If you can’t write it, you can’t think it. The science and humanities curricula are full and there just isn’t … More
Category: literacy
Listening Comprehension in Lessons
We spend a lot of class time talking to students. Explanations; questions and instructions all require students to comprehend what … More
Physics Nouns and Verbs
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, English has become the international language of physics. For most physicists, English is … More
The Big Ideas of Primary Physics (Updated)
May 2026 I wrote most of these Primary Physics progression maps in 2021. With the new primary science curriculum being … More
Can We (and Should We) Teach Energy In Key Stage 2 Science?
Energy is not in the KS2 science National Curriculum and is not likely to be introduced following the review. This … More
Strong Writing is Different In Every Subject But Weak Writing Is All The Same
Each subject writes differently. Strong history writing balances evidence to reach conclusions about significance, cause and consequence or similarity and … More
If You Can’t Write It, You Can’t Say It.
There is a much loved saying in literacy teaching: if you can’t say it, you can’t write it. But it’s … More
Why Don’t Physicists Just Write Clearly?
Physicists have a terrible reputation for being bad communicators. Physics English is known for being dense and impenetrable. Everyone loves … More
Making Reading Comprehension Visible in Physics
Let’s say you’ve got a class full of students who are strong readers. You give them a text that you … More
A Progression Model for Physics Sentences
Because my trust uses comparative judgement, I’ve got a tonne of writing by pupils from the start of Key Stage … More
Reading for Learning 