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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Any secondary a English teachers around? Or people with an interest?

30 replies

Hakluyt · 13/09/2014 09:53

My ds is in year 9 of a school with a very challenging catchment and a very low % of high attainers. It's doing a fantastic job, and everyone works hard for the children- I can't fault that. A particular issue is boys and literacy- and there are initiatives in place to help encourage them to read.

DS brought home a reading list yesterday. He's in the top set- but by definition there will be plenty of level 5s in that set with him. The reading list is an A4 sheet with 67 titles on it. Just that- no notes or suggestions or anything. Ds is a reader, and he found it incredibly daunting. Hell, I found it incredibly daunting.

My question. I was thinking of suggesting to the teacher that I took the list, picked out maybe 10 or 12 books and made a booklet, with a plot summary and a review or two- just to make it more appealing.

I don,t know the teacher at all. Would I be overstepping the mark? I do already volunteer in the school with a year 7 reading scheme. I've attached a picture of the list- but I'm sure you won't be able to read it!

Any secondary a English teachers around? Or people with an interest?
OP posts:
HmmAnOxfordComma · 14/09/2014 13:49

Missmillament your website is really super. Thanks for linking to it. Will be passing it on to colleagues.

Can I just say how much I would like to kiss you for the section under Creative Writing where you talk about ditching the adverbs. This will surely out me for good to anyone who thinks they've spotted me on here, but the upper primary insistence on adverbs drives me absolutely INSANE!!!!! I have going on for years about how over use of adverbs makes a bad writer, not a good one (yes, I'm looking at you, J K Rowling). I admire the teaching profession so much but would like to batter over the head with a rolling pin those who write "try using more -ly" words"...no, Ds does not need to use more -ly words, can you not see that he's utilised the perfect verb in the first place. Have you never read decent writing to notice this???? Aggghhhh!!!

I think I love you Smile

MissMillament · 14/09/2014 17:39

Thank you, Oxford Comma. I love teaching creative writing - planning to update that page soon with some more stuff I used in class last year that worked really well.

Moid1 · 14/09/2014 20:00

MissMill - great website, loved all those suggestions for coming of age & young adults. Books I read a long time ago.. AND LOVED

I have two boys (13 & 11) and neither read much, it is very sad. The eldest used to read but is ASD and doesn't like to take risks with books. The youngest seems to lose interest very quickly and loses the thread of what he was reading....

ravenAK · 14/09/2014 21:16

Nicking that for our Literacy Co-ordinator, MissMillament. Fab site, thanks Grin

Hakluyt · 14/09/2014 21:40

That's fantastic,MissMillament (love the name).

Just what I was looking for.

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