Musings Rachel Clarke Musings Rachel Clarke

Bore on!

An article proposing that boredom is a good thing; a source of creativity. Told from the perspective of someone who has, at times, been phenomenally bored.

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Reading, Phonics Rachel Clarke Reading, Phonics Rachel Clarke

Focus on reading: phonics

Phonics should be taught systematically and at pace. Whichever phase or section of your school’s phonics programme you are teaching you need to be aware of the assessment requirements and the amount of time allowed for getting children to that point.

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Reading, Writing Rachel Clarke Reading, Writing Rachel Clarke

Once upon an ordinary school day

Once upon an ordinary a day an ordinary teacher was looking for an ordinary book to read with her ordinary children during their ordinary guided reading lesson, when..she stumbled across a quite extraordinary book indeed: Once Upon an Ordinary School Day by Colin McNaughton and Satoshi Kitamura.

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Writing, Assessment Rachel Clarke Writing, Assessment Rachel Clarke

Writing moderation - weights and measures

Writing moderation is the school assessment system's version of Weights and Measures. It's a system where producers – you, bring your product – the children's writing, to be weighed, measured and scrutinised by your peers. It's the way that we maintain 'the standard' and use an agreed set of criteria by which we can grade that produce.

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Rachel Clarke Rachel Clarke

Post-it note pedagogy

A round up of quick and easy ways that post-it notes can help you in the classroom.

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