Thinking Through English is a resource for English teachers at secondary level to create exciting and memorable English lessons built on English thinking skills. Teaching English using thinking skills activities will develop transferable learning skills through interaction and independent learning.
You can now purchase the entire Thinking Through Series for the reduced price of only £149 - normally £318! Find out more about The Thinking Through Series.
Books and Training Products: If you are in the UK, your order should usually arrive within 7 working days. Please allow up to two weeks for deliveries outside the UK. Please note that some books and training packs are available to pre-order prior to publication; they will not be delivered until they are published.
eBooks: If purchased by credit card, you will be provided with easy download instructions for immediate download. If purchased by invoice you will have to wait until we have confirmed that your email address and contact details match your school’s. This is typically done on the following working day. Please note that sometimes e-books are available to pre-order prior to publication; they will not be available for download until they are published.
Why thinking skills in English?
Thinking skills strategies rely on interaction, the fact that students begin to learn interdependently and therefore develop a repertoire of possible responses. Many teachers feel that the activities allow for greater participation in the classroom. Group work, the ‘bread and butter’ of good English learning, is perceived to be sharper and more purposeful.
Thinking Through English allows schools to focus on teaching and learning that will bring coherence and drive developments such as AfL, gifted and talented and leading in learning. The approaches highlight transferable skills and thinking for other English activities and will help to open up cross-curricular dialogue and sharing of materials.
Thinking Through English provides English teachers with a range of activities that are interesting and exciting and that promote good dispositions for learning within the classroom. The strategies will allow you to develop core components of good English teaching, National Curriculum thinking skills and whole school literacy ‘agendas’.
This resource includes three examples of each thinking skills strategy, to show how it might be adapted for teaching English:
The work that is included in Thinking Through English is specifically focused on teaching and learning in English in secondary schools and literacy development across the curriculum.
Characteristics of thinking skills
Why thinking skills in English?
Thinking skills and the National Strategy
How to use this book
Rationale
Exemplar 1 – Introduction to Hamlet – Skilful decision making Year 7
Resources 1 and 2, Skilful decision making
Exemplar 2 – Preparation for Creative writing Year 8
Exemplar 3 – Lord of the Flies – analysis of the final chapter Year 10
Resource 3, Investigating, Cry of the Hunters
Resource 4, Considering questions
Rationale
Exemplar 1 – Word level Year 7
Resources 1, 2 and 3, Word groups
Exemplar 2 – Analysing techniques for creating tension Year 7
Resources 4 and 5, Phrase sheet – tension and suspense
Exemplar 3 – Skellig Year 7
Resource 6, OOO template
Rationale
Exemplar 1 – Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 Year 8
Resource 1, Thought bubbles
Resources 2 and 3, Sonnet 18
Resource 4 Literary terms and definitions
Exemplar 2 – Text types Year 9
Resource 5, Types of text and typical features
Exemplar 3 – Exploring patterns of imagery Year 11
Resource 6, The Merchant of Venice, four extracts
Rationale
Exemplar 1 – Goodnight Mr Tom Year 8
Resources 1 and 2, Why is William happy?
Exemplar 2 – Macbeth Year 9
Resources 3 and 4, Is Macbeth an evil character?
Exemplar 3 – Hamlet Year 8
Resources 5,6,7 and 8, Who is the murderer?
Rationale
Exemplar 1 – Media – The Woman in Black Year 8
Resource 1, Taboo cards, media terminology
Exemplar 2 – Narrative terminology Year 9
Resource 2, Taboo cards, narrative terminology
Exemplar 3 – Poems from different cultures and traditions Year 10
Resources 3 and 4, Taboo cards, technical and poetic terms
Rationale
Exemplar 1 – Booster materials, perspectives in narrative writing Year 9
Resources 1 and 2, Ian McEwan, Enduring Love
Exemplar 2 – Analysing the writer’s craft Year 7
Resources 2, 3, 4 and 5, Robert Swindells, The Ghost Messengers
Exemplar 3 – Analysing the motivation of characters Year 9
Resources 6 and 7, Macbeth, Ripple diagram
Exemplar 4 – Exploring detail Year 9
Resources 8, 9 and 10, Macbeth, living graph
Rationale
Exemplar 1 – Media texts Year 9
Exemplar 2 – Revision strategy, Of Mice and Men Year 11
Exemplar 3 – Exploring structural patterns Year 10
Resource 1, The Send Off by Wilfred Owen
Decision-making flow chart – planning your teaching
Planning thinking skills in English teaching
Changing role of the teacher
Thinking skills and professional development
This book in the educational landscape,
Thinking skills and formative assessment,
Action research
Thinking Skills glossary
Bibliography
Spiral bound, 225 x 300, 166 Pages, Published 5/06/2002
