The one thing about the rules of grammar is that without context they ain’t much help Now I know “ain’t” isn’t a word that you would want to encourage in a child’s essay – unless, of course, you had a particularly precocious writer in the class who had already developed Read more…
The important link between fluid intelligence and learning times tables It has been argued that “crystallized intelligence has become disproportionately valued over fluid intelligence”, yet it is fluid intelligence that is closely linked to working memory and which is responsible for the ability to recognise patterns. It is therefore important Read more…
And how can we use this knowledge to improve our pupils’ level of reading? Too often it is thought that a fluent reader is a good reader but if your pupils have no or very little understanding of what they are reading, their ability to read (fluently or not) is Read more…
It is unlikely that reading ancient religious scriptures to your pupils will result in them forming a lifelong relationship with religion. But this might. It could be argued that the reason for young people of today being less religious than their forefathers is because there is an increasing disconnect between Read more…
Is it too much to hope that ALL your pupils will be fluent in their times tables? There is a reason why some of us can’t decode maths problems. An increasing understanding of dyscalculia among professionals has meant that pupils with the specific learning difficulty are getting more access to materials Read more…
Knowing good grammar is one thing but understanding grammar is something else entirely. The single most powerful way that one can express oneself is by using one’s own words. And whilst it may appear that young people can express themselves orally or in writing when explicitly asked to do so, Read more…
Gardening – Activities for 3 to 5 year olds For example, ask the children to fill several plant pots with potting compost and plant seeds or cuttings. Water them and place transparent, colourless plastic bottles which you have cut in half over some of the pots to form mini greenhouses. Read more…
It could be argued that any creative writing that your pupils are required to undertake as part of the curriculum is something of an oxymoron. You must encourage your pupils to think outside the box whilst providing evidence that they can use fronted adverbials, adjective-packed noun phrases, and other grammatical Read more…
Petites Étoiles – 2nd edition Introduce French to Young Children through Rhymes, Songs and Activities ★ Introduce young children to French language learning ★ Easy integration into your lesson planning ★ Accessible for specialist and non-specialist teachers alike ★ Comprehensive resource with cross-curricular links ★ Improves Read more…
Teaching painting can be daunting for the non-specialist. This set of three books ( for ages 5-7, ages 7-9 and ages 9-11) takes the hard work out of planning art activities. The books set out the progression of skills to be taught for colour mixing, colour theory, composition and using Read more…