The national curriculum wants children to learn poems by heart. Having recently done a great poetry lesson, where the children had so much fun trying to learn ‘Tomcat’ by Don Marquis, it got me thinking about the immense benefits of such an activity. Read on to find out five ways children can benefit from learning poetry by heart. Increases brain’s…
Reading is an essential skill for children to acquire and once mastered, it acts as an important source of knowledge and pleasure that lasts a lifetime! As you help your kids appreciate the magic of reading, you’ll find that there’s a whole wonderful world full of children’s literature out there that might even be enjoyed by you, too! Many times parents…
Poetry should be a curriculum priority in English classes, as it can help students become more versed in writing and literature. Many teachers shy away from poetry because they find it hard to teach or they don’t see a place in the curriculum for it. I have not regretted a single poetry lesson I have taught so far, and I…
Immersing children in literacy activities can help them improve their literacy skills. Many times, I get parents asking me if I can recommend any sites to help their children strengthen in a variety of literacy areas. There is a large number of sites on the internet that provide online activities, teaching tips and free books for children. Below are my…
Anyone had thoughts about abandoning age-old practices of Friday spelling tests? You all know the drill, I’m sure many of you did it when you were still at school: you get the words on a Monday to practice them during the week, then take a test on Friday. Great! If you get a high score, not so great…
Don’t you think that it’s beneficial for children to have a reading corner in the classroom? I do! I think having a reading area in the classroom is very important for children to start loving to read and to read for pleasure . Watch this video to see how I made my reading corner in my dragon themed classroom! I…
To go with my dragon themed room this year, I wanted to put up the alphabet in the front of the classroom so that children could refer to it, whenever they needed to. Even though I will be teaching Year 4 and children will already know how to form the letters, as well as the order of the alphabet, I…
Have you ever searched the Internet looking for important dates to add to your calendar for Literacy? If the answer is yes, then you are in the right place! Having done just that for you, I have compiled many dates that I feel schools and Literacy Leads can use to promote literacy. This is a free resource for anyone to…
Are you looking for an art activity to promote reading? Well, this little activity is linked to “How to Train you Dragon 3” and is super easy to make!. It’s perfect for promoting reading, both inside the classroom and at home. Check out my easy to follow video on YouTube and make your own! Leave a comment below if you…
You may have come across the subjunctive mood in a grammar lesson and wondered what it means. In grammar when we talk about moods, we do not mean different moods like the ones below…. Mood refers to a verb form the writer uses to show their attitude towards the content of their words. So depending on what they want…
