Punctuation is something learnt by hearing and seeing rather than applying set rules. There are rules but they are not easy to teach. Here’s an example of an approach which you could try with other passages. The first recording is read in one breath without any pause and, by implication, without any punctuation, thus: As…
Poetry: The Ballad of Charlotte Dymond
Charlotte Dymond was a domestic servant who worked at Penhale Farm near Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. Matthew Weeks, a crippled farm hand, also worked there and was Charlotte’s boyfriend. She disappeared after walking out across the moors with Matthew and her body was found several days later by a search party. Her throat had been…
Shakespeare 400
To mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, the Globe Theatre has put together an extraordinary collection of events and performances celebrating the momentous work of William Shakespeare. 1616: A Momentous Year – includes lectures, special performances, talks and events from people all over the world, who will celebrate the life of Shakespeare. Visit the…
How to write a film review: Bridge of Spies
Please note: This film is a 12a Films are reviewed in newspapers, magazines and on websites. The promoters of films rely on good reviews to sell the film to audiences, often selecting just one word from a review to display in their advertising. The Indie Wire, for example, uses the phrase, ‘An earnest love letter…
Christmas English – A Cinderella story
Why was Cinderella such a poor football player? She had a pumpkin for a coach! Is there any better time than pantomime season to explore the wonderfully entertaining and diverse genre of fairytale with your Year 8 class? Oh no there isn’t! Our great resources use two very different versions of Cinderella to explain and…
Make Poverty History
Can they be Persuaded it’s Christmas? In 1984 Band Aid released the now infamous track ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ Since then the Make Poverty History campaign has raised awareness and funds all over the world for developing countries struck by extreme poverty. Why not take a charitable approach to festive lessons with your Year…
The Twelve Days of Christmas
“On the first day of Christmas, my teacher gave to me A lesson on explaining effectively. On the second day of Christmas, my teacher gave to me Critical understanding skills, Competence and creativity…” Twelve Days of Effective Explanations Would you like to give your students the gift of life-long skills this Christmas? Take…
SPaG for Life – Christmas SPaG
Elizabeth and Andrew have written their annual Christmas letter. Unfortunately they have a tendency to choose the wrong word when it comes to homonyms and, of course, the spell check can’t detect them. Here’s an extract from their letter with the 22 mistakes highlighted in case you miss any of them! See how many your…
Dickens’ Christmas Carol – The Phantom
Here is an extract from Dickens’ Christmas Carol. It comes towards the end of the story as Scrooge meets the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The aim is to help pupils appreciate the way the writer creates a sense of fear and dread and then to give them an opportunity to do the same….