This is the first article in a new series that demonstrates how grammar can be taught in a rich literature context. The first of the series is being provided as a free resource to coincide with the UKLA Grammar conference. Further resources will be provided on the member’s site. In this first paper, the wonderful book by Carol Ann Duffy called Lost Happy Endings can be used to teach quality grammar in context for a variety of year groups. At the heart of the project was the determination that grammar should be taught in context and through high quality books. Having worked with schools on grammar training in the locality, it had become clear that many teachers lacked the knowledge of what grammar could be explored through real books.
This Key Stage Two and Three teaching resource is premised on the concept that how we read is as important as what we read. Young people today live in a world where they are bombarded by print and non-print texts, all of which implicitly or explicitly present perspectives on race, gender, class, as well as many social, political and economic issues. This resource draws on Freebody and Luke’s Four Resources Model (1990) to teach children and young people not to uncritically conform in their personal lives, but at a societal level as well. These skills and dispositions are what literacy scholar and educator Allan Luke (2009) refers to as ‘a new basic’ for navigating our text and media-saturated world.
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.
