at a table or a desk or in a space where you can lay out your things • 4.30pm • Tea about 5.00pm • Watch Neighbours? • Sit down again about 6.30pm – 9.30pm (have two or three short breaks 10 mins maximum) • Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday • Sunday for about 4 hours

7. What do you actually do? • We will hear from 5 departments in a moment • In summary – reading, re-writing notes, highlighting important information doing extra examples • The old line – “I don’t have any homework”

8. http://www.npfs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/nutshells_highers_english_E.pdfhttp://www.npfs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/nutshells_highers_english_E.pdf • SQA website help

9. History Mrs K Longwe Principal Teacher

10. Course Requirements – National 5 • Pupils study three topics covering Scotland, Britain, European and World. • They sit an exam consisting of extended answers and source based questions (75%) • They will produce an assignment – An extended piece of writing on a question of their choosing (25%)

11. Course Requirements – Higher • Pupils study three topics to cover Scotland, Britain, European and World. • Exam – In the Britain and European & World section – pupils will write an essay on each of these topics (20 marks each) • The Section on Scotland will be examined through source based questions worth 20 marks in total • Assignment – An essay on a topic of their choice

12. Why revise? • Because it works! • When it comes to revision, the method of revision is just as important as the time spent. • Just reading information over leads to your eyes moving over the pages while your brain is thinking about something else. • Before you begin – think about how effectively you learn, and the way you learn best

13. The pyramid of efficiency This pyramid shows what % of new information an average person will remember after 24 hours – AND if they did nothing to reinforce the learning during those 24 hours

14. How to revise (for a history exam?) • Go public : Make a detailed revision timetable on a large piece of paper (A3 at least) and post it up somewhere that everyone can see it. That way, everyone knows what you are meant to be studying and when. Strangely enough, letting other people know your plans actually lightens the load, because then it's not just down to you to motivate yourself. • Catch the worm: Just like those wriggling soil-dwellers, facts are at their most available and digestible first thing in the morning. Start at 9am, and you can get the bulk of your revision done early, so you don't spend the rest of the day feeling crushed under the weight of unread A4 folders

15. Take regular breaks to relax yourself: Of course you shouldn't try to learn the reasons why the Slave trade continued while watching Friends reruns or a Shopping Channel knitwear special. But that doesn't mean you can't record a favourite programme and watch it as a treat, between your morning and afternoon revising time • Come up with mnemonics: The word stands for Make Names Easily Memorable by Organising Nominated Initial Characters. These are used in class to help pupils remember the factors involved in various events. • For example: GERKN (Pronounced in class as Gherkin) • This helps pupils remember the five reasons why the Liberal Government introduced social welfare reform.

16. Use the class notebook as a check-list so you know exactly what is coming up and you can use them for revision • Make notes on a certain topic. This would help you be more focused on what you are doing. Memorise what you have written and make sure you have understood it. If not do some extra research on it. Try and make the notes in a different format from the original notes you are reading, so change it from paragraphs to lists, then a spider diagram – ANYTHING TO MAKE YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE WRITING!

17. Make History revision posters – spider diagrams etc • Make History Flashcards featuring the key facts, historian opinions and alternative points of view. • Highlight key points that you will need to know for the exam. • Use post it notes to write quick notes to remind yourself about the key points • Check you have covered and understood the notes well

18. Check you have covered and understood the notes well • Using Past Papers or Exemplar Papers (both available online at http://www.sqa.org.uk/) to practice the types of questions as well as become comfortable with the layout of the exam. • Complete a full past paper in the time allowed. • If you study in a methodical way, you will feel prepared and confident. In sitting examinations that is more than half the battle!

19. Finally! • Go bananas! • Take a leaf out of the top tennis players' book and make use of this potassium-rich performance-enhancer to raise your energy levels. When Murray, Federer and Nadal need a lift, they don't reach for a courtside cup of black coffee, they dip into their kitbags and unzip a banana.

20. Art & design Mr M Barclay Principal Teacher

21. Braeview Academy Department of Art and Design National 5/Higher course overview There are two mandatory units making up the course: 1. Expressive with Critical Activity 2. Design with Critical Activity

22. Department of Art and Design Expressive with Critical Activity

23. Department of Art and Design Design with Critical Activity

24. Braeview Academy Department of Art and Design Studying at home Research Drawing Homework Departmentsupport Additional time in the department Study support session

25. Modern Studies Mr R Laird Principal Teacher

26. How do I revise? The ins and outs of revision, practice and exams 33,000 victims of gun crime in the USA last year.

27. Revision – “What even is that!?” Revision can take be seen in many forms. Reading, reading and reading again… Spider Diagrams Re writing notes Colourful posters Flow Charts Testing yourself on what you have learned practice questions Mnemonics Lists (to name but a few!) 33,000 victims of gun crime in the USA last year.

28. Examples… Re –writing – copy notes and try to make them shorter each time whilst remembering the full piece. Trigger words to help! Mnemonics – China – HOLD ON! Spider Diagrams - Human Rights One Child Policy Labour Camps Death Penalty Olympics New Changes

29. Examples… Flow ChartsTesting Bitesize website as shown in the booklet! Checklists

30. Revision - first steps In America, there are approximately 270 million firearms possessed by civilians, and only 897,000 carried by police Make a revision timetable – Plan out what you will revise. • Subjects • Day • Time • Topic • Checklist Display this somewhere in the house that everyone can see it! Check the next slide for an example! 33,000 victims of gun crime in the USA last year.

32. Revision tip 1 - Prepare your workplace Make sure that you have: • A tidy, undisturbed place to work • A comfortable chair • A table which gives you enough room for your books • A bright table lamp • All the books you need – school notes, revision guides,etc • Pens, pencils, scrappaper, etc • De-digitalise if not required! (No phones, laptops, tablets, computers) 33,000 victims of gun crime in the USA last year.

33. Revision tip 2 - Committing to memory Try to memorise: • Connections between facts and patterns which give shape to a topic, e.g. USA, Crime and Law in the UK • Quotations from set texts or people (Not teachers) • Diagrams or drawings, e.g. spider diagrams, colourful flow charts In America, there are approximately 270 million firearms possessed by civilians, and only 897,000 carried by police 33,000 victims of gun crime in the USA last year.

34. Revision tip 3 -Make revision active (entertaining) • Stimulate your mind and learn effectively by: • Write down key points • Draw diagrams or charts several times • Test yourself by covering an original diagram, draw it again and check against the original • Read/sing it out aloud (record yourself on your ipod/electronic device) • Underline/ Highlight key points or quotations • Use Mnemonics to help you remember lists. The catchier, the better! • Use word games to remember things • Parents, get involved and test your child. Revision can be a family activity. Work through work books and past papers. Use the mark schemes or get your teacher to mark them! 33,000 victims of gun crime in the USA last year.

35. Revision tip 4 - Revision Notes • Making revision notes on small pieces of card. Look at them on the bus, walking to school, anytime really! • Make revision posters and put them where you see them every day. Why not on the back of the toilet door or on your bedroom wall? (permission permitting!) • Make flash cards with questions on one side and answers on the other. Use these to get people to test you with • Using a revision guide along with your class notes • Make mind maps 33,000 victims of gun crime in the USA last year.

36. Revision tip 5 – Testing yourself Test yourself. DO this under exam conditions by answering past paper questions with a time limit. DO break sample answers into chunks DO try to memorise these chunks and use them to answer the questions DO revise information again if you didn’t perform as well as you could DO revise without distractions. 33,000 victims of gun crime in the USA last year.

37. Test! What were the two facts I hoped you have learned? In America, there are approximately 270 million firearms possessed by civilians, and only 897,000 carried by police 33,000 victims of gun crime in the USA last year.

38. english Mrs K Walker Teacher of Higher English

39. The Course • The Higher and National 5 English course comprises both internal and external assessments • Internal assessments are pass or fail however must be passed in order to progress to the exam • External assessments consist of a writing portfolio and an end of year exam which determine a final grade

40. Internal Assessments • Creation and Production • Writing – A persuasive essay • Talk – A solo presentation using PowerPoint • Analysis and Evaluation • Listening – Listening to a talk and answering questions on the speaker’s use of language, purpose and audience and to show understanding of the content • Textual Analysis – Reading an unseen text and answering questions regarding understanding, analysis and evaluation • This will be on an unseen poem by the poet studied

41. External Assessments The Writing Folio • The writing is worth 30% of the overall grade • It consists of: • 1 broadly Discursive essay • 1 broadly Creative essay • These essays must adhere to a strict word limit • National 5: 500 – 1000 words • Higher: 650 – 1300 words • Essays can be redrafted numerous times • Final submission of folios 27th February 2014

42. External Assessments The Exam • National 5 • Thursday 14th May 2015 • Paper 1: 9am – 10am • Paper 2: 10.20am – 11.50am • Higher • Friday 15th May • Paper 1: 9am – 10.30am • Paper 2: 10.50am – 12.20am

43. External Assessments The Exam Paper 1: Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation • Candidates are required to read an unseen, non-fiction passage (two passages in regards to Higher) • They are expected to answer questions showing their ability to understand, analyse, and evaluate a text. • This is worth 30% of the overall mark • Timing of the paper is as follows: • National 5 - 1 hour • Higher - 1 hour 30 minutes

44. External Assessments The Exam Paper 2: Critical Reading • Section 1 – Textual Analysis • Candidates are required to read an extract or poem from their set text(s) • They are expected to answer questions showing their ability to understand, analyse, and evaluatethe chosen extract or text • The are also expected to quote and comment on other texts/ areas of the text they have studied • Section 2 – Critical Essay • Candidates are expected to write an extended critical response to a question • This must be in a different genre to section 1 • This is worth 40% of the overall mark • Timing of the paper is as follows: • National 5 - 1 hour 30 minutes • Higher - 1 hour 30 minutes

45. Revising Reading for U.A.E • Candidates should: • Read newspapers – particularly broadsheets and columnists • Learn and understand the ‘formulaic’ approach to answering the questions • Highlight any specific element or area requiring development and ask for assistance • Work on Close Reading past papers from the SQA website • http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/47904.html • http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/controller?searchQuals=Loading...&p_service=Content.show&p_applic=CCC&pContentID=38944 • BBC Bitesize • http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zqxhfg8

46. Revising Critical Reading • Become familiar with texts through rereading, highlighting and annotation • Display appropriate quotations in common areas • Organise notes into theme, characterisation, setting, plot and use of language where appropriate • Mind-mapping • Plan essays in response to practice questions using the framework • Read critiques such as York Notes etc. • BBC Bitesize • SQA Critical Essay past papers

47. General expectations of the candidate • Submit all homework to required standard on or before date • Work in class should be completed to highest possible standard • Attend Supported Study • Ask for help if required • Understand the high expectations of the course and work accordingly

48. Further Information • The National Parent Forum Of Scotland – Higher in a Nutshell • http://www.npfs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/nutshells_highers_english_E.pdf

49. RMPS Mr P Douglas Principal Teacher of Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies

50. Successful Learning in RMPS Skills for Learning & Skills for Study