This blog is about the forgotten half of oracy: not talking but listening. Listening is often described as the Cinderella … More
Tag: literacy
The Simple View of Reading
Less Simple than it Looks The Simple View formula presented by Gough and Tunmer in 1986 is presented as a … More
Writing Full (and I Mean Really Full) Sentences in Subjects
When we quiz students for knowledge retrieval, we are helping them remember key knowledge but we aren’t helping them build … More
Building Sentences in Physics – Talking Precisely about Energy at KS 3&4
It’s a mistake to think that we don’t have time to explicitly teach the sentences that students need to talk … More
As, when, while: three small words that unlock meaning in physics.
In physics, sometimes the smallest words do the most work. This post is about three short, everyday words that powerfully … More
This week’s surprising news: some readers aren’t concentrating as hard as we’d like.
My Trust has an online reading programme which sets quizzes based on short texts. The pupils have a choice of … More
Words Flowing Through Me: Nothing Going In
Sometimes when I read, the words just flow through me. The meaning doesn’t go in. Comprehension isn’t passive: it takes … More
Build better sentences in science writing
How can we ensure students understand complex scientific ideas, beyond just recalling facts? Developing their ability to write clear, precise … More
Tier Three Vocabulary: The Forgotten Words`
How important is science vocabulary in everyday reading? Are geographical terms helpful outside of a geography lesson? To what extent … More
10 Principles of Teaching Reading Comprehension in Science Lessons
Science teachers face a packed curriculum, and the thought of dedicating teaching time to literacy might seem impossible. However, reading … More
Reading for Learning 