I often hear and read about teachers ‘banning’ particularly words, which is rather dramatic (although, I am guilty of getting very frustrated with the word ‘shows’). Something that I will be doing […]
Improving Students’ Vocabulary
myenglisheffects
Sharing ideas and resources for English secondary school and sixth form teaching.
Writing a Scheme of Work: Top Tips
No doubt some of these suggestions depend on your school, team, ethos etc. but here are a few things I think about when planning a scheme of work (KS3 focus). A scheme […]
Sequencing: Literary Periods
Sequencing teaching carefully is very important in supporting our students’ memory and ensuring that we are embedding knowledge of context that will ultimately support any new learning that they do. Here is […]
In the Context of Love
Including observations on how contexts shape the meanings that students observe in the language, structure and form of the texts they study is often difficult to teach. The temptation to ask students […]
GCSE English Language Paper 1: Explorations in creative reading and writing
Question by Question Revision Section A Question 1 [4 marks] The bread and butter: Show the examiner that you can select relevant information even based on the smallest of details. AO1: Identify […]
GCSE English Language Paper 2 Writers’ viewpoints and perspectives
Question by Question Revision Section A Question 1 [4 marks] The bread and butter: Show the examiner that you can select the correct information, even based on the smallest of details. AO1 […]
‘An Inspector Calls’: Names as Memory Anchors
There has been lots of chatter and tweeting about students memorising quotations and contextual information for the new 100% closed book exams. It is a challenge to ask students to go away […]
Shadow of a Woman: The Separate Spheres
Having noted fairly quickly that AQA’s ‘Power and Conflict’ anthology features half as many female poets as it does male and that many of the texts available not only showcase the suppression […]
English Literature Paper 2, Section B: a reflective process
Now that exams are fast approaching, taking a structured approach to revision can be very beneficial: …Followed by, a great revision activity I’ve used recently: directed questioning. Students have the poem in […]
Guided Writing: Descriptive or Narrative
Teaching creative writing is a real challenge because so often it relies on richness of imagination or richness of experience. Many students lack both of these because they do not read or […]
