Student writing improves when we embed writing instruction into every class. If, in every lesson, we consider how the focus of the session will lead to students writing and practising one of the key skills below, we ensure that our pedagogy is skills-based. In other words, writing becomes a routine part of our teaching because…
There are typically three reasons schools run a trial English exam:*It allows students to practise performing under exam conditions.*It provides students with information about their current level of performance.*It provides teachers with information about where their students are at.But when you closely examine these reasons, are they actually as convincing as they first appear? Let’s…
The persuasive presentation used to be such a reliable homework task for junior secondary school students. Because students are familiar with persuasive writing from early primary school, it’s a text type that we can reasonably expect them to be able to independently draft and polish on their own after some initial scaffolding and support in…
So often, grammar instruction focuses on getting students to follow the rules. But one of the most powerful ways to scaffold writing is helping students use grammar to make meaningful authorial choices. That might mean deciding:• which verb is most powerful in a persuasive sentence• which sentence structure best creates tension in a creative piece•…
Choosing the right issue to study with students can shape how successful a persuasive writing or analysing argument unit will be. Some issues are easier for students to understand, some provide richer debate, and others are useful because they connect strongly with students’ everyday experiences.Below are three current issues we have collected material about for…
Often in a film studies class, we explicitly tell students what different camera angles indicate. For example: a low angle shot establishes a sense of power or intimidation. There are three problems with this:1. It suggests that there is only one right answer (something that we really should avoid in the English classroom)2. It’s a…
Next week we’ll be running our annual English Graduate Teachers’ Day Out, where we’ll be sharing lots of practical, classroom-ready ideas for new teachers. One of the key themes we’ll be emphasising is the role of routines, systems and procedures — repeatable structures that support thinking, discussion and skill development. Establishing clear routines helps reduce cognitive load for…
Responding to an essay topic places a significant cognitive load on students. They must interpret the question, generate and select relevant evidence, organise their ideas logically and express them in clear, appropriate language. With so many moving parts, it makes sense to separate elements of the essay process and practise them in isolation. As English…
We all know that analytic verbs are important in text response essays. We want students to analyse and discuss how an author, construction element or text as a whole demonstrates, highlights, reveals (and so on) meaning. While these types of verbs are important to teach, there is another set of equally important verbs in text…
Vote on Macquarie dictionary’s word of the year Each year, Australia’s national dictionary – The Macquarie – votes on a new word of phrase that most captures the zeitgeist. There’s a bunch of contenders. You can go through a process where you: List all the words and first ask students to have a go defining…