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Brown's Chemistry Clinic
My 3 Unofficial Salters Homepages
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* A2 Advanced *
My Salters Index
SALTERS OPEN BOOK
2852
 Ten
strategy ideas for max/45
I'm always grateful for student/teacher feedback with any good ideas
or query?comment
PLEASE REMEMBER - your teacher will have good ideas and one method doesn't suit everyone! and I've gladly
incorporated ideas submitted by students.
However,
I will not do proof-reading!
- FIRST READ THE ARTICLE THOROUGHLY and get a
good idea what it is all about without considering the bullet points or making any summary notes or choices
of sections for your report.
- READ THE INSTRUCTIONS
like you have never read any before, they give you quite a clear picture of
what is expected, no kidding!
- GET GOING ASAP
 tack
attack all drafted out or mapped out by end of 1st week, yes?
-
 no sweat
if you get down to it! but drag your feet and it all ends up a rushed
mess! the SOB!
- The GREAT Open Book RUSH (annual
event!): I get the
impression that far too much of the work is packed into the last few days
and NOT accurately checked by careful proof-reading
before the given deadline, typical results of this poor strategy are ....
- There is often
not enough relevant and good charts/diagrams (NOT vague connection or blurred!
from poor scanning). Don't over do it but make sure they are all
numbered e.g. Fig. 1, 2 or chart 1, 2 etc. If you decide to put in
another earlier in the report just call them Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b so not
to ruin the number sequence.
- Incorrect
spelling of chemical/scientist names are common, and technical word
errors etc. - look really bad!!!
- Two spelling or grammar
errors lose a mark!
- Incorrect or wrongly
chosen
formula/equations, irrelevant equations etc. look equally
incompetent.
- Intended
subscripts and superscripts often lose their 'sub' and 'sup' in
formulae and units.
- Take care with capital
letters, start of sentence every time please, but not element names
within sentences, and other chemical names don't usually need them
(the articles themselves are a good guide on these
points).
- Good grammar is expected
to (hmm!!! with a certain tongue in cheek on this one!).
- Correct oxidation states,
units and other technical points easily omitted or wrong stated!
- The four mark
50 word summary abstract is particularly badly done and rushed (if not
forgotten) at the end - the 3-5? sentences must hit the nail on the
head and contain a variety of specific essential CHEMICAL points! One for each whole/half
bullet point in the original instructions isn't such a bad approach. AND
REMEMBER 4 marks can make a grade difference and 'abstract' zero
marks
are very common!
- WORD counts
must be at the end of every page and don't try to fool the examiner by
putting lots of text on diagrams (reasonable
labelling is NOT counted)
but text
boxes ARE COUNTED
- if its very obvious a lot of text included! After 1000 words
nothing will be marked, so a whole
bullet point of work can be lost - it happens!!!! and so much effort was
put in!!!!
- RECYCLING:
  Throughout the whole exercise, keep on
re-reading the bullet points and instructions to keep in
touch with what is required, recycle your thought's continuously making notes
and via a word processor (I can't understand
students still submitting hand written work?). Don't assume the bullet point order for
the report is necessarily the best order - but its often close to it.
- ORGANISATION (1) - DIVISION OF
LABOUR: Divide the 1000 words 'reasonably'
between the 'target bullet points' - this is something best adjusted after
point 8. below.
- Use SUB-HEADINGS, pictures and diagrams
to break up the report into manageable sections and add interest, variety and
above all keep it highly ORGANISED. Don't get things all jumbled up, it often
leads to either repetition or omission and both cost marks!
- BEWARE of FLOW CHARTS: It often leads
to unnecessary repetition of their content in the text OR too many omissions
because you assume the flow chart says it all.
- Don't include anything in
your report that does not
match the bullet point guidance or enhances it, sometimes sections of the two
Salters articles are not needed, so
watch out and conserve 'words'. Balanced writing e.g. length versus bullet points
and marks, and use continuous good prose, not forgetting paragraphs please!
You don't lose marks for using more paper, indents, spaces between headings
and paragraphs etc. and it looks better and is easier to follow.
- Don't over do or under do
various things like .. AND link and relate them
CLEARLY to the text!
- Minimum of 4 good
equations or important structural formula.
- Minimum of two well
positioned/labelled/titled diagrams, pictures, graphs etc.
- You can put experimental
details with equations or on charts or diagrams etc.
- The two biggest individual mark
areas are the ... (based on 2005's mark scheme)
- CHEMICAL POINTS:
You needed 14 out of about 23 available for an
A in this mark section.
Yes chemistry!, not waffling on in a vague way, well connected
specific points of a chemical nature that fit
the bullet points!
- EVALUATION POINTS:
You needed 12 out of about 19 available for an
A in this mark section.
These are more on the interpretation side of things e.g.
historical/technical developments or comparison of situations,
social issues, health and safety, economic factors, reasons for
changes in ...
- ORGANISATION (2) - MAPPING OUT THE
TASK : On the instructions, give each of the bullet points
on which you write the report, 1, 2, 3 etc., if any of the bullet point statements is
'sub-divided' mark it 1a, 1b, 2a etc.
- Then go through the articles
marking any appropriate section with a vertical line in the margin or
highlight it and label 1a, 2c, 3b etc. and make very brief summary notes
of key words and ideas in the margin.
- This makes it quite easy to organise and
collect your report ideas and gives you ideas for
sub-headings
- Note the mark allocations for each
section and don't overdo a
particular section
- Use of non-Salters article
resources:
- They are to enhance the report
NOT to make it too long or introduce irrelevant material even if it looks
good on the web!
- References to Chemical Ideas, Storylines
and Activities are fine (but only count for 1 mark max, get another for
reference to the two articles, need minimum of two other sources for 3rd
source mark), so try to get at least one more from other books
and one from the 'web' BUT make sure they are clearly of use and interest AND
accurately annotated/listed
- Don't
forget details count e.g. like name of website + full web address
to the webpage + how/what used from it or title and page number of
a book etc., even the articles themselves + section should be clearly shown,
vague or inappropriate references do NOT gain marks.
- Apart from making sure your references are fully and
clearly indicated and annotated in the script, don't forget to include the
list at the end or you can list in footnotes as you go along, do not leave
the list on your study desk at home on the deadline day!!!
- SAVING WORK: triple save on separate floppy
disc/CD-ROM' every day or two days, and in a session save every 15 mins
en-route and etc. etc. etc., My kids can still hear me nagging now!, but Dad of
course I've saved ... looking sheepish! AND DO THE
SAME WITH ALL COURSEWORK in all subjects, picking up a good habit, end of sermon!
Its not a bad idea to save as a new file as you are going along e.g.
report1.doc, report2.doc in case of a massive cut and paste error etc.
Earlier editions can be deleted when you are absolutely sure nothing in them
is needed.
- C's THAT HEAD FOR AN 'A'
- COMPETENT, COMPREHENSIBLE,
CORRECT, COHERENT, CLEAR, CO-ORDINATED, COMPREHENSIVE, CARE, CONNECTIONS
- PRIOR EXPERIENCE: Activities which
involve reading and assimilating information help as well e.g. EL4.4 "Radon
in the rocks", DF1.1 "Which fuel for the future",
M1.4 "This liquid is dangerous", M2.5 "The
philosopher's microbe" and PR1 "Some important polymers:
introductory data" can also help, and the most important practice of all is to do at
least one practice past paper marked by the teacher against the official
marking scheme.
*
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