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Tag Archives: english
Idea 228: Teaching Exam Technique With ‘Spoof’ Test Marking
I wanted to familiarise my class with the format of an upcoming test and the type of exam skills needed to complete it. The most obvious way to do that is to simply give the children a test to complete. … Continue reading
Posted in English, Mathematics
Tagged arithmetic, elementary, english, exam practice, exam skills, first grade, key stage one, key stage two, ks1, ks2, maths, tests
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Idea 227: Improving Handwriting with Guide Sheet
I do short daily handwriting sessions at my school, and the recommended resource we had was a booklet printed in green and yellow that split a standard writing line into 3 lines, to give space for ascenders and descenders. It … Continue reading
Posted in English
Tagged elementary, english, first grade, guide sheets, handwriting, key stage 1, key stage one, literacy, year 2
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The Best Thing I’ve Done with my Year 2 Class?
Poetry. Without a doubt. Particularly involving this utter piece of poetry gold: Everday after lunch, after I do the register, we spend a few minutes reading some poems. And the children LOVE IT! I say the first line of a … Continue reading
Posted in English
Tagged allan ahlberg, elementary, english, key stage one, literacy, michael rosen, poetry, primary, year 2, year one
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Idea 220: 5 Quick Plenary Ideas For Any Lesson
Below are some simple activities you can use at the end of any lesson as a plenary to check the level of understanding amongst your pupils and to spot any misconceptions that might have otherwise slipped you by. Sentence Summary … Continue reading
Posted in English, Mathematics, Miscellaneous, Science
Tagged elementary, english, key stage one, ks1, maths, plenary
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Idea 208: Poem a day
I’m trying to find as many ways as possible to slip little ‘extra bits’ of learning into the school day wherever I can, as I’m aware of how powerful it is for children’s long-term retention if I am able to … Continue reading
Posted in English
Tagged elementary, english, first grade, key stage one, national curriculum 2014, poem, poems, poetry, primary, routines, second grade, year 1, year 2
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Idea 201: The ‘2 Minute Check’, Simple Idea to Encourage Children to Start Writing Immediately
This is a simple idea to motivate your children to start writing immediately, mentioned to me by a colleague just the other day (hi Dave!). Once you are ready for your class to go off and begin writing, tell the … Continue reading
Posted in English
Tagged 2 minute check, elementary, english, first grade, key stage one, learning objective, literacy, starting writing, year one, year two
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Idea 171: Poem Based on a Friend
Pupils choose a friend to use as their starting point for their poem. Ask the pupil to think of answers to the following questions: If your friend was a piece of furniture, what kind would they be? What kind of … Continue reading
Posted in English
Tagged elementary, english, key stage two, literacy, personficiation, poem, primary
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Idea 170: Structure for Beginner Poetry
This is a scaffold to allow pupils who are just discovering poetry to get into the swing of things. I often find that the problem with creative tasks is that children don’t know where to begin, as there are just … Continue reading
Posted in English
Tagged english, key stage one, key stage two, poem, primary, SPaG, structured poem
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Idea 169: Soundscape Drama Technique for English
This is particularly useful for immersing pupils in a story and to help them consider all their senses when reading, rather than just focussing on what they see. Choose a scene from your book, then ask groups of pupils to … Continue reading
Posted in English
Tagged drama, english, key stage one, key stage two, primary, soundscape
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