cover next page > Cover title: author: publisher: isbn10 | asin: print isbn13: ebook isbn13: language: subject publication date: lcc: ddc: subject: How to Be a Brilliant English Teacher Wright, Trevor Taylor & Francis Routledge 0415332451 9780415332453 9780203087688 English English language Study and teaching (Secondary) , English teachers, High school teaching, Effective teaching, Anglais (Langue) EÌtude et enseignement (Secondaire) , Professeurs d'anglais, Enseignement secondaire, Enseignement efficace 2005 LB1631.W66 2005eb 428/.0071/2 English language Study and teaching (Secondary) , English teachers, High school teaching, Effective teaching, Anglais (Langue) EÌtude et enseignement (Secondaire) , Professeurs d'anglais, Enseignement secondaire, Enseignement efficace cover next page > < previous page page_i next page > Page i How to be a Brilliant English Teacher How to be a Brilliant English Teacher addresses many of the anxieties that English teachers face in the classroom and offers focused and realistic solutions Packed with practical advice drawn from the author’s extensive experience, it will transform your teaching The book is anecdotal and readable, and teachers can dip into it for innovative lesson ideas or read it from cover to cover as a short, enjoyable course which uncovers exciting teaching practices and principles Aspects of teaching English covered include: • starting with Shakespeare • studying poetry • learning to plan • living with objectives • managing behaviour • big and small texts • drama • differentiation • evaluating your work Both trainee and practising English teachers will find the practical advice and wealth of ideas in this book will improve their skills, enhance their teaching and be of great support Trevor Wright is currently in charge of English secondary teacher education at University College Worcester He has over thirty years of teaching experience Mandie Wright wrote the chapter on Drama She works with the Royal Shakespeare Company, New York University, and University College Worcester < previous page page_i next page > cover next page > Cover title: author: publisher: isbn10 | asin: print isbn13: ebook isbn13: language: subject publication date: lcc: ddc: subject: How to Be a Brilliant English Teacher Wright, Trevor Taylor & Francis Routledge 0415332451 9780415332453 9780203087688 English English language Study and teaching (Secondary) , English teachers, High school teaching, Effective teaching, Anglais (Langue) EÌtude et enseignement (Secondaire) , Professeurs d'anglais, Enseignement secondaire, Enseignement efficace 2005 LB1631.W66 2005eb 428/.0071/2 English language Study and teaching (Secondary) , English teachers, High school teaching, Effective teaching, Anglais (Langue) EÌtude et enseignement (Secondaire) , Professeurs d'anglais, Enseignement secondaire, Enseignement efficace cover next page > < previous page page_ii next page > page_ii next page > Page ii This page intentionally left blank < previous page < previous page page_iii next page > page_iii next page > Page iii How to be a Brilliant English Teacher Trevor Wright LONDON AND NEW YORK < previous page < previous page page_iv next page > Page iv First published 2005 by Routledge Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Taylor & Francis Inc 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2007 To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk © 2005 Trevor Wright and Mandie Wright for Chapter All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers Every effort has been made to ensure that the advice and information in this book is true and accurate at the time of going to press However, neither the publisher nor the authors can accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made In the case of drug administration, any medical procedure or the use of technical equipment mentioned within this book, you are strongly advised to consult the manufacturer’s guidelines British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN 0-203-08768-2 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-415-33245-1 (hbk) ISBN 0-415-33246-X (pbk) < previous page page_iv next page > < previous page page_v next page > Page v Contents List of tables Acknowledgments vii ix Introduction Shakespeare: first contact Planning: the third element Learning to love objectives Poetry, small texts and pupil responses Managing learning, managing classrooms Evaluation The Framework: key issues Working with big texts Drama MANDIE WRIGHT 10 Differentiation Answers Bibliography Index < previous page 17 32 44 63 82 92 111 131 160 170 171 173 page_v next page > < previous page page_vi next page > page_vi next page > Page vi This page intentionally left blank < previous page < previous page page_vii next page > Page vii Tables 1.1 4.1 5.1 6.1 7.1 7.2 7.3 8.1 8.2 10.1 There is a problem… Using deletions Group roles Using evaluations Text-type analysis (TTA) TTA: estate agent’s particulars TTA: the news Idiolect Of Mice and Men: dreams Multiple intelligences < previous page 56 75 90 99 101 104 116 123 164 page_vii next page > < previous page page_viii next page > page_viii next page > Page viii This page intentionally left blank < previous page < previous page page_169 next page > Page 169 follow-up is often fairly minimal Personal reading is a personal matter, and perhaps the time and place of that reading is personal as well If you need to monitor it, this can be done through reading logs or other generic activities, such as pupil-led book – recommendation sessions in the library I still have a toothbrush that was given to me by a Year girl years ago because I answered a question correctly about dentistry She had given a fifteen-minute talk to the class and had chosen dentistry because it was her brother’s profession Each member of the class (they could choose to work in pairs) gave one such “expert” talk every Friday through the year; they had a week to prepare them One girl brought in her pony One boy brought in his scrambler motorbike and drove it towards us up a near-vertical bank I was frightened at the time, but not as frightened as I am now, when I wake up in the night thinking about it I also have a piece of work that my daughter did when she was in Year She had no great love for history, but she became fascinated on a family holiday in France by some rough inscriptions made by prisoners on the stone walls of a ruined prison across the road from our hotel She copied them out and took them home They were the beginning of an entirely personal scheme of work which she called Freedom and for which she read and responded to, among other things, A Tale of Two Cities and Terry Waite’s account of being held hostage, Taken on Trust This was an impressive and sustained effort on her part, and it happened because her English teacher allowed her to follow an enthusiasm and provided support Brilliant teachers seek out ways of making this possible at some point for everybody They listen to pupils so that they know what they’re capable of It isn’t so difficult to do; the maxim is that strong generic structures allow freedoms I think it matters very much that, every so often, you sit back and look at your planning and ask yourself where the moments are when children can really develop personal enthusiasms In the end, as in all aspects of teaching and learning, it must be their momentum, not yours, that carries them through < previous page page_169 next page > < previous page page_170 next page > Page 170 Answers As far as I can tell (never having seen an authoritative list), Craig Raine’s Martian (Chapter 4) is describing: Books Mist Rain A car A clock and a watch A telephone The toilet Dreams Also in Chapter 4, U A Fanthorpe’s vegetables are Onions Marrow Carrots Leeks Potatoes Beetroots And the final line is Where we are going < previous page page_170 next page > < previous page page_171 next page > Page 171 Bibliography Books about English and teaching Crystal, D (1996) Rediscover Grammar, Harlow, Longman Crystal, D (1997) The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press Davies, C (1996) What is English Teaching, Oxford, Oxford University Press Davison, J and Dowson, J (2003) Learning to Teach English in the Secondary School , London, RoutledgeFalmer Dean, G (2003) Teaching English in the Key Stage Literacy Strategy , London, Fulton Framework for Teaching English: Years 7, and 9, DFES, reference 0019/2001 Gardner, H et al (2003) Multiple Intelligences: Best Ideas from Theory and Practice , Harlow, Allyn and Bacon Gibson, R (1998) Teaching Shakespeare, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press Books about drama Brandes, D (1982) Gamesters’ Handbook Two, Cheltenham, Stanley Thornes Brandes, D and Phillips, H (1977) Gamesters’ Handbook , Cheltenham, Stanley Thornes Johnstone, K (1981) Impro, London, Methuen Rawlins, G and Rich, J (1985) Look, Listen and Trust , Basingstoke, Macmillan Scher, A and Verall, C (1975) 100+ Ideas for Drama, Oxford, Heinemann Theodorou, M (1989) Ideas that work in Drama, Cheltenham, Stanley Thornes < previous page page_171 next page > < previous page page_172 next page > Page 172 Texts Chapter Shakespeare texts are available from many publishers and, copyright-free, on the world wide web The Cambridge school editions are the best teaching editions Chapter Almond, D (1998) Skellig , London, Hodder Causley, C Timothy Winters(poem) is available in various anthologies Chapter Fanthorpe, U A (1978) Side Effects , Calstock, Peterloo Poets ——(2005) Collected Poems 1978–2003, Calstock, Peterloo Poets Raine, C (1979) A Martian Sends a Postcard Home , Oxford, Oxford University Press Chapter Atwood, M (1996) The Handmaid’s Tale, New York, Vintage Lee, H (1966) To Kill a Mockingbird, Oxford, Heinemann Windmill Miller, A (1994) Death of a Salesman , Oxford, Heinemann Orwell, G (1994) Animal Farm, London, Penguin Priestley, J B (1993) An Inspector Calls , Oxford, Heinemann Steinbeck, J (1965) Of Mice and Men, Oxford, Heinemann Windmill Wertenbaker, T (1995) Our Country’s Good, London, Methuen < previous page page_172 next page > < previous page page_173 Page 173 Index acceptance 133, 153 acting 132, 133 activities, text see Text activities activity 86; closing 86; learning 86 activity-based planning 33 activity sheet activity, trial see trial activity administration moment 139 adversarial pair questioning see pair work advertisements 100, 106 “allow for discovery” principle 147 Almond, D Skellig 23, 94,111, 172 ambiguity 47 analysis of text 92; see also technical analysis and textual analysis analytical approaches 21 Animal Farm see Orwell, G 172 An Inspector Calls see Priestley, J B 172 antithesis 14 apostrophe 109–110 appropriateness 25 assessment 84 assessment objectives (AOs) 113 assimilation 14 Atwood, M The Handmaid’s Tale 61, 172 Auden, W H Musée Des Beaux Arts 57 audience 14, 26–9, 33, 84, 118 author’s intention 44,47 background 2, 5,122 behaviour management 1, 18, 24, 81 Blake, W The Sick Rose 45–8, London 51 blank verse 14 blocking 152–3 blurb see book-cover book beginnings/openings 124–6 book-cover (lesson) 32–5 boys 98 Brandes, D Gamesters’ Handbook Two 171 Brandes, D and Phillips, H Gamesters’ Handbook 171 Bronte, C Jane Eyre 116 Bronte, E Wuthering Heights 42, 98, 112 Browning, R My Last Duchess 42 car and the lorry, The see dramatic irony Causley, C Timothy Winters 20–1, 66–7, 172 Chapter Minus One 126 Character 121; fact-files 128; work 134 charisma 1, 31 charismatic delivery 18, 64 circle 136, 143, 146, 148, 153 Clarity 141 class management see management class reader 111–112, 114 next page > classroom groupings 15 < previous page page_173 next page > < previous page page_174 Page 174 classroom performance 30 comparison 2, 26, 48–51, 55, 56, 119, 125, 129 comparative response 59 confidence 139, 141, 149 context(s) 5, 9, 29, 40 conventions 136–7, 139; see also drama coursework: essay 121, preparation 129 creative: approaches 22, expression 133, freedom 139, 142 crime file 27–8 Crystal, D Rediscover Grammar 171 Crystal, D The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language 171 culture of acceptance 146–9 curriculum see National Curriculum DART (Directed Activities Related to Texts) 51–6, 60, 61, 124, 128 Davies, C What is English Teaching 171 Davison, J and Dowson, J Learning to Teach English in the Secondary School 171 deadlines 69–70 Dean, G Teaching English in the Key Stage Literacy Strategy 171 Death of a Salesman see Miller, A deletions 52, 53 Differentiation 10–11, 160–9 Difficulty and the stupid syndrome 46–8 Direction 53 Director’s Notes 120 discipline 142–3 discussion see group discussion Donne, J Death be Not Proud 52, 62 drama 2, 131–59 dramatic irony 87, 166–8; map 118–19 EastEnders 129 editing of the text 7, embedded differentiation see differentiation endings 127, 130 Evaluation 2, 82–91; Permanent 87 evaluative mechanism 86 evidence 96 exaggeration 96 examinations, Texts and 121–4 exam preparation 130 exercises 151; see also games Explicitness 92–3 Fanthorpe, U A.: Collected Poems 172; Horticultural Show 53–4, 170; Not My BestSide 57–60; Side Effects 98, 172 fear of failure 140 feedback 77, 78 film 125–7 film trailer 126 next page > first contact 3–16 focus 6–7, 9, 12–13, 23, 33; area 124 Framework for Teaching English: Years 7, and 22, 23, 92–110, 111, 171 Framework: lesson 95–107; main body 96; plenary 107; starter 95–96 freeze and pointer technique 151 game, the element of 79 Games 134,144; 123/clap 23 159; alibi 79; Bunny/rabbit 158; …and Red shoes 157; Cat and mouse 156; Fruit salad 157; Given circumstances 154–5; Grandmother’s footsteps 156; Guards at the gate 156; guessing 150; Guided fantasy 158; Hot-seating 159; Knee fights 157; Misnomer 158; name 146; No, you didn’t … 152–3; Pass the basket 147; Pass the sound/movement 148,151; playground 144; story < previous page page_174 next page > < previous page page_175 Page 175 79; Wizard/Witch/Goblin or Pig/Wolf/Farmer 157; Word association and Word disassociation 159; Yes, and … 152–3 games, rules for games and exercises 156–9 Gardner, H Multiple Intelligences: Best Ideas from Theory and Practice 164–5, 171 GCSE 38, 85, 121, 122 GCSE English Literature 113 generic: guidance 103; prompt 100 Gibson, R Teaching Shakespeare 4, 171 Ghost of Thomas Kempe, The see Lively, P gifts of the text 60–2, 112, 114, 124 Globe Theatre 5, 10 Good humour 141 group 74–5; discussions 74–9; monitoring 77; work 74–9 group roles 75–6; arguer 75; feedback organiser 75; leader 75; note-maker 75; pacifier 75; problem-solver 75 Guided fantasy see Games hierarchy of topics 121 higher learning homework 28–30 horizontal approach see starter Horticultural Show see Fanthorpe, U A Hot-seating see Games How to kill a novel see novel How to kill a play see play iambic pentameter 165–6 ideolect 114–16 imagery 10, 14, 62 imagination 18; unlocking 151–2 improvisation 143, 150–51; exercises 149; polished 134, 135, 149; Towards 149 inclusion, not segregation 164–7 interactivity 97 Jane Eyre see Bronte, C Johnstone, K Impro 171 Keats, J Ode to Autumn 51 Key stage see Framework key question 15 King Lear see Shakespeare King, Martin Luther 38–40 Larkin, P An Arundel Tomb 57 learning 15, 18; next page > as a joint operation 89; good 1; issues 14; objective 1, 2, 21, 84, 86, 93, 97,125; opportunities 33; process 2; transaction 17; see also objectives Lee, H To Kill a Mocking Bird 117, 124 lesson 20; activity 7; beginning 67–8; individual 4; journey 38; main body 96–107; planning 23; plans 18, 38, 41, 66; shape 65, 92, 95–107; story 65–7, 97 level 65 listening 78–9 literacy 19, 107; framework 74, 87, 88; hour 93,107; strategy 92 literary reverence Lively, P The Ghost of Thomas Kempe 32, 34 LRC Macbeth see Shakespeare management blackspot 69 managing learning, managing classrooms 63–81 managing speaking and listening 73–9 marking 84 Merchant of Venice, The see Shakespeare metaphor 20, 36 Midsummer Night’s Dream, A see Shakespeare Miller, A Death of a Salesman 119–120, 128 moral dartboard 129 < previous page page_175 next page > < previous page Page 176 Motivating pupils-joint ownership 80 multiple intelligence 164–5; see also Gardner, H narrative 126; intelligence 165; structure 127 National Curriculum 23–4, 74, 100 National Literacy Strategy 92 non-fiction writing 98–106 Not My Best Side see Fanthorpe, U A novel, How to kill 115–117 No, you didn’t …see Games Number round 138 objective 2, 32–43, 67, 84–5, 87, 93–5; framework 38–9, 93; generalised 38–40; long-term 23; sentence-level 93; sharing of 93–4; specific 39–40, 44, 85; see also learning objectives Of Mice and Men see Steinbeck onomatopoeia 36 openings, see book beginnings opinions 7, 14, 15 organisation 31 Orwell, G Animal Farm 124 Our Country’s Good see Wertenbaker, T outcome 69–70 Owen, W 36 painting 59 pair work 9,14–15, 55; adversarial 96; questioning 96; sympathetic 96 Pass the basket see Games Pass the sound/movement see Games pebbledash: coverage 37; teacher 38 performance 64,132 permanent evaluation see evaluation persona 64 personal: choices 168–9; context 9; response 36–7 personality 64 persuasive language 100–3 physical exercises 145 pictures 57 planning 1, 6–7, 15, 17–31, 33, 37, 41, 65; activities 40; activity-based 33; hierarchy of 23 plans see lesson plans play, How to kill a 117–120 playground games see Games play log 120 playfulness 133 page_176 next page > pleasure 112 plenary 88–91, 94, 107; see also framework lesson plot 121 poem 21, 36–7 poetry 12, 44–62; voice 2, 12, 44 point of connection 6–8 polished improvisation 134–5, 149 positive models 108–9 post-16 teaching 42, 98, 130 powerbase 68 prediction 14–16, 126–7 preparation 2, 64 Priestley, J B An Inspector Calls 112, 118, 146 pre-twentieth-century short stories 85–6 principles, generic progress 25 progression 15 prompt: script 102–3; sheet 56, 76–7, 98, 100 psycho-drama 134–5 psychology 153–6 punctuation 108–9 pupil: activity 18; choice 168; evaluation 91; journey 122; learning 41, 84; listening 85; logs 91; prediction 127; reaction 18; responses 71–2 purpose 140–1, 145 purpose and audience 26–8, 33–34, 92; analysis of 92 QDO (Questions, Deadline, Outcome) 69–70, 77, 87, 160 < previous page page_176 next page > < previous page page_177 Page 177 questions 69–71, 126–7 question and answer teaching 97–8 quietness 80 radio news bulletin 103–6 Raine, C A Martian Sends a Postcard Home 60–2, 170, 172 Rawlins, G and Rich, J Look, Listen and Trust 171 reaction, reader’s 44–8 reaction shots 126 reader confidence 45 readers 44; class 111–112, 114 reading: logs 169; silent 168–9 reading and writing activities 96 reading-to-writing 98,106 recaps 95–6 relationship 121 relaxation 145 research model 109 rhyme 50 role-cards 76 role play 134–5 rotation 162,163–4; see also differentiation SAT 10 schemes of work 4, 25, 28 Scher, A and Verrall, C 100 + Ideas for Drama 171 sculpture 145 self-awareness 140; consciousness 140; regulation 136 sentence lengths 93–4 set 119 sequencing ideas 149 Shakespeare 3–16, 23,155; archetypal mixed-ability author 10; characters 23; text 23; language 10; iambic pentameter 165; play 23; speech 126 Shakeaspeare’s plays: King Lear 10; Macbeth 16,128; The Merchant of Venice 23; A Midsummer Night’s Dream 6–16,111, 155; Much Ado About Nothing 16; Richard III 16; Romeo and Juliet 5, 37; The Tempest 16; Twelfth Night 4–5 Sick Rose, The see Blake, W silence 80–1 silent reading see reading silent screams 144 simile 20–2, 66 sixth formers 2, 42, 130 Skellig see Almond, D next page > speaking and listening 96, 124, 130; see also managing speaking and listening spontaneity 149 spontaneous work 134–5 starter: horizontal approach and vertical approach 95; see also Framework lesson Steinbeck, J Of Mice and Men 111–114, 121–4, 125–7 stirring the tea 78; see also managing speaking and listening story-boarding 125–6 structure 121; planning 7; importance of 15 stupid syndrome, the 46 style 121 symbolism 119 synergy 14, 94 talking-stick 138 task-setting 69–70 technical: analysis 2; issues 36 teacher activity 18 teachers’ allies see prediction and opinion teacher language 162–3 see also differentiation text(s) 2, 23, 28, 44, 60–2 text activities 124–30 text-level 93 texts and examinations 121–4 texts, Working with big 111–130 text transformation 119 text-type analysis (TTA) 22, 28, 98–100 textual analysis 44 theatre 120 theme 121–2 Theodorou, M Ideas that work in Drama 171 < previous page page_177 next page > < previous page page_178 Page 178 throughline 65, 67, 96 Timothy Winters see Causley, C To Kill a Mocking Bird see Lee, H transition points 37 transitions 10, 15, 65–7 trial activity 128 triangulate 40, 166 TTA see text-type analysis Twelfth Night see Shakespeare valuing and validating pupil responses 71–2 variety, planning for 24–6 vertical approach see starter video visual symbol 137 warm up 10, 15, 144 Wertenbaker, T Our Country’s Good 119 whiteboard 72 whole-body yawns 144 word association and word disassociation see Games Wordsworth, W London 51 Working with big texts 111–130 workshop 133 writer’s intention 48 Wuthering Heights see Bronte, E YAVA (You Ask, Volunteers Answer) 72–3, 83, 160 Yes, and see Games < previous page page_178