In the English classroom How we did it – planning We began by looking at the curriculum. What KS4 content did students struggle most with? What vocabulary could we teach them to help them communicate their ideas more clearly? We looked at our literature texts, the demands of GCE English Language and then at our […]
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It started with a book… Closing the Vocabulary Gap by Alex Quigley is the book that started the Stretford High School English Department’s endeavor to improve our students’ vocabulary. Quigley opened the dialogue for a problem we knew existed but weren’t sure how to solve. His book clarified the classification of words we needed students […]
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Dr Marcello Giovanelli and Dr Chloe Harrison explain how cognitive grammar workshops developed into a pack of tried-and-tested resources. Style and interpretation Stylistics is the study of language patterns in text, and of the meaningful relationship between linguistic choice and literary interpretation. In this collection of classroom resources, we present a particular stylistic ‘tool’, Cognitive […]
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When Gavin Williamson announced the cancellation of all formal examinations this summer, it was arguably the biggest tremor the education sector had felt in recent history. Both teachers and students were rattled, experiencing a range of emotions including frustration, fear, relief and even a sense of grief over what had been taken away without negotiation […]
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Award-winning children’s author Christopher Edge shares strategies for talking to children about their reading Books can help children and young adults to make sense of the world, provide an escape from it and maybe, one day, inspire them to build a better one, so in these strange times, making space for reading in their lives […]
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While the lockdown could potentially be a perfect time to brush up on grammar, worksheets can be rather dry and uninspiring. Try these activities with lower KS3 to get them engaging with grammar. 1. Adjective treasure hunt Pupils conduct a treasure hunt where they have to collect items from around the house which embody particular […]
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Jill Carter’s strategies for maintaining student wellbeing and progressing English learning in a home environment Year 10 students are missing out on KS4 time and may do so for some time to come. Years 7–9 are also missing out on valuable class time. The content of the English curriculum is hefty even when students are […]
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Journey’s End is a tragic play and one with valuable lessons about the futility of war – but maybe none more powerful than those Hibbert seems designed to convey. Sherriff described his characters as ‘simple, unquestioning men’ but Hibbert is far from either. As a construct, Hibbert enables Sherriff to show that some of the […]
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Learning to ‘face a few responsibilites’ Working with a student the other day, I realised that writing about the character of Mr Birling in ‘An Inspector Calls’ is probably the most difficult. When teachers who have taught AIC for years tell me it is ‘too clumsy’, ‘too obvious’, ‘too preachy’, they are referring in part […]
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One of the worst things about being unwell is setting cover. Everyone has those ghastly days of knowing they are too ill to function in the unforgiving environment of a school. This increases at the thought of trying to set meaningful cover work for 5 or 6 classes. There are very few jobs in which […]
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