Book Review: Key Guide Secondary 2 History Revision Notes with SBQ and SEQ Practice assessment book

If you are looking for a comprehensive guidebook to help you in your History revision, look no further! This all-in-one History guide is a teaching and learning tool written for students to summarise what they have learnt in History.

Part 1 of this guide focuses on learning outcomes and useful notes for your revision. More information beyond the History textbook is included to provide historical context for source-based questions and more detailed structured-essay questions. These notes describe, explain, discuss and provide more details for students to understand the time period. The chapters are also re-organised to help students understand periodisation of Singapore’s history in a deeper and more meaningful way. This is important for students as it helps them to understand how historical events are connected and how they have influenced one another.

Part 2 presents more explicit thinking skills and approaches which students can use to answer Source-Based Questions (SBQs) and Structured-Essay Questions (SEQs). These questions are ones that students will encounter in their history syllabus. They include practice papers and exemplars for SBQ and SEQ questions. The main idea is to give students a wide array of question types so that students can think through and plan relevant answers to them. The sample answers for the SBQ and SEQ sections serve as a learning guide on how answers are layered and argued. They serve as exemplars of think-aloud protocols of how historical arguments are formed. Readers should take special note that they are not model answers for rote learning purposes.

One of the strengths of this guidebook is its focus on thinking skills and approaches. Instead of just providing students with information, the guidebook encourages students to think critically and develop their own arguments based on the information provided. This is an important skill for students as it helps them to become independent learners who can analyse and interpret historical events on their own.

The guidebook also includes practice papers and exemplars for SBQ and SEQ questions. This is an important feature as it allows students to apply what they have learnt and practice their skills in a simulated exam environment. The practice papers are designed to be challenging and require students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-life scenarios. By practicing these questions, students can develop their critical thinking skills and improve their exam performance.

Another strength of this guidebook is its emphasis on historical context. By providing students with more information beyond the History textbook, the guidebook helps students to understand the time period and the events that occurred during that time. This is important as it helps students to develop a deeper understanding of historical events and their impact on society.

In conclusion, this all-in-one History guidebook is an excellent resource for students who are preparing for their History exams. The guidebook provides comprehensive notes and thinking skills for students to understand and apply what they have learnt. The practice papers and exemplars for SBQ and SEQ questions are also valuable tools that students can use to improve their exam performance. With this guidebook, students can be confident in their ability to excel in their History exams.

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