English
Y11 Preparation for continued study English
We now have Google Classroom forums set up for heads of English, mathematics and science as well as attendance leads. The aim of these forums is to enable discussion of some of the key questions we need to address at this time. If, as a Lancashire English subject leader, you are not yet part of the forum or would like to receive the weekly English email bulletin sent out to English leaders in Lancashire, please contact: katy.mcwean@lancashire.gov.uk.
KEY STAGE 3
When setting independent home learning activities to complement live lessons, priority should be given to those activities that can be completed without a lot of support from parents or from extensive online packages/resources, as students will have varying degrees of support at home and varying access to electronic devices.
Students should be encouraged and supported to read as much as possible at this time. If students are in school, supplying all students with a reading book (as many as you can!!!) from the school library would be beneficial. Lots of free reading material can be accessed on line (see below). Providing accompanying age related reading lists might also be useful to students.
Though appropriate interactive resources for key stage 3 classes are limited, some useful interactive sites to support students are as follows:
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Daily lessons now available. Various activities on non-fiction and fiction texts including poetry and Shakespeare. Also, activities to develop specific reading and writing skills, as well as aspects of spelling, punctuation and grammar. |
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| Cambridge English | Designed for students learning English as a second language; however, lots of useful generic reading, writing, vocabulary, and spelling, punctuation and grammar activities. |
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Free key stage 3 online textbooks: - Spelling, punctuation and grammar pack - Fiction and non-fiction comprehension pack - Macbeth and Shakespeare pack - Writing diaries pack - Writing letters pack - Writing speeches pack |
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| Pearson eBooks |
English Language Text Anthology - Lots of extracts and tasks to complete. Skills for Writing - Various substantial creative and transactional units including writing dystopian fiction and newspaper writing. |
| National Literacy Trust | A variety of suggested activities to share with parents and carers. |
Some colleagues across the country are generously sharing work booklets on Twitter via these hashtags:
#teamenglish
#remotelearning
#closureresources
#homelearning,
Here are some booklets that can be downloaded from Twitter:
• Sarah Rogo on Twitter @sarskate86 – Various KS3 booklets.
• Lauren Fiddes on Twitter @lafiddess – Menu of KS3 tasks
The English and Media Centre is also making their 'Key Stage 3 Home Learning Pack' available for free at the moment. This can be downloaded from their website:
https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/publications/free-key-stage-3-and-home-learning-pack
Kate Oliver has also written a useful blog on the English and Media Centre website about creating a remote community of learners as an English teacher.
Also, the following are currently providing free key stage 3 resources, though normally subscription sites:
https://www.teachitenglish.co.uk/
READING
Students should be encouraged to take this opportunity to read as much as possible. If students have limited access to bound books, reading material can be downloaded for free here:
• LANCASHIRE LIBRARIES (if students have a library card) eBooks. Also, audio versions are available.
• LANCASHIRE LIBRARIES. Free articles to read. Newspapers and magazines are also free to access.
• Gutenberg Free eBooks (for copies of GCSE texts)
• Audible - Currently various free audio books for young people.
• World Book Day - three free teen books available to download for free: Me Mam.Me Dad.Me. Snowflake A-Z, Siege
• Kindle app — lots of free books available.
• BBC Classic Stories - Audio versions of key classic works of literature.
• Open library - have to create an account.
• MyOn has made lots of fiction and non-fiction eBooks available - suited to developing readers. Some classics as graphic novels are available i.e. Macbeth, A Christmas Carol.
• Epic! American company aimed at readers under 12, but might be useful for students whose reading age is below their chronological age. Is a subscription site but it's offering free access until the end of June.
• Also, various authors are reading their books online on various platforms such as RJ Palacio reading 'Wonder' and David Walliams at 11 everyday. (See here for other examples:https://www.weareteachers.com/virtual-author-activities/).
• First News (limited access) and The Day provide access to 'children friendly' topical news articles. Also, BBC Newsround can be an age appropriate and easily digestible means of accessing news for students to stay informed: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround.
READING RECOMMENDATIONS
Websites like goodreads, worldbookday (also worldbookday favourite stories for teens and 50 Books That Will Change Your Life) and lovereading4schools might support students who are not sure what to read next.
100 Novels that changed the World on the BBC is also a good starting point for older, enthusiastic readers.
Teachers are also posting recommendations on Twitter e.g. @AVisserFuray (pinned tweet - booklist) and various tasks linked to reading e.g. @AnansiRyans home reading tasks. Furthermore, the Lancashire Book of the Year 2020 shortlist might provide some ideas for teenagers about what to read next, as well as the Carnegie medal shortlist or YA Book Prize.
Students 13+ might want to enter competitions like the following to win free books:
https://www.worldbookday.com/play-and-win/competitions/
WRITING
• Pobble 365 - A different story stimulus every day - great for descriptive writing.
• Kate Clanchy - Table poems The talented Kate Clanchy offers approaches to writing powerful poetry as outlined on this thread.
• Arvon has posted a five- day writing challenge on its webpage to encourage student creativity: https://www.arvon.org/5-day-short-story-challenge/.
• General - This American website has some nice writing prompts: https://www.weareteachers.com/creative-writing-prompts
• Engaging creative writing pack on deepbaregarden.
• Open ended writing tasks could be set on different objects/ paintings in virtual museums/art galleries such as Tate Modern, National Gallery or the National History museum.
Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar (KS3 and 4)
Basic skill quizzes - Bristol University - very accessible though.
Freerice - Improve your word power whilst also donating rice to the World Food Programme for every correct answer. Change the difficulty level through the menu bar.
BBC Skillswise - Reading, writing and SPAG activities.
BBC Teach Punctuation This series of short films takes punctuation out of the classroom and into professional work environments to demonstrate its relevance.
Seneca Spelling Course FREE: KS3 Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar
Seneca Vocabulary Course FREE: KS3 Decoding Words Focused on developing knowledge about word roots, and common prefixes and suffixes.
FUNCTIONAL SKILLS
BBC Bitesize Functional Skills
The DfE has also launched a free online learning platform to boost workplace skills:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-free-online-learning-platform-to-boost-workplace-skills
GCSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
GCSE English Language is not as well served on line as GCSE English Literature as most interactive sites are not specific enough to the demands of the English Language examination. Thus, teachers are advised to collate paper-based questions/ papers/ task-a-day lists specific to their cohort’s needs, or to make such resources accessible by other means such as google classroom:
(https://classteaching.wordpress.com/2020/03/15/getting-started-with-google-classroom/).
These sites might contain some useful elements:
• Bitesize AQA English Language
• Bitesize Eduqas English Language
• The English and Media Centre are making a variety of key stage 4 GCSE Literature revision resources available for free:
https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/
GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE
Some potentially useful sites include:
• Free Gutenberg ebooks (for copies of GCSE texts)
• BBC Bitesize —A ‘Revise’, Video’, ‘Mini-Test’ page for each GCSE Literature text:
Bitesize Eduqas English Literature
Bitesize AQA English Literature
OTHER
Teachers can create a class group and set quiz 'assignments' on set texts (some English Language) on these useful sites:
· Seneca
· Quizlet
· Memrise
Traded Products to Support GCSE
N.B. These are suggestions only. LCC do not endorse any products.
Some English apps/ sites focused on supporting the revision of GCSE Literature texts are as follows:
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Free Resources Online to Support GCSE
Useful sites for GCSE students to make notes from are specified in the table below. Students would need guidance from teachers about which specific site/s to use and what aspects of each text to revise and how to self-quiz effectively.
Twitter Resources
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Many teachers on Twitter have shared booklets they have devised for home learning via #teamenglish (also #remotelearning, #closureresources, #homelearning).
These can be downloaded from Twitter:
• Stuart Pryke booklets available on Twitter @SPryke2: Macbeth, A Christmas Carol and An Inspector Calls. Kiera O’Connell on Twitter @KieraOConnell4 adopted Pryke’s format to create a Jekyll and Hyde version).
• Susan Strachan on Twitter @SusanSEnglish. Various booklets – AQA revision guide, creative and non-fictional writing, unseen poetry, power and conflict, Blood Brothers.
• Douglas Wise on Twitter @DoWise – booklets such as ’GCSE English Language Resources’, ’GCSE English Literature Resources’, ‘One Line Reading List’, ‘Macbeth Study Booklet’.
• Emina McClean @Emina McClean- vocabulary videos.
• Jay Sacks @WeAreAllATree - Remote learning booklets for key stage 4 with accompanying YouTube videos
• Miss Cook @MissC3009- Various writing challenges.
• Sarah Barker @mssfax - 30 creative & non-fiction writing tasks.
• Miss Evans @MissEvansLEV - Booklet for AQA's GCSE English Language Paper 1
• @MissSVPO - Gothic Reading and Descriptive Writing
Also, thedeepbaregarden.wordpress has some great resources e.g. Analysing Structure - MCQs.
FREE ONLINE THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES
BBC Radio 3 Podcasts - The Shakespeare Sessions
Lots of full-length audio versions of many plays, as well as some audio documentaries on various aspects of key texts.