Book Check

Book Checks are aimed at considering the quality of teacher marking/feedback and the level of progress over time. In particular, we use Purple Pen time to allow students to work on their target areas for improvement.


Some students need to recognise that their books are a representation of their potential target grades and areas of strength. Before Parents' Evening, most students decide to complete their work a little bit neater or to give that extra 10% effort but by then it's usually too late. Students need to consider the quality of their notes and their presentation standards every lesson (and for their homework too).


Thinking in respect of ways to communicate the importance of their Purple Pen work and presentation, I've decided to use the following sticker to award students with a pride number...5 being the best! Let's see if it improves the level of care shown towards their books.

AQA English Language: Speaking and Listening PLCs

Pass
Merit
Distinction


These three main stages in the Speaking and Listening marking criteria are quite different. As a result, I've created skills based PLCs for our students to prepare them for this non-exam Speaking and Listening component.


In short, there are four main bullet points for the Speaking and Listening skills set. I've created the following PLCs which aim to give our students detailed self-reflection time. These PLCs are in draft mode right now as I will be using them in the New Year with my classes. I will change them accordingly to what I notice as their areas of strengths and areas for improvement.


Click on the image below to download yourself a copy!

Christmas Countdown Challenge update!

Click the image below in order to access the challenges all in one area for you to download.

Christmas Countdown Challenge

It's that festive time of year again. It's nearly Christmas!


On that note, I've adapted @heymrshallahan's, and @AccessMaths's, Countdown to Christmas revision idea for students. I've decided to place posters up around my department area each day with a new revision task for students to complete. If students complete 5 tasks to a good standard, they will be rewarded with a mystery prize. So far, my Year 11 students' competitive spirit is evident. I continue to post a new task, each day, onto ShowmyHomework online too.




Please feel free to download a copy of the tasks I've set so far by clicking on the images below:

Poetry annotation tracker for poetry anthologies.

I've designed this poetry annotation tracker as I've always wanted to have a quick way of monitoring the quality of my students' anthology annotations! It's like a bookmark. Students need to stick this next to each poem they've annotated in their anthologies. They'll then ask themselves if they've considered the poem's use of each literary term. The question mark option is to be ticked by a student if they don't know the meaning of a specified literary term.


Click on the tracker below to get your copy!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzOKbcWyKF4kNFFhVWVJMEthdHc/view?usp=sharing

10 day, random acts of writing, challenge!

10 DAY CHALLENGE

I've been seeing quite a number of 30 day challenges on the internet lately (thanks to Pinterest). Wouldn't it be great to create a 30 day writing skills challenge for our students? Perhaps we could create a 10 day random acts of writing challenge list. Well then, no time like the present! So here's a challenge list I made earlier. It will grow into a 30 day one soon. I intend to hand it out to my students before the summer holidays.

Download your copy of the 10 day challenge here!

Socratic Seminar AO cards for English Literature AQA 8702 Paper 1 Section A

Socratic Seminar question cards.

You can download your copy of Socratic Seminar cards from here!

 @Ms_WatsonBCS  kindly suggested using Socratic seminar cards tailored to suit mark-schemes at any Key Stage.

Her example included comparing two poems. The seminar was for a group of 6 students. The group was led by two G&T students who had been given the two poems beforehand for annotation. Once the leaders were ready to discuss the poem, front of their peers, their peers were each given a focus card. The rest of the group had to make notes on how the G&T leaders spoke about the poems. Each student was given a focus card.

For example: make notes on how the leaders discuss the use of language techniques in the poems.

I decided to adapt this brilliant idea for GCSE English Literature AQA 8702 AOs. I will give my class two extracts from The Crucible for annotation. I'll divide my students into groups of six. Two High Ability students will have a discussion about the two extracts (comparing them). The rest of the group members will be given an AO card each to analyse the HA students' discussion.


It's an ideal way of developing our students' speaking and listening skills as well as their awareness of the AOs.

You can download your copy of Socratic Seminar cards from here!