English 4-11

English 4-11 Magazine – Sample issue

View one of our past magazine issues included below to see the useful content that you can expect from this publication as a UKLA member.

English 4-11 Magazine

Here you will find content features from English 4-11 magazine to highlight this fabulous member resource!

English 4-11

Picture Books: opening pathways for new arrival children

As part of the Visual Journeys international research project, children newly arrived in Scotland and in the very early stages of learning English, explored David Wiesner’s book Flotsam and Shaun Tan’s The Arrival. The article offers suggestions for helping bilingual children to read complex (and wordless) picturebooks and shows how such shared reading experiences can help children tell their own stories.Thanks to The English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

English 4-11

Inspiration: cross curricular literacy

In a school where over 47 different languages are spoken and there is a higher than average proportion of children who have additional educational needs, the staff developed cross-curricular projects as a basis for developing whole school literacy policy. This highly illustrated article describes the inspirational work of years 2 and 5.Thanks to The English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

English 4-11

History, Hope and long- lasting beauty

A project with years 5 and 6 pupils designed to gain an understanding of slavery, drew on the quality picture book Dave the Potter Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier. Dave was born into slavery in South Carolina at the turn of the nineteenth century, became a skilled potter, was sold to several different owners, survived the civil war and eventually obtained his freedom.Thanks to The English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

The Tsunami project: writing narrative poetry

In an extended cross-curricular project, Years 3 and 4 create a poem scroll based on a traditional Bengali form of poetic narrative. Through drama, discussion and close examination of the original poem, the children came to understand the horrors of the tsunami and wrote and illustrated their own narrative poem, which they made into a scroll.

English 4-11

Bookmaking with two illustrators

In a project designed for inclusion, illustrators Mark Long and Mark Oliver worked with a Year 5 class on an extended project where each child produced their own illustrated book. Children with additional educational needs and children in the early stages of learning English were able to access the work and proudly create their own picturebooks. Thanks to The English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

English 4-11

Finding the Joy in reading and writing: teaching literacy in PRUs.

This article describes how two teachers in pupil referral units used writing journals, storytelling and quality picturebooks to encourage reluctant learners to write with enthusiasm and find success in creating their own stories. The teachers were delighted about gains in self-esteem as well as in reading and writing achievement and the article recommends particular texts which helped tackle sensitive issues.Thanks to The English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

English 4-11

The Multimodal literacy project: supporting looked after children

A project in Nottinghamshire has for some time supported home-school links for families caring for looked after children. Each child is given a multimodal kit with carefully selected resources and suggested activities to take home in the autumn term and to keep regardless of change in school or home setting. Carers are given support to help them encourage the children to create their own multimodal books and presentations.Thanks to The English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

English 4-11

Chatsworth road: an after school video project

Children from two primary schools in the London borough of Hackney took part in a community arts funded project which investigated the history of the local high street, discovering a great deal about the cultural richness of the area. The active, investigative nature of the project challenged the participants but was particularly successful with children who had previously been seen as reluctant or disaffected learners.Thanks to The English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

English 4-11

On the Same Page

This article reviews books which include issues of disability as part of ‘usual’ characterisation and plot but where the child characters are not defined by their disability or learning difficulty. It offers a good starting point for selecting inclusive reading material with lists of books and useful websites.Thanks to The English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

English 4-11

Restor(y)ing Paintings

This article describes a project which began with an art gallery created in a nursery where over 90% of the children were bilingual speakers. Parents were invited to discuss the paintings with the children, create their own stories based on the pictures and record them in home languages. Finally the children and their parents visited the National Gallery where they shared their interpretations.Thanks to The English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

English 4-11

Working in Partnership with parents- creating multimodal stories in the Early Years.

With lots of practical examples, this article describes how children in nursery settings, many from Minority Ethnic Groups, some who experienced difficulties with learning, worked alongside their parents and other family members to create their own multimodal storybooks. The stories were translated into twelve different languages for sharing at home. Thanks to the English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

English 4-11

Couldn’t read, couldn’t write, we knew we were rubbish but you should see our work now! Part 2

In the second part of this series, the literacy journeys of two pupils with challenging behaviour are considered with a particular emphasis on the importance of the pupil’s voice and the use of ICT in providing ways into learning. The article concludes with reflections from both the pupils and the author.Thanks to the English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

Contemporary approaches to classic text – H.G Wells’ War of the Worlds

Gill Robins outlines the elaborate project she undertook to read a classic novel by moving away from the single subject discipline and creating a scenario that engaged and enthused children. It also gave them choices, which produced a strong engagement with contemporary media rather than written language. She concludes by asking the question: was it a success?Thanks to the English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

Contemporary approaches to classic text – William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Shakespeare is increasingly studied in primary schools, and Gill Robins shows how a contemporary approach is a rich experience of communication in many forms, providing an introduction to the subject that enhances children’s experience when meeting Shakespeare as a set text in Year 7.Thanks to the English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

Contemporary approaches to classic text – Beowulf

Gill Robins explores the Anglo-Saxon epic ‘Beowulf’ with a class of Year 5 children. Describing how exploratory talk lays the foundation of the project, she goes on to evaluate the children’s multi-media responses to a timeless tale of good and evil. The article concludes with a reflection on the quality and value of the learning which these projects have prompted.

Thanks to the English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

Investigating the use of film to improve children’s literacy skills

As part of an action research project jointly organised by the BFI and CLPE, Annette Johnson focuses on how the use of film can inspire and develop children’s speaking, listening and writing skills. This leads her to ask questions about the links between film, auditory learning and developing children’s writing.Thanks to the English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

Joining Sentences

Continuing his series of ideas for teaching children how language works, Jim Crinson shows how children can enjoy playing with clauses and connectives.

English 4-11

Using Twitter in the Classroom

Martin Waller describes how he has used the social networking system Twitter with his Year 2 class as means of engaging children in evaluating and reflecting on their own learning. Its use has created a greater understanding of real world literacy and helped develop digital literacy skills within this online community of practice.Thanks to the English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.

Dancing into writing: adventures into the world of Abdi

What happens when three schools and three agencies come together to explore a text? Ruth Wells recounts the experiences of seven Year 6 classes and their teachers who participated in a project on Madonna’s ‘The Adventures of Abdi’, using dance as the main vehicle for engagement.

The Story Spinner Project

This storytelling project aims to involve families and communities in the National Year of Reading. This article describes phase one of the project and its impact on two Key Stage 1 classes by Marilyn Mottram, Adviser for Curriculum Development.Thanks to the English Association for allowing UKLA to reproduce the article.