bell 妈妈,不知道今年KET还能报名不?今年是11月考试。我们是通过培训机构报的。如报不了,将KET的词汇消化掉后,不如直接准备明年的PET。爽爽冰片家的希希不也打算明年考PET吗?词汇是必须过关的。在家我们还没做过任何模拟题。KET虽然简单,但Jason 的做题准确度让我不满意。孩子还小,做题技巧不够,而且考试不是终极目标。这么一想,也就释然了。
能辨别代词所指代的对象。如在第61课Trouble with the Hubble “…NASA is now going to put the telescope right, so it will soon be sending up four astronauts to repair it”. 前面的it 指代NASA, 后面的it 指代Hubble telescope.
Jason 喜欢新概念2,学得还算扎实,需要检查的内容并不多,复习进度自然飞快,分两次完成,每次约1.5小时。
因为Jason被老师安排参加一个科技英语比赛,内容多以space 为主。所以,趁热打铁,将SF Science G3 Chapter 15: Patterns in the Sky & Chapter 16: the Solar System两章关于天文类的内容学掉。
(1)SF Science G3 教材的学习。因为是从G1,G2到G3系统学上来,所以知识与语法都没大问题。只是Jason 对地球的自转与公转的英语表达比较混。我拿了个地球仪一边转一边说“Earth rotates /spins on its axis, it’s called rotation; Earth orbits / revolves the sun, it’s called revolution”。最后写在纸上,总算记住。 对“lunar eclipse, constellation”等倒是很明白。
我比较喜欢教材中的“How to read”,涉及一些阅读技巧。如Chapter 15: Patterns in the Sky 的“How to read” 是用 Sequence 的方式描述事物。
“Sequence is the order in which events take place.
Clue words such as first, next, then, and finally can
help you figure out the sequence of events.”
Sequence在Jason口语训练中较多,Jason 比较熟悉。
Chapter 16: the Solar System中的“How to read” 是:“Compare and Contrast”。
“Compare and Contrast
Knowing how to compare and contrast can help you
understand what you read and the things you observe.
• We compare when we say how things are alike.
We contrast when we say how things are different.
• Words and phrases such as similar, like, all, both,
or in the same way are used to compare.
• Words and phrases such as unlike or in a different
way are used to contrast.”
Jason 有培训老师布置的单词拼写任务,由他自行完成,我不参与。据说,已经背得差不多了。并做了两套KET模拟试题,准确率比较高。
节日期间增加了听故事音频的量,每天听读一本A to Z Mysteries。在Hi5版中级阅读组的关于听章节书的帖子中,发现我们听故事太少,太多的时间用在了动画上。我们准备向Bell, Peter等看齐,调整思路,缩减动画时间,多听读故事。特地与Jason 谈了,已达成一致。有了阅读小组真好呀,可以取长补短,鞭策自己。各位妈妈别偷懒哟,多多将自己的经验写出来,互相学习。
中级儿童章节书
这部分书在语言难易程度上衔接初级儿童章节书,内容更加精彩复杂,适合小学高年级和初中的孩子阅读。
Roald Dah l的系列儿童小说,
James and the Giant Peach (1961)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)
Magic Finger, the (1966)
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (1972)
Danny the Champion of the World(1975)
Enormous Crocodile, the (1978)
Twits, the (1980)
George's Marvelous Medicine(1981)
BFG, the (1982)
Witches, the (1983)
Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, the (1985)
Matilda (1988)
Esio Trot (1989)
E.B White 的三本经典小说
E.B White 是一位著名作家, 他为孩子们写的下面三部作品几乎家喻户晓, 在学校里被当成教科书来学。
Charlotte's Web
Trumpet of the Swan
Stuart little
RAMONA QUIMBY series
by Beverly Cleary
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Ramona and Her Mother
Ramona and Her Father
Ramona the Brave
Ramona the Pest
Beezus and Ramona
Ramona Forever
Ramona's World
The Ramona Quimby Diary
Ramona Box Set
Henry Huggins
Henry and Ribsy
Henry and Beezus
Henry and the Clubhouse
Henry and the Paper Route
Ribsy
这套丛书中有多本获得 NewBery 儿童文学奖。
BoxcarMysteries Series
by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny Alden是四个孤儿流浪探险的系列故事。
The FudgeBooks series
by Judy Blume
Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing
Otherwise Known As Sheila The Great
Superfudge
Fudge-A-Mania
Double Fudge
Goosebumps series
by R.L. Stine
为儿童写的一系列恐怖鸡皮疙瘩系列故事
Wayside SchoolSeries
by Louis Sachar
Sideways Stories From Wayside School
Wayside School Is Falling Down
Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger
Little House series
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House on the Prairie
Farmer Boy
On the Banks of Plum Creek
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Long Winter
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy Golden Years
The First Four Years
描写美国殖民时期的经典历史小说。
ARTEMIS FOWL Series
by Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl
The Arctic Incident
The Eternity Code
The Opal Deception
The Lost Colony
The Time Paradox
Pippi Long stocking
By Astrid Lindgren
Harriet the Spy
by Louise Fitzhugh
Shel Silverstein 的儿童诗集
The Giving Tree
Where the Sidewalk Ends
A Light in the Attic
Falling up
A Series Of Unfortunate Events
by Lemony Snicket
The Bad Beginning (1999)
The Reptile Room (1999)
The Wide Window (2000)
The Miserable Mill (2000)
The Austere Academy (2000)
The Ersatz Elevator (2001)
The Vile Village (2001)
The Hostile Hospital (2001)
The Carnivorous Carnival (2002)
The Slippery Slope (2003)
The Grim Grotto (2004)
The Penultimate Peril (2005)
The End (2006)
The Chronicles of Narnia
by C.S. Lewis
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
Horse and His Boy
Magician's Nephew
The Last Battle
WARRIORSSeries 猫武士系列
by Erin Hunter
Warriors #1: Into the Wild
Warriors #2: Fire and Ice
Warriors #3: Forest of Secrets
Warriors #4: Rising Storm
Warriors #5: A Dangerous Path
Warriors #6: The Darkest Hour
WARRIORS: THE NEW PROPHECY #1: MIDNIGHT
WARRIORS: THE NEW PROPHECY #2: MOONRISE
WARRIORS: THE NEW PROPHECY #3: DAWN
WARRIORS: THE NEW PROPHECY #4: STARLIGHT
WARRIORS: THE NEW PROPHECY #5: TWILIGHT
WARRIORS: THE NEW PROPHECY #6: SUNSET
WARRIORS: POWER OF THREE #1: THE SIGHT
WARRIORS: POWER OF THREE #2: DARK RIVER
WARRIORS: POWER OF THREE #3: OUTCAST
WARRIORS: POWER OF THREE #4: ECLIPSE
WARRIORS: POWER OF THREE #5: LONG SHADOWS
WARRIORS: POWER OF THREE #6: SUNRISE
Harry Potter Series
By J. K Rowling,
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Alice's adventures in Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll
Peter Pan
by J.M. Barrie
Treasure Island
By Robert LouisStevenson
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
Walk Two Moons
by Sharon Creech
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
by Robert C.O'Brien
Roll of Thunder,Hear My Cry
by Mildred D.Taylor
Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O'Dell
The Indian in the Cupboard
by Lynne ReidBanks
A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L' Engle
Bridge to Terabithia
by Katherine Paterson
Hatchet
by Gary Paulsen
The Secret Garden
by FrancesHodgson Burnett
Heidi
By Johanna Spyri
The Wizard of Oz
By L. Frank Baum
Little Women
by Louisa MayAlcott
Cornelia Funke Inkheart Series
Inkheart
Inkspell
Inkdeath
Christopher Paolini Eragon Series
Eragon
Eldest
Brisingr
Lord of the Rings
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Fellowship of the Ring
Two Towers
Return of the King
Twilight series
by Stephenie Meyer
(1) 何谓三一口语
伦敦三一学院英语口语等级考试(Graded Examination in Spoken English,简称GESE)是英国文化委员会提议,由著名英语教学专家为非英语国家设计的英语口语等级考试体系。目前已在世界四十多个国家和地区开展这项考试。其考试目的在于考核英语听说能力,注重实际交流,是一种在很多方面具有创新的考试方式。分为12个级别,每三个级别为一个阶段,共4段。即:预备级1~3级,初级4~6级,中级7~9级,高级10~12级。
Jason 的口语训练,我就是围绕三一口语展开的,我们已经考了4,5级,准备6级。四级的话题有“Holiday, Job, Food, School life, Sports, Hobby, Shopping”, 五级话题有 “Festival, Transportation, Music, Entertainment, Birthday celebration and other special events, Recent events”。food, sports, birthday, transportation等内容在SBS教材中都有谈及。可见,SBS很适合口语练习的。
再回到三一口语。三一口语每一级的跨越比较大,在内容上、词汇上,及交流的技巧上是层层递进的。如四五级话题比较贴近小朋友的生活,在思维及词汇的要求都不太高。六级话题 有“Travel, Rules, Fashion, Money, Health/Fitness and Foreign language learning”。如对金钱的态度、规章制度的理解、时尚的感受,都需要孩子有一定的表达抽象事物的能力。而7级就涉及环境、污染、教育等问题,表达的难度就更大了。
谢谢开心就好同学,我们考级是为了促进,即使没有小升初的压力,我们也会考的。有些家长认为那些高级别的话题如环保等不适合孩子,我持相反观点。如果你翻翻SF social studies 的读物,会发现在G1,G2中就谈到了法律、税收、历史等问题,而国内教育欠缺了这一块。而高级别的话题多于此有关,正好可以促进孩子这方面的思维,增加对社会的理解。觉得难了,主要还是语言问题。如果语言不够,即使年龄大点,也很麻烦。
男孩大多喜欢科普,我家的也不例外。不过,前期这方面的知识积累以中文为主,原因是没进入论坛,手头没有相关英文资料。今年上半年开始看Magic School Bus, 很着迷。今年5月,我找到了SF Science及分级读物,决定用起来。暑假里,我们一鼓作气,将SF Science 及分级读物从G1学到G3,发现Jason 接受特别快。因为知识已经储备了,学习只是一个语言的转换,Jason感觉很轻松。在学习过程中,发现他特别喜欢Physical Science,尤其是Energy, Sound,Light等。一问,居然说是Magic School Bus 中的这几集太好看,看了无数遍。另,他酷爱的几个动画片,如Transformers, Avatar,就是关于 energy resource的争夺,其中还不时提到solar eclipse, comet之类,顺带着连天文的一些知识也弄明白了。
看来,处处皆科学呀!
下面,详细说说科普英语学习的几点体会:
(1) Magic School Bus
Magic School Bus是一批PHD为孩子们量身打造的难得的科普动画精品。Jason幼儿园时,我便买了全套的中文绘本做亲子阅读。今年上半年,Jason 开始看Magic School Bus 英文动画,非常喜欢。因为有相关知识铺垫,基本能理解。Jason 的英语学习是以动画启蒙的,科普英语也不例外。他一气将52集看完,然后选择自己喜欢的部分反复地看。暑假期间,我开始陪伴Jason 学习SF Science,发现Magic School Bus功不可没。因为在讲解课程中,Jason 经常会联想到Magic School Bus,并讲解给我听。
我曾在暑假记录:“在复习science 中的浮力问题时,Jason 联想起了magic school bus 26:Ups and Downs,讲的正是浮力问题!我们顺便又将第9集: Get ready, set, dough 看了,因为里面涉及的是chemistry, 正是明天要讲的chemical change。”
SF Science 的内容基本都能在Magic School Bus中找到Mirror 。最近又开始看Magic School Bus动画,并说:“妈妈,动画变简单了”,因为里面的知识他已基本明白。
KET 没有专门的教材,也无需教材,做题足矣。我们现在用的是 “北京英语水平考试 学学 练练 考考”网上能购买,内有四套模拟题。剑桥类考试市面上是找不到真题的(版权问题)。我们上了一个培训机构的冲刺班,去了就做题,据说是真题,听力部分不让家长翻录。冲刺下来,也就做完4套题。其实,KET很简单,也实用,阅读会包含标牌的认识及西方的风俗习俗等内容。我是将KET作为PET的过渡,一方面强化考试技巧,另一方面消化KET的近2000词汇的拼写,因为PET会涉及3500-4000词汇的拼写。你可以搜索一下北京学而思(北京最大的培训机构)的论坛,可惜我发不了链接,上面有关于KET的资料,包括一些练习、词汇等,都能找到,非常详细。