100 IDEASFOR TEACHING ENGLISH

CONTINUUM ONE HUNDREDS SERIES

100 Ideas for Managing Behaviour - Johnnie Young

100 Ideas for Supply Teachers - Julia Murphy

100 Ideas for SurvivingYour FirstYear in Teaching - Laura-Jane Fisher

100 Ideas for Teaching Citizenship - Ian Davies

100 Ideas for Teaching Creativity - Stephen Bowkett

100 Ideas for Teaching English - Angella Cooze

100 Ideas for Teaching History - Julia Murphy

100 Ideas for Teaching Languages - Nina Griffith

100 Ideas for Teaching Mathematics - Mike Ollerton

100 Ideas for Teaching Science - Sharon Archer

100 Ideas for Teaching Thinking Skills - Stephen Bowkett

100 Ideas for Trainee Teachers - Angella Cooze

OTHER ENGLISH TITLES

Beginning Reading - Yola Center

Getting the Buggers to Read - Claire Senior

Getting the Buggers to Write - Sue Cowley

Teaching and Learning English - Richard Andrews

Teaching Literacy - Fred Sedgwick

Teaching Poetry - Fred Sedgwick

100 IDEASFOR TEACHING

ENGLISH

Angella Cooze

continuumL O N D O N • N E W Y O R K

Continuum International Publishing Group

The Tower Building 15 East 26th Street11 York Road New York, NY 10010LondonSE1 7NX

www.continuumbooks.com

© Angella Cooze 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproducedor transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic ormechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any informationstorage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing fromthe publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the BritishLibrary.

ISBN: 0-8264-8480-8 (paperback)

Typeset by Ben Cracknell StudiosPrinted and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd,Bodmin, Cornwall

C O N T E N T S

SECTION I Let's start at the beginning

| 1 | The English classroom 2

| 2 | Sentence types 3

| 3 | Getting more complex 4

| 4 | Adjectives 5

| 5 | Connotation: introducing implied meaning 7

| 6 | Nouns 8

| 7 | Pronouns 9

| 8 | Adverbs 10

| 9 | Connectives 11

| 1Q | What are you doing? Verbs 12

| 11 | Where do commas go? 13

| 12 | What's an apostrophe? 14

| 13 | More on apostrophes 15

| 14 | Where do speech marks go? 17

| 15 | Capital letters and punctuation in speech 18

| 16 | Ref i n i ng d i rect spee

| 17 | How do you spell . . .? Some troublesome words 20

| 18 | I can see clearly now - tips for improving handwritin

| 19 | Position and pen control 23

| 20 | Forming letters 24

SECTION 2 Writing

| 21 | Narrative - structuring stories 26

| 22 | Establishing character 28

| 23 | Creating atmosphere - reaction 29

| 24 | Creating atmosphere - place 30

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25 | Identifying metaphor and simile

| 26 | Literal versus metaphorical

| 27 | Formal or informal?

| 28 | Writing to describe

| 29 | Writing to persuade

| 30 All about me - what is autobiography?

| 31 | Me, me, me - writing autobiography

I 33 I Further ideas

SECTION 3 Introducing reading and understanding

| 33 | Close reading of persuasive text

| 34 | Who? Understanding character

| 35 | What is atmosphere?

| 36 | Atmosphere and association

| 37 | Atmosphere - putting the pieces together

| 38 | From film to book

| 39 | Introducing the class reader

| 40 | Exploring character

| 41 | Chapters

| 42 | Further ideas

| 43 | Showing understanding of character - empathy tasks

| 44 Establishing your character

| 45 | Structuring responses to empathy tasks

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SECTION 4 Between the lines - comprehension skills

| 46 | General tips 58

| 47 | Reading for clues 59

| 48 | Analysing an extract 60

| 49 | Reading body language 61

SECTION 5 Exploring poetry

| 5Q | Writing about poems - structure

| 51 | Rhythm and pace

| 52 | Introducing imagery

| 53 | Sound

| 54 | Further ideas for exploring poetry

I 55 I The poem as story

I gg I Explaining ballads

I 57 I Telling more stories

SECTION 6 A focus on plays

| 58 | General overview

| 59 | What is a play?

| 60 | Introducing key features of play texts

| 61 | Clues to expression

| 62 | Demonstrating understanding

| 63 | The 'S' word - introducing Shakespear

| 64 | Before reading the play . . .

| 65 | Ways into the play

| 66 | Focusing in on the play

| 67 | Exploring the play with film and music

| 68 | Further into the play

SECTION 7 Non-fiction

| 69 | Non-fiction text types

| 70 | In the news - introducing newspaper stories

| 71 | Broadsheet and tabloid

| 72 | Introducing audience and purpose

| 73 | Sell me your story - analysing an advertisement

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SECTION 8 Speaking and listening74 | General tips

| 75 | Lost in the jungle 95

| 76 | The balloon debate 96

| 77 | The instructor 97

| 78 | The individual talk 98

| 79 | The formal debate 99

| 80 | Story sharing 100

| 81 | The proposal 101

| 82 | The awards ceremony 102

SECTION 9 Drama in the English classroom

| 83 | Hot seating 104

| 84 | Tableau 105

| 85 | Thought tracking 106

| 86 | Role-play 107

SECTION I 0 ICT and English

| 87 | General tips 110

| 88 | Research and the Internet 111

| 89 | Drafting and editing 112

| 90 | DTP 113

I 91 I Presentation and interaction 114

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SECTION II Boys and Engli s

| 92 | General pointers

p93l ICTI 94 | Short and sharp

| 95 | Five

| 96 | Text choice

| 97 | Seating plans

SECTION I 2 Differentiation

| 98 | General tips

| 99 | Specific ideas

11001 Suggested reading

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S E C T I O N

1

Let's start at

the beginning

IDEA The 'learning environmen t' haphrase for a number of years. It is, however, more thanthat. When students walk into your room, they shouldfeel that they have entered:

o a classroom, a place of and for learning;o an English classroom specifically;o your classroom in particular.

Establish a clutter-free and organized room. Ensurethat desks, tables and shelving are used, mainly, for onepurpose. Exercise books, textbooks, novels, paper, pens,dictionaries and worksheets should have a specific place,preferably labelled.

Class displays should be current and well presented.After all, the prime reason for displaying work is toencourage a sense of pride in your pupils. This is difficultto establish with tatty and torn work from pupils whohave long since left the school. There is a place forkeeping some work as models, but this needs to be madeobvious. Display work in headed sections. If possible andappropriate, a considerable proportion should be markedrather than simply showing only pieces of work with littlerelevance other than as a display piece. This seems like alot of extra work, but ask for help - some pupils activelyenjoy creating displays.

Certain key terms or tips can be displayedprominently in the class. Those that you feel are mostimportant should be displayed on the same wall as theboard, as it is in this direction that pupils will be facingmost often. Make sure that they are in a clear, large fontand that there is some variety in the way in which theyare presented. Some may have accompanying visualimages or be in the form of a mnemonic, for example.Try to display as many as is practical. Pupils spend a lotof time gazing at walls - lost in thought, or simply lost.You may wish to include key literary terms, vocabularyalternatives for critical essays, simplified level descriptorsand common spelling errors. This really is a surprisinglysimple and effective way of helping information stick. Italso has the added effect of clearly identifying the roomas an English classroom.2

1• •HM

2Pupils' writing is much improved if they can move awayfrom simple one-clause sentences and use a variety ofsentence types. Recognizing this variety also sharpenstheir understanding of text. The following tasks are, inthe first instance, concerned with helping pupils toidentify different types of sentence (namely simple,compound and complex), and then move into using thisrecognition to write their own. Some tasks may not besuitable for all levels of ability, so select the level you feelmost appropriate.

S I M P L E S E N T E N C E S

Pupils may need to be reminded that a sentenceusually contains a subject and a verb. Give each pair ofpupils pieces of card printed with either a subject orverb phrase. Each subject should have a matching verbphrase. Pupils then put the pieces together to formsentences. Each pair can read out one of the completedsentences. Explain that these are simple sentences,made of one clause.

COMPOUND SENTENCESIt is useful here if pupils have already looked atconnectives/conjunctions as these will be necessary totheir understanding. Display to the class pairs of simplesentences which are jumbled up, such as:

I went shopping. The dog was covered in mud.Richard was great at football. I bought some books.The sofa was filthy. He was terrible at rugby.

Ask pupils to, firstly, work out which sentences gotogether. Their next task is to join them together usingconnectives to make one long sentence. Explain thatthese are called compound sentences and are made oftwo clauses, usually joined by a connective, and that eachclause could be a sentence on its own.

3

• •HM

Out of simple, compound and complex sentences this isthe trickiest, but some of the most common patterns canbe understood fairly easily. Display for pupils a tablesuch as the one below.

Subje ct

My uncle John

The crowd

Extra information

who is a soldier

which had beenquiet all match

Verb phrase

is coming to tea.

let out a roar.

Read through the table and ask pupils to copy it intotheir books. Give pupils cards with subordinate clauseswritten on them. In pairs, ask them to arrange themwith their original subject and verb phrase cards tomake complex sentences. Ask pupils to read out oneof their complex sentences and then add two of thesefurther examples to their tables. Focus the class on howthese sentences are formed.

Next, put a series of adverbial sentence openers onthe board. Ask the class to complete sentences such asthe following:

Although I had always been a vegetarian,Whilst leaning against the wall minding my own

business.

Finally, ask pupils to write one sentence of each typein a short passage about what they did at the weekend.Pupils can then swap their work and identify thesentence types in each other's writing. The importantthing to emphasize is that they should use a variety ofsentence types in their written work.

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The adjectives add more information and help createa fuller picture. Now add adjectives to the followingsentences.

The boy bought some trousers.The house was empty.

This sort of exercise can be developed and extendedad infinitum. For example, give pupils passages wherethe adjectives are left out and ask them to fill in the gaps.Try to get them to think about the effect created.Another exercise is to get pupils to describe something(or someone if you are confident that it will not turnnasty!) by adjective alone. For example, 'I am green,rectangular, chipped and scratched' may describe aclassroom door; or 'I am red, white, jolly and fat' maydescribe Father Christmas. If the class has difficulty withthis, allow them to use a set number of other word typesto help them along, but maintain the focus on adjectives.

Adjective use is not confined to narrative formsand it is important to instil in your pupils some under-standing of how adjectives are used in non-fiction texts,too. An effective and simple way of doing this is by using(real or devised) advertisements, holiday brochures orproperty descriptions from estate agents. Again, removethe adjectives from the texts and ask pupils to replacethem. Get the class to focus on how adjective choices areused as a form of persuasion.

5

Skillful recognition and use of adjectives in writing canenhance pupils' reading and understanding skills as wellas their own writing. Give the following information andtask to your students. Adjectives are words which giveus more information about a noun. They describenouns in more detail. For example:

4liH il

The cat sat on the mat.

noun noun

The fat cat sat on the dirty mat.

adjective adjective

This can be extended by pupils finding someexamples of adjective use in everyday life. For example,'crisp, delicious apples', 'smooth, clear skin' and'wholesome and filling meals for one' are the sorts ofadjective-use they should have easy access to and whichlend themselves to discussions about connotation.

6

5Many of the tasks in other sections of this book look ataspects of implied meaning and connotation. Pupils'understanding of layers of meaning is an importantaspect of their reading and understanding as well astheir own writing. The following suggestions can beused to consolidate work done in other topic areas or asdiscrete tasks. The stages can be altered or omitted asbest suits your class.

Display to the class a list of names of - real ordevised - cars or soft drinks. Read through the list withpupils. If you think it appropriate, discuss some of thenames, asking pupils for ideas about what is suggestedabout the car or drink by the name alone. Ask pupils toselect three and draw the car or soft-drink container asthey think best fits the name. For example., car namesmay include 'Rat', 'Cougar', 'Matador' or 'Cockroach'and soft drinks may include 'Sprint', 'VitFresh','Fizzbomb' or 'Swamp Juice'. The important thing is thatthe list contains product names which carry impliedmeaning and associations both negative and positive.

Next, ask pupils to feed back their ideas to the class,looking at the connotations they picked up on from theproduct name. Note down any images or ideas that aremost common or pertinent. Focus the class on thesuggestions they have made and what connotations havebeen evoked by the product name. Ask pupils to identifywhich names from the list they felt were most and leastsuccessful as product names, identifying the connotationsof each name and discussing the effects created.

lillM

7

IDEA

6Most pupils will have been familiarized with the parts ofspeech during Key Stage 2 (KS2). It is, however, a goodidea to check their understanding - both to reinforcetheir learning and to establish the needs of your class.The following can be used as an aide memoir or as thefoundation for class exercises.

Nouns are naming words. They are used to namethings, people or ideas/feelings and are often the mostimportant part of a sentence. Look at the followingsentences. Without nouns, it is difficult to make sense ofthem.

Fill in the gaps and see what different sentences youcome up with.

There are 3 types of noun:

o Concrete nouns - these name objects you can seeor touch; such as a book, a glove, a boy or a car.

o Proper nouns - these name particular people,places or things; such as Paul, Leeds, America orHarry Potter.

o Abstract nouns - these name feelings or ideas,such as anger, happiness, rest or tomorrow.

Look again at the nouns you chose to fill in the gaps.What type of noun are they?

These activities, and others like them, can beextended and developed as you see fit. For example,short passages can be read and noun types identified incolumns or replaced with others of the same type. Orthis work can be tied in with other aspects of writing,such as creating narrative, by emphasizing how differentnoun choices can create very different effects.

It is generally the case that most confusion arisesaround abstract nouns, so be sure to keep it simple atfirst. Perhaps get the class to differentiate on the basis ofthe senses - concrete nouns are experienced through thesenses whilst abstract nouns are not.

8

is a good for a

The went to the to get some

An understanding of pronouns, adverbs and connectivescan make pupils' writing more interesting and also helptheir analysis of text. Explain to pupils that pronouns areused in place of nouns and help make their writing moreinteresting and varied. Display a short piece of writingsuch as the following in which no pronouns are used:

Paul went to town to buy some shoes. Paul sawCarol and Paul and Carol went shopping together.Carol wanted to buy Paul a birthday presentbut Carol didn't know what Paul wanted. Pauland Carol stopped for a coffee and Paul andCarol's friend Ian saw Paul and Carol. Ian wantedsome cake and so Paul bought Ian and Carol aslice each.

Ask for a volunteer to read the piece aloud,substituting every instance of 'Paul' or 'Carol' with apronoun from the following displayed list: me, my, I,mine, she, her, hers, he, his, our, we, us, they, them, you,your and it. Pupils should note that by using onlypronouns the passage becomes equally difficult tounderstand. The identity of the subject becomes lost andmeaning becomes obscured. In pairs, ask pupils torewrite the passage again, using a mixture of pronounsand proper nouns so that meaning is clear throughout,but excessive repetition is avoided.

IDEA

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Adverbs can make writing far more effective. While theycan give information about when (e.g. yesterday) andwhere (e.g. over there) a verb occurs, pupils will be morefamiliar and comfortable initially with verbs used todescribe how (e.g. happily) a verb is undertaken. Preparestrips of paper in two colours. One set is to have verbswritten on them and the other, adverbs. Place each set inseparate containers and call willing pupils out in turn topick out one verb and one adverb from the containers.Pupils then act out the combined phrase withoutmentioning either word, and the rest of the class guesswhat is being acted out. Combinations may be asrelatively straightforward as 'skip happily' or as unusualas 'fish loudly'.

To consolidate the notion of 'how' and to introducethe 'where' and 'when' aspects of adverb use, a similarexercise can be used. Pupils are given a number of verbphrases - as a written or verbal task - and have to add anadverb which addresses how, when and where:

I play football enthusiastically. (How)I play football outside. (Where)I play football tomorrow. (When)

This can be reinforced through written tasks such aspupils filling in adverb gaps in a passage prepared byyou.

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IDEA

9An understanding of a variety of connectives orconjunctions can help pupils move away from stilted,single-clause sentencing and make their writing moreinteresting and sophisticated. It can also move pupilsaway from over-reliance on 'and', which can only be abonus for both pupil and teacher. Pupils are not alwaysfamiliar with the range of connectives, nor with therelationship between the two joined elements which issuggested by choice of connective. Display sentencessuch as the following:

Pat went to town and it was raining.Pat went to town because it was raining.Pat went to town although it was raining.

Ask pupils to work out how the different connectiveshave altered the meaning of the sentence and whichmakes most sense to them. Give pupils three sentences,such as those below, to complete using the connectivewhich they feel fits best:

I have to stay in my aunt is visiting.Our food was horrible we had a nice time

anyway.Andrew was happy Jim came along and

ruined it.

Pupils can then write two sentences with a missingconnective and pass them to the pupils next to them tocomplete. To reinforce this, pupils can then write fivesentences describing their day using a differentconnective in each one.

ii

IDE A Again, pupils should be familiar with verbs from KS2.Nonetheless, some revision may be necessary along withsome further work looking at verb choice and vocabulary.Remind pupils that verbs are 'doing' words, that is theytell us about what someone or something is doing; andthat some are plain to see, such as jumping or laughing,while others are not, such as thinking or remembering.

Ask pupils to write down how many verbs they 'did'yesterday. Many will be common to the class, such astalking or eating along with some others you wouldprobably be advised to guide pupils away from!

Write a selection on the board, interactive whiteboard(IWB) or overhead projector (OHP) and pick one as acategory heading. Write this on the board and, as awhole-class task, ask pupils to come up with as manyalternative or related words as they can: e.g. Eating -chewing, stuffing, swallowing, gnawing, gobbling,nibbling, etc. Ask pupils if the words have differentconnotations of what is suggested by each verb.

Once this has been completed, select three moreverbs for which pupils can create 'word banks' and askthem to choose one of their own. Pupils can feed back tothe class and a class word bank can be created. Pupilsthen select verbs from the word bank to completesentences such as:

Lucy to school.

Each sentence is to be written twice, using verbs withdifferent connotations. The task aims to encourage pupilsto think about verb choice both in their own writing andthat of others. Rather than simply identifying what a verbis, it focuses instead on what it does. It can be extendedby, for example, selecting situations, characters or effectsand asking pupils to select an appropriate verb. Withsome pupils, you may then focus on the inappropriate orunexpected verb, and ask them to discuss the effect thismay create.

I 2

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11The comma, like its flying friend the apostroph e, frequently seen scattered randomly over the page or notseen at all. Pupils need to grasp how the comma affectsmeaning if they are to use it with understanding.Write/display two sentences such as the following, writingthe commas in a different colour to the text:

The boys who were cold and tired were sent back -only the cold and tired boys were sent back.

The boys, who were cold and tired, were sent back -all of the boys were cold and tired and were sentback.

Any sentence can be used; the important aspect is thatthe comma must change meaning. Explain to pupils thatthe underlined part of the sentence is extra informationand so is separated from the main part of the sentenceby commas. Give the class further examples to punctuate,such as:

Lisa who had always been fond of Greg was shockedby his behaviour.

The house usually so clean was now a pig sty.

At least in the first instance, ask the whole class toidentify the 'extra information' that will need to go incommas. The sentence should make complete sensewithout the extra information. Once agreed, it can beunderlined.

Pupils need then to look at how commas can be usedto separate items on a list. Show them a sentence such asthe following:

She went to buy pasta bread oranges cat food sugarand cheese.

Ask a volunteer to add commas to the list and then askpupils to write their own lists which are to be punctuated bytheir partner. This can be extended to include, for example,compound sentences that consist of two clauses separated bya comma. These can be examined or whole passages can begiven to the class to punctuate. Consistently accurate commause will be very difficult for many, but with repetition oftasks such as these, pupils' accuracy can only improve.

ID EA

13

IDEA

12The apostrophe can cause all sorts of problems. Somepupils see them as a decorative flourish that adorns mostwords ending in V, while some will steer well clear ofthem for fear of being wrong. There are fairlystraightforward rules which apply to apostrophe usewhich will need to be taught explicitly if they are to reallystick. The following definitions and exercises are a baseupon which further tasks can be built.

The apostrophe has two main uses. The first iscovered here and the second in Idea 13. The first is: Toindicate missing letters. This is seen when two words arejoined together to make one. For example:

I am becomes Fm.He is becomes he's.Did not becomes didnlt.

The place where the missing letter would be is replacedwith an apostrophe, to indicate where the letter wastaken from. This makes meaning clearer and helps us toavoid confusing words such as 'were' with 'we're'.

Ask your class to rewrite the following sentencesusing an apostrophe to show how you have shortened thewords underlined:

Julie is not going to the beach.I cannot see the stage.The floor was not very clean.

Now try to do the reverse. Ask them to write thefollowing out in full, replacing the apostrophe with themissing letters:

Hels a good footballer.Natalie hadn^t been to Greece before.Ifs a long time until my next holiday.

14

It is usually the second type of apostrophe use whichcauses the most confusion, and pupils need to be taughtexplicitly where to place the apostrophe rather than justthe rule. Ask pupils to write the rule and explanationdown., but most importantly, get them using it. Thefollowing suggested rule and tasks can be adapted orextended depending on your class.

The second use of the apostrophe is: To indicatewhen something belongs to someone or something. Thisis seen when an apostrophe is put in immediately afterthe owner. An V is added too, e.g. Kate^s bag. If theowner ends in an s, you do not always add 's if it is notvoiced. For example. 'the boys! room5. You do notpronounce an V after boys, so there is no 's' added.Usually, you add the 's' wherever it is pronounced, e.g.Chris's ball. But this is the cause of some debate and itdepends on your own style. As long as you areconsistent, you will not confuse your pupils!

A simple way to remember when to put in anapostrophe is to ask the question: To whom or what does itbelong? Put the apostrophe in immediately after theanswer. For example:

Item

The chefs hat

Chris hair

The boys changingrooms (more thanone boy)

The girls bag(one girl)

To whom or whatdoes it belong?

The chef*

Chris*

The boys*

The girl*

Apostropheinserted

The chef's hat

Chris's hair

The boys'changingrooms

The girl's bag

IDEA

13

IS

Once this has been copied, ask the class questions tocheck understanding and then ask them to complete atable such as the following:

Sentence

The howl of the dogwas pitiful.

The face of the mountainwas treacherous.

To whom orwhat does itbelong?

The dog*

The mountain*

With anapostro phe

Pupils can then write five apostrophe-free sentencesof their own and pass them to their partner to punctuate.The pairs can then check their answers against the rules.

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14The use of direct speech in a piece of text, whenexecuted well, has many merits: characters can developtheir own voices; pupils can show understanding of morecomplex, internal punctuation (often a way to raise alevel) and writing is injected with more variety.Unfortunately, writing direct speech accurately can causepupils significant problems: speech marks may be used,but in the wrong place; capitalization is often forgottenand internal punctuation can be a mystery. It seems tobe that because there are a few rules attached to thewriting of speech, many pupils become confused andapply them inconsistently.

One of the most common and easily remediedproblems lies in deciding where to put speech marks.Pupils often place them around every word connected tospeech indiscriminately. For example, 'Simon said I amnot going to school and you can't make me.'

A quick and effective way to rectify this is to write anumber of unpunctuated sentences containing directspeech on the board. Depending on the needs of yourclass these can be graduated in terms of difficulty. Readout the parts of the sentence that are not direct speechand get pupil volunteers to read out what is actually said.This can then be underlined both on the board and inpupils' books. For example:

Simon said why should I go to schoolWell then replied Jo please yourself

Pupils can then, of course, put speech marks in place,using the underlining as a guide. This very simplemethod seems to be effective for many pupils, appealingto visual, aural and kinaesthetic learners.

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IDEA The next stage is ensuring capitalization is achis

does seem to be a very confusing rule at first glance.Pupils are taught throughout school that a sentencestarts with a capital letter and then they are told to startspeech with one too, even if it starts in the middle of asentence. It is, however, a relatively straightforward ruleto remember. Continue the exercise from the previousidea asking pupils to start speech with a capital letter, nomatter where it occurs in a sentence.

Simon said 'Why should I go to school5

'Well then' replied Jo 'please yourself

Punctuation is the next step and one that many findquite hard to grasp. To keep it simple, as a first stageensure that pupils remember to place a punctuationmark - question mark, full stop, comma or exclamationmark - at the end of speech inside the speech marks.Use a number of simple examples such as those belowand allow pupils to select which punctuation mark theythink fits best.

'What's for tea' asked Julie.Matthew shouted 'I won't play then'

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16The next stage is to separate the spoken word from thespeech tag by punctuation - usually a comma. Again,provide a number of examples for pupils to punctuate.Remember to inform pupils that a comma is not neededif speech ends with an exclamation mark, full stop orquestion mark and comes after the speech tag. A commais, therefore, always needed when the speech tag comesat the start of the sentence.

Simon said, 'Why should I go to school?''Well then,' replied Jo, 'please yourself.''Where is the canteen?' asked Ishmael.

The final rule for pupils to use is to start a new linefor a new speaker, remembering to put the wholesentence on a new line, not simply the spoken words.To ensure retention of these rules it is useful to ensurethat they have been used step by step to build up towell-punctuated sentences and that pupils have themwritten down in their books and refer to them frequently.Regular, short punctuation tasks can be used as effectivelesson starters or homework exercises.

Once these rules have been established, encouragepupils to develop their writing by, for example, selectinginteresting verbs for speech rather than simply relying on'said'. Perhaps create a class word bank of alternativewords such as 'screamed', 'suggested', 'yelled', 'sobbed','hissed' and so on. Cloze exercises using the word bankcan be developed showing how selecting more interestingverbs for speech can create more sophisticated andeffective writing. Ask pupils to consider the differentimpressions created by the following and then ask themto use the word banks to create their own variations onsentences you have provided.

Simon whispered, 'Why should I go to school?'Simon screamed, 'Why should I go to school?'

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IDE A While some spelling errors are quite unfathomable, thereare certain words which come up time and time again.Here is a list of ten of the most common: separate,independent, friend, library, immediately, beginning,sincerely, amount, definitely, occasion.

You are no doubt familiar with these and other usualsuspects already! Use this list, or devise one pertinent tothe needs of your class, as a spelling test or vocabularyexercise. Ask pupils to keep a spelling diary, at the backof their books maybe, where spelling corrections andtroublesome words can be kept.

Other than specific words, common spelling patternsor rules can cause spelling to go awry. Give pupils thefollowing rules to copy and test them on each section.The following tasks and exercises help to clarify some ofthe most frequently misunderstood.

THE DISAPPEARING 'E'

Why does 'confuse' become 'confusing' but 'care'become 'careful'? Generally, if a suffix (letters added tothe end of a word to change its meaning) begins with aconsonant and is added to a word which ends with an 'e',the 'e' will be kept and the suffix added on. For example:

engage + ment = engagementhope + less = hopelesssecure + ly = securely.

If, on the other hand, the suffix starts with a vowel, itis usually the case that the 'e' will be removed before thesuffix is added. For example:

believe + able = believableinvestigate + ion = investigationmove + ing = moving.

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17

SWIMMING OR SWIMING

Why do some words have a double letter added in the middle?Usually, if a word has one syllable and ends with one consonant,the last consonant will be doubled. For example:

ski]3 = one syllable and one consonant at end = skippingjump = one syllable and two consonants at end = jumpinghit = one syllable and one consonant at end = hitting

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I D E A For many pupils, word-processing has been a real boon.Not only can their spelling and grammar be checked - toquite unusual results at times - but their words can beseen clearly and unambiguously. While this is, on thewhole, a real benefit, it does not do away with the needfor pupils to be able to write legibly, both in class and inexaminations. While many individuals will find it almostimpossible to develop textbook handwriting -particularly during the hurried environment of theexamination room - it is possible to provide pupils withsome tips and exercises which will go some way tomaking their writing much more easy to decipher. Manypupils rush their writing and Ideas 19 and 20, whilst alittle rudimentary and old-fashioned, are aimed atencouraging control.

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Firstly, make sure that pupils are sitting up, with bothfeet on the floor and leaning forward a little but withouttheir heads near the paper. The paper should be in linewith the shoulder of the hand with which they write,rather than in the middle. Pens should be held by thethumb and forefinger, with the middle finger givingfurther support, but this can vary to a degree accordingto what feels most comfortable.

Ask pupils to practise grip and pen hold by movingthe pen up and down the page in diagonal and verticalstrokes, such as the following:

Try to ensure that the pen strokes are as regular aspossible and pupils are controlling their pens rather thanjust scribbling on the page. Similarly, ask them to drawsome controlled circles and waves, paying attention tosize and consistency. While this may seem a little lackingin focus, these exercises can help pupils develop a'motor5 memory. Think about how you sometimes needto write a word to check its spelling - that is your motormemory at work. Teaching pupils 'joined up' writing canhelp with their spelling, as patterns are learned andremembered even if a child may not know a spellingwhen asked.

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20Next, move them on to letters. Remember to focus noton notions of 'correctness5 as such, as handwriting is veryindividual, but rather on clarity.

Many pupils do not form their letters completely.Focus pupils' attention on the difference in size andrelationship to the line between, for example, 'd', 'a' and'j'.This needs to be emphasized, particularly as manypupils (often girls for some reason) write each letter thesame height and width, resulting in a difficult-to-read 'fatbubble' effect. Ask them to write the alphabet quickly,not joined at this point, ensuring that each letter isproperly formed. Letters with 'tails' should be roughlytwice the size of those without, as are capital letters. Forsome pupils, this sort of clarity will be improvementenough, but for others press on with tasks whichencourage appropriate joining of letters.

Show pupils the alphabet, on OHP, board or IWB,fully joined up. Point out diagonal joins, horizontal joinsand those letters that do not join. You may also want topoint out that a, c, d, e, h, i, k, 1, m, n, t, and u join to e, i,j, m, n, p, r, u, v, w, x and y but not to a, c, d, g, o, q, s, b,d, f, h, k, 1 or t. Or you may think that is a complicationtoo far at this stage! Keeping the alphabet on display, askpupils to write a selection of words that are joined in avariety of ways, such as: college, date, spoon, twist, should,jump, teach, week and jam.

Having already checked pupils' work during theexercise, select pupils to come to the front of the classand share what they have done. Extend the task by givingfurther words to write or a short paragraph. The timespent on each element and the degree of guidanceprovided will depend very much on the needs of the classor pupil. Do try to reinforce the skills developed here,perhaps by having a handwriting exercise as a lessonstarter and by praising those whose handwritingimproves the most. This is one area where practice reallydoes make all the difference.

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S E C T I O N

2

Writing

21It is sometimes thought that the 'story' is the form ofwriting most easily accessible to pupils. After all, theyhave been writing them for most of their school lives andare familiar with the form. However, the writing of agood story is not necessarily an innate gift and some ofthe basic mechanics can be taught so as to improve thestory-writing skills of all pupils. Many of the tasks inother sections, such as Idea 34 'Who? Understandingcharacter', and Idea 4 'Adjectives' can also be used toinform pupils' own writing. The following are additionalideas that can be used to focus pupils on features of agood story and encourage them to improve their ownwriting.

Put the class into groups and distribute three (very)short stories to each. Ask pupils to put the stories in rankorder and to write a brief explanation for their decision.Introduce pupils to the basic planning format of:

o opening;o plot/character development;o problem;o conclusion/resolution.

Read through one of the extracts with them,indicating how the story would fit this format. Pupils canthen write the plan for their favourite of the threeextracts using this format. You can use pupils' knowledgeof, for example, film or urban myth to reinforce thisplanning format. Give pupils a genre, such as the spookystory, and ask them to write a plan for their own storyusing the format.

Next, distribute the opening paragraphs from threestories - each of which should be effective in a differentway. Ask pupils to identify - individually or in pairs - keyfeatures such as: narrative voice used; any words orphrases that hint at what is to come; a detaileddescription of a place, person or object; openingsentence; any characters or situations that areintroduced; what action occurs. If possible, pupils cancomment on what effect any of these features helpscreate. Pupils can feed back to the class and share ideas.From the feedback, produce a list of effective elements.26

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Ask pupils to choose which opening they find mosteffective and use this to model the opening to their ownstory. If time allows, volunteers can read their storyopenings and pupils can raise their hand each time aparticular effect is noticed and explain what they havespotted.

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22Read through three descriptions of character with theclass. Ask the class to note how we learn about eachcharacter and a class spider diagram can be made on theboard from their observations, including points such as:how a character looks; what they say and how theyspeak; how other characters react to them; any imageryused to describe them, and so on. Distribute to pairs ofpupils cards that identify two characters; theirrelationship; basic characteristics and, most importantly,how you want readers to react towards the characters.Each pair can then write a paragraph that sets thecharacters up for the reader. Select paragraphs to be readaloud and ask pupils to note down how they feel aboutthe characters, and why they feel that way. After thereading, pupils can share their observations.

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Pupils need to inject detail and atmosphere into theirstories. Draw the outline of a body on the board. (IWB isperfect for this if you are lucky enough to have one.) Askpupils to do the same in their books, leaving plenty ofroom around their drawing for labelling. Initiate a briefdiscussion about how the body reacts when scared - forexample, hair stands on end, shivers run up the spineand so on. Label the body on the board with oneexample and explain that they will be given 5-10minutes to label their drawings with as many reactions asthey can. While pupils are engaged in this, it is useful tomonitor their responses and pick up on any particularlyinteresting examples you may wish to call on later - aswell as those you may want to avoid!

Once their time is up, invite pupils up to the board tolabel the drawing with one of their examples. When youfeel the labelling on the board is detailed enough, askpupils to copy down any suggestions they may havemissed, so that each pupil has a complete set of reactionslabelled on their drawing. This can, of course, be adaptedto fit other emotions, such as love. Pupils can then writefive short sentences featuring their observations.

IDEA

23

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24This is a follow-up task to the 'map of the body' seen inIdea 23. It can also be adapted to fit many types of storyor can be used as a stand-alone task. The focus this timeis setting. Draw the outline of a house on the board andask pupils to think about elements that could create ascary atmosphere. Discussion may be initiated by askingpupils to think about what scares them when they arealone in the house. Label the drawing with one example,such as creaking floorboards, or the eyes of a paintingthat seems to follow you. Again, pupils have between 5 to10 minutes to label their own drawings and then feedback to the class. Once sufficient ideas have beencollected, pupils can copy any suggestions they missed.

The two tasks are then brought together. Pupils are towrite five compound or complex sentences using theinformation found in their drawings. Write down twofeatures from the drawing of the body and two from thatof the house, then ask pupils to connect them to maketwo sentences, such as:

The trees brushed against the windows and the hairson the back of her neck stood on end.

As the door creaked open a shiver ran down myspine.

Be sure to use pupils5 knowledge from other lessonsto inform their writing. Effective dialogue; variety insentence structure; thoughtful selection of verbs, adverbsand adjectives; narrative voice and use of alliteration,metaphor and simile can all help to make stories moreeffective.

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25Pupils use metaphor and simile quite frequently,although they may not recognize it as such. Phrases suchas 'you pig', 'I am boiling', 'stop acting like a baby','pizza face' and so on are regular features of thesoundscape of a school. While pupils may use metaphorand simile with relative impunity, they need to under-stand how they are identified, how they work and how touse this understanding effectively in their own readingand writing.

Give pupils a definition for both metaphor and simile,emphasizing that metaphor describes one thing as if it isanother and simile uses the words as or like. Pupils needto write the definition in their books, along with anexample of each. Next, distribute a list of metaphors andsimiles. Pupils have to correctly identify each sentence.Class share responses and any anomalies or difficultiesare discussed.

Select a few common examples of metaphors andsimiles and display them to the class. Ask the class towrite down what each suggests, as well as the literalmeaning such as:

'You pig' means someone is dirty or greedy'(metaphor).

'You pig' means something is a pink farmyard animalwith a curly tail (literal).

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The class should note that metaphorical use is ver

different from literal. Metaphors and similes generallycompare two things that are different in most waysexcept for one. Direct pupil attention back to theexamples of similes and metaphors and ask them towrite alongside each example what element is beingidentified as similar. For example: 'You pig' comparesthe way someone eats to that of a pig. Ask pupils toselect the most likely comparison from examples such asthe following:

That test was rock hard:a) It was made of a solid substance, like rock.b) It was difficult to get through.c) It was sweet tasting.

My love is like the sun:a) She is big, round and yellow.b) She is gaseous.c) She is the centre of everything for me.

The sophistication of the examples used can vary ascan the level of support given. The main aim is toencourage pupils to think about what is being suggestedby a metaphor or a simile. They can also use this formatto write about metaphor and simile. For example, 'Thesimile "my love is like the sun" suggests that she is thecentre of the writer's universe.'

Display some sentence starters and ask pupils tocomplete them using metaphor or simile. For example:

Peter sprinted down the pitch like . . .Your hair is ...Her skin felt like . . .The dancers are . . .

Depending on the needs of your class, you may guidethem towards metaphors that do not use 'is' as a marker,such as:

My mind raced through the possible answers.

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26

He appeared, an angry bull ready to knock downanything in his way.

Pupils can underline any words that are usedmetaphorically and describe what effect the metaphor has.

33

One of the easiest ways to introduce the idea of informaland formal language is by way of the letter. Pupils shouldbe aware of the layout of a formal letter. Prepare a modelpair of letters that are based on the same basic subject,and distribute copies or present on IWB or OHP. Askpupils to write down the audience and purpose of eachletter. For example, Letter A is for a friend and isdescribing a holiday and letter B is for a customer and isselling a holiday. In a table, pupils then write down fivefeatures (as far as possible) from each letter that madethem come to their conclusion regarding audience andpurpose. This can include features such as layout,greeting, vocabulary and so on.

Feedback from this task is then used to produce ashort and clear set of class rules for formal and informalletters, which are recorded in pupils' books. Distribute toeach pupil a slip of paper with an audience, e.g.'grandparent', and purpose, e.g. 'Thanking them for thehorrible jumper they gave you (again) for your birthday';or 'Local newspaper' and 'Complaining about the messin a local park'. Pupils then write a short letter using thisand the rules as their guideline.

After a short while (try not to run the letter writingtoo long at this stage), pupils swap letters and decidewhat they think the intended audience and purpose areand to think of three reasons for their choices. Feed backfrom a selection to check rules are understood.

As homework or further task, ask pupils to write aninformal and a formal letter about the same topic, but todifferent audiences. For example, complaining about aneighbour's noise to your sister and to the police; a holidaypostcard to a friend and your boss; or the 'interests' sectionof a job application and an advert for a pen pal.

This stage lends itself to some of the speaking andlistening tasks in Section 8. Ask pupils to produce a talk fora given pair of audiences about the same topic. This canalso be a good time to remind them of the information thatbody language can provide and tone of voice. As a piece ofself-assessment, ask pupils to give five reasons for choicesthey made in their speeches and to judge which theythought most and least effective and why.

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28This type of writing is often more difficult than it seems.Pupils tend towards writing narrative rather thandescription and so this needs special focus. Prior todescriptive writing tasks, pupils should be made morefamiliar with word level exercises such as those foradjective and adverb selection.

Ask pupils to write the five senses in their books,leaving around five lines underneath each. Once this iscomplete, ask pupils to imagine they are in a familiarenvironment, such as the school canteen, and to thinkof what they see, hear, smell, taste and touch. Reinforcethe idea of paying close attention to everything theycan think of. For example, rather than the door beingsimply white, is it freshly painted? Graffiti-covered?Chipped and cracked? Most of the description offeredwill be of things seen or heard, but emphasize the needto create as complete a picture as possible using theother senses too. Complete a class spider diagram withall of their observations. These will include things likethe smell of vinegar and children shouting. Pupils thenwrite each of the observations under the appropriatesense in their books.

Next, ask pupils to write a short description of afamiliar place or thing using as many of their senses asthey can, but without naming what it is they aredescribing. Volunteers can read their work to the classwho then guess what is being described. For example,'Yet again it is packed full of people, jostling for just oneof the rows of cloth and metal seats. People aresquashed; standing pressed so close together that theycan smell each other's breath. It moves and some losetheir balance, shopping spilling out from bags balancedbetween knees.5

To continue the task, pupils can write about theirown rooms, for example. If suitable, these can beswapped and pupils can draw one another's rooms basedon the description given. The drawings can then be givenback to the pupil whose room it is to see if it is accurate.Any discrepancies can be discussed with the descriptionas the basis. Further tasks can also be set which establishthe notion of static or travelling viewpoint. 35

29Pupils are familiar with these types of text and thelanguage they use in their everyday lives. Advertisementsbombard them from every angle and many pupils arethemselves quite skilled in the art of persuasion! Manydo, however, find it surprisingly difficult to work outexplicitly how these types of text work. It is thereforeoften best to pick a few specific and familiar features ofpersuasive text and focus on these rather than riskmuddying the waters with an exhausting list of examples.This enables you to focus the lesson (s) on technique anddevice rather than simply spotting different text types.

Distribute, in whichever way suits you and your classbest, a glossary of persuasive devices such as: therhetorical question; rule of three; 'stick and carrot';hyperbole; repetition; use of emotive language, andflattery, etc.

Ask pupils to role-play in pairs the following scenario.A teenager is desperate to go to a birthday party at afriend's house. Their parent is adamant that, followingthe teenager's late arrival home after the last party, theywill not be allowed to go. The teenager's task is topersuade the parent to change their mind, using as manytechniques as they can. Many may find it surprisinglydifficult to sustain an argument for very long. Ensurethat pupils are familiar with devices so that they can beused to frame their attempts at persuasion. Monitor theexercise and select good examples to show to the re st ofthe class, asking the class to tick off any persuasivetechniques they spot.

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30Autobiographical writing has several positive elements,perhaps the most important of which is the fact thatpupils are given the opportunity to write about an area inwhich they are the expert. It can be a rewarding task thatcan be accessed by pupils of different abilities, and cancriticize a variety of skills and tasks. The followingsuggestions can be used in any order you feel mostsuitable for your class.

Explain what autobiography is (most pupils will havesome idea of this). Give the class extracts fromautobiographical works and read through. The textsshould reflect a wide range of styles and subjects. Ask theclass to identify key features of autobiographical writing.These should include the use of the first person;exploration of thoughts and feelings; one-sidedperspective; selection and editing; and so on, and can bemade into a set of guidelines that can be displayedthroughout the series of lessons.

Remind pupils that autobiographical works do not tellevery detail of a life but rather select key elements. Askthe class to think of a memorable story from their time atjunior school. Pupils need to consider why this is animportant memory for them. Is it humorous, sad, tense?Did it change them in anyway? Did they learn somethingfrom it? Did it change others' opinions of them? Pupilscan then share their stories in pairs. This can be repeatedto include memorable holidays, parties or school trips,for example. There may be a degree of sensitivityrequired in some instances as pupils' circumstances andexperiences may vary greatly.

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31Pupils can complete a timeline of their lives so far,indicating a key memory for each year. This can be usedas a planning tool for their own autobiographical writing.Pupils can also keep an image diary of key places andpeople. This may include sketches of their old school,friends or family members; photos; detailed descriptionsof bedrooms or favourite toys and so on. Ask pupils tobring in to class an object that holds strong memories forthem. (Be sure that parents are informed.) It may be aphotograph, a favourite toy, a gift from a grandparent, aholiday memento . . . the list is endless. Pupils can thenexplain to the class the reasons why that object is soimportant to them. Pupils can also create a coat of armsfor themselves using those things they feel representthem. These can then be used as display work.

Give pupils a plan to use for framing their ownautobiographies. This helps their writing have morescope and variety and also organizes the task intomanageable chunks. Some suggested sections may beearliest memories; first day at school; memories of juniorschool; my family; proudest day; my future, and so on. Ifpossible and appropriate, encourage pupils to researchtheir family stories.

Familiarize pupils with the format of a book. Payattention to features such as cover, title, blurb andpublishing details. Pupils can then present their ownautobiographies in book form, complete with reviews andauthor information.

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32There any many other tasks and ideas that can be usedwhen pupils are writing autobiographical pieces. Thesetypes of tasks can be very rewarding in a number ofways. For example, they allow the class to find out moreabout each other; they encourage pupils to reflect andconsider those events, people and things that are mostsignificant to them and why; and pupils of all abilitieswill be able to participate at some level, as the subject isknown to them, and pupils can explore a variety of texttypes and utilize a range of skills. The following aresuggestions that can extend and develop work on pupilsown autobiographical writing.

Ask pupils to bring in (if possible) a copy of their firstfavourite song or songs that remind them of specificevents such as their first school disco, a holiday orChristmas. Music can be incredibly evocative and pupilsoften find that their memories are awoken by oneanother's choices. In a similar vein, a more Proustiantake on the same task can be very effective, due to thefamously evocative nature of the sense of smell. In sealedjars, bring in evocative smells such as some fresh grass,baby powder, vinegar, pine needles, or generic bubblebath. Ask blindfolded pupils to smell a selected jar andthen to describe to the class any memories that the smellmay evoke. You can organize this in the way you feelmost suitable.

Pupils can interview one another using pre-preparedquestions. These can be then presented in eitherwritten form as a magazine Q&A, for example, or asa television/radio interview. Pupils can also produce aprint, radio or television advert for their autobiographies,selecting those elements they think will attract areadership and presenting them accordingly.

Pupils can use their drama skills to present aspectsof their life stories in a number of ways. Tableau andthought tracking can be used to considerable effect.Pupils can script key scenes from their lives and performthem in groups - the author acting as director. SeeSection 9 Drama in the English classroom for moredetails.

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S E C T I O N

3

Introducing

reading and

understanding

Distribute a piece of persuasive writing and have a copywhich can be displayed to the whole class on an OHP,IWB, or a very large photocopy attached to the board.Often, it is most effective to produce a text of your ownwhich contains as many devices as are appropriate foryour class, but if that isn't possible, select one which isappropriately pitched as very sophisticated persuas ivpieces are often too subtle for many pupils to appreciate.Try not to make the text too long - sustained focus isrequired here to identify the features that make the piecework. Read through the piece and ask pupils to identifypersuasive techniques in pairs or individually. Pupils arethen selected in turn to annotate the whole-class co py ofthe text. Any features which pupils missed can then benoted on their own copy. Using this text as a model,pupils then produce their own persuasive piece of wr it inon a topic selected or agreed upon by you for suitability.

Other tasks can of course be added to this basicframework at any stage. For example, individual featurescan be highlighted by sentence starters for 'rule of three'or 'stick and carrot' for pupils to complete; vocabularyand phrase banks can be provided as a writing frame; theintroduction to persuasive writing can be extended bylooking at a variety of persuasive texts, or the glossarycan be used as a task focus, with pupils asked to providean example for each feature.

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34A thorough understanding of character is the key intonarrative texts for many pupils. It is also a good way tobegin teaching close analysis of text, lending itself as itdoes to close reading and inference. We can find outabout a character in many ways - for example, what theydo and how; the way they look; what they say and howothers react to them. The following exercises encouragepupils to explore why they react to certain characters inparticular ways.

Have pupils read the following passages and thenanswer the questions underneath.

Steven shuffled into the classroom, his gaze fixedfirmly on his grubby, unfashionable trainers.He had always been small for his age - quiet, too.He hadn't just 'grown up and out of it' as hismum had promised him so many times.

'Maybe if I stay just here, they won't notice me,'he thought to himself.

There was to be no such luck.

'Nice shoes, Mouseboy! Look at them. Whata state!'

The whole class turned to look; their laughterturning his face an even deeper shade of red.

o How do you think Steven feels about entering hisclassroom? Which word or words make you thinkthat? What may this tell you about him?

o Do you think he has felt this way for a while? Whatmakes you think that? What could this tell us aboutSteven?

o What do you think his classmates think of him? Whydo you think that? What may this tell us about Steven?

Fill in the table (overleaf) with three words or phrasesto describe Steven. In the second column, write downwords from the passage to back up your point.

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Steven is . . . I think this because thepassage says . . .

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I D E A

35The same basic skills are used to understandatmosphere. Through close reading, pupils areencouraged to identify how a particular impression iscreated. While these tasks and skills are used here to aidunderstanding of text, they also help pupils develop theirwriting skills by showing them explicitly how writerscreate certain effects - skills which they can then employin their own writing. The following tasks help pupilsbuild awareness of how effects are created. Ask pupils toread the following sentence carefully:

Sara skipped through the sun-dappled woods.Birds sang sweetly from the lush, green trees andthe ground felt soft beneath her feet.

The picture created here is very sweet and pleasant,almost like a Disney film! Pupils are then to focus onhow just a few word changes can change atmosphere:

Sara crept through the storm-struck woods.Birds screeched menacingly from the bare,overgrown trees and the ground felt brittle beneather feet.T.

Just by changing a few words, a totally differentatmosphere is created. Ask pupils to do transform thefollowing sentence:

The school canteen was full of well-behavedchildren chatting quietly and the sweet smell ofdelicious food.

See if they can identify what kind of words are changed.Are they nouns? Adjectives? Verbs?

Many different parts of speech can be substituted tocreate new meaning and atmosphere. The most commontend to be adjectives, verbs and adverbs - all of which arecovered in other sections. Tasks can be devised - either asextension or for the whole class - that reinforce this. Forexample, pupils can make adjective or verb banks ofparticular atmospheric types or connections can be madeas to the connotations of certain words.

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36There is more to atmosphere than word choice alone,and more to analysis than identification and substitution.The following tasks help pupils to look at the part otherfeatures play in the creation of atmosphere.

Pupils make associations between seemingly unrelatedthings in their everyday life. Capitalize on this by askingthem to complete a table such as the following:

Emotion

Love

Colour

Red

Animal

Cat

Weather

Hot sunwith somestorms

Food

A big juicyapple

This can, of course, be extended or altered to covera range of emotions either pre-selected by you or of thepupils' choice. Discuss some of the selections and ask theclass to write reasons for all or a selection of theiranswer, which are in turn, shared with the class. Forexample, 'Love reminds me of a summer storm becauseit can be sunny and warm one minute and cloudy andstormy the next.' Try to encourage pupils to think abouttheir reasons carefully.

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37Once pupils have begun to understand that links such asthose in Idea 36 can be made, ask them to think for amoment about any films they have seen, which have, forexample, a scary atmosphere. Ask them to list somecommon features in pairs and then feed back to the restof the class. These may include features such as: thunderand lightning, a deserted building, dark places (setting),a stranger, a monster, an escaped killer, a main hero orheroine who saves the day (character), an ancient secret,hidden riches, revenge (plot), unexpected noises, surpriseelements, tense music, close ups and fast camera wor(devices), and so o-

Again, select some of these and ask pupils to writedown five, with reasons as to why they are elements of ascary atmosphere and how they work to make the viewerafraid. For example, 'A deserted building can be scarybecause no one can come to help you' or 'Dark placare scary because you cannot see what's coming'. Try toguide pupils to focus on presentational elements ratherthan simply focusing on gory content, and get them intothe habit of using the headings of character, plot, settingand devices as it will help them later.

Other types of film can be discussed as well as orinstead of horror, depending on your class, and the taskcan lead well into any work you wish to do on literarygenre.

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38Following on from the previous tasks, pupils can thenwrite a scene from a film which creates a scaryatmosphere. Many pupils are attracted to and familiarwith horror, just ensure that the content is suitable. Thiscan be done very effectively as group work, with eachgroup member allocated a particular role, such as'costume designer'. Again, ensure that pupils payattention to how their ideas are presented, rather thanfocus exclusively on content. Each group can give apresentation, discussing their scene and the decisionsthey made. If appropriate, the class can ask questions.

Many pupils will be far more familiar with films thanbooks and this knowledge can be used effectively. Pupilsmay, for example, find the creation of suspense throughfeatures such as music a good starting point to adiscussion of suspense. Similarly, the fast cutting thatgoes in a chase scene - often to a dead end - can providea good starting point for a closer look at sentencestructure - the fast cuts becoming short, sharp sentences.Both help create a sense of panic and pace. It is this sortof understanding that you want your pupils to aim for.Pick out some common stylistic elements or devices,such as those above, and discuss with the class how thiseffect could be created in a book. To help ensureretention, this can be noted in table form:

Film

Fast chase upstairs withcamera from onecharacter's perspective.

Book

Writing in the first personwith short sentences.

Pupils can then transform their film scenes into textextracts.

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IDEA

39Having selected your class reader, it is sometimesdifficult to come up with varied and engaging tasks thatwill enhance pupils understanding and also develop otherskills. While shared reading supported by apt questioningcan be an important part of lessons, it can quicklybecome repetitive. The following suggestions can beadapted to suit many texts and help pupils explore thetext in different ways. Apart from the first suggestion,they are not in any particular order, and can be used asand when appropriate.

Before starting the novel, pupils can use theinformation provided by its cover to predict what thebook will be about. Ask pupils to note down theirthoughts on what type of story they think it will be;where and when it is set; who the main characters willbe; and any ideas about plot they may have. If anyparticular themes are identified, ask the class for theiropinions. This sort of prediction task need not take muchtime and can be a useful way of introducing key ideas. Italso encourages pupils to develop their skills ofdeduction.

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40Below are three tasks for getting your students to explorecharacter.

Following a piece of detailed character description,ask pupils to draw the character, using the description astheir guide. Pupils can then write a few sentencesexploring how the description made them feel about thecharacter, giving reasons for their opinions. Similarly,pupils can create character fact files that contain adrawing and key information, such as age, family andinterests. These can be used in later tasks, such as writingnewspaper or police reports. While they may seem a littleoverused, newspaper and school reports can be effectiveways of recording key events and impressions.

Use hot seating as a way of exploring character.Allocate characters to pupils and ask them to prepare toanswer questions about a particular incident or theme.This can be organized in a chat-show format with severalcharacters appearing as guests, which will encouragepupils to think about relationships in the novel.

If a particular problem presents itself in the narrative,pupils can write a letter in character to an agony auntalong with a reply offering advice. Remind pupils towrite as the character, voicing their concerns in theirvoice. In a similar vein, a diary entry could be written, ora letter to a friend.

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41Focus on the first chapter of the novel and look at howgenre is established through setting, description,language and character. If no obvious genre isestablished, look at what atmosphere is suggested by timeof day, presentation of characters, description of placeand use of dialogue. At an appropriate point, give pupilsa photocopied section of text and explain whatatmosphere, for example, is created in the piece. Askpupils to underline any features that help create thatatmosphere. You then read the extract out and instructpupils to put up their hands and say * atmosphere' whenany element they have noted is read out. The pupil has toexplain their point, and, if agreed by the class, the pointis underlined by all. Once all features have beenidentified, they can be cut out (by you) and used as thebasis for a reading and understanding written task.

At the end of each chapter pupils could write a shortprediction for the following chapter. They must use allavailable knowledge so far in the novel as the basis fortheir prediction. Ask volunteers to read out theirprediction and get them also to state the reasons behindtheir decision. A discussion can then follow with otherpupils giving their opinion about the next chapter. It isuseful for pupils to keep a record of predictions theymake and to go back to them once they have completedthe novel.

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42Following a description of a place, ask pupils to write thename of the place as a heading and write down anywords or phrases that create a particular impression.Pupils then note how that impression is based on theirfindings. This can be extended by pupils writing an estateagent's advert or a brochure, for example.

Pupils can transform the novel into a film ortelevision series. This task is effective in encouragingpupils to select key elements of plot, as well as dramatichighs and lows, features of character, patterns of imageryand so on. Ask pupils to write an outline of their film,including setting, scenes, etc. If it is to be a televisionseries, ask them to think about where each episode willend. Pupils can cast their film/programme, giving reasonsfor their selections.

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43Empathy tasks are a good way for pupils to show thatthey have really got to grips with a character. It doeshave to be remembered, however, that this is essentiallya reading task and that, to gain the best mark they can,pupils need to show not only an understanding of thepart a character plays in a narrative, but also that theycan express thoughts and feelings that character mayhave and (for the top levels) use the voice of thatcharacter convincingly.

For all empathy tasks it is vital that pupils understandthat they are writing as a given character rather thanabout them. This necessitates them writing from thatcharacter's point of view rather than simply retelling thestory in the first person. Ask pupils to write down keythings that must be remembered when writing incharacter. These should include: using the first personthroughout; offering the character's viewpoint on eventsfound in the text and accurate setting, period andrelationships. It can be of great benefit to pupils if theempathy task has a specific focus. This could be a pointof high drama in the text or a significant event. Thisallows them to choose which other characters are goingto be important to mention and also to focus theresponse of their character more keenly.

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44Ask pupils to write down a 'fact file' containing at leastfive key facts about the character. These may include, forexample, name, age, marital status and occupation. Nextask them to link the character to at least three othercharacters in the studied text by the nature ofrelationship and any important information. E.g.

TVT Care giver _

Loyal, loving and secretive.Has nursed Juliet since shewas a baby. Only wants whatis best for Juliet, although thismeans she is prepared to gobehind her employer's back.

This stage can be differentiated by asking pupils toadd detail about the type of language, imagery or otherfeatures used by the character. For example:

Nurse: She is often distracted and will start one storyonly to go into another. Her lines are 'bitty', with lots ofpersonal anecdote and lots of punctuation such asexclamation marks and dashes. She sometimes usesinappropriate language.

The amount of detail added at this stage will depend onthe pupils involved and how much guidance and supportyou think they will need. To develop this idea further, seethe following idea.

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TVT Care giver Julite

To develop the previous idea further, pick a specific focusand ask pupils to make a spider diagram outlining how thecharacter may feel at this point. To continue with Romeoand Juliet, if the focus was, for example, the point whereRomeo is banished and Capulet has ordered Juliet tomarry Paris, the diagram could be something like this:

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Upset for Julietas she knows

how much sheloves Romeo.

Protective ofJuliet in the face

of her father'sanger.

NURSE'SFEEL INGS

Concernedthat Juliet makes

the 'right' decisionand forgets

Romeo

Angry and sadabout the death

ofTybalt.

The next stage is to decide what format the piece isto take. It could be a personal letter; an interview; astatement to police; a chapter from an autobiography ora diary entry. What is important is that the pupils areclear what type of text they are writing and are alreadyfamiliar with the format. Ask pupils to write five lines,in character, about one of the points they made in theirspider diagram. Check work and ask some pupils to feedback to the rest of the class. To extend this, now focus onlanguage features (this can be done earlier if

/ Worrin case Capuletfinds out that

she helped themv get t ogeth

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appropriate). Show pupils a typical piece of dialoguefrom a character and focus them on the most obviousidiosyncrasies or patterns. Ask them to write a simpleinstruction or statement in the style of the characterusing the same images, tone and patterns. Pupils canthen share their work.

Once you feel all pupils are clear as to the nature ofthe task, ask them to complete their piece of writing.

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4

Between

the lines -

comprehensionskills

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46Pupils will complete numerous comprehension exercisesduring their time in school, both in class and at each endof Key Stage examination. The tasks which help pupilswith their writing, such as adjective use, creatingatmosphere and so on, introduce the skills that pupilswill need to discuss in their analysis of texts. Remindpupils of these lessons and of how they create effects intheir own writing.

Some comprehension questions are 'what' questions,which ask pupils to retrieve information. These willgenerally be lower-tariff questions and so remind pupilsnot to spend too long on their answers. Higher-tariffquestions will ask pupils to comment on the 'how'questions about a piece of writing. They generally requirepupils to comment how a particular atmosphere is:reated, or how a character is feeling. To answer thesetypes of question effectively, pupils need to be trained inthe habit of looking for 'clues' in text and using these tosupport their comments and analysis.

If pupils do not already have one, give them aglossary of literary techniques and devices. Whileterminology by itself won't gain pupils marks, it does actas a good shorthand when they write about text andmakes their writing seem more sophisticated. Mostimportant, however, is that pupils can identify anddiscuss how text works.

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47Rather than give pupils a whole extract to analyse, givethem a piece of text which is broken into short chunkswith no more than three questions on each section. Youcan use any text you feel suitable or, to make sure thatthe devices are readily available to pupils, you couldwrite your own.

One way to introduce the idea is to base the textaround a mystery or treasure hunt, with textual clues tobe picked up throughout. This can help reinforce theidea of a 'search5 rather than a cursory reading. Forexample:

'Jason folded the piece of paper as small as he could andstuffed it in the secret compartment in the heel of hisboot. He glanced down at its previous owner, still andwhite. Tunny how they always look so peacefulafterwards,' he thought. Pausing for a moment, hewashed his hands, put on some of the man's cologne andquietly closed the door.

o What has Jason just done? What made you think this?o Has he done this before? What made you think this?o Why do you think he did it? What made you think this?

Continue in the same vein, setting questions aftersmall sections of text which encourage pupils to look for'clues'. At least for the first few sections, ask pupils tostop after each section and share their answers so as toensure that all are on the right track.

Some pupils' answers will be more detailed thanothers. They can be asked to go a stage further and lookat why the 'clue words' led them to their conclusion.

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48Following on from this, pupils can look at a wholeextract and focus on the specifics of a high-tariffquestion. Ask pupils to look closely at the question andany bullet points that may have been given as guidance,and underline the key words. They will use these wordsto structure their answer, using the bullet points asparagraph headings. They can then begin to structuretheir response in a number of ways. These could includeunderlining and annotating key words or phrases whichcould illustrate their answer. Remind pupils that theywon't be able to write about everything and so to focuson specific examples and write about them in detail.Pupils could also make tables with headings such as'device5 and 'effect created' and 'What x does' or 'Whatthis shows us'; or you could give pupils parts ofsentences to fill in with observations or quotations.

The formula used by many to structure responses ofthis kind can be an efficient base. It has many names:PEE - Point, Evidence, Explanation; SEC - Statement,Evidence, Comment; 'The Hamburger Method'; and soon. They follow the same basic format: 'I think that Jasonhas killed someone before [point]. I think this because hesays "they always look so peaceful" [evidence]. The word"they" suggests there has been more than one and"always" also suggests that he has seen more than onedead body.' [explanation]

These kinds of formulas are a good starting point toget pupils in the habit of justifying and explaining theiranswers. The problem is that in a long answer, theformula can become very repetitive and can limit someresponses. Provide pupils with suggested phrases thatthey can use in their writing to avoid repetition.

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49Pupils read body language everyday. We all recognizesigns which let us know how someone is feeling beforethey have spoken a word. A closer examination of bodylanguage and what meaning we can read from it can beof great benefit to pupils as readers and writers of text.

Ask the class to stand and shake their limbs gently.When they hear you shout an emotion., they are to freezein a pose which depicts that emotion. Call pupils'attention to any particularly good examples. This can beextended by, for example, individual pupils being givenemotions to pose for the class.

Put pupils into pairs and give them a series of threeor four emotions to split between them. These are to beacted out without noise as part of a sequence. Selectedpairs can show their sequence to the class who guess theemotions being illustrated.

Next, give pupils a text extract that has spaces forbody language to be added. Above each space, write theemotion that is to be presented through clues given bythe body. Pupils complete the passage, selectingappropriate body language. The passage is then readthrough with volunteers filling the gaps with theirselections. Pupils can then compile a dictionary of thebody, giving examples of body language and possiblemeanings.

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S E C T I O N

5

Exploring poetry

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50Some pupils (and teachers!) find that, while they mayenjoy reading and writing poetry, writing about poetry issomething of a chore, if not a total mystery. Pupils canbe taught about some features of poetry such as rhyme,voice, rhythm, sound, structure and imagery throughsome gentle exercises such as the following.

Pupils are quite likely to be familiar with limericks,and they can be a useful starting point for understandingrhyme and rhythm. Display a limerick on the board,OHP or IWB in prose form and read it to the class asprose, taking no notice of rhyme or rhythm. Ask pupils ifthey noted anything wrong and then ask a volunteer toread it out again. The rhythm and rhyme of limericksseems to be embedded in most children and so youshould have many volunteers for this. Ask pupils to writeout the limerick in their books in the correct format. Thenext stage is to ask pupils to come up with a set of rulesfor limericks. These should include number of lines;rhyme scheme and rhythm, or number of beats per line.They may also come up with some ideas about contentand tone, such as that the first line introduces a person;the next three set up a situation; the final line acts as apunchline, and that the tone is humorous. Pupils canthen write their own limericks using the rules as aguideline. You may wish to give some further support inthe form of line starters or ends.

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Before pupils begin to work on more complex metricalpatterns, a sound understanding of rhythm and how itcan be created is needed. As an introductory task, playpupils two pieces of music of different rhythms - obviouschoices may be a slow song outlining love 'gone bad',and a fast-pace anthem of defiance or joy. Rap music canbe useful here as the vocal patterns are so clearlyrhythmic. While pupils are listening to the music, askthem to write down any observations about rhythm andits connection to meaning that they can. Ask them tonote if the rhythm changes at any point and why theythink this happens; if any words or phrases are repeated;and if this repetition has a corresponding rhythm change.

To reinforce the idea of rhythm, ask pupils to tapalong to a poem such as 'The Badger' by John Clare,which has a fast, insistent pace that mimics the chasedescribed in the poem. With your guidance, ask pupils tocomment on how the fast pace is created - word and linelength, punctuation, sound and repetition. Pupils'observations should be noted on the board and on theirown copies of the poem. Give pupils a short list ofthemes or subjects and ask them to decide what kind ofrhythm or pace would be most suitable for each, withreasons for their decisions. It is important here that somelinks are made between structure and meaning.

Next, distribute two short poems that have quitedifferent, and quite obvious, patterns. Read out eachpoem in turn, emphasizing rhythm. In pairs, ask pupilsto work out how the rhythm is created, using their notesas guidance. Again, ask pupils to think about why acertain rhythm is used and how it influences orreinforces meaning. The poems selected will depend verymuch on the needs of the class. Some pupils will, at thisstage at least, need to be given poems that arestraightforward in structure with very clear links betweenform and meaning. Other pupils will need to bestretched by looking at poetry that has more complex,irregular or changing patterns.

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52Much of the work which deals with connotation,atmosphere and metaphor can be useful when looking atimagery in poetry. Simple tasks such as word substitutioncan provide pupils with a base from which to explorehow meaning is produced and connections made.Introduce the idea that imagery helps to create a picturefor the reader. Provide pupils with two pictures and anumber of strips that have written on them descriptiveimages that relate to elements of the pictures. Ask pupilsin pairs to attach the images to the pictures in the placethey think most fitting. Pupils can share their ideas andgive reasons for their choices. This can be developed bygiving pupils sets of different images and asking them todraw the scene or character as they see it from theimages given. Again, ask pupils to share their work andlook at how the images created certain pictures.

'The Fly' by Walter de la Mare can be an excellentstarting point for an examination of imagery in a wholepoem. It is structured as a list of similes and can be usedeasily and effectively as a model. Firstly, read through thepoem with pupils and give pairs of pupils one line toanalyse. Ask them to consider what impression is beingcreated by the simile. For example, a rosebud iscompared to a bed, which emphasizes its softness to thetouch. Write or display each line on the board and askeach pair to give their ideas for that simile. These canthen be recorded on the class copy. Once this iscompleted, talk to the class about what similes do -provide a comparison that gives us a particularimpression. Pupils can then write their own simile poem.Pupils can 'be' a fly and offer similes on things they mayencounter, which are not included in de la Mare's poem.They can use his lines as direct models, using the linestarters as their starting point, but offering differentsimiles or they can imagine that they are flying in a planelooking down at the landscape. Pupils can then swappoems and write down the impression created by eachsimile.

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53Onomatopoeia and sound imagery can also providepupils with a way into discussing poetry. Explain thatpoetry is often meant to be read aloud and that soundcan, therefore, play a big part in the impression createdby a poem. Display sets of onomatopoeic sounds and askpupils to come up what is being described. For example,'buzz, rustle, buzz, shriek, buzz, thud, thud, slap, slap,shriek5 - a wasp chasing someone.

Ask pupils to think about why certain sounds remindthem of certain things. They can then come up with a listof sounds from, for example, a busy supermarket, afootball match or a beach. Ask them to share their ideas,which can be used to create sound poems.

Pupils now need to focus on words which are notonomatopoeic, but which nonetheless create a particularsense impression. Remind pupils about alliteration andshow them a selection of words that they have to pair upusing alliteration as their guide. This can be extended by,for example, asking pupils to write lines of alliteration foreach letter of the alphabet, or short alliterative poems.Next, ask pupils to write lines which use alliteration for aparticular purpose, such as a lullaby or a pre-match teamchant. Ask pupils to focus on the sounds they will use foreach example - soft, sibilant sounds for a lullaby andharder consonant sounds for the chant, perhaps. Pupilscan share and discuss their work, exploring the effectscreated by sound.

Pupils can then look closely at poems such as 'TheListeners' by Walter de la Mare, or 'Beach Music' byDavid Johnson, noting any links they could makebetween the sounds of the words and their meaning.

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Directed activities related to text (DARTs), such as clozeexercises (text completion) and sequencing can be usedto encourage pupils to explore meaning. These sorts oftasks can be used to check understanding at the end of aseries of lessons on poetry or as introductory tasks. Forexample, give pupils copies of a poem with key wordsmissing. Ask pupils to fill in the gaps with words theythink most fitting. This can be used to explore extendedimagery or single images as best suits the class. Pupilscan then read their poems to the class and differencesdiscussed. Sequencing can also be used effectively.Divide a poem into segments and distribute to the class.Ask pupils to re-assemble the poem using clues they mayfind in rhyme scheme, rhythm, image patterns and so on.

If writing an analysis is going to be an end task, it isimportant to give pupils a framework for a criticalresponse to a poem. Give the sentence starters for theintroduction and then paragraph plans that guide pupilsto specific features. These plans can vary in level ofsupport depending on the needs of the pupil. They canalso be graduated - providing considerable support forthe opening paragraphs and then less as the essayprogresses. This encourages pupils to consider the poemas a whole, looking at how various features combine tocreate meaning. It also provides pupils with anintroduction to the kind of essay they will be expectedwrite as they progress through the Key Stages.

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55As its origins would perhaps suggest, the ballad can havemass appeal and is easy to remember. Give the class copiesof a ballad, such as cLa Belle Dame Sans Merci' by JohnKeats or 'What has happened to Lulu?' by Charles Causley,written in prose form and read aloud. Next, explain topupils what a ballad is: simple story; originally passed onorally, and event-driven rather than contemplative.

Put pupils into pairs or small groups and give each theballad in verse form, but cut into separate stanzas. Ask thepupils to sequence the ballad and then feedback to class.Once the class has agreed on an order, the ballad can bepasted to a piece of paper, large enough for pupils toannotate in their pairs. A class reading of the poem can beundertaken, perhaps using pupils to read out a stanza each.Ask pupils to consider the differences between the proseversion and the ballad, discussing which they found mosteffective and why. Display a series of questions, some ofwhich deal with content, but some which ask pupils to lookat structure, such as the following:

o What is the story of the poem? (No more than twosentences.)

o What characters are in the poem? How do you feeltowards them? Why?

o What do you think the mood or tone of the poem is?Why do you think that?

o Are any metaphors or similes used? What are they?What do they make you think of?

o Are any words or phrases repeated (refrain)? What arethey?

o Where is it repeated? Is there a pattern?o Why do you think it is repeated?o Is the poem broken into stanzas? If so, are they the

same length? Why do you think this is?o Do any of the lines rhyme? Is there any pattern?

The list can be extended to include, for example, soundimagery, line length, rhythm and so on. As the list ofquestions may be rather long, it may be a good idea to giveeach pair one or two questions on which to focus. Each paircan then feedback their answer(s), which can then beannotated on the displayed copy of the ballad and onpupils' own copies.

this establish an agreed set of key features for balladsthat can then be used to help pupils write their own.These should include features such as the following:straightforward story telling, four-line stanzas, refrains(repeated phrases), use of rhyme, rhythm and line length.Pupils can devise their own ballads with varying degreesof support. Some may need simply the agreed commonfeatures; others may need a story on which to base theirpoem, line starters and so on.

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aSK tHE CLASS TO IMAGE THEY AREV GOING TO DESCRIBE A

BALLADV TO AN wHAT WOULD THEY UP WITH?fEPM

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Other effective narrative poems to use at KS3 are'The Highwayman' and 'A Case of Murder' by VernonScannell. 'The Highwayman' is a tale of passion andtragedy that has some very effective visual imagery.'A Case of Murder' is similarly rich with imagery - bothvisual and aural - and has a slightly manic tone, whichdevelops throughout the poem. Read through the chosenpoem with the class and focus on key images andfeatures. Next, ask them to storyboard it individually.Drawing is not the focus here, so stick figures can beused if necessary - what you are looking for is a visualsense of the poem. Put pupils into groups and ask themto look at each other's visual ideas. Pupils are then goingto work on a performance of the poem. This can be veryeffective, but it does need to be managed well. Be surethat group dynamics are effective; if not, move pupils assoon as possible. Also, be sure that you are in anappropriate and safe space - it may be worth using thehall or a drama space for this activity.

Before pupils begin, give them guidelines to followregarding working as a group. Also, give them ideasabout how they can organize their performanceeffectively. They may choose to use a single narrator, or avariety of voices for different elements; they may wish touse the form of a news programme or a play as the basicstructure; they need to think of how they are going tocreate atmosphere; particular images and sounds willneed to be represented and so on. Each group is then toperform the poem. This can be used as a speaking andlistening assessment piece, and is best if completed overa couple of lessons if pupils are going to get the most outof it. I have seen a very effective performance of 'A Caseof Murder' as a mystery piece with armchair-seatednarrator and sitting room set!

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SECTION

6

A focus on plays

58Pupils, including weaker readers, generally enjoy readingplays as a class. It may be the participatory aspect, thevariety of voices, the short chunks of rehearsable readingor many other factors. This enjoyment needs to becapitalized on and directed if the reading of plays is to beas effective as it possibly can be. Many pupils are notfamiliar with the conventions of drama and the explicitdifferences between a play and a novel. The followingsuggestions are not specific to any particular play, but areinstead, broad ideas that can be altered and adapted asappropriate. Some tasks in other sections - such as Idea39 'Introducing the class reader'- can be used toenhance understanding. Hopefully, these tasks willdevelop pupils' ability to both read and watch plays withgreater understanding and to write their own.

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Distribute or display extracts from a selection of novelsand plays and ask pupils to identify them as one of thesetext types. Mind-map the pupils' ideas regarding thedifferences between a play and a novel. These shouldinclude textual aspects, such as the way each is presentedon the page or the type of words used (for example,novels will have more descriptive detail and can shiftquickly from place to place), alongside ideas aboutpurpose and form (characters names are written on theleft-hand side and no speech marks are used).

The class can agree on five key differences, but besure to guide their choices so as to ensure that importantelements such as stage directions and set are included.Pupils can then list each difference alongside anexplanation as to why the difference exists and whatpurpose it serves. For example, pupils may conclude thatplays do not need to have as much description as novelsbecause the audience can see characters and places.Pupils can share their thoughts.

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60Distribute a scene - from the play studied, another playor one devised by you - that has no stage directionswhatsoever. Explain to the class what stage directions areand who they are for. In pairs, ask pupils to add stagedirections to the passage that will influence the way inwhich the scene is performed. You can let pupils decidetheir own direction here or guide them. Stage directionsshould influence what actions are performed and how;setting and costume; and how words are delivered. Eachpair can swap their annotated extract with another pairwho can then act out the scene following the stagedirections. Having observed all or a selection ofperformances, pupils can write about two very differentinterpretations they have seen, noting how each waspresented and how difference was created.

Distribute to pupils the key events of a play incontinuous prose. Ask pupils to break the play up intoscenes. They must indicate why they have made a scenedivision - what indicators suggested it or what effect itmay have. This can lead to discussion about why mostplays are divided into acts and scenes, and pupils canwrite two sentences explaining their thoughts on thesubject. If appropriate, they can also offer their opinionsas to why some plays are structured without scenedivisions.

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61Stage directions aside, pupils will need to understandother clues to expression which can be found in text.This does not apply exclusively to plays, but is especiallyuseful here as their voices will be heard. Display lineswhich contain expression indicators such as questionmarks, exclamation marks and italics, such as:

Pat: So I'm going to the party?David: You do have one for sale after all.John: She's gone to town!

Pupil volunteers can read each line, putting in theexpression suggested by the expression indicator. Next,display the same lines, but with different indicators used,such as:

Pat: So I'm going to the party.David: You do have one for sale after all!John: She's gone to town?

Again, volunteers can read the line with appropriateexpression. Remind pupils that if they have lines comingup in a reading of a play and feel unsure, they can read alittle ahead and rehearse their line in their head.

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To reinforce or re-establish ideas about the differencesbetween plays and prose, ask pupils to transform a sceneinto prose. Be sure that pupils are aware of thedifferences beyond simply putting a character's name inthe margin. Characters and setting will have to beprovided through description; speech marks will have tobe used when characters speak; body language will beprovided in prose and an omniscient narrator candescribe how characters are feeling.

Similarly, pupils can put their knowledge about playsinto practice by producing a playscript of their own. Thiscan be based on a class reader; a given situation; be a'missing' scene or alternative ending to the class play,and so on. Again, pupils need to be reminded of the keyfeatures of a play script and some will need starting linesor a model on which to base their own script. Remindthem that the actors will have only their words to directthem and so they need to think carefully about theimpression they wish to create. Pupils can perform theirpieces if practical and appropriate.

Pupils can produce montages/posters which representeither the play as a whole, or particular scenes or acts.Each montage needs to include images that illustrate keythemes, events or issues and a selection of words/phrasesthat are integral to the act/scene/play. The design of themontage should be in keeping with the tone of the play.If appropriate, groups can each be allocated a differentkey scene to illustrate as a montage and these can beused as an effective class display.

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62i dea

Before a word has been read or a theme introduced,pupils will have an opinion on the prospect of studying aShakespeare play. Many of those opinions will benegative - making a daunting task seem even more hardwork. It is, however, worth remembering that thosefeelings are more often than not based in a fear that thelanguage will prove too difficult. As such, it is oftenuseful to familiarize your class with Shakespeareanlanguage before they tackle a play. Some of these taskswill be more suitable for your class than others and somemay need to be adapted in order to be effective.

A simple starting block is the use of the pronouns'thee', 'thy5, 'thou' and 'thine'. Give pupils simplesentences to translate such as:

I will take you shopping.I will take thee shopping.

Your bedroom needs tidying.Thy bedroom needs tidying.

You went skating.Thou went skating.

Note that 'thee' is used when 'you' is the object;'thou' when 'you9 is the subject.

Pupils often find this curious hybrid of Shakespeareanand contemporary English fairly amusing, which is agood icebreaker if nothing else.

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64Before reading the play give your pupils one or more ofthe following three tasks.

Give pupils a piece of Shakespearean text to read.This may be an extract from the play they are to study,or an unrelated piece of Shakespeare's work such as asonnet. What is most important is that it is manageable,yet stretching. Read through the extract with the classand, in pairs, ask them to work out what it means.During class feedback, focus on any images or words thatthe class may struggle with. Once meaning has beenagreed, ask the class, again in their pairs, to rewrite theextract in more modern English.

Pupils could undertake a guided research project onShakespeare and his times. This helps pupils gain aricher understanding of elements of the plays whichcould otherwise make little sense. This can also be usedto assess pupils' writing of information texts. As anintroduction, ask pupils to offer any information theymay already know, outline key facts and then give pupilsa plan outlining sections you wish to be included.

Most pupils will be at least vaguely familiar with thestory of many of Shakespeare's plays. Ask them to mind-map their ideas on the board. Pupils can then try toreduce their ideas to three key facts. If the class isstudying Romeo and Juliet, show pupils the prologue andask them to rewrite it in their own words.

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Many teachers find that their classes gain deeperunderstanding, at least initially, if the play is re-figuredin a more contemporary setting. While the adage thatShakespeare's stories are timeless may well be true, formany pupils this is obscured by the difficulty theyexperience in understanding the language. Put the playsinto a different context which can be more readilyunderstood by pupils. For example, Macbeth could bea based on a football team, a successful company organgland power struggles; Romeo and Juliet can betransposed to supporters of rival football teams organgs (you could show them the film of West Side Storyto illustrate this fact. See Idea 67 for more on using filmin the classroom.). This can be undertaken as anintroductory task, where the story is presented in moremodern form and themes, and characters and feelingsare discussed. Alternatively, pupils could write their ownmodern version, individually or in pairs, after readingthe play.

As another way into the play emphasize theimportance of opening scenes and what they can tell anaudience about the play to come. If studying Romeo andJuliet, look at the opening scene and split the class inhalf, with one half taking the role of the Montagues andthe other half the Capulets. If practical, let the class leavetheir seats and face each other as they say their lines. Ifsuitable, the class can be seated along Capulet/Montaguelines for the duration of their study of the play. IfMacbeth is being studied, focus on the witches and whatan audience may guess about the play based on theopening scene.

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5HBelow are three ideas for getting your pupils engagedfurther with the plays.

Romeo and Juliet, along with other plays such asA Midsummer Night's Dream, is littered with insults.Collect the insults together as a table and ask pupils towrite in the empty column what they think the insultsmean. If need be, you can provide a list of insults alongwith translations which the pupils have to pair up. Ifappropriate, ask pupils to discuss the effect of the insults- what is being picked up on? What may that tell us?What kinds of words are used? How do they sound?

Select two key extracts, one of which shows, forexample, the language of love and the other the languageof hate. Ask pupils to make detailed, guidedcomparisons, looking at types of image used,punctuation, sound and so on. Pupils can then select aline or image from each that they find most successfuland write three lines explaining why they found it soeffective. These can be then made into illustrated 'imagemaps' of the play, whereby key images from each sceneare illustrated alongside the appropriate quotation.

Groups can be allocated a character that they willfocus on, either for the duration of the play or forspecific scenes and tasks. In Romeo and Juliet, forexample, the characters of Tybalt, Benvolio, Mercutioand Romeo could be allocated to specific groups whotrack their characters during the pivotal fight scene inAct 3. Each group then feeds back to the class, using aptquotations to back up their observations of theircharacter's actions, intentions and thoughts.

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67Use film and music as tools to enhance learning. Filmcan be a valuable asset in the classroom, but it needs toused effectively. Simply sitting the class in front of thetelevision for two lessons is not the most efficient use oftime. Pupils often benefit more from seeing selectedextracts, always shown with the understanding that whatis shown is an interpretation rather than a definitiveversion. Ask pupils to comment on the presentationoffered, what is revealed or explored, how characters arerepresented, any differences between the play and thefilm and so on. If possible, use a variety of differentversions to enable pupils to compare and also to avoidthem associating the play so closely with one filmversion. For example the 'Romeo shoots Tybalt after thecar chase' and similar such comments that frequentlypepper essays.

Play appropriate background music quietly when keyscenes are being read or just before. This can help set theatmosphere and make the scene more memorable formany pupils. Pupils can also select their own soundtrackfor selected scenes using music provided by you. Givepupils a list of scenes and ask them to write which pieceof music is most fitting for a given scene, along with thereasons behind their selection.

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68Pupils should be made aware of key themes, images, etc.throughout the play. Create image, character and themelogs - on separate pages - which are filled in throughoutthe play. The way in which these are organized will varyfrom class to class, with some perhaps identifying andrecording key features, while others may offer varying levelsof analysis. Some understanding of features such as theaside and the soliloquy, and conventions such as tragedyand comedy would be beneficial to many pupils. Closereading of key scenes with graduated comprehensionquestions will, of course, be an invaluable strategy.

Select a scene and ask the class to provide detaileddirections for actors. Split the class into groups, allocateeach member a role - character or director - and give them10 minutes to rehearse their scene. Each group can performtheir scene, and the class can then comment on theperformance, asking questions about directing decisionsand commenting on what they found most effective.

At the end of the play, set up an inquiry into thetragic events that have occurred. Put pupils into groupsand allocate them roles. Pupils then prepare the defenceof the character and the part they played in the tragedy.If necessary, provide pupils with role-specific sheets withkey scenes and information, which will help themprepare their role. Each group will need a defence andprosecution. Each group can then perform their role-play. This is a very effective task, which can focus pupilsvery keenly on a character's actions and intentions. Thisworks equally well for many plays, for example Macbeth.

Similarly, other drama conventions can be used veryeffectively, such as hotseating; tableau and thoughttracking. These are outlined in more detail in Section 9,Drama in the English classroom.

The ubiquitous newspaper front page is also effectivewhen studying Shakespeare. The sensational nature ofthe plays' events lends itself to news stories. Pupils cancollect information throughout the reading of the playand use it to construct their news story. Ask them tofocus on what sort of angle their story is going it have;which characters they may have comments from; andwhich incidents are going to feature most prominently.84

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Non-fiction

I D E A

69This is a handy grid that can be used either as anintroductory task or as a revision task. It is by no meansdefinitive, but is a solid base upon which to build. Leavea variety of spaces blank, depending on where the grid isto be placed in a sequence of lessons, and to ask the classto fill them in. Ask your class to add another column thatwill list possible audiences for each type.

Some of these text types are looked at in more detailin the next few pages.

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Text type

Formalletter

Brochure/leaflet

Newspaperreport

Report

Advertise-ment

Purpose

To inform;persuade;explain.

To persuade;inform.

To inform.

To inform;recommend;discuss

To persuade.

Layout

o Date andaddress

o Introductiono Content

paragraphso Signing off

o Heading/slogano Illustrationo Bullet points or

short chunks oftext

o Contactinformation

o Headlineo First person noto By-lineo Introductory

paragraphsummarizingstory

o Paragraphs incolumns

o Direct quotationo Photograph

o Titleo Introductory

paragrapho Sub-headingso Conclusion/

recommendation

o Slogano Illustrationo Logo

Style

o Dear Sir/Madamo Yours faithfullyo Dear Mr/so Yours sincerelyo Standard

English anda variety ofsentence typesused

o Use ofexaggeratedor emotivelanguage andpersonalpronouns

o First person notused except indirect quotation

o Use of propernouns

o Logical structureo Lack of personal

pronounso Use of passive/

objective tone

o Persuasivelanguage used

o Personalpronouns oftenused

As is the case with most analysis of text, becomingfamiliar with the ways in which various text types workserves to inform pupils' own writing as well as theirreading and understanding. While visual image still playsa significant role in the effect created by a newspaperarticle, the emphasis is much more on the effects createdby features of language.

Distribute to pupils three versions of the same story.One version is to be written as a front-page newspaperstory, while the others may be prose, a diary entry, a letteror any other type of text you feel would be most fitting. Askpupils to identify which one is the newspaper story, writingfive reasons for their decision on their copy of the story.These will include elements of layout in the main, suchheadline, columns, image and so on. Pupils can then feedback to class. Next distribute three texts which have thelayout of a newspaper front page. Again, the subject can bethe same, but ensure that only one is written in the style ofa newspaper. The differences between the three can besubtle or quite obvious, depending on the needs of yourclass. Read each piece of text to the class and ask them toagain identify which they think is the newspaper story.

The results may be more mixed this time. Ask pupils togive reasons for their choice and record any correctobservations on the board. If possible display a class copyof the actual news story and use this to record a guidedannotation. Distribute a simple glossary of terms andfeatures to the class and read through it. Ask pupils toidentify five features from the list which can be found inthe front page. Pupils can then feed back to class andobservations should be noted on the class copy. Somefeatures may be more difficult to identify and will requireguidance. Features to identify may include: features ofheadline such as alliteration, pun or rhyme; any use of thepassive voice or tentative language; absence of first-personpronouns except in direct quotation; opening lines outliningstory; sequencing of story (often shifts between past,present and future rather than following chronologically);adjective use; and ways in which people are identified byname, age, appearance, job and so on. While you will beguiding pupils' observations, try to ensure that it is theirresponses that are recorded rather than yours.

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Distribute a copy of a tabloid front-page story to theclass and display to the class a list of terms, such asheadline, caption, byline, columns and so on. Firstly, askpupils to label the front page using these terms. On adisplay copy, label the front page using pupils' responses.Next, distribute a broadsheet front page - covering thesame story if at all possible. Pupils can again label thefront page and then move onto filling in a grid such asthe one below.

Ask pupils to consider the type of vocabulary used;tone; adjective use; sentence length; and types ofheadline. These can be recorded as comprehensionanswers or in a table.

Give pupils a selection of events and ask then to writefront-page articles about the same story for both atabloid and a broadsheet newspaper.

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Tabloid

Broadsheet

Numberof stonesfrontpage

Size ofheadline

Numberof wordsin headline

Size ofimage

Proportionof pagecoveredin text

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72Bring in a selection of coloured print advertisements thatare designed to appeal to a variety of audiences. Askpupils in groups to fill in a simple table, such as the oneoverleaf. Try to ensure that pupils focus not simply onwhat is being advertised, but rather on how the productis being presented. Pupils feed back to the class and thenare set questions that encourage them to comment on,for example, what features are made to stand out by useof bold or large type, what colours are used and why, andso on. Also, select key words or phrases from theadvertisements and ask pupils to discuss what responsethey are meant to elicit. Are personal pronouns used?Flattery? What is being offered if you buy this product?

Pupils can then put all of this into place by writing ashort advertisement of their own. They are to imaginethat they are writing a full-page advertisement, withillustrations, for inclusion in Ten Pal Monthly'.Theiraim is to attract as many replies as possible, withouttelling any lies! They can, however, present the truth ina more flattering way; for example, 'noisy5 could become'chatty' or enthusiastic'. They can use any illustrations orfonts they think will be most effective in creating theimpression they want to make. Structure will need to beconsidered. Are they going to start with their best points?Will they write a long paragraph or smaller chunks oftext? Are headings going to be used?

Pupils will need to consider what kind of pen pal theyare hoping to attract and use this to help inform theiradvertisement. Once completed, pupils can swap theiradvertisements and write down an analysis of oneanother's work, looking at what impression was created,how that impression was created and what elements weremost and least effective.

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;

2

3

4

5

What is beingadvertised?

What is the mainimage used?

What other visualfeatures are usede.g. font type andsize, colour, etc.?

What sort oflanguage is used?

Who would thisadvert appeal to?

Why?

NO

of the form - to persuade - and many will have someM ^^idea of the intended audience^ which will need juM fteasing out. What many have a difficulty wthe leap into understanding explicitly how an advert

works. The following tasks canclass. It can be useful to breakthe various devices employed in advertisements into two- language based and visual. Mreadily analyse the visual aspects of an advert and it is, therefore, helpful to begin we

istribute a variety of visual images and ask pupd°wn their immediate response. Ask them to notea

down reasons for that response under headings such asa colour, content, composition and s some phrases written in an incongruous font, such as:

Thieves staeal Ckristmas Resent

Super fun for teaa Ask pupils to select which phrase goes best

which font. Pupils can feed back to the class, gisons for their aaaaanswers. Guide them towards ideas ourpaose and audience.

AdvertismentsLife of most pupils they will nbe famliar with the purpose

9

IDEA

73

Speaking

and listening

8SE

Speaking and listening is not, in practice, am^H « curricular element, easily separated from reading orf Mm writing. These strands are, most frequently, all to be^^^L found in the same leM • inform those in another. It is, for examphard to differentiate firmly between the well-writtenI/} speech and the well-delivered one, and some fiQ- that a written essay can be a piece of a reading^» assessment. It remains the case, however, that ass. of speaking and listening is a feature ofPoS. It is also the case that in a Abusy timetable, th assessment of speaking aAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA that these lessons can appeal to many pupils, butskills may be the ones most utilized in the outside worald.

SoAme tasks that would be well placed aand listening assessment pieces are outlined in othersections - the Shakespearean courtroom in Idea 69, foexample. A few further suggestions are outlined below.As they are ideas for assessment, it is important thatpupils have been explicitly taught the skills and featuresof effective verbal communication in a variety ofsituations and for a variety of purposes. This will includefeatures such as body language; vocabulary choice;rhetorical devices; effective use of voice; techniques Aopersuasion and so on.

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This type of exercise is doubtless a familiar feature ofteam-building training. It is very effective as an assessment of skills of group work, persuasion, problemsolving and decision making, that pupils of all levels of ability find enjoyable and get a great deal out of.

Differentiation can be achieved through addingextension problems such as a group member who has abroken leg, or a river that needs to be crossed and so on. This task has also been used as the stimulus for a variety of writing tasks from the diary to the newspaper report.

Put pupils into groups of four and present them with the background story of the task, such as that their grouphas crash landed in the rainforest. Their small plane is wrecked and cannot be repaired. They do not know hao long they will be lost, nor the location of the neareast town or village. Each group selects from a list provided by you a number of items they wish to take to help them on their journey. They can only take items up to a certain weight limit and must, therefore, think carefully about their decisions. For example:

o 3 x blankets 4 weight units eacho 1 x flare gun 3 weight unitso 1 x box of waterproof matches1 weight uniaaato 1 x 6ft square tarpaulin 3 weight unitso 5 x 51tr water containers (full) 5 weight units eacho 3 x machetes 3 weight units eacho 1 x 12ft rope 4 weight unitso 100 x painkilling tablets 1 weight unito 1 x gas camp stove (full) 2 weight unitso 1 x book 'Edible Plants5 2 weight units

The list needs to be longer than this so as to give pupilsreal choice, but the above is a start. Limit their choices toaround 28 or so weight units. Monitor each group asthey make decisions and then ask each group to presenttheir choices to the class, giving reasons for theirdecisions. This can be continued by then giving thegroups a problem to solve using just those items theyhave elected to take with them.

idea

75

76This can be used in a variety of ways and is a goodindividual assessment piece. While persuasive languagewill be the focus, other elements, such as presenting information, can also be features. The basic premise is thateach pupil is given an identity, and then has to prepareand present a short talk justifying their place in the hot-air balloon. For example, occupational categories can beused so that a dentist, child minder, baker or bus drivermay have to persuade the class of their use to the group.Other background stories can be used, such as a newsociety being set up on a remote island, but the premiseremains the same - each pupil persuading the othersthey are indispensable.

LL

96

IDEA

This task can be used in a variety of ways and in avariety of groupings. As can be surmised, it tests pupils'abilities to give instructions. Pupils are told to imaginethat they have been asked to instruct an alien - who hasa basic grasp of English conveniently enough - to makea cup of tea; walk to a given point in the room/school/locale; make toast; buy a drink; and so on. If possible^arrange the task so that 'the alien' (perhaps you!)physically follows the instructions as they are given. Tryto be as literal in your responses to the instructions givenas possible so as to reinforce and test the ability to beclear and unambiguous when instructing.

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97

IDEA

98

78The individual talk. This old stalwart is not veryfashionable any more, although it certainly has its merits.It can be used to assess explaining and describing skills,depending upon the topics chosen. One of the benefits ofthis type of task is that it can be used to allow pupils achance to talk about something that interests them. ThatAsaid, it is still necessary for pupils to be given the skills soas to ensure that their talks have focus and engage theiraudience. This can be differentiated by applying furtherrestrictions such as given audience or purpose, which canhelp focus more able pupils more keenly on matters suchas tone or vocabulary.

Another idea is to use information and communica-tions technology (ICT) as a presentational aid. Pupilscan use PowerPoint, for example to help focus their talks.If ICT is to be used, however, ensure that the focusremains on the talk rather than technical proficiency. Besure to give time limits for talks and ask pupils to checktopics with you before they begin to research. Toonarrow a focus, such as Manchester City vs. ManchesterUnited 1982, can make for a talk of limited appeal unlessit is handled very skilfully.

IDEA

Debate can be a very successful assessment pieceand can be used to assess pupils' work in pairs orindividually. It is important that pupils are aware of therules governing debate if an all-out shouting competitionis to be avoided. Firstly, introduce the notion of debateas distinct from argument. Then give pupils a set ofsimplified rules and explain that the debates will begoverned by these. These rules should include:

a) The idea of a motion in the form 'this housebelieves that. . .'.

b) The roles of the people to be involved, whichshould be at least chair, proposer of motion andopposer of motion.

c) Strict time constraints, after which each speechmust end. This can be altered depending on theclass, but try not to make it too long.

d) The role of the audience as observer notparticipator. This can be relaxed in an organizedquestion-and-answer session after the debate if youwish.

e) Outlines regarding the form of each speech.f) A standard format for the debates, e.g. chair

introduces the motion and each speaker;proposer's speech; opposer's speech; summing upby chair.

For a first debate at least, it may be an idea to givepupils the motion to be debated and whether they will beproposing or opposing. Depending on the class, you canalso act as chair so as to ensure that the debates runsmoothly. This sort of task can be differentiated in anumber of ways such as topics to be debated; time limits;help with structure during preparatory stages and so on.Further elements can be added, too, such as 'points ofinformation' during the speeches or 'out of the hat'unprepared debates. The rule-governed nature of theformal debate can, if prepared well, provide a challengeto the most able pupils and a guiding structure for thosewho may struggle with English.

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79iDWA

80This is a simple, short and sweet activity which testspupils' listening abilities along with their ability to tell astory. Ask pupils to tell a partner an interesting, funny,scary, unusual or memorable story about themselves.This can fit in as part of a wider sequence of lessonsbased around autobiography or horror stories, forexample. Pupils then take turns to retell their partner'sstory. Give time guidelines to this as some pupils willsquash the story into two or three sentences, while otherscould happily fill the entire lesson up. Emphasize thatthey must retell the story in as interesting a way aspossible, creating atmosphere as well as recountinginformation. This can be developed further by reading ashort story or extract to the class which is written fromone character's perspective, or which focuses on onecharacter's feelings - for example, extracts from Boyby Roald Dahl or About a Boy by Nick Hornby. Pupilsthen retell the story from the point of view of one of theother characters.

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IDEA

IDEA

81Ideally, this group task will need a couple of lessons to bereally effective. Split the class into interest groups of fouror five. Depending on the scenario you choose, thesecould include teenagers; pensioners; environmentalists;parents and so on. Set a scenario for the class such asone of the following:

An improvement grant has been awarded to the localcommunity and various groups are invited to submitbids.

A shopping mall is to be built in the local area andgroups are invited to submit their views regardinglocation, suitability and so on.

The scenario and group identities can be varied tosuit your class. Each group then submits a presentationwhich puts forward their proposal. This should alsoinclude reasons why the proposals which may be put bythe other groups are less satisfactory. This task can bealtered and embellished in many ways. For example, adevised location and scenario can be produced, usingresources such as a map which identifies significantfeatures such as preservation sites, local schools andhospitals.

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82

102

This can be undertaken as a group or paired activity andhelps to focus pupils on making and justifying choices.Groups or pairs are given a category, such as 'BestFemale Singer'; 'Best Day-Trip Venue'; 'Best Meal in theSchool Canteen'; or 'Best Christmas Song'. Pupils thenhave to decide the nominations and eventual winner oftheir category. During the discussion phase, all opinionshave to be justified, rather than simply choosing a winnerbecause the most dominant force in the group hasdecided. At an end-of-task 'awards ceremony', eachgroup/pair announces the nominations and winner oftheir category and gives the reasons for their choice.

SECTION

9

Drama in the

English classroom

83This can be utilized effectively as a speaking andlistening assessment, or as a way of exploring character.Both the pupil in the hot seat and the rest of the classneed to have considerable knowledge of the character forthis to be effective. A pupil assumes the role of a namedcharacter in, for example, a studied novel and answersquestions from the class. While questions tend to becentred on information found in the text, the task can beextended to include broader questions and answerswhich are 'in character'.

If this type of task is to have real value, pupils need tounderstand that they are 'in character', and what thismeans. Events should not be the focus here. Pupils willneed to prepare by exploring the character in great depthto show their understanding.

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105

This is an effective (and quiet!) activity which helpspupils grasp a sense of situation and atmosphere, as wellas an understanding of the role of body language increating a particular impression. Essentially, tableaufunctions like a staged snapshot. Pupils are required tocreate a 'freeze frame5 of a situation and hold it. Themost effective of these will utilize, for example, differentlevels and create a real sense of the scene and reactionsto it.

Pupils can produce tableaux of different key scenesfor others to identify, or each group can producetableaux of the same scene and note the differences.

85This one tests and develops skills of empathy. Herepupils act a scene and then freeze in tableau. Individualpupils are then selected to voice the thoughts theircharacter may have at that particular point. It is lessrigidly structured than hot seating and requires pupils toreact quickly.

This type of activity requires students to react on thespot to events other than those in the text studied.Tableaux and thought-tracking, just as the other dramatechniques you can use in the English classroom, are notconfined to text-related activities but can be used toexplore character, situation, style and so on as part of afocus on language.

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IDEA

The old favourite! Role-play can be used in a variety ofclassroom situations and can be used to explore elementsof the curriculum connected to both language andliterature. Pupils adopt a role and interact with oneanother, exploring the limits and qualities of their givenrole and its attendant viewpoint. For example, acourtroom scene can be used just as effectively toexplore issues of blame in Romeo and Juliet as to providea convincing framework for a debate on school-leavingage. As a language-based exercise, put pupils into smallgroups and give them a card with a situation and list ofsuggested characters. Pupils can then write their ownshort plays based on the information given. Be sure todirect them to focus on how the play will begin and end;how each character will feel; how this is to berepresented in both words and actions and any dramatechniques they may wish to include. If possible, ask eachgroup to consider ideas for set and costume and to havereasons for their choices. This can be assessed as a voiceperformance or, if time and space allow, as a play. Pupilscan also create their own news programme based on aliterary text or as a language exercise. Ensure that thedifferent elements of the programme, such as weatherreport, local news, studio presenters and outside reportsare included; and that differences in tone, language andso on are noted.

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S E C T I O N

10

ICT and English

87As you are no doubt aware, the national curriculumorders for English outline the subject-specificrequirements for the use of information andcommunications technology (ICT) as part of theteaching and learning of English. Statutory requirementsaside, ICT can be a massively successful and, yes,exciting aid in the English classroom, both as apresentational tool and as an interactive learning aid.However, it is important to remember that not all lessonswill be better off delivered using PowerPoint or the IWB,and that ICT is used most effectively when it is used as aresource, not as the lesson itself. The following ideasprovide some pointers for those who have yet to have theopportunity to explore the possibilities afforded by ICTin the English classroom.

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I D E AThat the Internet is an invaluable research tool for pupilsand teachers alike goes without saying. What needs to beremembered is that the Internet alone is simply a tool,and its effective use in the classroom requires specificguidance and aims. The too-easily available plethora ofcoursework essays and unsavoury websites aside, Internetresearch can end up as an inefficient trawl throughendless pages with little actual focus. Try putting'Shakespeare' into a browser and the million-plus pagesthat come up can be daunting to say the very least. Whenusing the Internet with a class, the same rules shouldapply as they would to any lesson - clear and specificaims and objectives should be the sustained focus.

For example, to maintain the focus of the class andhelp keep their twitchy fingers away from games and ringtones, give pupils specific websites to search for particularinformation. If you are researching Shakespeare, have avery specific focus - his life, or the Globe Theatre, forexample - and arm your pupils with the addresses ofwebsites you have already checked for suitability, andtask sheets that can only be completed using informationfound on directed websites. This also allows fordifferentiation as pupils can be directed to different sitesand search for information of varying degrees ofcomplexity. Be sure, too, that the information is then usedfor a purpose - group presentations or comprehension,for example - rather than being an end in itself. There issometimes a tendency for lessons such as these to be alittle lacking in direction and, therefore, real purpose.The Internet cannot take the place of a well-plannedlesson. What it can do is provide an effective resource forthat well-planned lesson to succeed.

HI

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I D E A

89Word-processing packages can enable pupils to edit andre-sequence text efficiently. This in turn can enablepupils to make editing decisions which explore style,meaning and structure. Texts can be transformed to meetthe needs of different audiences and purposes, andspelling and grammar checks can help improve accuracy.This is not to suggest that word-processing is notwithout its problems. Often, pupils use word-processingsimply to produce a 'best' copy of an essay or piece ofwork. While this may sometimes be unavoidable, it is notthe most efficient use of ICT. The real worth of word-processing lies in its flexibility. Pupils should use ICT toenable them to re-draft and edit meaningfully, ratherthan simply as a typewriter. This can be practised by, forexample, giving pupils sequencing or editing tasks as partof their study of a text. Pupils need to be made aware ofthe limitations of spelling and grammar checkers. Whilethese features are valuable tools, they do not do awaywith the need for accurate spelling. Many spellingmistakes, especially of words that sound alike, may notbe picked up. Word-processing can also be usedeffectively in the creation of collaborative texts, wheregroups of pupils construct a text as a combined effort.This will mean saving and retrieving work from commonfolders, but it can be very effective.

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90Packages such as Publisher can be very effective inenabling pupils to gain deeper understanding of howcertain types of text work. They provide pupils with themeans to transform texts and to produce work which iswell presented and in keeping with text type. Pupils canproduce a newspaper front page based on a Shakespeareplay, create a leaflet for a local attraction or an advert,using images and text. As with any tasks of this nature,the focus must remain on the learning objective forEnglish. Ensure that pupils are well furnished withsufficient knowledge about the texts they will transformand create before they begin.

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91Presentational tools such as PowerPoint can be veryeffective in the classroom. As a teacher, you can presentideas and key points clearly and without turning yourback to the class. Many pupils respond well to the use ofimage, colour and sound that is available in presentationsof this kind. Avoid using too much writing in yourpresentation - key points should be flagged up withfurther information provided through talk. PowerPointcan be used interactively, too. Clicking on the barelyvisible triangle that presents itself on the bottom left-hand corner of each slide enables you to change thepointer to a pen. This can be used by you or by pupils toannotate text, add punctuation and so on. The IWB canallow pupils to interact with text in an immediate andcreative way. Pupils can sequence texts; design sets forplays; look at video clips of plays while reading text orquestions; create professional-looking adverts; annotateextracts as a class; listen to speech while completingexercises on accent and dialect - the possibilities areendless. The IWB allows pupils to transform, create,explore, organize, analyse, modify and model a widerange of text types.

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Boys and English

I D E Acause, cure and, indeed, even the actual existence of theachievement gap between boys and girls. Debates aside,English, whatever the reasons may be, is the core subjectwhere boys regularly do less well than girls. Years ofresearch and initiatives have yet to find conclusiveanswers or reasons for this, and it has to be noted thatfactors beyond the classroom are generally out of ourreach. Nonetheless, some strategies seem to help. It isdifficult to deal with as complicated and far-reaching atopic as this in so few words and more difficult still to doso without lapsing into stereotype, cliche andsuperficiality - all of which I doubtless employ in thefollowing tips. It must also be noted that many of thesuggestions that follow may be elements of a successfullesson per se, rather than one aimed specifically at boys.

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T h e d e b a t e s c o n t i n u e t o r a g e a s t o t h e e x t e n t , n a t u r e ,

92

The effective and guided use of ICT in the Englishclassroom seems to have a marked effect on boys'attitudes to tasks. Where possible and appropriate, try toinclude ICT as a meaningful part of your lessons. As wellas using ICT to present aspects of your lesson to theclass, give pupils the opportunity to use ICT themselves.PowerPoint presentations can be given by pupils;newspapers created using Publisher; effective editing andredrafting can be undertaken; Internet research; andinteractive lessons with the IWB can be undertaken.

IDEA

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Organizing lessons as a series of short, timed tasks iseffective in maintaining focus. Where possible, build upto the overall aim of your lesson through timed, directedactivities which last for no more than 10 minutes. Also,start lessons as soon as pupils enter the classroom. Havelesson starter sheets ready or have a short exercisewritten on the board before pupils arrive. Remind pupilsof the aims of individual tasks and of the overall lesson.Pupils respond well when given the opportunity tounderstand why they are doing something - boys inparticular.

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94IDEA

It has been found that many pupils and boys inparticular, respond to the organization of lessons aroundthe number five. This can include, for example: the five-part lesson; being asked to list five facts about a giventopic; having 5-minute tasks as a part of lessons; fiveparagraph plans; five questions and so on. While thissounds quasi-mystical, it is a surprisingly effectiveorganizing principle. Perhaps five is a number whichallows for a certain degree of engagement without beingdaunting and off-putting.

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96Given that boys as a group are less likely to read in theirspare time than girls, text selection can really matter. Itis a cliche too far to suggest that boys only like to readaction-packed stories with violent episodes and littlediscussion of feelings. Nonetheless, boys will tend toenjoy (or allow themselves to enjoy) certain types oftexts more than others. For example, a book such asThe Outsiders by S. E. Hinton can be a tremendouslysuccessful book with boys - particularly at KS3, eventhough it is, perhaps, quite dated and deals withemotional issues. It does have male protagonists anddespite its essentially moral tone, depicts the lifestyleof, and sympathizes with, 'rebels'.

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Many schools have implemented a boy-girl seating planfor English lessons and found this to be effective. Itseems to disperse 'pack5 elements and tendencies,amongst both boys and girls. While this may not beappropriate for every class and every lesson, it maywell be worth using for certain tasks.

Other seating plans can also be implemented, ofcourse gender isn't the only organizing principle you mayconsider.

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S E C T I O N

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Differentiation

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98Differentiation is a vital element of your teaching if allpupils are to meet their various potentials. It is also oneof the most time-consuming and complicated, andsometimes takes a back seat to the many other pressingdemands. Even if pupils are in sets for English, there maystill be a surprisingly wide range of abilities within thegroup, of a general or more specific nature.

In order to address this issue effectively, the startingpoint should be a survey of available data on pupils. Thiscan include SAT results, lEPs or ILPs, CAT scores,reading-test results; information from primary schools,LSAs and other teachers; and so on. While it isunrealistic to expect each teacher to undertake anexhaustive research project on each pupil, and this ismore of a whole-school issue, do try to use whateverinformation is made available to you, as it does save timein the long run. You will also be your own best guide, asmany problems can surface relatively quickly, either inclass or when work is taken in. The following ideasuggests strategies that you can try in the classroomdepending on the needs of your pupils. Some are generalstrategies and some are aimed at more particulardifficulties. They are rather broad, but should at leastprovide a starting point or a springboard for moreindividual support.

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o Avoid long-winded instructions. Try to makeinstructions clear, short and to the point, askingpupils to rephrase to check understanding. Do notgive more than two instructions at a time.

o Use your voice. Adopt different specific tones of voicefor various aspects of your lesson such as instructing,explaining, reading and so on. It helps act as a verbalsignpost.

o Use writing frames and clear structures worksheets tohelp support and structure writing. Provide models orsentence starters and break down longer tasks intoshorter, more manageable stages.

o Rather than simply start a class reader, ease pupils inby, for example: discussing its themes and makingconnections to pupils' own experiences or world;looking at the opening or another appropriate partclosely, and checking understanding throughfrequent, guided questions and discussions to ensurethat pupils are engaged.

o Avoid over-reliance on writing. Visual learnersrespond well to illustrations, graphs, colour codingand so on, to record or remember ideas. Similarly,some pupils respond well to practical, 'doing' tasksand others prefer tasks which are based on speakingand listening. Try to include a variety of teaching andlearning styles in your lessons.

o When preparing worksheets and resources, try tomake sure that your font is large and clear. Also, avoidovercrowding as this can obscure focus and lead toconfusion.

o Establish a regular organizational pattern coveringaspects such as entrances and exits; seatingarrangements; where work is kept; question protocoland so on. Within this basic framework, lessons can,and should, be varied, but a basic, established patternhelps pupils concentrate.

o Set questions which allow pupils to achievesomething. For example, have some 'spotting'questions as part of comprehension exercises or allowthose pupils who are least able to give their answersfirst in group activities. Perhaps frame questions sothat they get progressively more difficult, or involvemore sophisticated answers, and provide guidanceand support or allow pupils to answer in pairs.

o Set regular, achievable, specific, short-term targetswhich can be monitored easily. Praise achievementwhen a target is met and have high expectations.Similarly, set tasks which pupils can complete in thetime given.

o Don't be too reliant on the board. Many pupils findlarge chunks of board-writing difficult to follow. Ifthis is unavoidable, try to use different colours toallow various elements to stand out more easily andenable pupils to find their place.

o Play to pupils' strengths. Once you have worked outwhat works best for your pupils, give them the chanceto show what they can do rather than stick to formulasimply because it more comfortable.

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Below is some suggested reading on teaching English

Getting the Buggers to Write: 2nd Edition - Sue Cowley,Continuum 2004

A practical guide to improving students' writing skillsin the classroom.

Getting the Buggers to Read - Claire Senior, Continuum2005

Practical guide showing how teachers can improve theirstudents' reading skills.

Teaching Poetry - Fred Sedgwick, Continuum 2003Fred Sedgwick shows how meaningful the relationshipbetween reading and writing poetry can be and how itcan open the creative minds of young people.

101 Red Hot English Starters - Simon Adorian, LettsEducational Ltd

This is aimed at students between 11 and 14 andessentially does what it says on the tin.

Jumpstart! Literacy Games - Pie Corbett, David FultonPublishers Ltd 2003

Contains literacy starters and warm up games, which Aarpractical to use. Also contains photocopiable material.

Teaching Shakespeare - Rex Gibson, CambridgeUniversity Press 1998

Practical guide to teaching Shakespeare in schools.

English Teaching in the Secondary School - Mike Flemingand David Stevens, David Fulton Publishers Ltd2004

A guide to English teaching, which covers all the maincomponents.

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