Boy, Everywhere is a story of survival, of family, of bravery. It looks at the refugee crisis from a new perspective, and through Sami’s eyes shows that we are all one cruel twist of fate away from becoming refugees ourselves: it can happen to anyone. Historical context By 2015, the war in Syria had been […]
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I don’t know about you, but I look forward to introducing a new class reader with the various classes I teach. There’s something about the opportunity to share great literature with young people and also have the chance to share my own passion as a reader. It’s always enjoyable to challenge myself with a new […]
Read more‘Cultured…Engaged…Informed’. This vision strapline underpins everything we do in my English Department. Vocabulary teaching, naturally, plays an important role in fulfilling this vision. When we spoke to students about the disadvantages that poor vocabulary acquisition brings, the one that came up repeatedly was that of frustration – the inability to communicate that which is in […]
Read moreThis month marks Women’s History Month, as part of our celebrations we want to share this interactive timeline which shows some of the key dates and events which contributed to women gaining the right to vote in Britain. Taken from our Oxford AQA GCSE History: Britain: Power and the People c1170-Present Day Student Book (Second […]
Read moreFor almost 6 months students have lived a range of experiences, positive and negative, during the lockdown period. English is not a linear subject and is taught by building upon what is already understood, by securing and reinforcing key skills and concepts in a range of contexts and through a variety of texts, says Katie […]
Read moreWhile 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 […]
Read moreReading through the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework (EIF) [1] it’s clear that there are some implications for Science departments and teachers that need to be considered. In this blog I’ll identify three key issues and discuss them. The three issues are: The 3 Is: Intent, Implementation, Impact Key Stage 3: Two Years vs Three Years Science or Biology, Chemistry & […]
Read moreJill Carter dispels the popular myth that grammar is boring and explains why she thinks it should be revered by teachers and students alike. In the years I have spent around teaching, one of the main subject-related complaints of English teachers is SPaG. The main complaints seem to be: ‘I wasn’t taught grammar […]
Read moreWhile most know it as ‘DEAR time’, I would be inclined to refer to this Literacy initiative as Role Modelling Reading. The focus is on getting the students to read. However, my belief is that it is what the adults around them are doing that will really have an effect. It was during my role […]
Read moreOne of the biggest ‘why oh why’ questions in secondary school mathematics is the purpose of studying quadratic equations because ‘I am never going to need them in everyday life’. This irritating question is based on a sound premise. The applications generally offered to students to persuade them of the usefulness of quadratics tend to […]
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