Full for academic year 2014/15

I am already fully booked for the coming academic year

2014/15

and am three-quarters full for 

2015/16

If there is anyone thinking of joining me next year,

I am only taking names just in case

someone drops out.

Sorry.

Phrasing the ideas

There are many components to a sentence which will create a theme, or engage an audience. As part of a mock examination, a student in year 6 was asked to produce a piece of work ‘off the top of his head’, which is what is expected of them when they reach that examination hall.

He was given the title, ‘A Busy Place’, and a few pointers;

®     People rushing around

®     It was crowded

®     Everyone hurrying

®     Activity and movement everywhere

®     Lots of noise

The idea of the pointers was to ‘push’ the students in one direction and concentrate their ideas into a 20 minute piece.

I have included a copy of it here, and I am certain you will agree, this shows great developing skill in producing very good quality short stories.

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The street was filled with people babbling with excitement. The deafening noise of the horns and hooters enveloped the mind isolating it from other sounds. People crowded the once silent street, coming from every direction. Adults and children jostled in front of the glass window, peering in.

People leapt up and down, trying to get a glimpse in the store; children crowding under adults, trying to get a sneaky peak. Cars honked their horns trying to move through the bustling crowd.

Every once in a while, the crowd would become rowdy and raucous as someone would strut out of the shop holding their treasure, wrapped in a massive cardboard box; the new Grand Theft Auto.

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The trick here was to take an event he had some recollection about and develop his recall of that time. 

A game parents can play is to think of a time and describe it without giving away when it was and what it was you were all doing and the other person has to guess when and what it was. Once they have guessed your one then it’s their turn to describe without explaining. At first they will find it hard, so you must start with a simple example; maybe brushing your teeth or washing up.

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What we are aiming for is a child who can recall things they have done or have witnessed first hand which they can draw upon and re-live. This is where the internet and the television fall down because they do not involve the person in the experience and therefore it does not get stored in the brain in the same way. For them to be able to use it in their literacy they have to have experienced it, for it to be a memory not a piece of information. 

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So , as parents, we can help them here too, by going out and experiencing different things, taking them out of their comfort zone and getting them to; have a picnic in the park if its something you don’t usually do, or going for a walk in the woods, or kicking leaves through the park, or walking along the sea front when its windy (not gales obviously), but get them out and experience the natural world without spending oodles of money. 

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These memories will go into their storehouse ready to pop out in their stories, as it did with Ollie, when he wrote his 20 minute piece.

Dara just keeps catching a dragon

Dara has created so many endings but this is a beauty, using the words from the lists in such a way as to show she really knows their meaning. The way she has structured it is very good as well and leads one to estimate high levels for her construction and content.. This is what a 10 year old can do, and its at the top with the other excellent ones I have the pleasure of reading.

..... It was absurd! He couldn't ride a dragon if he was scared of heights. It was really feeble that he couldn't.

He heard a peculiar noise that sounded like no other. It came from the Forbidden land outside of his island.  He knew he really needed his father's consent to go over and visit the other island; otherwise he would have angry neighbours and an angry dad. Not so good at this time.

He thought to himself I will go over anyway, that noise doesn't sound very tranquil. He went to find his friend Seamus, (who owned a boat) and Dara had to persuade Seamus to go, eventually Seamus said yes and Dara got his bridle and saddle just in case, and they set off!

When they got there it started to rain, and as quick as a flash they saw a lump of something. They poked it and it jumped. IT WAS A DRAGON!

"Oops!" said Dara. "WOAH!" said Seamus. The dragon licked Dara's hand and he jumped in shock. 15 minutes later Dara liked the dragon and he decided to take him for a spin. "Bad idea...." Seamus said. There was a debate and the dragon managed to stop it by roaring and burning down a tree. Dara then realised that the odd noise was the dragon's roaring fire.

Dara named the dragon, Fire Cracker. He fixed on the saddle and the bridle was strapped to Fire Cracker's nose and they flew off. All over the villages! They boys that dared him to ride a dragon were staring at him in disbelief. When Dara landed the boys had made him a veil to wear whenever he's riding his dragon. The boys wanted to unite with Dara so they had a cool friend that could ride a dragon.

Do you know what Dara did then? Made them learn how to ride a dragon....

Connectives and their levels

I have been asked to give some idea as to the levels different connectives are considered to reflect, so I have enclosed a list below;

Level 3/4

and

but

so

because

then

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Obviously we are aiming to get their levels beyond this point and they will be so used to using these words, they will be over-using them. Time to increase their usage, but to do that we need to make sure they have a copy of some other connectives and how to use them. Here are some they will already know but as yet, may not have absorbed into their repertoire:

Level 4/5

when

because

while

before

after

until

so

where

although

though

even if

so that

if

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I would give them this list and suggest to them they stop using the word 'and' replacing it with something else, perhaps from this list.

What are they looking for in Literacy?

We know only too well, the standards of English have been declining in our society. The mobile and internet has lead to the birth of new ways of communicating, and with them, new abbreviated forms of words and phrases. This hasn't exactly helped familiarity with the written word, and the less we write the less proficient we have become.
I am not saying computers are bad, far from it. They allow for easy editing of our work, support dyslexics in creating pieces of writing not necessarily held back by their unique ways of representing the English language and make writing quicker and more efficient than the old pen and paper methods.
But, it has also taken away quite a lot and the out cry from businesses that "many overseas students speak and write better English that we do,” has caused OFSTED to wake up and start to demand higher levels and more skills from our KS2 pupils. And of course, they are quite capable of doing it, and, given the input will rise to the challenges presented to them.
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If, in a piece of writing, a ten year old boy can write, "a piercing noise echoed in his ears as a gigantic, cunning looking dragon menacingly swooped in towards the bewildered figure" then who are we to deny them that opportunity? 
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So the standards demanded in schools are on the up. How can we support that and what can we do to assist in their development?

Build their Word Power

Here are some games I have used in school in the past which transfer to the family very well and I know are enjoyed by those who play it, especially when mum and dad get things wrong!!
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The dictionary game

In this game each of you will need a dictionary. One of you chooses to say the meaning of the word (whichever is chosen) whilst the other determines where in the dictionary the word is to come from.
Say there are 380 pages, then the person choosing their word will say which page, then say whether it can be chosen from the top, middle or bottom of the page. The person with the dictionary follows their instructions and at the last minute will choose one of the words from that area. They say the word and then the other person has to guess the meaning.
When I played this game in class, I would split them up into teams and each word they defined correctly would be awarded either 5 points for spot on, 3 for pretty good and 1 point for vaguely right. The team who won the most points would get a go at the sweets jar! You decide what the incentive is.
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The alphabet game

In this game you choose a topic, say, ANIMALS, and then go through the alphabet in alphabetic order saying an animal for each letter. Again in class, I would have them all standing in a circle with a stuffed toy and as they said their animal the stuffed toy would be passed to the next person, that way everyone knew when it was their turn. In class, as there were 29 of them, as they could go they were knocked out and the winner got a go at the sweet jar?
It’s a good game and makes them think of words, which they already know but haven't necessarily realised they know.
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I am thinking of a word

To begin, you decide on a category; this could be science, sports, books, or something fairly broad. One person thinks of a word from that category and says, "I am thinking of a word." The other person has either 20, 15 or 10 guesses to work out what that word is. The person who is thinking of the word can only answer "yes" or "no".

New Year and a 'new' timetable

Well, not as dramatic as it sounds but there are some changes so please make sure you are aware of them. Most of the changes have already been arranged but there are a few where times have altered, so please, see if that's you.

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May half term holiday sees a real change; those who are not on the 11+ course leave me and those taking the 11+ start coming to me every week. This timetable is now published and on the board for you to check. Please let me know is there are any impossibilities, but as you will see from the timetable there is no real room for changes, so your requests may not be possible I am afraid, although I will do my very best to fit your requirements.
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Those who will be leaving will need to let me know if they wish to return next academic year. I am aware of a couple but the remainder, unless you specify, I will presume will not be returning.
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So, to all my clients old and new, may I wish you all a wonderful New Year, may it be prosperous, successful and filled with happiness and joy.

Its almost Christmas! Yay!

Unless your child has an exam in January or February then give them a break, let them enjoy Christmas without the weight of testing, homework and all the rest of the stuff its tempting to do whilst they are off from school.

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If you want them to do some work then make it fun; find some videos on You Tube which will teach them something, as with the Chuckra verbal reasoning videos, designed for the 11 plus and still useful for those going for entrance exams in year 7.
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 How about the holiday games on coolmaths4kids which will stretch their minds, get them working logically and sequentially as well as having great fun.
Then there are the puzzle books with spot the difference, word searches, crosswords, maths puzzles; all will stimulate their brains but in a way which doesn't feel like work.
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There will be work to do no doubt, but let them relax and remember, they don't go back until Monday 6th January, so use the time after Christmas and then a couple of days in January to get them back into the swing of it, they will go back to school relaxed and refreshed.
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One major reason children have regular holiday time away from the pressures of school is to forget the stuff they didn't quite get and absorb what they did. Let's give them that period because if they are sitting 11+ in September there wont be that many breaks after Easter!!
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To all my students, past and present, have a great Christmas and fabulous New Year celebrations.