As parents of Primary 5 and 6 students in Singapore, you’re likely aware of the rising expectations in PSLE composition writing. Helping your child stand out among their peers requires more than just a good storyline—it involves employing creative techniques like the flash forward. This blog will explore how flash forwards can elevate your child’s writing and provide tips on how to effectively add this writing technique into their compositions.
What Is a Flash Forward?
A flash forward, also known as a “prolepsis,” is a narrative device that allows the writer to jump ahead in time. This technique provides readers with a glimpse of future events while maintaining suspense about the story’s unfolding. For Primary 5-6 students preparing for PSLE, mastering this tool can demonstrate advanced storytelling skills, which can positively impact their AL PSLE score.
Flash forwards are ideal for creating curiosity or hinting at the resolution without revealing too much. For instance, in a composition about overcoming fears, a flash forward might show the protagonist triumphantly crossing the finish line of a race before returning to the struggle of training.
Example of Flash Forward in a PSLE Composition
The Difference Between Flashbacks and Flash Forwarding
While flashbacks begin in the present and then drift back into a past that is not from the story timeline, the narrative technique of flash forward differs by offering a glimpse of something to come that IS a part of the story timeline.
Example:
Why Should Your Child Use Flash Forwards in Writing?
In the competitive world of PSLE English, writing techniques like flash forwards offer several benefits:
1. Adds Depth to the Narrative: Flash forwards give the story a layered structure, showcasing your child’s ability to think creatively.
2. Engages the Reader: This device creates intrigue, encouraging examiners to stay invested in the storyline.
3. Highlights Writing Maturity: PSLE markers look for originality and complexity, and using flash forwards shows your child can handle sophisticated narrative styles.
How to Use Flash Forwards Effectively
To ensure your child uses this technique effectively, guide them through the following steps:
Flash forwards should be used sparingly and purposefully. A well-placed flash forward can create anticipation without confusing the reader. For example:
Present Scene: “Tears blurred her vision as Emma faced the steep rock wall. Could she really climb it?”
Flash Forward: “Years later, Emma would laugh when she recalled how terrified she had been of the climb that day, considering it the moment that taught her courage.”
This flash forward reveals the outcome without detailing the journey, maintaining suspense.
Guide your child to use clear markers to indicate the time shift, such as “In the years to come,” “Little did he know,” or “The day would come when…” These phrases signal to the reader that the narrative has jumped forward.
The key to a successful flash forward is to build intrigue without spoiling the story. Encourage your child to give enough hints to captivate the reader but save the full resolution for later.
Once the flash forward has served its purpose, bring the narrative back to the present moment seamlessly. For example:
Return Transition: “But that moment was still far away. For now, Emma had to take the first step toward the climb.”
This transition helps maintain the story’s flow while keeping the flash forward meaningful.
To get comfortable with this technique, your child can practice writing with prompts that encourage flash forwards. For example:
- Write a story about a first attempt at baking, with a flash forward showing a future as a professional chef.
- Describe a difficult school presentation, with a flash forward to receiving an award years later.
How Flash Forwards Create Better Compositions
Time traveling can be an awful lot of fun, however, when using flash forwarding as a narrative technique for writing PSLE compositions, students may find themselves in these common mistakes:
1) Often poorly executed
2) Students run out of time and don’t tie the conclusion up nicely
3) Students end up with HEAVY penalization in marks when they forget
4) Past and present tenses often get confused
During PSLE composition writing, originality and narrative complexity are essential for securing a top AL PSLE score. Students cannot afford to commit avoidable mistakes like those mentioned earlier. With WRITERS AT WORK, students can develop the confidence they need by mastering techniques like flash forwards, your child can write compositions that stand out from the competition. Our curriculum is tailored to Singapore’s education system, ensuring your child gains the skills they need to excel in the PSLE and beyond.
Furthermore, what a productive way to maximise the Singapore School Holidays, using it as the perfect time to enroll your child in creative writing workshops to hone these skills. A strong foundation in narrative techniques will not only boost their PSLE performance but also prepare them for future writing challenges. Whether your child is aiming to improve their AL PSLE score or needs support navigating the demands of the Singapore exam, our programs are designed to help them succeed. Sign up with the top tuition centre in Singapore to give your child a head start this school holiday season.
Prepare your child for academic excellence today! With the right guidance and practice, they can master techniques like flash forwards to excel in their PSLE English compositions. Let’s work together to unlock their creative potential with WRITERS AT WORK.
Attain Stellar Results with WRITERS AT WORK!
English is a compulsory subject which all students must undertake. However, mastering the English language is not something which happens overnight – it takes consistent practice and effort to learn the nuances of the language. Students must read more and practise writing to gradually improve. Cramming for a language subject nearer to the exams is an impossible feat. After all, Rome was not built in a day! Attaining such a skill will have positive implications for not only your child’s education in school, but also employment prospects in future.
At WRITERS AT WORK, we are committed to providing the smoothest learning experience for your child sitting for their English exams. With our carefully curated methods of teaching your child how to write well, your child will learn how to present their thoughts and arguments in a coherent and concise manner. WRITERS AT WORK reinforces your child’s language skills and provides a strong foundation for their academic success, keeping up with all aspects of their progress both inside and outside of the classroom to nurture them holistically. For more information about how WRITERS AT WORK makes a difference, feel free to explore our website, watch our YouTube videos and catch us LIVE on TikTok!
If you are interested in our primary English tuition and secondary English tuition in Singapore, WRITERS AT WORK has expanded to 9 convenient locations. To find the nearest location that suits your needs, please explore our options. If you have any inquiries regarding our range of programs or class schedules, please feel free to contact WRITERS AT WORK!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
1. What is Creative Writing in Primary School?
In primary school, creative writing starts from using pictures to develop a coherent storyline. Students will learn how to use key phrases to build tension and develop a satisfying conclusion. The plots of the stories crafted at the primary school level are usually simple and have a central conflict which is usually resolved at the end of the story. Students will need to use good grammar and appropriate vocabulary to describe the things they see in the pictures when writing.
2. What is An Enrichment Class in English?
An enrichment class allows your child to not only learn the basics of the mechanics of English such as good grammar and sentence structure, but it also teaches your child to appreciate the nuances of the English language. Students in an English enrichment class will learn skills like inference and critical reading – these skills are highly important even when students graduate out of school and go into higher education or the working world, as it will teach them to process and filter information to determine what is being said and evaluate the veracity of the information.
3. What Does a Writing Specialist Teach?
A writing specialist teaches your child how to formulate sentences in a logical manner. Writing has various contexts, and if the assignment is a narrative essay, there are certain requirements such as a well thought-out plot, fleshed-out characters, and a good denouement. There are other types of essays a student will learn in his lifetime, such as an argumentative essay, expository essay, and descriptive writing, which all require different skill sets learned during class.
4. How Does My Child Benefit From Writing Classes?
Writing classes build systematic thinking and logic in children. Crafting a story plot is the same as thinking, step by step, what events chronologically happen in the context of a given scenario. Students will be able to express their ideas and thought processes in a coherent and concise manner, which will help them in their other subjects as they will be able to formulate sentences to better understand the material. English proficiency is a highly transferable skill.
