Fred Theatre is back in schools this autumn with another great adaptation of a literary classic: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Recognised for our quality, professionalism and accessibility Fred has built an excellent reputation for our schools friendly productions.

Our 90 minute adaptation is a fresh and exciting re-telling of the familiar and much loved story. A professional cast of six actors will faithfully present A Christmas Carol in an innovative and low tech setting–all you need supply is a space and an audience.

It’s an excellent introduction to the book for students, or a timely refresher.

A Christmas Carol can be performed in-school at a time to suit your schedule, and is available for bookings throughout October, November and December 2017.

Want to save money on your in-school booking?

If your school can host a public performance around the same time as booking an in-school show for students we may be able to save you money. We are looking for schools where we can perform to the general public in the evening. If you can host one of these shows, in return we will share the box office takings with you as a discount on your booking.

Want to know more?

Simply email our office (admin@fred-theatre.co.uk) or call Robert on 07974 210265. We’ll collect a few details from you and respond with potential dates and a quote soon after.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Fred Theatre Limited

classic drama, contemporary theatre

www.fred-theatre.co.uk    @FRED_Theatre

PS: Our popular 90 minute Macbeth is back on the road in the spring term, along with a new production of Romeo and Juliet. To register your interest in either of these please email the office (address above).

Or come to that from Frankenstein to Jane Eyre, from Great Expectations to Romeo and Juliet (both quite interesting journeys!). And all at just £1.87 each (after your 25% discount) with free delivery when ordered directly from us.

I could go further, of course, and add, from HG Wells’ “Time Machine and other works” to John Maynard Keynes’ “General Theory of Employment Interest and Money.”   And that is indeed an interesting contrast!

And, of course, there are plenty more to choose from.  World Literature and Poetry are just £3.99 before discount, and our complete works series for just £7.99.  There’s a complete Shakespeare, complete Jane Austin, complete Brothers Grimm, complete Oscar Wilde…

Wordsworth Editions has over 450 titles in print, covering over 230 works of classic literature and over 50 popular children’s books.  And not only does each volume naturally have the full text, but with all of our classics there is also a set of exclusive introductions and notes.

If you would like to see a list of around 50 of the most frequently used set texts which are available direct to schools at the special price of £1.87 that is available here.

To see the full list of our titles in print along with a ready to use order form, should you need it, we have a page with those details as well. And don’t forget, you get a 25% discount on all of the prices shown, not just on the classics.

And we also have an offer of a free book.  Just in case the notion of books at £1.87 each with free delivery seems just too good to be true, we’d like to assure you of the quality of our publications.

So, if you would like a free sample of one of our classics, just email education@wordsworth-editions.com with your name and the school address, and we’ll put it in the post to you, with our compliments.

We look forward to hearing from you.

We have made Education Quizzes free for a whole year so that students like Tom can sparkle too

Despite all the revision tips, tricks and techniques, the best way to help your pupils to retain the knowledge that they have learned in their English lessons is by presenting them with the opportunity to use this knowledge on a regular basis.

However, since there is more than one topic area to cover in English, it can sometimes be a long period of time until a topic is revisited, by which time your pupils will have forgotten much of what they had previously learned.

Which is why we have produced an extensive library of English quizzes and made them free to use for a whole year, so that your students can test and revise their knowledge as frequently as they need and want to.

What’s more, Education Quizzes is ideal to set as homework tasks as it involves little to no PPA time – giving you more time to focus on planning and preparing future lessons and assessing the work of your students from lessons which have gone before.

To get a better idea of what Education Quizzes is all about, simply visit www.educationquizzes.com. And to sign your school up for Education Quizzes for free for a whole year, go to www.educationquizzes.com/schools-uk-registrations/.

If you have any queries, you can easily contact us by sending an email to admin@educationquizzes.com.

When English literature books are offered at a very low price, you’ll want to see a free sample first.

Sometimes an offer of the key texts of English literature at an astoundingly low price can seem what you have been waiting for.

But then you might pause and think, “how can they be this low in price?”  You might wonder about the quality of the print, the size of the print, the quality of the binding, the book’s ability to withstand the slings and arrows of outrageous teenage use…

Which is why we offer all schools a free sample book.  No strings, no hidden postage cost.  A sample book delivered to you free, so you can see the quality of our publications.

From Jane Austen to the Brontës, from Dickens to Conan Doyle, from DH Lawrence to William Shakespeare, Wordsworth Editions has over 450 titles in print, covering over 230 works of classic literature and over 50 popular children’s books.

And not only does each volume naturally have the full text, but with all of our classics there is also a set of exclusive introductions and notes.

As for the price, that is just £1.50 each after discount with free delivery, and no minimum order as long as you order direct from us.  However this price offer only lasts until 31 May.  All orders received after that date have a slightly higher (but still very modest) price.

We are also adding new titles to our range regularly – with the most well-known works of HG Wells being the most recent to be included on our list.

To get an overview of the sort of titles we can offer please do visit our website.  However if you would like to see a list of around 50 of the most popular titles available direct to schools at the special price of £1.50 that is available here, rising to £1.87 for orders received after 31 May.

Then if you want to see the full list of our titles in print along with a ready to use order form, should you need it, we have a page with those details as well.

For a free sample of one of our classics, email education@wordsworth-editions.com with your name and the school address, and we’ll put it in the post to you, with our compliments.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Will you spare a few minutes to help us help you?

Fred Theatre’s annual schools’ survey is now online, and we’d welcome your participation. Your answers will assist in planning our future offer to schools.

The survey takes no more than five minutes to complete, and the results will aid us in understanding your needs better.

As a small thank you, we’re giving away four Amazon vouchers worth £15 each. Recipients will be selected at random from those completing the survey, and we’ll be in touch with the winners in June.

To take part, please click on the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LQ3Z3ZD

The survey is online until Friday 12 May, so click and take part today.

If you’d like to contact Fred Theatre about any aspect of the survey, or our upcoming plans for schools’ productions, please email us at: admin@fred-theatre.co.uk

Thank you.

http://www.stratfordfestivalofsalonarts.co.uk/

A story about witches, ghosts, murders, and moral values by the greatest dramatist of them all: what else does one need at KS3?

There is a growing awareness (as a recent report on student reading has revealed) that teenagers today, brought up on the internet and multi-channel TV, are showing less and less inclination to read.

This is an issue that we, as publishers of Shakespeare, have faced, and one that we feel we have answered with the production of Macbeth.

For our volume takes the majority of Shakespeare’s original text and offers it alongside both a modern English translation and page upon page of full colour illustrations.

The value of the combination of the original text and the contemporary “translation” is obvious – but there is also an added bonus from including the illustrations throughout.

The report on the decline in student reading I mentioned above reveals that where students are provided with suitable illustrations their willingness to read, and the level of knowledge that they take in, is greatly enhanced.

In this manner, emotionally powerful, complex characters are presented in a way that allows students to consider and debate the demanding questions that Macbeth raises.  Questions such as whether Macbeth is a tragic hero, who is to blame for Duncan’s murder, and, indeed, what makes a good ruler of a nation, can all be considered in a more approachable manner.

This new edition of Macbeth, in full colour with both the original text and a modern English translation, is now being widely used in schools across the UK and is available direct from the publisher.

You can get a feel for the book here. Then just click on the small pictures that run down the web page to the right of the cover picture, and you’ll see exactly what individual pages of the resource look like.

There are more details of how to order on the website And If you would like to know more please do email us at info@shakespearecomics.com or call 01691 770165.

I do hope you find the approach of interest.

Simon Greaves

http://www.stratfordfestivalofsalonarts.co.uk/

Top Traditional Story-Teller Jim MacCool is visiting Secondary Schools throughout the Summer Term 2017.

Bards in the true sense, Celtic Yarn-Spinners enrich and entertain all ages with interactive stories, poems and songs.

Mr MacCool’s tried and tested workshops are a wonderful cross curriculum activity mixing music, literacy, speaking and listening skills in a fun learning experience for students and staff.

Should you be interested in having Jim MacCool and his Traditional Story-Telling Workshops come to your school, please telephone me, Joy Atkins, on 020 8688 6951, or you may prefer to email: celticyarnspinner@yahoo.co.uk  for more information.

The Stratford Festival of Salon Arts organises
The National Tour of Traditional Celtic Story-Tellers
running from  Mon. 20th March through to Friday 21st July 2017
http://www.stratfordfestivalofsalonarts.co.uk/

Dates of Interest
World Story-Telling Week Starts on Mon. 20th March 2017
October is National Poetry Month

Joy Atkins
Stratford Festival of Salon Arts
15 Warwick Road Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 6YW
Tel. 0208 688 6951
celticyarnspinner@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.stratfordfestivalofsalonarts.co.uk

Book a free visit today with one of our experienced Education Consultants!

This thirty-minute meeting will show you exactly how Doddle English can transform teaching, homework, and assessment within your department.

Doddle’s interactive presentations, activities, and worksheets have been updated for the most recent specifications and are mapped to all major exam boards.

Our range of in-depth, engaging resources covers all aspects of popular set texts, such as An Inspector Calls, Romeo and Juliet, and Frankenstein, as well as all four Assessment Objectives for the English Language specifications.

Self-marking quizzes report automatically to your online markbook, allowing you to take a purely diagnostic approach to your lesson planning and delivery. This enables meaningful analysis of results at an individual, class, and departmental level, and aids tracking of key groups, such as Pupil Premium students.

Our Education Consultants look forward to discussing your school’s needs at a time and date to suit you.
www.doddlelearn.co.uk/bookavisit

Philippa
Doddle

The English Literature Summer School – Part 1 will cover literature dating from 650AD to 1790AD, including Middle English, Medieval Literature, Chaucer, The Renaissance, Shakespeare, Restoration Literature and the Rise of the Novel. In addition we will also be covering Historicist and Feminist critical approaches as part of this Summer School.

This course offers the opportunity for an in-depth and illuminating exploration of the major movements in the development of English Literature. Tackling canonical authors including Chaucer, Shakespeare and Milton, students will develop the skills to read them both within their historical context and in dialogue with other writers and genres, such as the Medieval courtly poem and Renaissance travel writing. The course should foster a broad understanding of Medieval, Early Modern and eighteenth-century literary movements and familiarise students with their range of distinctive genres, styles and concerns.

Covering a wide range of writing forms including narrative and religious poetry, drama, Renaissance prose, and the invention of the novel form, we will combine close and critical reading with short lectures, group work and editing projects, in order to understand how the texts we encounter were put together. We will approach literature not only in book form, but also in its older oral incarnations, in manuscript, and crucially in performance. Drama should be understood in relation to its production on the stage, and an integral part of this is the trip to a Shakespeare play at the Globe Theatre. For 2017 this will be Twelfth Night.

As well as tackling the exciting developments in the English language through Old and Middle English, we will focus on major ideas that stimulated the literary imagination through several periods including religion, empire, and gender relations. Literary theory will play an important role in examining the production of ideas over time, and in this Summer School we apply the insights of Feminist and Historicist criticism in order to open up new perspectives on the texts that we read or encounter in performance.

Literature of past periods can sometimes seem remote from our own as we grapple with Anglo-Saxon anonymous authorship, or why fiction was such a shocking concept in the early eighteenth century. This Summer School invites students to read literature pre-1790 with historical awareness, critical acuity and an enhanced understanding of the ways in which it has shaped cultural relations, in the past and in the present. As such, the course will be particularly useful to students considering undergraduate study of English, but it is suitable for all those with a passion for literature, and complementary to A-level and Pre-U courses with an emphasis on understanding different periods of literature.

You can view a full schedule for the course, details of tutors and lots more feedback from last year on our website – www.debatechamber.com.

Part 1 of the course will take place on the 24^th-28^th July 2017. Students may also be interested in Part 2 of the Summer School on the 31^st July – 4^th Aug which covers literature from 1790 to the present day, with a focus on postcolonial and deconstructivist schools of theory, or Part 3, taking place 7^th-11^th Aug, which covers exclusively contemporary prose, poetry and drama, with a focus on psychoanalytic theory and theories of the canon.

Please note that students can attend all Parts of the Summer School, or just one or two, depending on their literary interests. Although the courses complement one another, they can also be treated as stand alone events and there is no requirement to have attended Part 1 in order to register for other Parts.

Practical Details:

The English Literature Summer School – Part 1 will take place on the 24^th-28^th July 2017.

The cost of booking any single Part of the English Literature Summer School £475, the cost of any two Parts is £850, and the cost for all three Parts of the Summer School is £1200. The Summer School will be held at a University of London, Bloomsbury campus (please note that these courses are not residential, and accommodation must be arranged independently if required).

There will be a limited number of bursary spaces available for those who would otherwise have financial difficulty in attending – please see our website for details.

To book a place please visit http://www.debatechamber.com/summerschools/. call us on 0845 519 4827, or email info@debatechamber.com. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Schools use many different ways of introducing Shakespeare at KS3.  But which works best? 

A survey of English teachers (including both heads of department, and classroom teachers) has revealed a significant diversity of opinion as to what is the best way to introduce Shakespeare to pupils and students for the first time.

Further, when we asked if it was felt that introducing a Shakespeare play for the first time was problematic, the most common answer was that it was difficult because of resistance to the whole concept of Shakespeare.  In short, barriers had to be broken down.

Now, in response to a range of questions asked of teachers in the last couple of years we’ve produced a Shakespeare resource which meets many of the needs expressed by both classroom teachers and heads of departments.

For example, we noted that many teachers like to have a dual text edition with the original and a modern translation available at the same time. Others welcome a highly illustrated comic book approach to make the play more rapidly accessible, particularly at Key Stage 3.

Likewise we noted that around two thirds of teachers involved in teaching Shakespeare to students seeing it for the first time said they liked to start with key scenes only.

So this is what we have produced: a resource that incorporates all these requirements. You can get a feel for the results on our website

Then just click on the small pictures that run down the web page to the right of the cover picture, and you’ll see exactly what individual pages of the resource look like.

There are price details and details of how to order also on the website  And If you would like to know more please do email us at info@shakespearecomics.com or call 01691 770165.

Ensure that your KS3 students are confident in their own writing with the spelling, grammar and punctuation toolkit from Doddle English!

Including dynamic presentations, worksheets, and interactive activities, the toolkit covers everything, from punctuating speech to making correct vowel choices.

Complete lessons on key topics such as homophones, commas, and apostrophes aid literacy across all subjects. Targeted SPaG tests make sure your students are on track and that their knowledge of spelling and grammar is secure.

Book a visit
Find out more about Doddle’s interactive resources, self-marking homework quizzes, and automatic online markbook by booking a free in-school visit with one of our Educational Consultants:
www.doddlelearn.co.uk/bookavisit

Philippa
Doddle

Macbeth
by William Shakespeare

Power. Ambition. Murder.

Fred Theatre is on the road this February with its exciting new production of Shakespeare’s classic tale of greed, lust, and betrayal: MACBETH.

Edited down to 90 minutes and performed by a cast of six actors, it will be fast-paced, contemporary, and relevant. Ideal for students studying the play at GCSE level and above.

Now is the perfect time to look again at MACBETH. We’re living in a world trendily described as the ‘post-truth age’, where ambition appears, at least, to be driving people to extreme behaviour the like of which we’ve not seen before. How more relevant can a play be than MACBETH which examines the nature of truth and equivocation, power and ambition?

In Fred’s production the witches are centre stage, controlling the action through stealthy manipulation of characters, media, and audience.

TWO WAYS TO SEE FRED’S MACBETH

1. In a theatre, near you

We have public performances coming up in London (12 February), Birmingham (14-15 February), Warwick (17-18 February) and Stratford-upon-Avon (6-7 February).

Full details of these, including booking information, can be found at www.fred-theatre.co.uk/whats-on

2. In your school

In addition, Fred can bring MACBETH to your school. All we need is a playing space of at least 4×4 metres and room for the audience.

The 90 minute production is competitively priced, and comes with the option of an additional workshop with members of the cast and creative team exploring themes in the play and our production. Dates are available for in-school performances throughout February.

To discuss your requirements, please contact our artistic director, Robert Ball on 07974 210265 or email: admin@fred-theatre.co.uk

The guaranteed way of raising literacy levels among students who are struggling

In an ideal world, pupils and students who struggle with literacy would have a tutor working with them on an individual basis, several days a week.

The teacher could note the student’s particular problems each step of the way, and as problems became apparent provide remedial reading and writing activities, which are also monitored.

Every misunderstanding and every concept not understood would result in taking the pupil or student back a step for remedial work, after which progress and advancement would resume.

It is a wonderful and utterly effective approach, but normally quite impossible to implement. This is not only because of the cost of having a teacher working on a one-to-one basis with children, but also because the system needs the teacher to have remedial activities to hand for every eventuality.

Now, however, this approach is available through a program that rapidly locates each individual’s literacy needs, directing the student to an engaging set of activities which will remedy any deficits, before advancing through to the next set of skills.

Because the level of instruction is so accurately reflective of the individual’s current abilities, the student then gets a feeling of success and progress, rather than what can become a regular and familiar feeling of failure.

At the same time your colleagues are now free to work with others in the group.  Indeed, they can rotate the individual students, with some receiving directed help online while others engage with offline paper-based activities which are generated automatically by the system.

The program in question is Strategies for Older Students from Lexia – a program already in use in hundreds of schools across the UK.

You can try the program for yourself immediately and then if you wish, opt for a 30 day free trial in your school by clicking here

Of course, you may like to talk first – if so, please do call 0191 482 1939 or email info@lexiauk.co.uk

I do hope you will find this approach interesting and consider joining the many other schools now using Strategies for Older Students as their prime method of raising literacy levels for those who require much-needed support. If used as recommended the program achieves accelerated gains at typically twice the rate of non-Lexia users; guaranteed!

Rob Kay

LexiaUK Software Consultant.

This is what teachers said…

A recent survey of both classroom teachers and heads of English in secondary schools revealed a huge diversity of opinion as to what is the best way to introduce Shakespeare to pupils and students for the first time.

Indeed many of the teachers who responded had evolved their own unique approach, so while some went straight to the Shakespeare text others started with viewing the play on film, some used a dramatic exploration of certain scenes, and others used a comic style presentation by way of introduction.

What was particularly interesting in the responses was that as we explored the matter further many teachers said that they had not tried certain approaches or had assumed that it was not an approach that was developed enough for their pupils.

Further, when we asked if it was felt that introducing a Shakespeare play for the first time was problematic, the most common answer was that it was difficult because of resistance to the whole concept of Shakespeare.  In short, barriers had to be broken down.

Now, in response to a range of questions asked of teachers in the last couple of years we’ve produced a Shakespeare resource which meets many of the needs expressed by both classroom teachers and heads of departments.

For example, we noted that many teachers like to have a dual text edition with the original and a modern translation available at the same time. Others welcome a highly illustrated comic book approach to make the play more rapidly accessible, particularly at Key Stage 3.

Likewise we noted that around two thirds of teachers involved in teaching Shakespeare to students seeing it for the first time said they liked to start with key scenes only.

So this is what we have produced: a resource that incorporates all these requirements. You can get a feel for the results on our website

Then just click on the small pictures that run down the web page to the right of the cover picture, and you’ll see exactly what individual pages of the resource look like.

There are price details and details of how to order also on the website  And If you would like to know more please do email us at info@shakespearecomics.com or call 01691 770165.

What is the one cultural activity that all children love, and which is also fundamental to our survival?

Storytelling is as old as homo sapiens, and is our most profound way of learning about ourselves and those around us. About what is, what was, and what might be.

As such it is the heart and soul of our imaginations, our creativity and our civilisation, and it is our principle survival tool.  It is in fact the mechanism that has allowed us to survive, flourish, and create civilisations.

Because of this we still need stories as a way of uniting ourselves in families and societies, which is why novels and dramas continue to be at the very heart of our existence.

Indeed even a single sentence can get us going.  Try this for example….

Sam went to the end of her garden, and ran her hand through the flowers that grew there.

We are at once transported, and so the story begins.

There are many ways of bringing more and more stories to the children you teach.  But there is one in particular I would like to bring to your attention: The Free Snail Tales Storytelling Bonanza.

This involves you working with your local primary feeder schools, so that an event can be put on in your school hall, where all the children can enjoy the show and some accompanying workshops.

The price of the session is fixed irrespective of the number of pupils involved.  So if you invite some or all of your feeder primary schools, each need only make a very modest financial contribution – while you, as the host, pay nothing.

You can even host a public performance in your hall after school for parents and families to attend too, making it even more likely that your school won’t have to pay a penny.

Of course, it is entirely up to you how you arrange it – but certainly using storytelling as the heart of the introduction to your school can not only stimulate imagination and break down boundaries, but also reduce the worry that some children have on attending secondary school for the first time.

To begin organising your Storytelling Bonanza you can call us on 020 328 76245 to discuss the details, or visit our online booking form.You can select from one of our existing themes by clicking here.

Or, if you have an immediate question, please do either call 020 328 SNAIL (020 328 76245) or visit our Contact Us page

There is no doubt about the answer to the question above: it is one-to-one tuition.

But as we all know one-to-one tuition is not possible – at least not for more than a small amount of time each week.  It is simply too expensive.

It is true that this undoubtedly used to be the case – but now the situation has changed.

For the fact is that it is now possible to give a pupil one-to-one tuition in a way that is utterly engaging and responsive to their immediate literacy needs – and within the school’s budget.

The approach involves a totally user-friendly software program which rapidly locates an individual’s literacy needs, directing him/her to an engaging set of activities which will remedy any deficits, before advancing through to the next set of skills.

The benefits of this approach are huge.  First, the pupil or student gets the personalised attention he/she needs; attention which is directed one hundred percent to that individual’s unique literacy level.

Second, the learner finds the approach utterly rewarding and engaging.  Because the level of instruction is so accurately reflective of the individual’s current abilities, s/he gets a feeling of success and progress, rather than that familiar feeling of failure.

Third, because the software activities are so engrossing, staff are now free to work with others in the group.  Indeed, they can rotate the individual students, with some receiving directed help online while others engage with offline paper-based activities, which are generated automatically by the system.

The program in question is Strategies for Older Students from Lexia. Now, of course I recognise that it is easy for me to make claims about rapid pupil and student progress, enormous recovery rates for those who have slipped behind, and the fact that the approach will actually save your school money by reducing dependency on additional staff and training costs.

But before going further, you will want to know what other schools have found when they use the program, and you will of course want to try it out for yourself for a period of time without having to make any commitment.

We’re happy to offer both. If you want to read the case studies involving UK schools please click here.  You will then also find on the right of the page the route to having access to the full program for 30 days without any payment or obligation.

If you want to know more about the program, then again we have a wealth of information available on line.

Of course, you may like to talk first – if so, please do call 0191 482 1939 or email info@lexiauk.co.uk

I do hope you will find this approach interesting and consider joining the many other schools now using Strategies for Older Students as their prime method of raising literacy levels for those who require much-needed support.

Rob Kay

LexiaUK Software Consultant.

Doddle English resources can enhance your students’ interaction with GCSE set texts. Let our audio content bring literature alive in your classroom!

Audio clips encourage your students to pay attention to rhyme, rhythm and writers’ techniques.

Listen together to works from writers such as Wilfred Owen and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and see how this affects your students’ interpretations. Hearing readings from Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and The Tempest helps your class make sense of important speeches and encourages discussion of mood and atmosphere.

Book a visit
Find out more about Doddle’s interactive resources, self-marking homework quizzes and automatic online markbook by booking a free in-school visit with one of our Educational Consultants.

Philippa
Doddle

A wonderful opportunity for students with a passion for literature to discover a range of new authors and texts, explore fresh approaches to familiar works and to prepare for undergraduate study of English Literature.

“Although I wasn’t initially sure what to expect about the summer course, I was massively surprised and impressed! – The sessions were in smallish groups of peers, and everyone was really nice and interested in the discussions – and the week was so engaging and eye opening, I felt really enriched and all of the tutors were so knowledgeable and insightful. Overall I would absolutely recommend the course, it was one of the best parts of my summer!”

“If you think this is just going to be a summer school on English Literature, you are wrong. It will also teach you about theories and ideas in Art, Theatre, and Philosophy. I came into the course disillusioned about English Literature academically but it inspired me to continue it further to A level.”

“I would thoroughly recommend attending the English Literature Summer School. It has given me a wonderful insight into texts and literary movements which are not covered on the school syllabus and has been enormous fun.”

Reviews from Summer School Students 2016

The English Summer School – Part 1 will cover literature dating from 650AD to 1790AD, including Middle English, Medieval Literature, Chaucer, The Renaissance, Shakespeare, Restoration Literature and the Rise of the Novel. In addition we will also be covering Historicist and Feminist critical approaches as part of this Summer School.

The English Summer School – Part 1 will be held on 24^th – 28^th July 2017.

The English Summer School – Part 2 will cover literature dating from 1790AD to the present day, including Romanticism and the Gothic Movement, Victorian Sensation Novels, Literature and the British Empire, Modernism, Postmoderism and Contemporary Literature. We will be covering the ‘Death of the Author’ and Postcolonial criticism as part of this Summer School.

The English Summer School – Part 2 will be held on 31^st July – 4^th August 2017.

The English Summer School – Part 3 will cover exclusively Contemporary English Literature, including prose fiction, poetry and drama. We will be focusing on Psychoanalytic criticism and questions of Identity as part of this Summer School.

The English Summer School – Part 3 will be held on 7^th-11^th August 2017.

Please note that students can attend all Parts of the Summer School, or just one or two, depending on their literary interests. Although the courses complement one another, they can also be treated as stand alone events and there is no requirement to have attended Part 1 in order to register for other Parts.

Thematic coverage by period, combining close study of texts with lectures on historical and cultural context, and setting major authors side-by-side with less familiar works, will help students to appreciate the development of prose, verse and drama in English from the middle ages to the present day. We will not only engage in close textual analysis of Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic, Nineteenth Century, Modernist and Contemporary writers, but also evaluate these movements in light of the authors’ own critical writing.

As well as looking at the purely written word, we will also cover literature in performance, comparing playscripts to film adaptations and reading through sections of the works using different performance theories. As an integral part of Part 1 of the Summer School we will attend a performance at the Globe Theatre on the Southbank. Literary theory and criticism will play an important role in the Summer School and students will be invited to examine texts they have studied in the light of competing theories of the nature and value of literature and the role of the critic.

This Summer School is suitable for all students aged 15-18 with a passion for literature, and will be particularly useful for those looking for a taste of undergraduate level engagement with texts and theory.

Practical Details:

The cost of booking any single five-day Part of the English Literature Summer School £465, the cost of any two Parts is £850, and the cost for all three Parts of the Summer School is £1200. The Summer School will be held at the University of London Bloomsbury campus (please note that these courses are not residential, and accommodation must be arranged independently if required).

There will be a limited number of bursary spaces available for those who would otherwise have financial difficulty in attending – please see our website for details.

To book a place please visit http://www.debatechamber.com/summerschools/english-summer-school/ call us on 0845 519 4827, or email info@debatechamber.com. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Quite often the content of the National Curriculum can be intractable for pupils who speak English as a second language. The teaching of English can now be made wholly accessible using set texts which have been effectively differentiated so that they are understood by pupils who may find the original version difficult.

This pdf workbook has been designed for use with the novel ‘Lord of the Flies’ written by William Golding. With over 70 exercises covering a broad range of ability there is something for every student here. The exercises cover factual recall, knowledge of the text, understanding of the plot, analysis, personal interpretation and speculation. Worksheets are clearly laid out and are user-friendly. They can be completed with a minimum of equipment and they can be used in a variety of ways to fit into any course of study.

This text has been widely used in English and Special Needs classrooms to promote the development of reading writing and listening skills. It has proven to be popular because of its accessibility and at the end of each section there is a series of stimulating exercises designed to enhance language acquisition. Developing literary appreciation is an integral part of the National Curriculum and this resource is designed to develop this skill.

84 Photocopiable masters £29.99 + VAT

Once purchased, the CD can be freely copied and networked throughout the school!

To see sample pages please email info@classroom-resources.co.uk quoting the order code H5046 or visit our website to download.

You can order the Lord of the Flies – An Abridged Text CD-ROM in any of these ways:

• On our website
• By phone or fax on 0117 940 6409
• By email (quoting a school order number) to info@classroom-resources.co.uk
• By post to: Classroom Resources, 9 Logan Road, Bristol, BS7 8DU

Classroom Resources Ltd
9 Logan Road,
Bristol,
BS7 8DU

www.classroom-resources.co.uk
info@classroom-resources.co.uk
Tel: 0117 940 6409

Do you need to promote reading more effectively?

This is a set of motivational posters about the power of books and reading.

• 20 colourful pdf posters from our Reading & Library series

• Instant display material

• Ideal for whiteboards too

• Make a big impression

• Print as many copies as you like from your own personal download page

• Saves you hours of work

See all the posters here http://www.carelpress.co.uk/HHEnglishJustRead

Ann Batey
Office Manager
Carel Press
(01228 538928)
www.carelpress.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/carelpress

Creative writing is an area which pupils with SEN or pupils who are considered to be slower learners find particularly challenging. Not least because creative writing requires pupils to use an array of literacy skills, simultaneously.

Indeed, creative writing requires pupils to focus on spelling, handwriting, grammar, punctuation, and structuring, as well as using their imagination.

Fortunately, Brilliant Publications has produced the Boost Creative Writing series to provide additional support for pupils who find creative writing to be a particularly challenging task.

The Boost Creative Writing series addresses the Programmes of Study for writing composition in the new (2014) National Curriculum for England.

The structured planning sheets contain a wealth of activities that provide additional reinforcement of key skills for slower learners and SEN pupils with non-prescriptive writing scaffolds, giving them the support they need.

The activity sheets have been written by Judith Thornby, an experienced Learning Support Coordinator, and cover a range of writing genres, from stories and poems to book reviews and newspaper reports.

Furthermore, not only does the series boost pupils’ creative writing skills, but it has also proven to give pupils confidence and make them believe that they can write. This belief leads to better performance in all areas of school. And while designed for SEN pupils, these sheets can, and have, been used by pupils of all abilities.

You can order the Boost Creative Writing series pack in any of these ways:

• On our website
•  By phone on 01449 766629
• By fax on 01449 768047
• By email to orders@tradecounter.co.uk  
• Or by post to Brilliant Publications, Mendlesham Industrial Estate, Norwich Road, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5ND

Brilliant Publications,
Mendlesham Industrial Estate,
Norwich Road,
Mendlesham,
Suffolk,
IP14 5ND.

website: www.brilliantpublications.co.uk
email: orders@tradecounter.co.uk

phone: 01449 766629
fax: 01449 768047

One of the most curious things about learning to write in one’s native tongue is that at the same time as learning to use the language one is actually using the language.

Which is why the learning tends to be twofold. On the one hand one learns the rules and logic of the language in a systematic way, but on the other hand issues suddenly arise that show that further explanation is needed.

For example, we might take the old favourite of homographs and homophones. They can cause endless confusion, so what should one do?

The answer, of course, is to have a lesson or a part of the lesson on this particular topic – quite possibly throwing in some homograph and homophone puns along the way just to make it more lighthearted.

The same is true with every other part of the language. From the indicative, imperative, and subjunctive mood to the use of a comma with adverbials of frequency.

This is what the 200 page copiable volume “Grammar and Punctuation for Key Stages 3 and 4″ covers. Over 170 different items and topics, each dealt with, along with examples.  It offers teachers invaluable assistance in familiarising their pupils with those grammatical and punctuation principles relevant to Key Stages 3 and 4 and rooted in national literacy strategies.

In this way Grammar and Punctuation for Key Stages 3 and 4 performs a dual function: it is both a grammar book and an editing handbook, utilising authentic examples collected from a variety of written sources.

It pays particular attention to those areas with which authors of all ages tend to have difficulties and offers an abundance of examples of current usage highlighting these areas.

Such examples are then followed by suggested improvements and by explanations justifying those improvements. Finally the relevant principles are practised through activities designed for pupils.

Anna Nolan, the author of Grammar and Punctuation for Key Stages 3 and 4, has spent many years running public examinations, developing national qualification, carrying out linguistic research and writing books on English grammar, punctuation and usage.

This copiable book is available both in spiral bound printed form and on CD.  It is a revised and updated second edition of the book Grammar and Punctuation at Key Stage 3.

There is a sample chapter available on-line at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/english/T1844.pdf

Cat No: 978 1 86083 867 5;  Publisher reference no: T1844emn

Prices

• Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £24.95. plus £3.95 delivery
• CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• Both the Ring Binder and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery
• Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the book…

• By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
• By fax to 01536 399 012
• By phone with a school order number on 01536 399 011
• On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=828

Dear Head of English,

To help schools enjoy and promote the reciting and learning of poetry, the Performance Poetry Society is offering Secondary Schools the opportunity of having Jim MacCool’s Poetry Shows to visit this Autumn.

Jim MacCool’s Shows have proved to be suitable for all ages and abilities of secondary school pupils and will enrich and entertain your pupils and staff alike.

Here are some comments from Secondary schools after Jim’s visit.

Poet Jim MacCool’s visits to All Saints
On Monday 9^th & Tuesday 10^th November, Years 7 and 8 were given the opportunity to attend an interactive poetry workshop led by performance poet Jim MacCool. Rhythm was a key focal point of the session with Jim accompanying his verse with a variety of instruments and props. After initial shyness, the students (and staff) were soon clapping, singing and on their feet joining in. It was a thoroughly entertaining event!

St. Paul ’s High School, Bessbrook
A packed house cheered and applauded Mr MacCool after each verse and Celtic song. Pupils volunteered to go up on stage and dance to Jim’s Irish Drum. Jim sang, recited poetry and played the Irish Drum as he recounted stories inspired by Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
Roisin Patton, Drama teacher at the school, said of the performances, ‘Pupils were enthusiastic and involved throughout Jim’s performances. It was definitely worthwhile that he came along. Y9 Pupils, in particular, enjoyed ‘The Boxer’s Tale’ as well as the short question and answer session they had with Jim after that final performance’.

To find out how your school can take advantage of this opportunity and join in, please telephone me, Sandra Dennis on 0208 688 6951 or email performancepoetry@yahoo.com for further details.

THE PERFORMANCE POETRY SOCIETY
Working In Universities, Colleges, Schools,
Arts Centres, Libraries And Prisons

www.octoberisnationalpoetrymonth.co.uk

The Performance Poetry Society is the longest-serving provider
of quality Poetry Services to Schools.

Performance Poetry Society
Tigh a Bhaird
7 Harepit Close
Croydon
CR2 6PN

Tel. 0208 688 6951
performancepoetry@yahoo.com

October is National Poetry Month
We operate throughout the year.

www.octoberisnationalpoetrymonth.co.uk

This handbook covers every aspect of grammar and its application to the analysis of text that is necessary for success in A level Language and combined Language and Literature courses, regardless of exam board.

The book assists grammatical acquisition from word class, to phrase then clause level, finally showing students how to analyse sentences in text. Sentence analysis is a stand alone requirement for students of the new linear OCR A Level Language course from 2015. Each section of this book is accompanied by clear and useful tasks which are designed to allow students to demonstrate their understanding and apply and consolidate  their knowledge.

The final section of the book is devoted to punctuation and terminology used to describe patterning in text, such as syntactical parallelism, tricolon use and antithesis, all of which are High Grade rhetorical features necessary for success at A level. Direct speech punctuation and apostrophe use are also covered in detail with useful examples of how to apply both.

This grammar handbook has often been cited by students as invaluable in assisting their learning, application and revision of grammar for A level Language and Language and Literature and is a resource created, developed and modified through many years of successful teaching.

“An A Level Language and Combined Language and Literature Grammar Booklet” is published as a photocopiable volume or on CD Rom, and individual sections can thus be readily copied and distributed to students as required. The copies can also be shared with colleagues or given to supply teachers, without any fear of the original book being misplaced.

You can see a full list of the topics and some sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/english/T1835.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1835EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 896 5

Prices

• Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• Both the Ring Binder and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1831EMN

• By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
• By fax to 01536 399 012
• By phone with a credit card or school order number to 01536 399011
• By email to sales@firstandbest.co.uk
• On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=806

MSL

Rhyming Spells – provides a wide selection of ingenious rhyming spells for improving spelling.

Dyslexia Games Manual – packed full with enjoyable games and activities for developing literacy skills, increasing visual and auditory recall, as well as strengthening sequencing and organisational ability.

Email: msl@schools.co.uk
Telephone: 01536 399017
Postal address: Multi-Sensory Learning, Earlstrees Court, Earlstrees Road, Corby, NN17 4HH.

……………………………………………………………………………

Carel Press

‘Just Read!’ PDF Poster Set – motivational posters about the power of books.

‘Learn about your library’ Posters – explain library terms successfully.

……………………………………………………………………………

Dysgraphia Help

The Online Dysgraphia Test – consists of 50 questions. After completion of the test and submitting a handwriting sample you will receive a dysgraphia test report. If we believe dysgraphia to be present you will also receive supporting activity materials free of charge.

Overcoming dysgraphia workbook – contains 100+ A4 sides of activities, worksheets and games that aim to improve language processing, visual spacing, fine motor skills, pen/pencil grip, handwriting posture and memory retrieval.

Email: admin@dysgraphiahelp.co.uk
Postal address: Dysgraphia Help, 1 Oathill Close, Brixworth, Northamptonshire, NN6 9BE.

……………………………………………………………………………

SSS

Interactive English Software – 13 titles packed with hundreds of stunning curriculum 3D animations describing difficult to understand concepts for English. There are texts, voice-overs, quiz zones, drag and drops, multiple choice quizzes and more. Request your 14-day free trial of English Educational Software Solution.

……………………………………………………………………………

First and Best in Education

Plays into Shakespeare (KS3) – This book provides an active, dramatic launch pad for the study of Shakespeare, avoiding the distancing factors with which pupils struggle – the language, the history, the period costumes.

Higher Close Reading Examples and Activities – focussing on understanding the main concerns of the text, analysing the techniques the writer uses, and evaluating the effectiveness of the writing.  

Monologues with Duologue Activity (KS4) – covers the requirements for speaking monologues in Drama at KS4 and KS5 and provides useful material for pupils working towards entry into drama college. English teachers will also find it useful in respect of the speaking and listening requirements at KS4 and the study of Shakespeare.

Monologues/Duologues (KS3) – A book of short, self-contained and original monologues/duologues which will be an ideal introduction to drama within English or for use within a drama group.

Working with Will – a scheme of work for English teachers and works as an introduction to text analysis in English literature lessons for key stages 3 and 4.

Write Well – a book of writing skills aimed at helping students acquire the necessary skills for each situation.

Email: sales@firstandbest.co.uk
Telephone: 01536 399007
Postal address: Hamilton House Mailings Ltd, Earlstrees Ct, Earlstrees Rd, Corby, Northants, NN17 4HH

……………………………………………………………………………

You can find more Exceptional Teaching resources at exceptionalteaching.org.uk.

One of the most curious things about learning to write in one’s native tongue is that at the same time as learning to use the language one is actually using the language.

Which is why the learning tends to be twofold. On the one hand one learns the rules and logic of the language in a systematic way, but on the other hand issues suddenly arise that show that further explanation is needed.

For example, we might take the old favourite of homographs and homophones. They can cause endless confusion, so what should one do?

The answer, of course, is to have a lesson or a part of the lesson on this particular topic – quite possibly throwing in some homograph and homophone puns along the way just to make it more lighthearted.

The same is true with every other part of the language. From the indicative, imperative, and subjunctive mood to the use of a comma with adverbials of frequency.

This is what the 200 page copiable volume “Grammar and Punctuation for Key Stages 3 and 4″ covers. Over 170 different items and topics, each dealt with, along with examples.  It offers teachers invaluable assistance in familiarising their pupils with those grammatical and punctuation principles relevant to Key Stages 3 and 4 and rooted in national literacy strategies.

In this way Grammar and Punctuation for Key Stages 3 and 4 performs a dual function: it is both a grammar book and an editing handbook, utilising authentic examples collected from a variety of written sources.

It pays particular attention to those areas with which authors of all ages tend to have difficulties and offers an abundance of examples of current usage highlighting these areas.

Such examples are then followed by suggested improvements and by explanations justifying those improvements. Finally the relevant principles are practised through activities designed for pupils.

Anna Nolan, the author of Grammar and Punctuation for Key Stages 3 and 4, has spent many years running public examinations, developing national qualification, carrying out linguistic research and writing books on English grammar, punctuation and usage.

This copiable book is available both in spiral bound printed form and on CD.  It is a revised and updated second edition of the book Grammar and Punctuation at Key Stage 3.

There is a sample chapter available on-line at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/english/T1844.pdf

Cat No: 978 1 86083 867 5;  Publisher reference no: T1844emn

Prices

• Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £24.95. plus £3.95 delivery
• CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• Both the Ring Binder and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery
• Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the book…

• By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
• By fax to 01536 399 012
• By phone with a school order number on 01536 399 011
• On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=828

Even in our digital age the use of a dictionary can help students by encouraging independent study and developing literacy skills. In some cases three words spelt correctly may mean the difference between a grade D or a grade C at GCSE.

The Webster’s “Word Power” dictionary has a clear, easy to read typeface, 384 pages and a database of approx. 15,000 words.

The Webster’s “Word Power” thesaurus has the same clear typeface as the dictionary, 384 pages and a database of approx. 10,000 headwords, 15,000 synonyms and 7,500 antonyms.

There are two particular benefits with these titles that are currently available for schools and colleges………

1. The cover price of both the Word Power dictionary and the Word Power thesaurus is £ 5.99 each.. However, if you order on behalf of a school or college, the dictionary or thesaurus may be obtained from just £ 1.99 each.

            What about the free copies  ?

2.  Simple. Just order 100 or more copies of the dictionary or thesaurus and you’ll get 50 % extra free.

e.g.  Order 200 and you’ll get another 100 copies free….order 500 copies and get an extra 250 completely free. There’s no limit to the quantity you can order and you’ll always get 50% extra free with orders of 100 or more copies.

You can find out more about these dictionaries and thesauri on the website of Signpost Educational Ltd. (www.signposteducational.co.uk).

You can order direct from Signpost Educational Ltd and contact them via email signpost@talk21.com or phone 020 7515 1797 or fax 020 7515 4420

This handbook covers every aspect of grammar and its application to the analysis of text that is necessary for success in A level Language and combined Language and Literature courses, regardless of exam board.

The book assists grammatical acquisition from word class, to phrase then clause level, finally showing students how to analyse sentences in text. Sentence analysis is a stand alone requirement for students of the new linear OCR A Level Language course from 2015. Each section of this book is accompanied by clear and useful tasks which are designed to allow students to demonstrate their understanding and apply and consolidate  their knowledge.

The final section of the book is devoted to punctuation and terminology used to describe patterning in text, such as syntactical parallelism, tricolon use and antithesis, all of which are High Grade rhetorical features necessary for success at A level. Direct speech punctuation and apostrophe use are also covered in detail with useful examples of how to apply both.

This grammar handbook has often been cited by students as invaluable in assisting their learning, application and revision of grammar for A level Language and Language and Literature and is a resource created, developed and modified through many years of successful teaching.

“An A Level Language and Combined Language and Literature Grammar Booklet” is published as a photocopiable volume or on CD Rom, and individual sections can thus be readily copied and distributed to students as required. The copies can also be shared with colleagues or given to supply teachers, without any fear of the original book being misplaced.

You can see a full list of the topics and some sample pages at http://www.pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/english/T1835.pdf

Publisher’s reference: T1835EMN ISBN: 978 1 86083 896 5

Prices

• Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• CD with school-wide rights: £24.95 plus £3.95 delivery
• Both the Ring Binder and the CD £31.94 plus £3.95 delivery

Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the report… please quote the order ref: T1831EMN

• By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
• By fax to 01536 399 012
• By phone with a credit card or school order number to 01536 399011
• By email to sales@firstandbest.co.uk
• On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk

Sentences are pesky things. They can be short or long, dramatic statements or longer affairs that make several points at once.  They can even be contradictory and tell lies (as with our subject line!).

They can announce or question, they can shout or whisper.  In fact, they can do almost anything. All of which raises the question: how best to teach children about them?

We’ve found a way to do this most satisfactorily with “Daily Sentence Structures.”  The programme is broken down into a series of 15-minute sessions. By completing the daily sessions, pupils gain a system for creating imaginative and interesting writing in as little as six weeks.

Of course, at the same time the programme covers the writing requirements of the 2014 National Curriculum including using grammatical structures, making meanings clear, and creating effect and using a range of sentence starters to create specific effects.

The programme also includes using commas and later semi-colons and dashes, sustaining ideas, and varying structures.

Pupils’ confidence and self-esteem will increase, leading to better results across all subjects. The programme has also been found to appeal to any pupils who enjoy applying logic to their writing and being able to create ‘instant paragraphs’.

As a result it gives a sense of achievement to all pupils, including those who are the most resistant to writing.

You can order the Daily Sentence Structures resource by Brilliant Publications in a variety of ways, including:

• By visiting the website
• By phone on 01449 766629
• By fax on 01449 768047
• By email to orders@tradecounter.co.uk
• Or by post to Brilliant Publications, Mendlesham Industrial Estate, Norwich Road, Mendlesham, Suffolk, IP14 5ND.

Brilliant Publications,
Mendlesham Industrial Estate,
Norwich Road,
Mendlesham,
Suffolk,
IP14 5ND.

website: www.brilliantpublications.co.uk
email: orders@tradecounter.co.uk

phone: 01449 766629

Teachers will now have to do less in order to manage their students, and the test
results provide evidence of each student’s attainment.

Spelling Ability Test

• Measures students’ spelling ability.

• Provides a Spellzone Score.

• Creates an individual Personal Course Pathway.

• Automatic re-testing updates scores and pathways.

Spellzone also includes:

Spellzone Starter Course  

• Suitable for students aged six to adult.
• Basic, Intermediate and Advanced levels.
• Teaches all English spelling rules.

Spellzone Main Course

• Suitable for students aged nine to adult.
• Basic, Intermediate and Advanced levels.
• Teaches all English spelling rules.

Word Lists

Thousands of pre-loaded word lists including:

• KS3 curriculum subjects.
• Words featured in Letters and Sounds: Principles and Practice of High Quality Phonics
• Spellzone course words.
• User created subject-specific or ‘problem’ words.

Word lists give access to thousands of interactive spelling tests, games. All word lists can be printed as worksheets and translate into 90 languages.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Spellzone tracks all activity and progress.
• Task setting and checking.
• Easy for teachers to report on student attainment.

A complete resource to help improve literacy levels in your school!

FREE 30 day trial of ALL Spellzone resources followed by a half price first year subscription! 

*Standard school annual subscription £295 plus VAT.

Small school rate available for up to 20 students.
Contact Barry for details.

This message was sent by Spellzone Limited, Holme Hill Cottage, Church Street, Whixley, York,
England YO26 8AR. Registered in England Company Reg. No. 6884807