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The rare vocabulary problem in English Literature
What is the connection between the following words: Coiffured, dowerless, sepulchre, docilely, spasmodically, ardour, lament, apoplectic, prostrate, care-worn, apoplectic, urchin, munificence, and extemporise. Sound familiar? Probably not. They certainly aren’t familiar to most pupils who first encounter them in GCSE English Literature texts (drawn from the 32 choice texts
Streaked tenrecs and improving reading
Have you ever seen a ‘streaky tenrec’? Probably not. For pupils sitting the key stage 2 SATs reading assessment, they likely met the tenrec and the wildlife of Madagascar for the first time. The first text for children to read in their SATs reading assessment was an informational text, entitled
The new school year and setting goals
The new academic year can be a time of promise for pupils. The promise of new teachers, peer groups, and the relationships that come along with it. Though there can be anxieties and worries too, it offers opportunities for a fresh start and newfound success. That time to begin afresh,
Does your study skills curriculum work?
Do pupils need to know about ‘working memory’ or ‘procrastination’? Will a ‘study skills curriculum’, or a revision programme, really make a vital difference? Each year it is common to see annual plans shared for study skills curricula. Whether it is a key stage three programme, more targeted at GCSE
Goal Setting and Building Cathedrals
How do we encourage reluctant children to successfully stick with a tricky task? How do we advise truculent teens to persist through a long and winding learning curve fraught with failure? These are the perennial questions we ask that are about how best to motivate learners to undertake the struggle
How to do disciplinary literacy?
How pupils read, write, talk, and the vocabulary they use in every classroom is specialist and unique. There are general words and literacy strategies to deploy, but as pupils move up through school, the language they use gets more specialist and subject specific. As a result, the language of the
Adaptive teaching or reasonable adjustments?
“Is adaptive teaching the same thing as ‘reasonable adjustments’?” I get asked this question often when working with teachers and leaders on developing adaptive teaching. It is no surprise, given they can often appear similar when applied to classroom practices that support pupils with learning needs. It is helpful for