Thinking Through English

Introduction

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.

Benefits

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.

Summary of contents

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. 

• in different schools
• for different ages and abilities of students
• to suit different styles of teaching
• for different purposes and outcomes
• to deliver different aspects of the curriculum.

Chapter breakdown

Foreword by series editor David
Introduction What do we mean by thinking skills?
Characteristics of thinking skills
Why thinking skills in English?
Thinking skills and the National Strategy
How to use this book  
5Ws
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
Odd One Out
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
Classification
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
Mysteries
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?
Taboo
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
Living Graphs
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
Maps from Memory
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

Details

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