Collins Schools

            
      Secondary English – A lot about a little
    
      Writing a lot about a little has been the mantra of exam boards for the last few years but I still find that my students struggle with it. Being able to zoom in on details in texts is a skill...
    
        3 min
      
        29/04/2013
      
      ‘Daredevil vs the Hulk? It’s just comma-sense!’
    
      “You think using full stops is hard!?” I asked one group of GCSE re-sit students the other day as they grappled with just two simple tips on what to look for when locating the end of a sentence – those being,...
    
        5 min
      
        06/12/2012
      
      Secondary English – Escaping the Ego-sphere
    
      It may sound like something out of Dr Who but, if anything, the Ego-sphere is the polar opposite of the Tardis.  It might look pretty big from the outside but it’s an extremely limited dimension when you are stuck inside it. 
    
        4 min
      
        19/11/2012
      
      Secondary English – Imaginative Writing
    
      We all know that the burden of marking and assessment is particularly heavy if you’re an English teacher. And yet one of the things that keeps us going can be those little moments of frisson when we read something that...
    
        2 min
      
        23/05/2012
      
      Secondary English – Grammar Rocks!
    
      ‘Mr Morton is the subject of the sentence, and what the predicate says he does.’ So says the catchy Grammar Rock anthem.  Never heard of it?  Then try typing Mr Morton into Google and see what you get. Yes, he...
    
        4 min
      
        13/02/2012
      
      Secondary English – Post-it Power and Pupil Voice!
    
      I love a Post It. I’ll admit it. I also get to do the stationery order (oh the joys!) so I order the boring yellow ones but also all the hearts, thumbs up, cars and smiley faces. These are hoarded...
    
        3 min
      
        07/02/2012
      
      Secondary English – Market Place Persuasion
    
      “Roll up, Roll up!” 
Teaching persuasive writing through role play
    
        4 min
      
        25/10/2011
      
      KS3 English – Creative Writing using drama
    
      My ‘be a better teacher’ resolution last September was finding a way of encouraging my Year 9 class to be more independent with their creative writing.
    
        2 min
      
        17/05/2011