Category: Teaching and Learning

Using Reading Skills of Analysis and Evaluation to Help Students Plan Effective Creative Writing

When teaching skills of analysis and evaluation, it's quite useful to encourage students to analyse the effectiveness of their own work using some of the frameworks and structures we use to teach these skills. In one recent lesson with Year 10, we were looking at crime in Victorian literature ( this was to support them … Continue reading Using Reading Skills of Analysis and Evaluation to Help Students Plan Effective Creative Writing →

How do I get them to be ‘critical’ and ‘conceptualised’? A few ways to get students thinking about the GCSE Modern Text

As a department, we teach the GCSE Modern Text in this final term. I have taught Animal Farm for some years now but have, at times, found it a challenge to teach students how to be more critical and conceptualised in their responses. With so many excellent revision resources out there, students often prioritise the … Continue reading How do I get them to be ‘critical’ and ‘conceptualised’? A few ways to get students thinking about the GCSE Modern Text →

A Level English Teacher, ‘Try Me’ No.2: Introducing research skills for AQA Lit NEA

As a centre, we try really hard to get students used to being able to research effectively and to be discerning when looking at critical views. For our AQA A Level English Literature Non Exam Assessment, we teach all critical viewpoints in the critical anthology (Marxism, Feminism, Post Colonialism etc) and let them loose in … Continue reading A Level English Teacher, ‘Try Me’ No.2: Introducing research skills for AQA Lit NEA →

Comparative Judgement Trial and The Feedback Question

After listening to Daisy Christodoulou speak at the West Midlands Knowledge Hub last month and reading her book ‘ The Future of Assessment for Learning’, I decided to finally take the leap and trial ‘No More Marking’ in our department. As with every other English department (I’m guessing!) marking easily becomes unmanageable and it is … Continue reading Comparative Judgement Trial and The Feedback Question →

Three Ways to Step Up the Challenge at KS3 (NACE Blog)

3 ways to step up the challenge in Key Stage Three English Shortly before the half term break, I asked a number of Year 13 students if they could remember the moment that solidified their decision to study English at A level. The responses were interesting: some of them said it was a particular teacher … Continue reading Three Ways to Step Up the Challenge at KS3 (NACE Blog) →