Category: CPD
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Inspiring Primary Learners
You will find my contributions to this book within Chapter 16 – Creating Inspiring Displays. This chapter was written and edited by Anthony Barlow. It is based on my original blog post about Harnessing The Power of Working Walls. “Sadie notes that when she started teaching, it was easy to confuse Pinterest-perfect classrooms with those…
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Reading Teachers – Nurturing Reading for Pleasure
You will find my interview and contributing case studies in Chapter 7 – Time to Read, edited by Jo Tregenza. Reading Teachers: Nurturing Reading for Pleasure is OUT AUGUST 2022!
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Miss P’s Literacy Calendar 2021-2022
It’s that time of year again! As you all know by now, I love to plan ahead and each year I update what I call my ‘Literacy Calendar’ to include key dates, competitions, book awards, events, days and weeks that help to inform my school planning for the year ahead. This is my third year…
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Non-Fiction November
How many non-fiction books can you name? What about non-fiction books that were released in the past couple of years? For many of us, this is much harder to do with non-fiction than with fiction or poetry. So, to celebrate non-fiction November, I have produced a Padlet of the UKLA Book Awards Longlist 2021 (non-fiction…
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How do I join a Twitter chat?
Twitter chats are essentially virtual meet-ups for people with common interests and they are BIG in the #edutwitter world! If you’re looking to connect with other educators on a wider scale then Twitter is where it’s at. With the nation in various states of regional lockdown, making connections is even more important than ever. Twitter…
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The Literacy Calendar 2020-2021
Hello everyone, it’s finally here! For those who have been patiently waiting for this to be released, I do apologise. My Literacy Calendar is a little late this year for a couple of reasons. First, I have been busier than usual – adapting to teaching during lockdown and then returning to school with a bubble.…
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Children’s Literature: Summer CPD
CPD doesn’t have to be in the form of attending a course; professional learning as a process comes in many guises. It could be something as simple as joining in a twitter chat, attending a book festival, watching a Youtube tutorial or reading a book for pleasure! I am well aware that ‘Summer CPD’ is…
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CPD Review: English Subject Leaders (CLPE)
Aside from having one of the most extaordinarily beautiful libraries I’ve ever seen, the CLPE is bursting with passionate, experienced educators who always leave me feeling inspired. I have been lucky enough to attend many of the brilliant CLPE courses over the past few years but this one in particular gave me so much to…
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The Literacy Calendar 2019-2020
Last year, I created a Literacy Calendar – something I’d wanted to sink my teeth into for a long time. I’ve always felt it would be one of those things that’s incredibly useful to have and to share with staff, yet something we rarely have time to research or create! It proved so popular amongst…
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Personal Reflection: Am I a teacher-writer?
If reading is the key to learning, then writing is the lock. Or rather, writing is the medium through which we unlock potential and empower children (and adults). We still depend on writing as the largest indicator of success and progress in learning. Therefore, it should have just as much emphasis as reading in school. For…
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20 Tools for Teaching Vocab.
If you’ve read my posts about building vocabulary and spelling in a reading rich curriculum, you’ll know that I am keen on instilling a love of reading, an interest in the etymology of words and an inquisitive nature about word origins and meanings. I believe the teaching of spelling and vocabulary should be through fun,…
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Building Vocabulary
Building vocabulary is essential for all pupils to ensure that they are able to access the curriculum and reach their full potential academically. Of course, vocabulary building continues to evolve throughout our lives, but creating a curiosity around words from a young age can have a big impact. Embedding positive reading and vocabulary-building habits can…