A review of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Since my first moments reading before bed with my family, to running around my local library selecting anything that jumped out from the shelves, through to my current bookcase, the books I have read constitute a line which I can trace through my life. Many books point to different stages in my childhood, though there… Read More
Drawing from my past experience in learning languages, I have found that the key to learning is creating a bright spark of interest in myself. If I don’t like what I’m learning, then it feels like hard work, and I struggle to do it with enthusiasm or to push myself to learn as much as I can. As a teacher, it is only part of… Read More
In my P6 class, we have been working on our writing skills. Specifically, on what to do when we’re aiming for high marks on writing exams. We have discussed story arcs, character development and language skills. The student featured today has shown an admirable grasp of the material we have covered, with her work showing that she has planned the skeleton of her story out and followed it well, and… Read More
In a recent class we read a book called The Dragon Tree. It is a story about some children whose family dog is captured by a Dragon, living under a tree. At the risk of spoiling the story, it ends with the children successfully freeing the dog. After reading the story I asked my student (aged 4) to imagine what happens next or how the dragon would feel after… Read More
Occasionally, I read storybooks to my students in the grammar class. In my perspective, shared reading in a classroom is practised not only for fun, but also with the importance of connecting grammatical items like vocabulary to students’ existing knowledge. Take a look at my student’s work: It is a poster designed by a Kindergarten student. During the lesson, we’ve read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” together. We… Read More